yes. Drafted. Spent 3 years in USArmy and made 5 promotions in first 18 months. Over achiever. Couldnt go higher unless I had more time in service also. At 18 months they said I could have been given 6 raises if I had been in longer than 3 years. But that was OK because I didnt have to do any s*** details/work any more and was in charge of maintenance/operation the largest microwave communication site in Europe. I didnt want to stay in any longer and returned to LLNL.
But, I did get a European discharge and hung out with my German girl friend for a year before going back to "work". That was fun and she took me by train to see the 24 hour race in Le Mans. And travelled all over Europe.
I can tell you one thing is for sure... its (military) an experience you can do without.
-Richard
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I did 12 months and then 6 cycles of 4 months every 2 years (12 yrs plus the initial 1 year). I got out of the last one because I was sent to the US for a year by the company I worked for.
We used to get wax earplugs on the shooting range - they worked well. If you are in the bush at night, you need to have your ears working well. Where I was, there could have been a lion stalking you, never mind the enemy 😀.
We used to get wax earplugs on the shooting range - they worked well. If you are in the bush at night, you need to have your ears working well. Where I was, there could have been a lion stalking you, never mind the enemy 😀.
In 1970 US Army basic training (first year of the lottery draft!) if a trainee had said anything about hearing protection he would have paid a very high price.
OTOH we were considerably tougher at 19 than at whatever Godforsaken age we are now.
Good fortune to all,
Chris
OTOH we were considerably tougher at 19 than at whatever Godforsaken age we are now.
Good fortune to all,
Chris
It's astonishing to think that you guys were drafted... At least that was one thing we never had to worry about as youngsters over here.
When I was working in the USA I met q guy who had been drafted (post Vietnam) as an alternative to prison for having a small amount of cannabis.
When I was working in the USA I met q guy who had been drafted (post Vietnam) as an alternative to prison for having a small amount of cannabis.
If you are an infantryman, and especially if you are involved in bush war, your ears are as valuable as your IR night goggles. They took it very seriously- you get caught on the shooting range without them, you got a boot in the ribs. Army life as a troop. I do not miss it.
Funny, the military made me use earplugs to protect my hearing, and my son nearly destroys it 20 yrs later 😀
"Do firearms get louder over the years, possibly because of modern chemicals?
The shorter barrels of M4 sized rifles puts blast origin nearer the shooter's ears. Chamber pressures haven't really changed much in a century but rifles are smaller and noises are closer. Peak SPL at shooters ears easily exceed 160 dB SPL peaks and greater than 170 dB SPL peaks should be expected.
Despite the obvious potential risk to the hearing of anyone around, the US government still (since 1934) considers sound suppressors to be as dangerous as sawn-off shotguns, with the exact same licencing procedures, fees and delays. It's the kind of systemic thing that can't get fixed - too much varnish buildup.
All good fortune,
Chris
The shorter barrels of M4 sized rifles puts blast origin nearer the shooter's ears. Chamber pressures haven't really changed much in a century but rifles are smaller and noises are closer. Peak SPL at shooters ears easily exceed 160 dB SPL peaks and greater than 170 dB SPL peaks should be expected.
Despite the obvious potential risk to the hearing of anyone around, the US government still (since 1934) considers sound suppressors to be as dangerous as sawn-off shotguns, with the exact same licencing procedures, fees and delays. It's the kind of systemic thing that can't get fixed - too much varnish buildup.
All good fortune,
Chris
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In 1969/1970 US army draftees were lower than whale dung. After Tet, early in 1968, everybody could see the writing on the wall, and the mood was FTA (f the army). The army returned the sentiment. I certainly never even heard of ear plugs, and I'm pretty sure this would be the case in the US military back forever.
These days around firearms I always insist that everyone with me have double protection, so you're almost deaf. But in an emergency the safety should be built into the weapon, not a many-seconds installation for everyone present.
All good fortune,
Chris
To quote GM :
" Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean ! "
It's not loudness itself that hurts ears.
Its the usual attendant ragged response .
Just a smidgin of clipping anywhere in the system
' sharpens ' a loud but comfortable signal into
a racous unto debilitating signal .
" Loud is Beautiful if it's Clean ! "
It's not loudness itself that hurts ears.
Its the usual attendant ragged response .
Just a smidgin of clipping anywhere in the system
' sharpens ' a loud but comfortable signal into
a racous unto debilitating signal .
And your body knows what you can afford, if you listen to it. It is a question of level plus the time you are submitted to this level.
A question of balance between basses and trebles, too.
I believe a question of age, too, as I don't enjoy or can afford as much loudest sounds during concerts or home music listening as I was used to when I was young.
I detest loud noise now, I haven't got hyperacusis, but loud does make me wince a bit and tends to distort, a bit of dub with lots of bass and top end can actually be therapeutic 🙂
Reading the previous postings on noise and I'm guessing that you are all on the wrong side of 50 and well into having diminished hearing, so perhaps, any audio critiques should be a little suspect?
The word 'any' seems a bit over inclusive. We know that hearing tends to diminish in certain ways with age, but it doesn't necessarily follow that all claims of hearing anything should be suspect after age 50.
Chances are I can hear distortion in midrange frequencies over a limited range of volume levels better than most of the younger population, something that seems to have far less to do with age than with training and practice.
"Hearing" involves both the sensory apparatus (cochlea) and the aural cortex. The only type of hearing loss associated with normal old age is a progressive reduction in the sensitivity to the highest frequencies due to cochlear degradation (presbycusis). The amount of loss is highly variable between individuals.
Our aural corticies do not normally degrade, indeed as with most brain functions increase the ability to analyze and discern sounds with age and experience. Repetition and training is a large factor determining a given individual's ability to "hear."
In general I have found that older audio professionals have superior abilities to analyze sonic phenomenon with the exception of one aspect: the highest frequencies where presbycusis may have had an effect. I would say the phrase "diminished hearing" is a very general statement, and it is best to be more specific.
Cheers!
Howie
While I cant hear above 9KHz any more I am finding I can pick out words in songs better than I ever could.
The first is old age and the second is experience.
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