SCIENTIFIC SILENCER TEST

[RETARMY06]

Okay, here's my idea. I cannot find any scientifically tested data on the effectiveness of string dampeners/silencers. I'm talking about placement on the string versus using none at all.
So, I'm going to buy a cheap decibel meter! I'm going to test (using same string, same arrows, etc.) my longbow. That said, every bow may be different than mine. But the point is I will be taking the "it seems more quiet" factor out of the experiment. Here is how this idea came about:
My longbow shooting heavy cedar arrows without silencers makes a low pitched long lasting hum. With rubber silencers the pitch is raised to a higher pitched, but shorter in duration "bark".
My gut tells me that a mellow low pitched hum is more natural to wildlife - but is it more quiet? Since we can't ask deer which sound alarms them more, all we have is something we can scientifically test - the decibels. I will of course post the results of the test here. Payday I will order the decibel meter. Accuracy of the meter isn't the point. I'm looking for a change from no silencers to silencers, placed at various points along the bow string - in third harmonics, fourth harmonics, etc.

[ron w]

Well , if nothing else it will be interesting to see the results with the different types and placement......carry on!!  

[Knawbone]

Great, hopefully we can all learn from your testing. Should be interesting and fun. Thanks for wanting to share.  

[Bob B.]

Pitch is critical.  Higher pitch sounds cause faster more immediate alarm response.  Decibel numbers matter as well, but be careful where you take the reading from.

All my bows have decibel levels below 40 ... Some that will not even register on my decimeter.  40 is the equivalent of a whisper.  These readings are all taken 10 yards in front of the bow ( at a 45 degree angle) down range toward the target. It is possible to get a false reading as well if you have an arrow that whistles in flight.  One should shoot multiple arrows and take an average.

Bob.

[Brock]

Lee R of Keep It Simple Archery did one a few years ago on the other site.....and came up with a fairly straight forward BEST ALL AROUND placement and type to use.

Here is similar thread here....

   http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=088744  

 Please no linking to off site boards

[Orion]

Fella published an article in Traditional Bowhunter a few years ago that compared types and placement of silencers as well.

[Over&Under]

I downloaded a decibel reading app on my phone and had my wife hold the phone next to me as I shot (as controlled an environment as I could get)...I moved silencers up and downtown find the best spot...seemed to work ok:)

[SuperK]

I'm with Bob B.  I have noticed that with my bow, different arrow materials (wood vs carbon vs aluminum) not only sound different but has different "pitch" or frequency.  With wooden arrows my bow sounds "quieter" and the pitch is lower.  Lower frequency sounds travel further than high frequency sounds.  Last year it seemed that the deer I shot at with the lower "pitched" wood arrows responded more drastically than with the carbon arrows.  It may have been just a coincidence but that's the way it seemed to me.  I'm gonna see if that trend continues this year, good Lord willing!

[Daddy Bear]

I conducted extensive testing on my longbow, with and without silencers, and my arrows, with differing fletching back in the summer of '08.  I contacted Truflight reference their testing of fletching noise for advice on equipment and setup.  There advice was to use a fixed gain microphone and audio tape recorder with a constant volume gain for the recording.  They tested with the recorder 20 yards down range with the microphone pointed towards the bow (and arrow path), 18 inches from the impact point of the arrow. (18 inches was assumed to be an average ear to heart distance for a deer.)

In my testing, my personal Hill hunting bow was virtually dead silent, without the aid of silencing material, at a range beyond 15 yards.  Inside this range, the sound was minimal.  This mirrored the Empirical data collected from actually arrowing whitetail deer with my combination, as the bow noise proved minimal.

 I believe the quietness is all relative to the individual. Even if you measure the sound with a db meter, a bow with a low reading can still be perceived as louder due to the sharpness of the tone.  Rick ****** conducted testing the same time I did using a skinny string and he posted a video to demonstrate his perceived quietness of a Black Widow bow using a low stretch string. The bow would probably measure low on a db scale and I take it that he posted the video to demonstrate a quiet BW recurve. But to me the bow sounds loud as it had a sudden "crack" when fired akin to the sudden sound of an axe striking wood or your hands clapping together. The crack of the bow is louder than the arrow striking the target downrange. This is with two puff silencers, limb pads, and a large quiver with a half dozen or so arrows. From my point of view, most every bow I've ever handled or observed with such a string has this same sharp "crack" when fired, some being louder than others. If you stand back, you'll notice that this sharp "crack" carries a good ways.

Flip-side, I generally use 14 strands B-50 which has more of a "whoosh" when loosed that is easily tamed. On all my videos measuring sound like Rick's, the B50 sound has a more gentle "whoosh" followed by a much louder thump of the arrow striking the target downrange. On my longbow, this is with a naked bow without any silencer material whatsoever. The sound is very subjective as I'm sure many of you would think that Rick's bow was quiet whereas I take it as loud. I shy away from any sharp sound from the bow no matter how quiet.
 
Maybe there would be a way to chart the soundwave on a graph to show more than just peak db. Regardless, I can see where someone would be very happy with any of the combinations as the perception of noise is very subjective.
 
Best:)

[Green]

When reporting your findings, would you mind telling us whether you're shooting split or 3Under, and whether you use a tab or glove?  I know from experience that different tabs make different "reports"...single, double, and triple layer tabs all have a different sound, especially when shot 3 Under.  Thanks.

[Kris]

Agree with Daddy Bear...the perception of noise is very objective and certainly no one would admit to having a "loud bow".  It's a pride thing.  

Per the discussions above and my own speculation Re: subj.  I would assume this is a fairly complicated topic, depending on how technical one wants to get.  You need to define words and quantify these definitions to speak comparatively and objectively.  There are a ton of variables to consider.  

I roll my eyes when we stand around at the shooting line trying to determine if a bow is "quiet" or not, when the same guy I'm talking to says "huh?" every other sentence because he "can't hear".  

Game animals might hear in an entirely different range than we do anyway?  Anyone know?  In any case, their perceptions and reactions are almost certainly different than ours.

To me, no sound is better than even the smallest sound but we have to be realistic as well.

We should solicit the help of Discovery Channel Myth Busters on this one!

Kris

[rraming]

Originally posted by Orion:
Fella published an article in Traditional Bowhunter a few years ago that compared types and placement of silencers as well.

YEP!

[Gapmaster]

This has nothing to do with the placement of the silencers on the bow but was interesting so I thought I would share. A few years ago I went to an archery tournament and Limbsavers had a booth set up. They had an aluminum baseball bat and would drop  it on the concrete and it would ring like an anvil. Then they would stick one limbsaver on the end of the bat and drop it again and it wouldn't hardly make a sound. Sounded more like a log hitting the ground. It was very cool to see and really makes you see that their material really absorbs the sound. Just wanted to share. Gapmaster