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In a post discussing various jobs people have done at Campmeeting, shoe shines, snow cone machine, etc., 6thplayer 1 shared these words: You could make a small fortune at our camp meeting in southern Il. by just selling ear plugs.Which raises the question, HOW LOUD is the music at Southern IL. Campmeeting? Nothing negative intended here about that Campmeeting but thought some viewers might have fun with How Loud Is It? It's so loud...Doyl

My wife and I used to attend all of the camp meetings in So. Illinois. One year the sound seemed to be getting louder and louder so I brought a DB level meter and sat in the back. My first measurements were well over 100db using a flat scale. The following year I measured it again and it pegged my meter at times when the music was playing. On average it was 96 - 98 db. You could actually feel the music in your chest when the meter pegged. The last year I attended , I asked the pastor of the church if they could turn it down a bit. He said he had no control over it and agreed it was way to loud. That year it pegged my meter again. Even two of our grand kids said it was way to loud. { they were 17 and 19 at the time }. That was the last year My wife , Both of our Daughters , our son in law and 6 grand kids attended this camp meeting. BTW , we were not the only one complaining about the volume.If a sound reaches 85 dB or stronger, it can cause permanent damage to your hearing. The amount of time you listen to a sound affects how much damage it will cause. The quieter the sound, the longer you can listen to it safely.It is really a serious matter that no one seems to address. But it is no longer my concern so let-er-rip. I'm saving my hearing as well as my families.

C, you shore you wasn't usin a Presbyterian DB level meter? I know fer a fact that a feller can whisper an em Presbo meters will register well over 100db. Try one a them Pennycostal DB meters, I think youy will git a much more realistic reading.

This has to be one of the funniest things that I have ever heard! To think that you would really go to the expense of buying your own decibel meter to prove a point is just too funny. I have never been to an Illinois campmeeting, so I have no dog in the hunt. I do know that, according to OSHA, one can sustain 85db for 3 hours without any affect on your hearing at all. As a matter of fact. city traffic registers at about 85db. You can sustain 100db for a steady 45 minutes before there is any affect at all. For those who like quiet church services, you will get thirty minutes of silence in heaven. After that, John described it as a sound so loud that it sounded like a bowl of living waters. So, enjoy your 30 minutes!

This has to be one of the funniest things that I have ever heard! To think that you would really go to the expense of buying your own decibel meter to prove a point is just too funny. I have never been to an Illinois campmeeting, so I have no dog in the hunt. I do know that, according to OSHA, one can sustain 85db for 3 hours without any affect on your hearing at all. As a matter of fact. city traffic registers at about 85db. You can sustain 100db for a steady 45 minutes before there is any affect at all. For those who like quiet church services, you will get thirty minutes of silence in heaven. After that, John described it as a sound so loud that it sounded like a bowl of living waters. So, enjoy your 30 minutes! Not funny in the least. Your post would be funny if the situation were not so serious. It is not unusual for a musician and sane sound operators to own, and hopefully use, decibel meters. In any case, one is not a major investment. I do not think it is quite at the 100db level but one the two reasons I no longer care to attend the S. GA camp meeting is the sound level. The second is the loud noise that is offered as a music program there. Even with reduced already damaged hearing it is misery in motion. I do not need to have a sound level that is deafening to damage my hearing further.I am dubious of your claims and believe that any time spent hearing such high sound levels as describe in this posting can potentially damage hearing. Probable more so for already diminished hearing.

We had a person in our church in Griffin, GA that brought a decibel meter to church. He showed it to me with the reading he took. He'd regularly stick his fingers in his ears or wear orange ear plugs. He'd shake his head at the sound men and at those on the stage. He often looked like the Jeff Dunham character, Walter. It didn't bother me as it was his opinion and right to voice it. I did often wonder why he came back week after week. His right too I suppose Proverbs 3:5-6; John 13:34-35; Acts 1:8

So, why not turn the music down?

If you can't play good, play loud.

Mind if I join you on the porch? Maybe my grandpa will be there smoking his pipe. Caveator can be over there on the other side with HIS WATCH, timing, to make sure the silence is not longer than the space of a half hour.

I doubt that is taking into consideration the effect on children's ears. Nor does it take into consideration the noise a person may have been exposed to throughout the day before he arrives at camp meeting. Really, there is just no good reason to have the sound over 85db.