Using the Noise Nuisance Recorder

Noisy Neighbours and Other Applications

The SV215 Recorder was designed for measuring and recording noise in residential areas and is usually set up in the complainant's premises, where it will store the background noise levels and record the audio on demand.

As this kit contains a Class 1 Integrating Sound Level Meter with many features, including Octave Band Filters, it can be used for many different applications. However, for the purpose of this section we will concentrate on its primary function: measuring and recording nuisance noise from neighbours.

In The Office - Prepare the Equipment

Configure the meter to make the type of measurements and recordings that you need. For example, you may want it to record the LAeq and L90 over repeating 1 hour periods, along with the 1 second LAeq noise profile. You will also set up the audio record sampling rate and period.

You will probably only have to do this configuration once. In fact the meter is shipped out with the most common settings pre-configured, so you may not need to do it at all. If you are starting a new measurement session, then it is better to erase any existing measurements.

On Site - Start the Monitoring

Place the recorder in a suitable indoor position within reach of a mains power socket. Good batteries in the meter will ensure it keeps running for a few hours during a power cut. Fit the gooseneck microphone extension to the top of the box. You can use a microphone extension lead with a tripod, but the gooseneck is usually more convenient and less likely to get damaged.

Check the calibration of the meter and show the complainant how to use the remote control.

On Site - End of Monitoring

At the end of the monitoring period, simply switch the meter off, put the gooseneck extension and power supply in the box and return the equipment to your office.

If you intend to leave the equipment on site for further measurement then you can stop the measurement and swap the USB memory stick for a fresh one, allowing you to take the measurements back to your office for analysis.

Back In The Office

All the audio recordings and time history measurements (gives the graph of noise levels over time) are stored on the USB memory stick. If you also stored periodic Leq and statistical noise measurements then these should now be transferred from the meter's memory onto the USB stick.

Plug the USB stick into the computer and run the SvanPC+ software, from where you can view all the acoustic measurements and listen to the audio records. Reports can be generated and data exported to various other applications such as Excel and Word. For more details please visit the software page.