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17'+ Internal Coiled Boom Pole


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Hey everyone,

I was wondering if anyone is using a boom pole at 17' and longer with an internally coiled cable.  I have a K-tek 12'6" coiled internally, and seem to be fine swinging it around without any cable slap. 

My biggest worry is the cable slap since its a longer pole.  Any thoughts or suggestions?

- Jeffery

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i swing a loon 16' internally cabled. you learn soon enough what you cant do and dont do it.

but how often do you foresee needing to move the pole really fast and stop it suddenly so you might get cable slap?

I am really curious to how sensitive it is.  Maybe it's just extreme paranoia.

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I use internally coiled cable booms (3 - longest 15 feet) and love them except occasionally when they won't fully collapse because there's a cable bunch inside. No slap problems though.

My longest pole 20 feet I don't have internally coiled cabled - as weight becomes much more crucial at that length and a coiled internal cable weighs more.

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I have found the coiled cable to slap less than the straight internal cable, but that was my operating experience.  Neither were a frequent enough problem that it was an issue, and I prefer the coiled cable.  I own 2 x 16' coiled, my boom operator owns one, and another boom operator friend experimented with several poles after his VDB was destroyed, finally settling also on a coiled cabled boom pole.

Robert

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I have found the coiled cable to slap less than the straight internal cable, but that was my operating experience.  Neither were a frequent enough problem that it was an issue, and I prefer the coiled cable.  I own 2 x 16' coiled, my boom operator owns one, and another boom operator friend experimented with several poles after his VDB was destroyed, finally settling also on a coiled cabled boom pole.

Robert

Robert, which brand of boom pole are you using for your 16 footers?

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The 4 poles I mentioned are all the last generation of the Wilcox pole, which unfortunately he no longer makes.

He says the parts got too expensive, so made it not worthwhile.  Since they were already so much cheaper than the competition, I couldn't figure out why he didn't just raise the prices.  Myself and the boom guys I mentioned tried all available poles on the market before buying what we all liked the best.  Price was not a consideration.

Robert

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I own a Loon 18 foot pole and no issues. It's *mostly* used on features, where I have a boom op, and they have never had an issue with it. It never caught me off guard when I was using it. I'm sure they are not impervious, so just be aware. There are quite a few boom ops that still prefer their really long booms to be externally cabled. If it's for a film, you probably have the time to deal with all of that.

Let me put it this way, I recently switched to a Sennheiser 8040 for interiors, and when my boom op was learning the mic he had to be much more careful about generating wind noise than cable slap.

Are you using it for film or reality TV? Reality TV could require more unanticipated quick moves than a film.

I have used booms in the 18foot range from Loon, K-Tek and PSC with no issues. They were mostly films though, so things were not a surprise.

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I own a Loon 18 foot pole and no issues. It's *mostly* used on features, where I have a boom op, and they have never had an issue with it. It never caught me off guard when I was using it. I'm sure they are not impervious, so just be aware. There are quite a few boom ops that still prefer their really long booms to be externally cabled. If it's for a film, you probably have the time to deal with all of that.

Let me put it this way, I recently switched to a Sennheiser 8040 for interiors, and when my boom op was learning the mic he had to be much more careful about generating wind noise than cable slap.

Are you using it for film or reality TV? Reality TV could require more unanticipated quick moves than a film.

I have used booms in the 18foot range from Loon, K-Tek and PSC with no issues. They were mostly films though, so things were not a surprise.

It's mostly going to be used in film and tv commercials.  Thanks for everyone's opinions.  I'll be sure to go out and swing some poles before my purchase.

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The 4 poles I mentioned are all the last generation of the Wilcox pole, which unfortunately he no longer makes.

Robert

Interesting, I've never heard of the Wilcox boom poles. Not even mentioned anywhere else, on ramps, or elsewhere. Robert, anything more about these poles and the maker?

warm regards

-vin

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I personally don't like the internally coiled cable for the longer boom poles.  If the pole has a lot of flex I would guess that it could be less of an issue though as the cable would essentially be resting on the inside of the pole as it flexes from the weight of the Mic.  This is of course depending upon how much flex the pole has.  I have a Ktek klassic 17' that really bends with a heavier Mic and suspension system on it, but it doesn't have an internal cable.  My Loon doesn't seem to flex at all, but it's only a 12' pole.  Never had a problem with cable slap with it though. 

If you're doing reality I wouldn't get such a long pole anyway.  Would only use the longer poles for film/commercials.  The longer poles can be a real problem when you're running around a lot and going in and out of doors.  You can never collapse them quickly enough and trying to leave them extended all the time doesn't work as that's almost a guarantee that someone's getting a boom to the face.

J. Hemmerlin

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Interesting, I've never heard of the Wilcox boom poles. Not even mentioned anywhere else, on ramps, or elsewhere. Robert, anything more about these poles and the maker?

warm regards

-vin

All the gear in the photo is K-Tek gear, perhaps Wilcox Sound has this photo on their website.

Wilcox Sound is an equipment sales and rental shop here in Los Angeles, similar to Coffey Sound and Location Sound, but a little smaller and less "popular" for some reason. 

Over the years, Wilcox Sound has manufactured poles, but never made much of an effort to market outside of their own shop.  They were usually a cheaper version of the more popular poles, but the last couple of generation of poles were less expensive but not "cheaper".  I found them to be excellent.

Robert

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I personally don't like the internally coiled cable for the longer boom poles.  If the pole has a lot of flex I would guess that it could be less of an issue though as the cable would essentially be resting on the inside of the pole as it flexes from the weight of the Mic.  This is of course depending upon how much flex the pole has.  I have a Ktek klassic 17' that really bends with a heavier Mic and suspension system on it, but it doesn't have an internal cable.  My Loon doesn't seem to flex at all, but it's only a 12' pole.  Never had a problem with cable slap with it though. 

If you're doing reality I wouldn't get such a long pole anyway.  Would only use the longer poles for film/commercials.  The longer poles can be a real problem when you're running around a lot and going in and out of doors.  You can never collapse them quickly enough and trying to leave them extended all the time doesn't work as that's almost a guarantee that someone's getting a boom to the face.

J. Hemmerlin

My 18 foot Loon bends a decent amount when I have a 416 in a Sennheiser blimp on the end. The extra few feet must make the difference.

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I can back up Robert on this. I have had a Wilcox pole for about 7 years now, and it has worked beautifully for me. Never has it needed recabling, and the only repair I ever needed was a replacement screw mount. The one they replaced it with has been rock solid. The pole is light, and quiet. Of course, the other poles are great, but this one is good, and cost a lot less.

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My 18 foot Loon bends a decent amount when I have a 416 in a Sennheiser blimp on the end. The extra few feet must make the difference.

I bet it's not nearly as much as my Ktek though.  My 12' Loon has little to no flex, but my 9' Ktek will flex.  The 17' Ktek has some crazy flex to it.

Out of curiosity, have you had any issues with the stud piece becoming loose with the weight of the mic and blimp on it?  I had to get new pieces for mine as it seemed to wear out after about a year of use.

J Hemmerlin

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