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First Wireless


Doug Brandon

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In trying to find record of the first wireless mic system, Wikipedia claims:

"John F. Stephens developed an FM wireless microphone for a Navy musical show in 1951 on the Memphis Naval base. Each of the principal players/singers had their own microphone/transmitter. Subsequently, the Secret Service had Stephens modify his invention to be used in government "bugging" operations.

Shure Incorporated claim that their "Vagabond" system from 1953 was the first.

In 1957 German audio equipment manufacturer Sennheiser, at that time called Lab W, working with the German broadcaster Norddeutscher Rundfunk (NDR) exhibited a wireless microphone system.

From 1958 the system was marketed through Telefunken under the name of Mikroport.

Another German equipment manufacturer, Beyerdynamic, claim that first wireless microphone, was invented by Hung C. Lin. Called the "transistophone", it went into production in 1962. It is claimed that the first time a wireless microphone was used to record sound during filming of a motion picture was on Rex Harrison in the 1964 film My Fair Lady."

Wikipedia excerpts from:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_microphone

Does anyone know if My Fair Lady was in fact the first film to use wireless technology? What problems would they have encountered? Large transmitter? Mic head? Anyone have any pictures or maybe own original equipment? Is purple difficult to read?

Doug

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Does anyone know if My Fair Lady was in fact the first film to use wireless technology? What problems would they have encountered? Large transmitter? Mic head? Anyone have any pictures or maybe own original equipment? Is purple difficult to read?

Doug

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I recall at a recent NAB show that one wireless maker, Swintek or Vega , claimed that their wireless was the first to be used in a feature. It was "Mutiny On the Bounty" with Marlon Brando.

Eric

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As I recall, a wireless mic with portable battery powered receiver played a pivotal role in the 1958 Orson Welles film "Touch of Evil".  Charlton Heston used it to trap Quinlan (Welles) in the final scenes.  I assume it must have existed and been in use during that period  to be used on camera as a plot point.

----Courtney

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I'm not sure if this provides much info towards your goal, but I remember doing an A&E Biography interview with Donald O'Conner back in 2000 and when I went to mike him up he pointed to the Lectro TX and said, "You know I invented that."

He went on to say that he got together with an engineer friend of his back in the day and said he needed a microphone that he could wear while he was dancing on camera. The two of them, according to him, came up with the first wireless transmitter. I only wish that I had had more time to ask him to elaborate, but it was a skittish producer who needed to GO GO GO so I never got more than that little snippet of a claim.

Joe

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In the mid-70's I had a Sony wireless mic that had a Vega 77 sized TX ( w/a  piece of wire for an antenna) and a large AC-powered tube-circuit RX about the size of a breadbox.  It had a 2 inch speaker in the center of the front, and above that a "cat's eye" display that showed tuning, I think.  It also had a telescoping antenna.  I bought it (working) at a flea market and used it in several pieces of performance art.  We always assumed it was from the late 1950's, but I guess it could have been earlier.  The fidelity was low, but it worked remarkably well (back in those clear-RF-skies days).

Philip Perkins

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Thanks all for the input.

It would make sense the government was using wireless tech first, like wikipedia suggests. And It would alse make sense that an originator like Orson Wells would use it in a film as Courtney says, which so far is the first mention of wireless being used in film, albeit 'story' and not necessarily for recording (Wells' 'Touch of Evil' was released in 1958, four years before wikipedia's 'My fair lady' claim)

Thanks Eric, 'Mutiny on the Bounty' (released 1962) also comes earlier.

Hey Joecrabb. One of my favorite shirts from way back in the eighties (gettin' old here, boss) was from 'Joe's Crab Shack'. I don't know where that is, I just happen to come across the shirt and it was really comfortable. Relation? Anyhow, you mentioned Donald O'conner ('singing in the rain, '52). He was always in something being shot during the time in question so he very well could have been involved with it's inception.

Somewhere out there is a picture of an actor being wired, probably in the late fifties.

Doug

ps.

I ruined one of my great fantasies by looking up 'takev', which I always hoped stood for Dave Brubeck/Paul Desmond's 'Take Five'. Vos is your last name? Thanks for all your dedication and support. I know with 'BoomRecorder' (and then some) you've helped a great number of people through this forum and elswhere.

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Someone sent Mark Ulano a drawing in support of a British patent dated 1917 !! it is a bit over the jwsound attachment limit, I'll try to put it in a a photo...

The focus of the patent was the concept of simultaneous recording of

picture and sound. What a concept.

Notice the huge battery worn in a backpack, the antennas on

top of the talent's heads, and to the ground connection that hangs out of

the pant leg and skirt in the contact with the conductive stage floor.

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