BACKGROUND:
The Problem:
Although we currently live in the wider Sydney city area most of the time, we have "issues" with Possums and Pidgeons! Surrounded by large Gumtree's (the Pidgeons love them to watch what the humans are up to!), convenient fence lines (for the Possum's to use as their pathway) and plenty of empty roof space for these creatures to rest at dark, and breed (Pidgeons are a bit like Kiwi's i.e they eat, root, shoot and leave!)
The Possum's at night are noisy, particularly when "playing games" in the roof space and the Pidgeons are just a real nuisance and messy (everywhere is their toilet!).
I am trying various techniques to rid or greatly reduce these visitors (the neighbour has a dog that waits at the bottom and the fence, when the Possum comes trotting along the top of the Colourbond fence, the dog rams the fence, knocks the Possum off the fence and it falls into it's mouth - brutal but effective!)
My Electronic Solution (NOT)
My professional and personal interest is electronics, so I decided to try an electronic technology solution to the problem
I decided to experiment with one of these Ultrasonic "noise creators" being a less brutal way of keeping these creatures (Possums and Pidgeons) at bay ... what now follows is MY experience. I have learned that in SOME situations this equipment could be useful, it could even be improved upon if you have ability in electronics ...
First up, the researched scientific opinions of these devices is mixed ... but overall, the tone of the research does lean towards the "downside" i.e not worth the trouble! After my experimenting, I tend to agree BUT in certain situations this device MAY prove useful but without any doubt it certainly isn't the sort of thing that you set up on the verandah and all the Possums and Pidgeons stay away - far from it!
KOGAN ... Why did I choose this KOGAN device?
I went into this "defeat of the wildlife" venture expecting it to be an experiment and I did not wish to fork out large amounts of money for a technology that may not be up to the task.
Please understand that all (there is a lot to read) of my comments are not intended to cast dispersion's upon KOGAN, the company that markets this product. In fact this identical product is available from numerous "brands", it looks to me as though there are just a few manufacturers (in China of course) who then supply distributors which in turn "badge" the product.
The problem is the Ultrasonic technology being relied upon, although I must say that "other" companies do make ludicrous claims about the ability of this type of equipment - take what you read in those advertisements with a grain of salt!
In broad terms, this device is designed to emit a loud Ultrasonic sound which is supposed to startle the animal or birds and they run or fly away. Apparently these creatures do have some ability to hear these high frequency sounds. But wait, that's not all! You will notice the thin strip in the front central area, that is like a strobe light which flashes when the sounds are playing ... apparently birds see light as a physical object to be avoided (the basis of the laser technology alternatives). Inside the motion sensor lens is a large RED light that comes on steady (not flashing), it's purpose is unknown to me - perhaps for 'colour blind' birds? No idea
What the manufacturer's don't tell you is ...
a) Humans can hear the sounds too! (easily) Sure, perhaps not as intensely as the wildlife may be able to but it can be heard none-the-less, in fact with this unit the sound level can be very high and uncomfortable for PEOPLE to be around and it gave me headaches.
It is not supposed to be the humans who retreat from the sounds but the animals or birds!
b) Animals and birds are not dummies ... they learn from their experiences and so it is with this device. Sure, the first couple of times "Oh my, what on earth is that noise?" and the birds depart but then they think about it and come back for another 'go' and this time it is more like "Oh my, there is that sound again ... Oh well, I already know it does not present danger" and they do NOT depart. Eventually (I tested this device over 2 weeks) the birds in particular seemed to view the device as something like a door-bell! "Hey guys, welcome back" and taking barely any notice of the flashing light and sounds, with one particular bird that seemed to be dancing to the noise?!?!
My Experiences With This Device
We have a largish rear yard at the Sydney house, all Colourbond fencing and with a verandah. Large gums which overhang (and come close to) the roof area and upper levels of the house - perfect as a highway for Possums and the Pidgeons love the verandah (nice cool place to rest!)
We are surrounded by neighbours, as is the way in the big city. When I first turned on this device, the volume was set to maximum and set to a "sweeping sound", more about that further down.
Now, at this initial stage, there is no doubt that the birds in particular were startled and flew off. BUT THEN THEY RETURNED and the sound didn't startle them to the same extent, eventually it didn't startle them at all ... some took a mild interest in the device and would stare at it, (Hey strange human thing, are you trying to talk to me?) some other birds appeared to be dancing to it but most importantly, no-one actually flew away! I even tried using the device as simply a "door monitor" as these pesky Pidgeons were in the habit of coming inside through the open French doors. Again, the device would detect the bird and blurt out its sounds but the bird would just keep on walking in - the only usefulness for the device in this instance was that it told us "Hey Russell, yet another bird has just walked into your house" Not really why I bought it!
Our Possum experience was a little harder to judge ... these creatures would come out at dusk, walk along the fence line, climb a couple of trees and swing over to the 2nd story roof of the house. This device did activate with their motion while climbing the trees and at first, they were startled but instead of running away they just froze on the spot. The device only emits the sound for around 20 seconds (actually three different sweeping high frequency sounds) and then goes silent until it is re-triggered by movement ... the Possum waits for the break in the sound and then continued on it's way. No much good as a deterrent in my experience.
