Hello everyone! I’ve got a question regarding setup and background noise mitigation. I have a bit of an interesting use case where I’m recording data in my place of work overnight and over weekends in various locations to really understand how the building shakes. Whenever I pick up an earthquake on an overnight run, I always double check it with a RS1D that’s a few miles north of where I’m running and I noticed a far quieter background noise compared to any locations I’ve tried.
My question is this: While maintaining the ability to move the shake, what are some steps I can take to mitigate background noise? I’m near a college campus so there’s a decent amount of human activity, but I don’t seem to be picking up much noise from any of the spots I’ve recorded.
Hello Raspshakero7, and welcome to the community!
This is quite the interesting approach, and I think the answer could also help other Shakers. Here are some practical steps you can take to mitigate background noise while keeping your Shake mobile:
Location selection:
- Choose the “quietest” spots possible in each location. Typically on the lowest floor available, on bare concrete (no carpet or wood, if possible), and near foundation walls
- Stay definitely away from HVAC systems, elevators, washing machines, air conditioners, and higher-end traffic areas
- You’ll probably already do this, but always prefer the floor to any other surface
Installation tips:
- Ensure the Shake is on a solid, stable surface. Concrete slabs are perfect, if present
- Minimize airflow around the unit, as constant air movement can be detected by the sensor, increasing your base noise
- If you’re using extension cables between the sensor(s) and the board, keep them as short as possible and well-secured to avoid picking up vibrations
For your mobile setup (again, if you aren’t already doing this), you can document the details of each installation location, so you can account for noise differences in your analysis
The good news is that if you’re successfully detecting earthquakes at your various locations, your Shake is performing well in that urban environment. The noise you’re seeing is likely just the reality of monitoring in an active building, as you have surmised, but I hope the points above can be of help.
Thanks Stormchaser! I’ll be trying out these suggestions, specifically the airflow isolation. If I get the time I’ll post a comparison of airflow isolated to non isolated.
2 Likes