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Obtaining changes in calibration-coil to seismometer output constants using sine waves

Adam T. Ringler·Charles R. Hutt·Lind S. Gee·Leo D. Sandoval·David C. Wilson
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Abstract

The midband sensitivity of a broadband seismometer is one of the most commonly used parameters from station metadata. Thus, it is critical for station operators to robustly estimate this quantity with a high degree of accuracy. We develop an in situ method for estimating changes in sensitivity using sine‐wave calibrations, assuming the calibration coil and its drive are stable over time and temperature. This approach has been used in the past for passive instruments (e.g., geophones) but has not been applied, to our knowledge, to derive sensitivities of modern force‐feedback broadband seismometers. We are able to detect changes in sensitivity to well within 1%, and our method is capable of detecting these sensitivity changes using any frequency of sine calibration within the passband of the instrument.

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Adam T. Ringler, Charles R. Hutt, Lind S. Gee, Leo D. Sandoval, David C. Wilson. 2013-11-26. Obtaining changes in calibration-coil to seismometer output constants using sine waves. https://doi.org/10.1785/0120130128

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