Paul F

It's my attempt to put things in perspective . Many people suffer fear of that which is not well understood. For example, there is quite some hysteria about 5G mobile. For those that don't have the inclination to read the many papers on the topic, an example, such as the intense sun radiation and how we deal with it on a daily basis can put in perspective what might be the concerns for things that are of much lower frequency and much lower power levels. No, I'm not saying everything else is safe. But studies show no significant results that say we should be concerned unless we have jobs that put us in range of high powered radiation energy sources. But then you might say, how high is high energy. Well, there's the rub. My first job was to develop high powered microwave transmitters for certain aircraft functions. In effect, I worked with high powered open-air microwave ovens. We did a study on it with negative results, although, I have to wonder what the cancer rate is of the crews of those aircraft. With all of that said, I'd not be happy with a 5G transmiter on a pole near my house. Go figure.

Leaving me to wonder what health benefits there may be by me pasting a cell phone to my ear.

Is RF radiation a concern? Of course it is. But only from the main source of radiation; the sun. As noted by Endian, the sun is the most powerful source of radiation any of us will normally encounter; far more powerful than the combined radiation we endure from all other sources. Yet we fearlessly expose ourselves to its UV radiation every day. In fact, sunlight is essential for good health. Given that the sun exposes us to perhaps 1000 times as much energy as any other source, I'd say we can rule the others out.

Most excellent. Thank you Larry.

Yes. I just did a with/without splitter comparison. I hear you. I was expecting to see about 7 db loss with connections and maybe poor splitter design. So 5db just doesn't make sense to me. The Anristu constantly recalibrates itself, so I'm assuming while actual power levels may not be accurate, the relative accuracy from reading to reading should be spot on.

I tried to measure the loss through a 4-way splitter. But I'm getting odd results. I'm measuring a loss of about 5db which doesn't make sense. I am connecting an LPDA to the input of the splitter. I connect an Anritsu spectrum analyzer to the output. Some distance away is a transmitter. All connections and cables are 50 ohm. The coax is RG-316. The other 3 outputs are not terminated. Is this why I'm getting odd results? Do I need to terminate the other outputs? I don't have a way to terminate the other outputs at the moment.

That is the exact definition of ignorance. https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=ignorance There is nothing wrong with being ignorant. It's not a bad word. We are all ignorant about many things. I relish recognizing my ignorance on topics so that I can fill in blanks in my body of knowledge. Side advice: Don't get defensive. It looks bad. Never let them see you sweat. In your attempt to defend yourself against the word ignorant, you showed your ignorance. It would have been better to ignore my comment and get on with the discussion. Why did I use the word ignorant? I wanted to see what you're made of. This conversation could be an interview in front of the best professionals in the business. Make a good impression and perhaps one of them will be gracious enough to meet with you; open doors for you. This is absolutely one of the best opportunities you have to get started. You're getting wrapped up in defending yourself and forgetting that this is a great opportunity to get in contact with the best of the best. You're going to form an impression here of "Oh that Alex T seems to be a nice guy, I'll give him a chance" or "I don't like Alex T's attitude. Forget it". Now let's start over. Ignore me. Let's forget this whole dialog. You're standing in front of the best of the best. People would go to great lengths to have a chance to spend time with these pros. Go ....

C'mon now. You are showing your ignorance. They don't get sick of doing that. They hire a utility person to do that. It's a paid position. It requires experience to be a good utility. Mic'ing talent is a skill requiring a lot of experience (for narrative) using those two dozen bits of kit I mentioned. Read the forum archives. You don't even know who does what, but you want someone to drag you along to slow them down. For homework tonight .... read, read, read. I made a suggestion and you ignored it. We don't even know your name. Not a good start.

I'd say those two sentences contradict one another. Ok, I'm picking on you. Here's your chance. This is the place that has the big time pros. Tell them your story. Tell them where you live. Maybe one of them will be nice enough to do a meet and greet with you. That would be a start.

Sunny Southern Ca is the mecca for professional sound work. Given the current conditions most people on this board are likely struggling for work, I don't think the mood would be over-zealously helpful toward a newcomer. The people on this board have invested many tens of thousands of dollars in production sound equipment and need work. This is the big boy forum. So don't expect too much in the way of open arms. But hey, everyone started somewhere. Maybe someone will offer you a chance to be on a set to see what it is all about. Before you work, you have to know what you are talking about or rather, what those you are working for are talking about. First, read the archived posts on this board. Get familiar with the terms people use here, what equipment they are talking about and why they are talking about it. Look at the gallery of carts. Find out what that's about. Read up on the different types of microphones, when to use which type. Read up on wireless (Zaxcom, Lectrosonics, Wisycom, Sennheiser, Deity). No, your not going to use Zaxcom or Lectrosonics or Wisycom. You can't afford it and it would be stupid to spend that kind of money. But Lectrosonics, Zaxcom, and Wisycom are what the pros use and you should become familiar with them and why they are worth the money. Starting out, you'll be using Sennheiser and Deity. If you are using anything cheaper than that, throw it away and start over. Forget paying jobs. You're not ready with either equipment nor experience. The best thing to do is help amateur film makers make films. Work on no-budget films. There are plenty of those out there. Go seek out no budget film makers in your area and have fun and learn. Make connections, learn jargon, get comfortable on set, start to master your equipment, become confident with your abilities, deliver a quality product. While you're doing that, learn about: Timecode, frame rates, drop frame, non-drop frame, the way to sync timecode to the 20 most popular cameras and what cable is needed, wireless legal operating frequencies, what rf power levels are legal for licensed and unlicensed operators, when to use wireless and when to use cable, when to use lavs, plant mics, booms, cardioid, super cardioid, shotgun, omni, how to hid a lav without it making noise, how to talk to actors, how to work with the other departments, how not to piss off anyone on set, set etiquette, how to use the walkie talkie, how to boom (this is an art all it's own) , smart slates, dumb slates, camera hops, gain staging, power distribution, batteries, antennas, rf distribution, limiters benefits and limitations, proper recording levels, making a sound report, what is a good take or a bad take for sound, what to listen for, recording outdoors vs indoors, the relationship between the sound department and the camera department and the costume department, bag vs cart, tool kit, spares, ursa straps, moleskin, Rycote stickies, overcovers, and two dozen other bits that should be in your hide-the-mic kit, IFBs, talkback, what kit is required for run and gun, documentary, interview, narrative, commercial, corporate, and ... well, read some books.

