Wireless Microphone for PA System

[KennB]

I didn't want to jump the club launch power thread but PA systems were mentioned in there and I've got to ask a question. Our club has a couple of cheap wireless microphones for our LCO to use during the launches. They are deck-of-card sized transmitters with a plug-in mic that clips on to the collar so both hands are free.

Bill has kept these going for years now but their performance is getting pretty spotty. A web search has turned up the same quality level ($25-$35) and some that had better be much better (>$200). Does anyone know of or use a reliable wireless mic that can be gotten for somewhere in between those values?

Thanks for any help.

 

[tquigg]

This is what the Blue Mountain Rocketeers (BMR) and the Olympic Pennisula Rocketry Club (OPROC) are using now. Seems to work pretty well. Has limited range however. Can't get more than 15-20 feet from the LCO table.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E8VCQO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

 

[shreadvector]

I bought a set on ebay and they were horrible. A club member told me about the ones sold at Target and showed me his. I bought one. It has worked great. 9 volt battery in each unit. the 9.6Volt rechargeables work well or use fresh alkalines (purchase the bulk pack at Costco).

This is *not* the one I found and bought in the store. i wonder if it is any better? https://www.target.com/Nady-Lavalie...m_brand-bin&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1

 

[shreadvector]

We do need new speakers, so please post about good speakers in this thread. I'm looking for something that is not bulky/huge. it must be easy to transport and set up. The NARAM-52 speakers looked nice and were on stands. I should have asked for info or copied down the spec plate....

 

[shreadvector]

This is what the Blue Mountain Rocketeers (BMR) and the Olympic Pennisula Rocketry Club (OPROC) are using now. Seems to work pretty well. Has limited range however. Can't get more than 15-20 feet from the LCO table.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E8VCQO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

THAT is the one I bought in the store at Target. Thanks. I think the one sold online by Target is better and would consider it as a replacement when this one finaly dies from a broken part (like a battery clip or antenna snapping off - which has yet to happen).

 

[Micromeister]

Narhams has been using good Ole Radio Shack 20watt PA with there 49.00 cordless mic's for more then a decade. Our 3 PA systems generally has the cordless mic with the RSO while the RFO has a corded mic at the ready should he need it.

Our 3 complete launch systems all use basicly the same set-up. I personally have the same PA and mic set up for my 17 pad Satellite system as well. I believe recently RS has upgraded these 12V PA systems to 40watts, but since all our systems are still working so well and easily heard over the entire range or ranges, we haven't purchased anything larger than 20watts. I believe the last time I priced PA units that were around 130 bucks plus mic's.

 

[KennB]

This is what the Blue Mountain Rocketeers (BMR) and the Olympic Pennisula Rocketry Club (OPROC) are using now. Seems to work pretty well. Has limited range however. Can't get more than 15-20 feet from the LCO table.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E8VCQO/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

This looks very much like what we are using now.

I bought a set on ebay and they were horrible. A club member told me about the ones sold at Target and showed me his. I bought one. It has worked great. 9 volt battery in each unit. the 9.6Volt rechargeables work well or use fresh alkalines (purchase the bulk pack at Costco).

This is *not* the one I found and bought in the store. i wonder if it is any better? https://www.target.com/Nady-Lavalie...m_brand-bin&searchRank=salesrank&frombrowse=1

I've heard the name Lavaliere tossed around at some non-rocket conventions I've been to. The price looks right and we could figure out something for the larger mic; a stand or neck strap would work.

Thanks for the input (any more would be appreciated, too). We'll be checking out Tatget and Radio Shack to see what they have these days.

 

[billspad]

I've heard the name Lavaliere tossed around at some non-rocket conventions I've been to.

But were you hearing Lavaliere or lavalier? A lavalier mic is one that hangs from a cord around your neck. It can also be spelled lavaliere but since it's capitalized in the Target listing and you wouldn't want to hang that mic around your neck it looks like it's part of the manufacturers name.

 

[billspad]

We do need new speakers, so please post about good speakers in this thread. I'm looking for something that is not bulky/huge. it must be easy to transport and set up. The NARAM-52 speakers looked nice and were on stands. I should have asked for info or copied down the spec plate....

Could you actually hear anything from those speakers? I know the amp was turned up to 11 and the sound wasn't carrying far at all.

We use PA horn speakers similar to the fourth ones down on this page. Combined with a car amplifier they're loud enough to annoy the neighbors 1500' away if we turn the gain up to high.

 

[KennB]

But were you hearing Lavaliere or lavalier? A lavalier mic is one that hangs from a cord around your neck. It can also be spelled lavaliere but since it's capitalized in the Target listing and you wouldn't want to hang that mic around your neck it looks like it's part of the manufacturers name.

I didn't have aural spell-check back then. Or now, for that matter.

A stationary mic stand would not be too bad but even a large mic hung around the neck must be considered versus our old equipment, yes? We just have to be careful about how sensative the mic is; there seems to be a lot of extra conversations happening around the LCO and RSO tables. Of course, that could just be due to the presence of shade there during the most recent launches. :hot:

 

[billspad]

A stationary mic stand would not be too bad but even a large mic hung around the neck must be considered versus our old equipment, yes? We just have to be careful about how sensative the mic is; there seems to be a lot of extra conversations happening around the LCO and RSO tables. Of course, that could just be due to the presence of shade there during the most recent launches. :hot:

We had a stationary mic before and it picked up all the noise from things being dropped on the table. I find the clip on mic to be the most convenient. We could use one with a cord but I'd really like to find a reasonably priced wireless system.