Overall, the WORST THING was the sound being made by the device ... I had it turned up loud and our household could easily hear it from some distance away, but so could the neighbour at the rear of the property and the neighbours on either side... perhaps even down the street!
Now, let's get it straight here ... I wanted to drive away the wildlife, not the neighbours so this was not a good thing!
I was not expecting to actually be able to hear the sounds the device made ... Ultrasonic sound is outside of "normal" human hearing range (especially my old ears) but humans (young & old) can definitely hear this device - yes it is high frequency and "thin and reedy" sounding but dang it is annoying!
If someone wished to take the time (and had an average level of general electronics knowledge) it should be fairly easy to shift the frequency range up a bit - it just seems to be set too low. It did take a look 'inside' and access is via 4x normal screws and the case can then readily be separated into two pieces. Neatly constructed and based on SMD technology.
SUMMARY OF MY EXPERIENCES ...
All of the above are my personal experiences with the device, it could be that someone else has a totally different experience ... just be aware that these things may not be an instant solution to your "wildlife problem"
In the city/domestic environment, don't expect too much from these ... it is not really the fault of the equipment but the science behind it (and animal behavioural patterns) bring about it's downfall.
It COULD be a different story in the bush or a large property well away from neighbours, specifically in the machine shed. This is where you could accept that it makes a loud audible noise that humans can hear but it does not overcome the fact that these creatures learn ... and fast!
I have now abandoned this Ultrasonic sound technique for wildlife deterrent and am now looking at something the "big boys" that is, commercial food growers use ... laser technology ... this looks interesting and apparently it works for those guys although it could be a bit expensive and I am sure that laser technology has limitations as well ...
Overall though, I am not annoyed about the purchase, everything is a learning experience ... I must add that some folk take things way too much to heart, such as the guy who is so angry in his Youtube video and declares the device is a scam ... perhaps the marketing was a bit "flowery" but the device does do what it was supposed to, it just isn't really in the wildlife situation.
Some folk might say "just get a cat or dog" but I really do not want that solution ... I want to try the technology route first.
Actually one technology that is apparently still in use is propane "poppers" (more like a shotgun sound) that does freak out birds, my relatives in NZ used these in the 1960's to scare away birds in their orchards but in the big city it is not really practical - if the neighbours think a screeching sound is bad, imagine if they had to put up with a "gun shot" going off every few minutes! Not practical and probably the noise created is under the control of local authorities in any case.
Enough of the banter Russell .... let's get down to "brass tacks" about this equipment I am offering
KOGAN- Possum Repeller (that is what they call it)
Manufactured in China
Product code: KAPSMREP1P
Complete, fully assembled unit with Australian AC power adaptor
Also can run using 4x C size batteries (holder at the rear)
This unit does NOT have the facility for Solar charging
Basic facilities:
Front facing Ultrasonic horn speaker
Central White flashing light strip
Infra-Red motion sensor with a RED led behind the lens
At the rear ...
Variable volume control
Selectable mode controls (On 24 hours, Day only, Night only, Sensor Activated, Always On, Auto Sweep Frequency)
There is also a rotary control for the various Ultrasonic sounds ... these sounds are not a constant tone but sound like a siren, the pitch of which changes with this variable control. I believe the idea behind this control is that (supposedly) different animals have different hearing ranges ... setting are indicated for Rodents/Bats, Cats/Dogs, Birds/Skunks, Possums, Armadillos, Raccoons, Deer, Insects
I found that these settings all needed to be taken with a grain of salt i.e pretty flaky! No matter where I set this control, the birds in particular didn't seem all that interested (they didn't even change their dancing!) and certainly were not suddenly startled (but my ears were hurting!)
On the lighter side (don't you have to laugh at life? - Monty Python was a big influence on my life ...) ... at no time while I was testing this device did I see a Skunk, an Armadillo, a family of Raccoons or even a Deer - so it kept them away! Hmmm
The device is reasonably light and has a slot in the top of the high impact plastic casing, for mounting.
WEIGHT: 400g (including the power pack but without batteries installed)
DIMENSIONS:
163mm x 130mm (rear)
Depth: 75mm
140mm x 110mm (front)
TESTING:
Please read ALL of the comments above to get an idea of this technology which the device is based on.
ALL functions work as designed
Motion detector works fine in the various modes
The screeching sound is LOUD (when the volume is turned up to '10') and cycles through three distinct sweep patterns, each sound of different frequencies but ALL of the sweeps are audible and in my case, promote headaches!
As I am now done with this technology, it has been packed into a sealed clear plastic package (with the power pack but no batteries) awaiting someone who wishes to experiment further with an "Ultrasonic Creature Deterrent"
As for me? I am now going to sort through these laser based options ... I like the rotating lasers but am worried about the laser light projecting into the neighbouring properties AND the fact that we are directly under a well used aircraft (helicopter/light planes) flight path! That could get interesting, perhaps even illegal ...
