Db meter recommendations

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ElectronDance

ElectronDance

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Location
SE Arizona
I'm somewhat new to the special systems market, so bear with me. I've had lots of work with FA installs but very little field survey and design experience. We are also branching into the mass notification market, which is all the rage with the DOD but a brave new world for me. Of late we have been asked to bid several system upgrade/retrofit projects. Such retrofits, of course, require site survey to determine the status of the present systems. This has created a need for a decibel meter to confirm code compliance of existing systems. I've been researching this and have a few products in mind. But I was hoping to get some input from real world users on the subject. Any got a meter they particularly like? One that has been a problem for them? Are the Extech meters as good as the write ups I keep reading on them?

Thank you for any input.

Chuck
 
Surprise...

Surprise...

Hi Chuck:

Welcome to the forums here. You'll find a lot of great people so don't be shy to ask anything.. :)

The best place to get a decent, inexpensive dB meter is your local Radio Shack. They have one for around $50 that works great and the one I have has lasted for years.

They may call it an SPL or sound pressure level meter.

Some stores stock it, others you may have to have them order it.

Otherwise any decent electronics store in your area may have them.
 
That is not a tool most electricians would use. I bet a sound engineer could help you out.

Radio shack has them for $50 but who knows how good they are.

pRS1C-2266248w345.jpg
 
Dennis Alwon said:
That is not a tool most electricians would use.
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As an electrician at an amusement park I used one whenever the neighbors complained about noise levels. We where allowed a certain DB at our property line. The weather had a big influence on the sound levels when we had outdoor concerts.
 
Hello, is this thing on?.......

Hello, is this thing on?.......

Dennis Alwon said:
That is not a tool most electricians would use. I bet a sound engineer could help you out.

Radio shack has them for $50 but who knows how good they are.

pRS1C-2266248w345.jpg
Click to expand...


Ummmm...I think some motorcycle guy on here made a comment on the quality of the Radio Shack meter.... :D :roll:

There are several cinema service techs working for some big names who use these very same meters.

One tech for Lucasfilm's THX program uses it and prefers it over the $500 meter that THX provided..and he says it's accurate within 1/2 dB to the more expensive one.
 
On a another forum I frequent a contributor noted "We supplied a couple of really cheap chinese digtal units to a customer ... and [they] are rated to IEC 61672-1 Class 2, have A & C weighting ... We tested them on our Castle Acoustics calibrator and they were spot on!"

I've used a RatShack meter for years myself, and find it "good enough"...
 
I use the radio shack one, I just put a P-Touch label with my name on it over where it says radioshack, It works just fine, I've used it next to a much more expensive computer driven RTA and its been right there +/- .5dBs
 
I have an Extech SL130. I think I paid about $225 for it.

sl130.jpg


It's got a couple of useful features like timestamped peak dB, Red/Green LEDs with high/low setpoint (useful when you're 100' away, but won't light when running on internal AAs) I've also got the extension cord so that you can put the golfball-sized mic 15' away from the display.
 
ce2two

ce2two

when it comes to communication ....look up ameritec.com (digital test equipment )more accurate then analog ..... if your checking polling /repsonses (answer backs) checking your D.C.D. which is your carrier , which is measured in DB .......................
 
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