Don Zenz

When I went to iOS9 I went straight to 9.0.2. Movie Slate 7.9 crashed on startup until I upgraded to 8. Perhaps that is the difference.

IOS 9 requires upgrading to Movie Slate 8 Previously purchased upgrades (Sound Dept & Time Code) are now based on a subscription plan, $9.99/mo. The subscription plan includes all the Movie Slate upgrades and the data backup plan. Previously, i believe, only the data backup subscription was included in the 9.99. If you previously used the data plan then the new system is a wash. As a professional subscription it is a tax write-off.

Lojack has an early warning system that (in theory) immediately alerts you if your vehicle is moved without the requisite dongle you keep on your keychain. Knowing ASAP your trackable vehicle is on the move can improve the chances of recovery with gear intact. Might lower your insurance rates as well.

Pardon my inelegant statement. It is based on my own listening experience and unsoloicited comments from friends. The operative word in my post is SOME. Certainly the preponderance of NY crews are competent. Admittedly, there are LA crew who are quality challenged. Distasteful would be naming specific shows and mixers. My poorly stated point is that Ken is a skilled and competent boom op that would prove to be an asset to any crew.

From the sound I've heard on some of the shows out of NY, they could use your help.

It's batteries, batteries, batteries. I check the voltage on batteries before I install them into the earwig. I have found batteries that read as low as 1 volt, fresh out of the package. These are the ones that last a few minutes and then go into hash. Don't bother putting anything reading less than 1.2 volts in. If you find batteries reading 1.4 volts, your golden. I rarely find batteties that test at the 1.5 volt rating. I never use Ray-O-Vacs, I search out Duracells. I never let production by the batteries, I pick them up myself so I can be sure that I'm getting the freshest off the rack. With the testing, it is not uncommon to have a rejection rejection rate of 20%. (I've had as high as 100% rejection- Ray-o-Vacs). There are a lot of grandparents out there getting ripped off by the hearing aid battery industry.

If you are using a straight Y cord you need to have the phantom power on in both channels. I think the unpowered channel is loading down the phantom power so not enough voltage us getting to the mic. This has always worked for me. The alternative is to use a transformer splitter.

I had a director that could not recieve the comtek broadcast. Everyone else at the village got good reception. After giving him the third reciever with no reception, I finally moved the transmitter to the village cart. As long as he was within five feet of the transmitter he could hear. He kind of sucked as a director, too.