 

[RoyAtl]

But were you hearing Lavaliere or lavalier? A lavalier mic is one that hangs from a cord around your neck. It can also be spelled lavaliere but since it's capitalized in the Target listing and you wouldn't want to hang that mic around your neck it looks like it's part of the manufacturers name.

In the 50's it was actually quite common to have a large microphone (maybe not *that* large) hung around the neck, especially for remote broadcasts, where the host was walking around, but even for in-studio broadcasts where the host needed some mobility. Only the big TV studios back then had boom microphones.

 

[billspad]

In the 50's it was actually quite common to have a large microphone (maybe not *that* large) hung around the neck, especially for remote broadcasts, where the host was walking around, but even for in-studio broadcasts where the host needed some mobility. Only the big TV studios back then had boom microphones.

They were that big. For the youngsters, that's Dave Garroway, the original host of the Today show.

 

[KennB]

They were that big. For the youngsters, that's Dave Garroway, the original host of the Today show.

Is that a young Bill Spad hiding over Dave's left shoulder? The timeframe is just about right. Probably just coming back from a Dunkin' Donuts run. Or was that part of J. Fred Muggs' job?

 

[bobkrech]

Kenn

I think this might be to most useful wireless mike configuration.

I know a few surgeons at MGH that could implant them into the Launch Commander's brain.

Bob

 

[billspad]

Is that a young Bill Spad hiding over Dave's left shoulder? The timeframe is just about right. Probably just coming back from a Dunkin' Donuts run. Or was that part of J. Fred Muggs' job?

The right time frame?? I was 2 when the show went on the air and 11 when Garroway left.

I see I've totally screwed up this thread and we still don't have a line on a good wireless mike.

 

[RoyAtl]

The right time frame?? I was 2 when the show went on the air and 11 when Garroway left.

I see I've totally screwed up this thread and we still don't have a line on a good wireless mike.

The best wireless mike system, according to my web video friends, is the Sennheiser freePort Presentation set, $374 msrp but available for about $250 around the country.

Our club has one of the cheap systems available on eBay. It is actually pretty good, but the location of the microphone switch on the transmitter leaves something to be desired, as it discourages clicking it off between announcements/launches.

For a wired microphone, there's a nice clip-on button microphone from Audio-Technica for about $29.

 

[billspad]

The best wireless mike system, according to my web video friends, is the Sennheiser freePort Presentation set, $374 msrp but available for about $250 around the country.

For that kind of money it would have to make me sound really good.

Our club has one of the cheap systems available on eBay. It is actually pretty good, but the location of the microphone switch on the transmitter leaves something to be desired, as it discourages clicking it off between announcements/launches.

Do you know what brand? The switch part is easy. On the one we're using now I just added a short piece of wire with a switch in line.

 

[shreadvector]

The right time frame?? I was 2 when the show went on the air and 11 when Garroway left.

I see I've totally screwed up this thread and we still don't have a line on a good wireless mike.

The one sold at Target stores is good and cheap.

The one sold by Target online only is slightly more expensive and looks like it is very good.

 

[shreadvector]

OK, I bought a air of these for our club and they arrived today:

https://www.123securityproducts.com/spc-40rp.html

They each have 4 wires. Two are llabelled as "speaker" and the other 2 are labelled as "tamper loop". Anyone have more info on this. I've googled for 20 minutes and I'm not finding anything useful. And i do not have a phone number for the manufacturerand there are n printed instructions (and none online).

Thanks.

Edit: Found their number finally and will call tomorrow (if still necessary) 1.800.645.5516

 

[billspad]

OK, I bought a air of these for our club and they arrived today:

https://www.123securityproducts.com/spc-40rp.html

They each have 4 wires. Two are llabelled as "speaker" and the other 2 are labelled as "tamper loop". Anyone have more info on this. I've googled for 20 minutes and I'm not finding anything useful. And i do not have a phone number for the manufacturerand there are n printed instructions (and none online).

Thanks.

Edit: Found their number finally and will call tomorrow (if still necessary) 1.800.645.5516

I'll take a guess. Since they seem to be used in alarm systems perhaps the security loop trips the alarm if someone cuts the wires.

 

[shreadvector]

I'll take a guess. Since they seem to be used in alarm systems perhaps the security loop trips the alarm if someone cuts the wires.

That seems to be what security loops are used for. Since each speaker in an alarm system has the "speaker" wires going to each speaker individually and the "security loop" wires would be in one continuous (series) loop, if one had it's cord cut, the alarm would be tripped and the rest of the speakers could blare out the alarm.

I imagine I could check the wires with my $1.99 harbor freight multi-meter (virtually the same as the $100 electronic multi-meter I bought in 1981 at Radio Shack) and see what ohmage I measure. The speaker should be 8 and the loop would probably be zero.