
3.3.2. Instrumentation
Before attempting any measurement a basic but
important
rule is to make sure that the
frequency range
of
interest is covered by every item in the measuring chain, i.e. the
Microphone, the Sound Level Meter, the Sound Level Meter weighting (if any) and finally
the Filter Set itself.
If the frequency range
of
the Sound Level Meter microphone does
not
cover the fre-
quency span of interest, a different microphone should be selected. For example,
for
ultrasound measurements, the 1/4" Microphone Type 4135
(4
Hz-100 kHz, ± 2dB) with
Adaptor
UA 0035 can be fitted
to
the Sound Level Meter Type 2231; and
for
infrasound
measurements, the frequency range
of
the Microphones Type 4155
or
4165 can be
ex-
tended downwards (to less than 1 Hz) by use
of
the supplied Microphone
Adaptor
UC
5265.
For making a measurement
it
is then
just
necessary to check that the frequency
of
interest is contained in the Sound Level Meter frequency range, and that the
"Lin."
(All-
pass) frequency weighting
is
used.
Note:
-If a non-standard microphone is selected, remember to use the "Frontal" setting on
the Sound Level Meter,
as
the "Random" frequency correction is
not
valid
for
any
mi-
crophone.
-When mounted, the Adaptor
UC
5265 results in a 0,4 dB attenuation in the
input
stage
which must be compensated
for
when calibrating the Sound Level Meter; i.e. when using
the internal reference signal, the Sound Level Meter must be calibrated to
94dB
+ K0 +0,4dB.
3.3.3. Measurement
8
Proceed as for a normal measurement with
an
external filter, i.e. with Ext. Filter set to
"In". The measured sound pressure level is displayed by the Sound Level Meter.
For low frequency measurements long integration times must be allowed. When measur-
ing
with
an
Integrating Sound Level Meter, these can be obtained by use
of
the
Leq
measurement function (see Sound Level Meter Instruction Manual). As a rough guide, the
integration time can be defined as the
time
needed
for
the displayed value to stabilize. A
minimum integration time of 8 seconds (i.e.
an
8 seconds
Leq)
is recommended, although
for
very
low frequencies this value can be as high as
60
seconds
or
even more.
For high frequency measurements no special precaution are needed concerning the
integration time. However, care must be taken
to
avoid introducing reflections (e.g. from
body
of
the operator) which can have a marked effect on the accuracy
of
the measure-
ment, especially at high frequencies.