Community Noise Monitoring

NVMS recognise the need for industries and local government to monitor community noise. This historically requires an individual to attend the location of interest and take representative noise measurements using a hand-held sound level meter. This poses several constraints on resources, namely:

• Commitment of personnel (staffing and know-how)
• Getting to the location at the time of interest
• Needing to be there to 'listen' to the noise
• Taking a sample representative of the noise issue

In order to relieve this burden it is often convenient to leave the equipment unattended and perform noise logging over a period of hours or days. For long term logging a permanent noise monitor may be appropriate; for short term logging NVMS can recommend the following 2 solutions. A Sound Level Meter running Logging and Sound Recording Software, and the same equipment in a tamper-proof box for Complaint Recording, where a member of the public identifies when a noise complaint is occurring and presses a button to identify the event and trigger an audio recording of the noise.

Brüel & Kjær Logging Sound Level Meters

An indispensable option for community noise is Logging software and Sound Recording software. This software upgrade is available on the Brüel & Kjær 2250 Sound Level Meter.

This provides key advantages over taking single measurements, namely:

• Staff can deploy and retrieve instrument without remaining onsite
• Untrained staff can drop off and collect the pre-configured instrument
• Detailed time histories can be obtained
• Sound recordings can take place based on noise level trigger thresholds

Key features which make the 2250 ideal for this purpose include:

• Exceptionally low noise floor (< 18dBA )
• Very wide single dynamic range (20 - 140 dB)
• 100ms Logging (10 samples per second) as well as
• Clock synchronized logging e.g. 1 minute, 15 minutes or 1 hour
• MP3 / WAV file sound recording onto large CF / SD memory cards

NV1509 'Yellow Brick' One-Touch Noise Complaint Recorder

The 'Yellow Brick' was designed to assist local governments and noise sensitive industries with their community noise complaint handling, providing key advantages to both the complainant and the authority. These include:

• Simplicity of deployment ("When you hear the noise press this button")
• Integrity of data (Client cannot open box and tamper with SLM)
• Empowerment for complainant (Recording the actual noise event)
• Quality of retrieved information.

The system is essentially based around a Brüel & Kjær 2250 SLM running Logging or Enhanced Logging software. An option within the software includes deciding if and when an audio recording is to take place (digital audio recording has replaced the need for DAT Digital Audio Tape recorders). We select the 'external trigger' button which effectively allows a complainant to start and stop sound recording.

The result for the operator is that they will have a detailed log of all noise occurring at the premises over the day or days of activity, and can listen directly to the noise of interest instead of having to listen to hours upon hours of conventional audio recordings.

Please ask for a demonstration today.