Full Product Manual

the meter is operating in Autoranging mode. To demonstrate

that autoranging is on in a quiet environment, rub the

windscreen with your hand (to simulate a loud noise) and

watch the Range Baseline change to 100 dB.

To measure the loudness of a sound source, point the

microphone at it. The measurement calculation reflects the

meter’s fixed settings: “A” frequency weighting and fast time

weighting. The shape of the “A” frequency-weighting curve

simulates the response of the human ear, so “A” weighting is

suitable for measuring the sound level of an environment for

the purpose of regulatory compliance, workplace design or

noise-pollution control. Fast time weighting, with a response

time (integration time constant) of 125 milliseconds, also

simulates the response time of the human ear and is most

suitable for measuring the volume of singular events.

If a sound level is below 40 dB, the readout will be LO. If a

sound level is above 130 dB, the readout will be HI.

TRACKING MIN AND MAX LEVELS

After being powered on, the DSM8930 automatically operates

in “Recording” mode for the purpose of tracking and

displaying minimum and maximum sound level

measurements.

To display the minimum sound level measured since the

meter was powered on, press the MIN button. The text MIN

will appear on the top line of the display and the digital

display will indicate the lowest sound volume measured since

power on. While the digital display is showing the minimum

sound value, the meter continues to measure real-time sound

level inputs and to display its results on the analog bar graph.