Cue light for radios

[Fountain Of Euph]

Happy New Year all!

I am starting to put together our annual Jazz festival, a multi venue, all day, big call (for us) event. I am the technical coordinator, as well as mixing for one of the venues. I would like to be able communicate with the rest of the crew and event staff, however I don't want my radio to sqak or wear a earpiece.

I have thought about building cue lights for my radios. Basic concept is a LED attached to a 1/8" Jack going to the earpiece jack. I am using motorola cp100 radios with independent speaker/mic jacks.

In theory, the charge from the transmission should light the lights.

Will this work, and if so how do I go about building it. I have basic electronic skills and can solder.

Thanks!
Joe

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[chawalang]

What is the reason why you do not want to use a motorola radio with a clip on radio mich?

That has been the standard in every tour, theme park and festival environment I have ever worked in?

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

I dont want anything in my ear while mixing

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[chawalang]

I have always seen the F.O.H engineer take off their radio while in show for that exact reason. They do keep it handy in case clear comm communication goes down. Have you looked at a purchasing a Clear Comm signal flasher box and telephone handset as oppose to a head set?

You can set the box to flash, ring tone or both. It seems that would solve your issue.

 

[rbalewski]

Maybe a radio with vibration notification? We just got a few with that feature.

 

[chausman]

You can buy earpieces that don't totally block outside sound in one ear. And they're not too difficult to take in and out quickly.

 

[DuckJordan]

@chawalang, the issue is 2 way radio's not clearcom. Multi-venues create an interesting issue. Maybe have two way radios but use something like skype on laptop, or text messages to notify need for radio commerce?

 

[Dionysus]

I am technical Director for a multi-stage festival, we use minimum radio communications (usually 2-4 people with radios). We use cell phones (text) and pro-active planning to keep things moving smoothly.

At any given time there is at least one tech "floating" between stages, basically checking in and taking care of issues that arise. The stages break, start, and finish all at different times during the weekend which helps with this. We make sure to have everyone's cell numbers (or most everyone anyways, usually I am the only one with the volunteers numbers). Also I no-longer mix at the festival during the day. I do Stage Manage the Ampitheatre stage still, but someone else is "floater" while I am Stage Managing and my Radio is always on. At least as SM I am mostly in one place and easy to find with moments during the acts where I can take care of other issues.

Issues usually get resolved quite quickly, either myself or someone else is usually right around the corner when something comes up as when most of the stages are running two or three of us are "floating". In the evening when the bigger acts are on not all of the stages are running and there is only one runner.

As for making a light run in this way, I'm not sure. In theory it could work some way, but it would be beyond me.
I can see the attempt burning out the radio.

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

I am technical Director for a multi-stage festival, we use minimum radio communications (usually 2-4 people with radios). We use cell phones (text) and pro-active planning to keep things moving smoothly.

At any given time there is at least one tech "floating" between stages, basically checking in and taking care of issues that arise. The stages break, start, and finish all at different times during the weekend which helps with this. We make sure to have everyone's cell numbers (or most everyone anyways, usually I am the only one with the volunteers numbers). Also I no-longer mix at the festival during the day. I do Stage Manage the Ampitheatre stage still, but someone else is "floater" while I am Stage Managing and my Radio is always on. At least as SM I am mostly in one place and easy to find with moments during the acts where I can take care of other issues.

Issues usually get resolved quite quickly, either myself or someone else is usually right around the corner when something comes up as when most of the stages are running two or three of us are "floating". In the evening when the bigger acts are on not all of the stages are running and there is only one runner.

As for making a light run in this way, I'm not sure. In theory it could work some way, but it would be beyond me.
I can see the attempt burning out the radio.

I wish I had the luxury of a floating hand. I am working with one audio engineer and one hand per stage.

How about a aux cable running to a computer with a level monitoring program running?

 

[FMEng]

The amplifier that drives the speaker typically puts out a few milliwatts. Assuming 10 milliwatts of audio and an 8 ohm speaker, the math tells us the voltage is 0.28 Volts. The forward voltage on an LED is around 2 Volts, so the radio probably can't drive an LED.

What I don't know is whether the amp becomes more of a voltage source when driving a much higher impedance. There is no better way to know for sure than testing it. Get a plug, an LED, and a 220 ohm resistor and clips leads and rig it together to test it. Put the resistor in series with the LED. You might have the best luck using beep tones, if the radio produces them.

A comparator circuit could be designed to detect audio and trigger a light, but my guess is that would be more a more complex solution than you were looking for.

There are two-way radios with vibrate paging built in.

 

[themuzicman]

I mix musicals all the time with a Motorola walkie on me. I turn it down so that I can talk to backstage but they cannot hear me. Presumably in your audio system you have copper somewhere - wire a clearcom blazon into your system via XLR or get a KVM and set up a computer and talk via text edit.

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

Dont have clearcom in my venue.

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[themuzicman]

Dont have clearcom in my venue.

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Sounds like nows the time to invest in some

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

Spec-ing a total audio system upgrade, but money is a issue. We cant even afford new walkie talkie headsets.

