Bob Marts

It does not have a signal generator in it - it sends current for the Nagra slate oscillator. It does, though, have a hole drilled in it just below the pushbutton which I think was for an optional slate mic - could that be right? Bob

I dug around in my storage and found my blooplight which I haven't seen in nearly twenty-five years! I used it a lot in documentary work up until timecode showed up around 1985. I'm pretty sure I got this from ASC. I put in new batteries and it still works fine.

I still have an old LTM aluminum pole which has heat-shrink tubing over the last section or stage. I replaced it once when it got torn up a bit and it took about a half hour to shrink it with the heat gun. I think it makes a nice looking cover and I like the way it feels. A little bit expensive for the large heat-shrink tube but was worth it. Bob

Hey thanks, John! I'll heat up the iron tomorrow and use a 10k pot. Bob

I want to build a simple passive line level variable attenuator in a small box (can be unbalanced). Can anyone suggest what the best resistance for the potentiometer I should use for this "volume control"? It would be used to knock down the the output of a mixer to an amp/speaker setup.

I still have a couple of the older Phonak induction "earwigs". I can't find batteries for them anywhere. Does anybody know if the tiny RE212 batteries are still available?

Thanks for the good info and good advice! Bob

I guess I thought any Mac Superdrive could read DVD-RAM discs. I don't know anything about them. I'm in a situation where the editor wants dvd-r instead of my dvd-rams from my 744t and I need to convince some people that the editor should be able to read dvd-ram discs so I can quit burning dvd-r's at wrap. I know this has been fought many times. I just need to suggest what dvd drive to install in their Mac. Thanks for the replies. Bob

Can you recommend one? Bob

I should add to the above post that the editor has not used DVD-RAMs before. Bob

I sent my production sound (DVD-RAM) to an assistant editor for dailies syncing on FCP and he's not able to read the discs on his Macs. He said he tried it on three different machines. The DVD-RAMS were made from an external FW burner from a 744T. They read fine on my laptop PC. I'm not a Mac owner or user so I could use some help here. Does a Superdrive need new particular software to read DVD-RAM? Thanks for any advice.

I could never bring myself to part with my Nagras (4.2, IS, lVstc). I still even have my old Sela. I did rent my 4.2 to some guys from Xbox here in Seattle to record explosions for some new games. They went out with a pyro team with a bunch of hd recorders as well as Pro Tools. I also rented them some of my old EV dynamics which went straight into the Nagra. The 1/4" mono tape at 15ips was a hit with young guys there. I'm glad the old recorder got some use in the high tech world! Btw, I believe we can thank the Nagra/Ampex video machine for establishing the Lemo as the standard for TC plugs!

The website Bright And Loud, has some info about hiding lavs in hair for theatrical applications http://www.brightandloud.com/microphone-placement/ The site has other interesting related info.

On the subject of 9-volts, I once opened up an alkaline 9-volt with my Leatherman just to see what was inside and found a series (or battery) of 6 AAA size 1.5 volt cells. I used them in my digital camera (though they're a tiny bit smaller than a real triple A - like a triple A without the last covering). Bob

From The 788T User Guide: "DVD-RAM drives are essentially optical hard drives".

Thanks for your thoughts on this. Bob

I've done pro bono PSA's over the years, but I've never taken any as a tax write-off. What does that involve? Bob

What's the plan and time line for selling off the VHF Travelling freqs? I'm also curious about what will happen to UHF broadcast TV as we now know it?

Thanks for all your thoughts on this. It is interesting that the Tier One rate for 1st asst. camera is listed as "key", but the boom operator is listed as "2nd".

The minimum rate for a Tier One mixer is "Subject to Negotiation". Any mixers getting much better than the Tier One "Key" Rate (20.53)? What is a realistic negotiated Tier One rate? Bob

Is there a difference in the reception effectiveness of the various shark-fin (Log Periodic) antennas available on the market? Or is the difference only in quality and workmanship (and price)? Bob

Michael, I might as well post a pic of the caps, too, as long as I have my camera handy. Bob

I found some plastic hole plugs at a hardware store - I took an XLR shell with me to find the best size. I soldered up a small mic cable (about 8" long), drilled a hole in the plug inserted the cable then filled the inside of the plug with epoxy and glued it all together. I use these as jumpers on all my Rycotes. On a couple of my older Rycote mounts, I drilled and tapped some holes to screw in a Switchcraft male surface mount XLR. Bob

I've made my own low profile connectors by using a Neutrik and leaving out the clamp and boot, sealing it all up with epoxy and a plastic hole cover with a small hole drilled for the cable exit.

I took a photo of each of my opened cases for a lot of traveling I did this fall in the US and Europe. I put an 8 x 10 print in a plastic sleeve and placed it right inside the case as the first thing one saw when opening the case. It looked like no one ever moved a single item when I opened them up at each destination. All for the reasons I think, that David stated. It also helped me keep my gear in better order as I had to conform to my own established packing arrangement. Bob Marts