Measuring sound levels

[Suburb Repairman]

Hey, I know the throbbing brain has a couple of code enforcement folks on here, so here's a question for ya.

Our City just bought a sound level meter that has a couple of different settings. I know very little about different frequencies, etc, so I need some advice. The meter I bought has a 50-126dB range. It also has two different "weights". The "A" weight has A-curve frequency characteristics and responds to 500-10,000 Hz range. The "C" weight has C-curve frequency characteristics and responds to 32-10,000 Hz range. The little manual says that "A" is best to determine an area's noise level, while "C" is to measure sound levels of musical material.

So, which one is the most appropriate from your experience?

[Maister]

You'll want to use the (a) measurement. Our code even dictates that the readings must be taken using the (a) setting.

[Suburb Repairman]

You'll want to use the (a) measurement. Our code even dictates that the readings must be taken using the (a) setting.

Thanks! I figured that one of the authors of "Stan and Stan's Code Enforcement Adventures" would chime in with an answer.

[Rem]

The 'A' weighting is supposed to replicate the sensitivity of the human ear - that is giving more weighting to the frequencies our ears are more sensitive to and less weighting to frequencies our ears are less sensitive to. For most land use arguments, the 'A' weighting is most appropriate. Also make sure you calibrate your new instrument (and record doing so) if you plan to rely on the readings in an enforcement dispute.