We attended an NHL hockey game in Columbus, Ohio last week. The crowd enjoyed the game, at least until the visiting team kicked it into high gear. Sitting in Nationwide Arena I winced in pain from the noise. The raucous crowd, PA announcer, piped-in music at every stop in the action, along with that damn cannon that explodes each time the home team scores a goal amounted to an assault on my auditory senses. It was loud. My Apple Watch, which includes a decibel sensor, warned at peak moments of 115 dBA noise during the evening.

This is not a complaint against sporting events. I’ve attended a lot of them throughout my life and enjoyed every one of them and last Friday evening was no exception. When I was younger, I used to frequently attend rock concerts, one of those, an Elton John concert in 1976 billed as, “Louder Than Concorde” and it most certainly was. My ears buzzed for two days after the concert and the thought actually crossed my seventeen year-old mind that my hearing might have been damaged. Fortunately, it wasn’t.

Over the course of my working career I was fortunate to have employers and clients who insisted on hearing protection whenever I was in the vicinity of noisy equipment. I didn’t always appreciate it at the time, especially when I would walk onto the manufacturing floor having forgotten my hearing protection and would be instantly challenged to go back and get it. It seemed invasive at the time, but I came to appreciate that action as I added years to my resume.

Now retired, and a curmudgeonly wireless telegrapher, I proffer this stern warning about protecting your hearing. I frequently meet Morse enthusiasts who no longer pound the brass due to hearing loss, some a result of Noise-Induced Hearing Loss from a lifetime working around machines or other such sources of high noise.

Sound is measured in units called decibels. Sounds at or below 70 A-weighted decibels (dBA) are generally safe. Long or repeated exposure to sounds at or above 85 dBA can cause hearing loss.

  • Normal conversation: 60-70 dBA
  • Lawnmowers: 80 to 100 dBA
  • Sports events: 94 to 110 dBA
  • Sirens from emergency vehicles: 110 to 129 dBA
  • Fireworks: 140 to 160 dBA

Thirty minutes into the hockey game, as my ears began to complain about the noise, I kicked myself for not bringing earplugs along for the event, something I won’t forget next time. With each loud burst of noise I wondered if this would come back to haunt me as I continue my radio journey using Morse. I hope not. My hearing seems reasonably good for a 65 year-old man, but I’m well aware hearing is a perishable resource.

About 5% of adults ages 45-54 have disabling hearing loss. The rate increases to 10% for adults ages 55-64. 22% of those ages 65-74 and 55% of those who are 75 and older have disabling hearing loss.

When it comes to advice for a long, enjoyable amateur radio life, the protection of your hearing should be a high priority. It’s much more important than your radio hardware or any antennas. You can’t work ‘em if you can’t hear ‘em.

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