These guys seem to think aluminum is tough enough for truck use. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2ClPjfTuVM Their competitor, Ctech claims 50% weight savings and their small drawers can hold 350 lbs.

I'm using Belden 1804A, 4 conductor, 28 gauge to power my equipment from the BDS. 28 gauge is rated 1.4 amps in free air. I like it because it is so thin. It is available by the foot from Markertek.

Most offerings of boom poles have short sections and 4 - 6 of them with them being usually under 30" sections. I have a 6 section pole. I'm wondering if for some applications, I'd prefer a 4' section and only 3 sections. I'm thinking that fewer sections to lock and unlock would be preferable. If I don't need the pole to be compact, why not use a longer section? Thoughts?

Details please. I can't make anything out from the picture. What is the cover made of ?

I don't have it. I came across this model just yesterday. Once I find an RF distribution solution I like, I'll be buying it.

Active antenna - Active and non-active. There are antennas that have an amplifier onboard that can be used or bypassed and padded to give you variable gain. You'll want to adjust gain depending on the number of splits. For 1-2 you may want no gain. For 4 split, perhaps 6db gain. For 8 split, you may want 12db. The antenna can provide these gain settings. It is powered from the RF distribution box. Just like anything, you don't want to overdrive the receiver. The disadvantage of a distribution box is that they are mostly built for double antenna systems. So you have a whole side you don't need (bulk, cost). But if you plan to move to those types of receivers, you may want to go that route anyway. A cheaper way to go for Sennheiser is to use a simple splitter but then you need a way to feed power to the antenna. You could also use two antennas as a split; for example, with 8x receivers, you could put 4 receivers on each antenna and reduce gain. Less splits and less gain = less noise. For a budget solution, consider this Leicozic antenna - https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32867431562.html?spm=a2g0o.productlist.0.0.bbc7146bVqRB9k&algo_pvid=8c6787e6-0344-42a2-a098-d13c0ee1d74e&algo_expid=8c6787e6-0344-42a2-a098-d13c0ee1d74e-19&btsid=0bb0623d15997954977628458e91b5&ws_ab_test=searchweb0_0,searchweb201602_,searchweb201603_

Your results don't make sense. The wiring description is not clear. Let's use the terms red female and black female instead. If I have it right you connected the tip of the black female to the tip of the male. You connected the ring of the red female to the ring of the male. That's not right for mono inputs. If the inputs are mono, there should not be a ring. There is only a tip and sleeve. Notice that the cable you reference says "TRS to Dual 3.5 mm TSF", meaning Tip Ring Sleeve (male) to Tip Sleeve Female. If the source is truly a mono source, then it only has Tip and Sleeve. When you plug a TRS with a TS, the contacts don't match up. If it is a stereo source, and you are only using one channel, then what you did might be ok. What are the source inputs?

Please post pictures when you are done.

I tried those instructions. The heat did not work for me to loosen the glue. I got it hot to the point it almost melted the plastic. I ended up driving a very thin, small screwdriver in on each side. It was easy on the outside and tedious on the inside. Cutting and putting it back together was much easier than I anticipated. Great idea. I'm really happy with the results.

I avoided the central connector. Having never used it, I don't trust it. I can't find a spec on its load rating. I wanted everything rock solid without me worrying about failure. Hopefully, someone can provide some assuring stories about how well they work. I mostly used 4-hole inside corner gussets in compression. For lighter things I used 2-hole inside corner gussets. As you probably noticed, many people go with the flat plate joining plates. Crank down the screws. I had a couple come loose. Anodizing is pretty tough stuff. I went with black. No problems No matter how long you study it and design it, you will want to redesign it or add to it. That's the fun thing about t-slot. It's so versatile. Go with the biggest diameter wheels you feel comfortable with. The bigger, the smoother, especially if you get onto a lawn or a field. Don't forget wheel locks.

You can get the snake off the floor with 3M Command products which are easy to remove and leave no marks - https://www.amazon.com/s?k=3m+command&ref=nb_sb_noss_2

Check with Gotham. It looks like they have some vdB collars - https://www.gothamsound.com/product/end-collar

The low-cost market keeps turning out more variants. Here is another one. Smaller, cheaper. Better? Unfortunately, you rarely get all three. https://www.amazon.com/Transmitter-Wireless-Transmission-Devices-Supports/dp/B087CVZL2V

Go to 4:15 in this video -

Instead of a hand truck consider using the T-slot extruded aluminum systems that many carts are made of. This is a very versatile system that can be used to make up almost any configuration and can easily be modified as your needs change. Go to Youtube and search for sound carts to see some examples. You can also go to this site's gallery (upper left corner of main page - click browse and then gallery) to see many different examples. The t-slot systems are a great way to go. There are many t-slot vendors. One of my favorites is https://www.tnutz.com/ On youtube and also in the gallery, you will see examples of road cases and other systems mounted to the t-slot frame so that equipment can be attached and removed as required. Here is an example of a road case on a shelf. I don't know what is holding it in place.