I just purchased my first skydiving helmet (Mindwarp "Pimpdaddy", from Bonehead Composites) as well as my first audible altimeter (Optima, from Larsen and Bruusgard). The helmet has a built-in 'pocket' for audible altimeters inside the helmet and the Optima fits snuggly and comfortably in the pocket. However, being a total newb when it comes to audibles I'm a little concerned at how loud my Optima is sounding the altitude alarms (testing on the ground - haven't jumped w/ it yet). According to the spec sheet that came w/ the Optima, the volume output levels range from 115 to 120 dB. I've read the manuals that came with the audible and the helmet and it wasn't immediately clear to me how I should position the audible inside the pocket. If this thing is blaring 120 dB right into my ear without any material blocking the audible speaker - am I going to destroy my hearing pretty quickly? NOTE: I intend to use the first two altitude warnings on every jump (1st: break and track, 2nd: pull) with the third warning level as the "oh shit"
