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greyfoxx

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    Location sound.
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  1. Well, part of the block is locked out, I wanna say 60 channels or so (TV 37), and part of the block will succumb to the FCC auction which will probably leave it with a usable 90-100 channels in legal spectrum though its hard to say for sure. This is similiar to block 27 during the 700 mhz ban which left it as partially legal. Thats a big drop from the typical 256 channels on the non-wide band transmitters. That being said my block 23 performed great back when I was using that block and I would use it again if I found a set for a greatly reduced cost. Of course your mileage may vary since it looks like your not based in the states.
  2. F8 for bag work. The HSP82 is actually nice but big and the timecode generator in the F8 is much better. I wanna say the Tascam is 100ppm vs the F8's 0.2ppm which means the HSP82 really needs something external for timecode. As for weight the Tascam pushes 8 pounds versus the F8 which breaks 2 lbs. Add the 442 (4.5lbs) and your still under the HSP82 for weight. Lots of F8 users are pairing with a 442 or a 552.
  3. They once quoted me $80 for the EMI mod on an early serial number model. I asked them how much to do a checkup as well and they quoted me the flat fee. I skipped both. Great mic but odd service fees.
  4. Page 89 in the manual explains the TC modes. Different settings for different reasons.
  5. The safety tracks are set by the mixer so you'll be working two knobs per channel. You decide the gain on the redundant channel. I would like to see a -12db auto setting for this and just disable the gain knob. That way you'd get a backup that will always be -12db of whatever the primary track is set. I only use my F8 as a four channel setup in order to have those safety tracks. I would have no issue in more controlled settings but if its mission critical I wouldn't trust those limiters. Their not bad, just not great.
  6. Didn't Gotham test the F8 against the 788t in a freezer? As for the loss of Timecode on power down, the battery tray would work wonders as the backup power while changing out NP-1's. This is still a portable field recorder after all. Power redundancy is a must for mission critical work. Then again spending an extra $2229 on a 633 seems to help people feel better.
  7. So am I crazy or did the earlier firmware set the safety track automatically at -12db of whatever the primary track was set? If not I would love to see that in a future firmware. As it stands dual channel mode just links two channels with the same source but leaves it to the user to set the levels for the safety track. Having to nurse two knobs for the same track seems to defeat the purpose.
  8. Its without a doubt an AT899cw, minus the cap accessory.
  9. From my experience slower cards seem to test better on the F8. I don't think its speed related but more based on newer card tech (tuned for cameras?). I would love to get F8 users to contribute to a list of compatible (passing) and non compatible (failing) SD cards.
  10. I load the tray with Eneloops and run a DC AA battery pack(8 AA's). Its actually a very cheap battery box for portable breast pumps that I discovered a few years ago to power some Lectro 401 receivers. Its just a little black box about the size of the battery sled for the F8 and the only thing that suggests its a breastpump battery box is a sticker which is easily removable. Its wired exactly the way the F8 takes DC so no issue there. This makes it easy to just swap batteries while the F8 stays on since the battery sled is still powering the unit. I also use a Denecke PS1a for phantom for a Sanken CS3-e so that lowers the power draw even more. This setup would most likely last a typical production day since I am only running 4 channels (Boom+3 wireless) but if a battery change is needed its quick and easy. I can imagine people on this forum will read this and be uneasy about using my suggestion but I can say from experience that it worked for several years on the Lectros with absolutely no issue and several months on the F8 with no issue as well. It acts like a second battery sled and the F8 manages power sources automatically so when the box is drained it switches to the sled on the fly and the battery indicator shows the change. They run about $10-$15 on eBay. It certainly won't compete with a BDS/NP-1 setup but it does add runtime (close to double, phantom off) and its dirt cheap. And if you do go with a BDS later it would still serve as a third power source which is always welcome for redundancies sake. They come in 8 (12v) and 10 (15v) AA boxes. 8 AA's shows up as 10.2v give or take and 10 would show at or a little below 13v, both are within spec for the F8 which is 9v-16v
  11. I own the bag. Its narrow compared to some bags for sure however its not a bad bag overall. The strap they put that blocks the battery sled was a dumb idea considering they provide velcro pieces that would easily do the job and are removable. I am considering removing mine because removing the whole unit gets old not to mention the straps that hold the F8 in place are somewhat hard to release. Also, I felt that it wasn't the best idea to let the F8 sit on its DC cable for power (currently not using the Hirose) so I used a velcro cable tie and allowed it to suspend the F8 higher to keep the weight of the DC cable for my battery pack jack. This is somewhat of a budget bag so expectations are in check. I knew when I purchased it that K-Tek, Orca, and Sachtler are making better bags for higher prices but for my needs it was adequate (3 rodelinks, 7506's, Denecke PS1a, expendables, and of course an F8).
  12. Could it be the RFI mod? After a certain point in the serial numbers Sanken changed the wiring to improve RFI. Since yours started life as a CS3 then its possible.
  13. Yeah, thank goodness Zoom had the foresight to put testing software into the F8. I certainly don't fault the F8 or the SD cards for the issue. Its just the nature of these types of machines which hopefully will prevent on-set disasters with the sound department. I am contemplating starting a thread for supported/unsupported cards based on F8 users tests.
  14. I had issues with some SD cards but the F8 has built in testing so its best to test prior to field use to ensure the cards will work properly. From what I noticed it really has nothing to do with the speed or capacity of the card. Some cards pass, some cards don't, however they all seemed consistent with repeated testing. Oddly enough the cheapest off the shelf cards from local brick and mortar stores (sandisk, toshiba, pny) all test fine while some other faster and more expensive cards just refuse to pass.
  15. greyfoxx

    sony 7506

    I moved away from them for awhile but eventually moved back to them. They aren't the best by any means but their easy to find anywhere there is a guitar center, light, small, and I personally like the comfort compared to others. The earpads are junk however which I imagine most here already realize. Replacement sheepskin earpads are a godsend for the 7506's imo. Also, like others have said, they accentuate certain frequencies which I find good for picking up on boom handling noise. Another factor to consider is the headphone preamps on most field recorders/mixers. To my ears they never sound as accurate as the headphones can produce. All that being said I wish Sony would do an update to the model and change the pads and improve the speaker design, but that is unlikely since they sell consistently as they are.
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