Got tasked with researching digital decibel meters for my dept to use when we have music festivals in town (which is just about every weekend in the summer).

Budget is $500 at the upper limit, but really all I need it to do is be easy to use, digital, the fewer buttons the better and reasonably durable, if a 200dollar model does that, all the better.

The little amount of googling came up with a wide range of prices and features.

basically it will be used to ether prove or disprove citizern complaints that the music is too loud (by the city ordinance).

Thanks
J-

We had the exact same issues, but I borrowed one from our local county fire marshalls office. They get BIG DHS grant money for silly little gadgets like that.

Copy I'll check next door at the FD when I get in tomorrow.

J-

wonder if you could save them some money, and just maybe work on crimes, instead of some dipshits code enforcement bugaboo

TXL

If you have a smartphone(iPhone/Blackberry) there is a free DB meter app. I use it I would try it in court but it will give you a good idea if they're over the DB rating for a noise complaint.

And to TxLewis- Most code enforcement folks arent around on weekend nights when most of these outdoor music events happen, so it becomes a police issue as much as we HATE it.

I can imagine that you do.  To the op, I'm sure you did not volunteer for this, just another assigned duty.  It's just sad that people actually think you should be doing stuff like this.

TXL

Yea but when the tax payers ask the city manager and the mayor to have it do it........well you get the picture.

Yep "voluntold" to look into. Unfortuantey the high rent district of the city also boarders the large park where the festivals take place, so the squeeky wheels get the oil so to speak. I already know that I will not be doing the measuring/enforcement that will either fall on one of our special problem units (not like they dont have anything better, LOL) or the Admin LT (who has absolutley nothing to do, LMAO) or our ordinance enforcement guy, if they want to pay him OT for working on the weekend.

J-

Even a Radio Shack meter will be just fine, if you get it calibrated by a qualified calibration lab.



I have a GR sound level calibrator which costs more than some sound level meters.   It's easy to prove that my RS meter is

acceptably accurate (less than 1 percent error) at every calibration frequency with it.





But I'm not a cal lab.   My word is worth nothing when a certified calibration is required.





CJ

dBs are really hard to measure properly

Amazingly the RadioShack meter, the one with the digital scale, is actually quite a nice little meter and more than adequate for your purpose.

Who do you think enforces exhaust noise limits on vehicles.......

Brian

I can only imagine the nightmare that presenting this in court will be.  

In my old job we had guys who specialized in analyzing noise and increases in noise due to projects.  There is a whole science behind it and it is not just taking a noise reading and getting some decibel reading.  

As someone pointed out above, what is the baseline?  How what percentage of the decibels are coming from the "offender"?

Lawyer 1: "Officer, what training have you had to "interpret" these readings?"
Officer: "Uhhh...I read the manual"???

I would much rather find the offending house, car, etc...shoot the distance with a lazer from where I can clearly hear the music, explain that XXX neighbors from YYY distance have complained, explain how loud the music is from within say about 50 feet of the house and call it good.

Maybe I worded it wrong. The meter is not going to be used to issue tickets to the festivals etc., since the city issues the permit to begin with. It will be used to enforce the ending times of the festivals as the city ordinace in part says that noise can't be over "x" decibels after "x" time (cant remember the db or time limit).

It will more or less be "hey it is 1000pm and it is too loud, time to shut the stage down" and conversly Resident X says "its to loud" we can go to their house and show them that per the ordinace it isn't (we have had people complain several blocks away that it is too loud when it is barely audible).

Thats more or less what it will be used for, not for issuing tickets to the organizers etc.

J-

edit: this is for music festivals, the biggest one this summer is anticipating aprx 25k people with national touring acts, cars, parties etc are all either audible at 50ft or off the property line.

This should be all you need:

Radio Shack SPL meter