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[themuzicman]

Spec-ing a total audio system upgrade, but money is a issue. We cant even afford new walkie talkie headsets.

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A walkie biscuit (Fist Mic) is like $15, if your venue can't afford that I hope your full audio system upgrade isn't shoddily done...

 

[FMEng]

Spec-ing a total audio system upgrade, but money is a issue. We cant even afford new walkie talkie headsets.

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Just a thought: If money is tight, why isn't the sound system rented? It's often better to hire someone rather than buy a bunch of equipment that then has to earn its keep, be stored, maintained, etc.

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

We have good quality of most of the rentable stuff (mixer, mics, monitors, mains). Its the installed stuff that we need, like amps, clearcom and patchbays. Were a 500 seat multi use hall, and renting really issent a option.

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[MikeJ]

Fountain, is the issue that you do not want the audience to hear your radio while you are mixing? I don't find this to be a problem often if I keep the handset cliped to my collar, but I guess the size of the venue the volume of the mix may vary considerably from my experience. You could also just move to an unused channel, and let everyone know to switch to that channel if the really need to contact you. Unless there is an emergency, your radio should be free of chatter.

I am technical Director for a multi-stage festival, we use minimum radio communications (usually 2-4 people with radios). We use cell phones (text) and pro-active planning to keep things moving smoothly.

At any given time there is at least one tech "floating" between stages, basically checking in and taking care of issues that arise. The stages break, start, and finish all at different times during the weekend which helps with this. We make sure to have everyone's cell numbers (or most everyone anyways, usually I am the only one with the volunteers numbers). Also I no-longer mix at the festival during the day. I do Stage Manage the Ampitheatre stage still, but someone else is "floater" while I am Stage Managing and my Radio is always on. At least as SM I am mostly in one place and easy to find with moments during the acts where I can take care of other issues.

Issues usually get resolved quite quickly, either myself or someone else is usually right around the corner when something comes up as when most of the stages are running two or three of us are "floating". In the evening when the bigger acts are on not all of the stages are running and there is only one runner.

As for making a light run in this way, I'm not sure. In theory it could work some way, but it would be beyond me.
I can see the attempt burning out the radio.

WOW! that sounds awful. Maybe your cell service is much better in Canada, but I could never see running a festival without radios. Plus once you pack tens of thousands of people into an area you could wait all day for a text. How do the stages stay in touch with each other, production, security? How do you contact EMS? Radios are instant communication, point to point. The reliability is not subject to third party towers, and not nearly as many environmental issues. With some digital radios you can go across town, and still have contact. And radios are CHEAP! Why would you not use them.

I have needed security and paramedics at different points during festivals, If we had to use text messages, or send a runner, people could have easily died are serious injuries and altercations could likely have occurred. Just my experience, YMMV.

Plus I if I did not have a radio, how could I tell someone to bring my a coffee from catering?

 

[Fountain Of Euph]

Update: festival went well. We ended making sure our phones were charged and turned the radios all the way down.

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[Dionysus]

Fountain, is the issue that you do not want the audience to hear your radio while you are mixing? I don't find this to be a problem often if I keep the handset cliped to my collar, but I guess the size of the venue the volume of the mix may vary considerably from my experience. You could also just move to an unused channel, and let everyone know to switch to that channel if the really need to contact you. Unless there is an emergency, your radio should be free of chatter.



WOW! that sounds awful. Maybe your cell service is much better in Canada, but I could never see running a festival without radios. Plus once you pack tens of thousands of people into an area you could wait all day for a text. How do the stages stay in touch with each other, production, security? How do you contact EMS? Radios are instant communication, point to point. The reliability is not subject to third party towers, and not nearly as many environmental issues. With some digital radios you can go across town, and still have contact. And radios are CHEAP! Why would you not use them.

I have needed security and paramedics at different points during festivals, If we had to use text messages, or send a runner, people could have easily died are serious injuries and altercations could likely have occurred. Just my experience, YMMV.

Plus I if I did not have a radio, how could I tell someone to bring my a coffee from catering?

Security is on site en force and all have radios shared with the 'on site' medical team and EMS. Generally if you need security or medical all you have to do is yell, there is always one or the other not too far away. The techs with radios have the security/ems frequency in addition to their own, hand have the security/ems cell phone numbers. On top of this never had an issue with cell phone usage. Then again this is not a festival with 100,000+ people, its folk not rock-and-roll.
Anything critical is phoned or radioed (if possible) not texted, things that can wait are texted.

We generally have a licensed channel for tech, the security/ems generally use FRS (ie cheap radios), and 'site' uses another FRS channel. So if we need administration, gate (hey we've got a delivery coming), or construction people there we go.
I love multi-band radios, but they are NOT CHEAP. Mine cost me a lot of money, but VHF/UHF/CB is nice to have and set to the channel we have licensed, etc.
Only two stages are allowed alcohol (each fully fenced in and surrounded by security and police), one seats perhaps 50 people or so and the other is our largest tent

I agree if its important, the radio is fine. I never use an ear-piece on my radio at a festival, usually a handset on the collar or if I am mixing just set it down pointed towards me.