The first big test of Montauk's SAGE dish occurred after researchers discovered that the general mood of the base changed depending on the frequency and pulse duration of the radar system. The Phoenix II scientists realized that by changing the rate and width of the pulse, they could alter the way people felt. They experimented with making people laugh, cry, get angry, and grow sleepy. 

In 1973, the researchers moved on to testing whether or not they could alter the thoughts of large groups of people at once. They initially experimented on soldiers who believed they were at the base for R&R, before moving onto civilians in Long Island, New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut. There's no record of what was done to the citizens of those states specifically, but this wouldn't be the first time that the US government performed tests on civilians without their knowledge.