Walkie-talkies

turtle7896

turtle7896

Member
Hello everyone.

So, we currently have an older Pro-Intercom system in our auditorium. The only problem is that some of the wiring is starting to go bad. It was also designed and wired very poorly, so I am looking for some help.

We are going to switch over to wireless comms, so does anyone have any good recommendations for walkie-talkies? We would need about 10, and ones that do not have frequencies banned in the US. Thanks for any help.
 
Honestly wireless comms would be nice, but we don't have much of a budget. So, if 1, the radios would be cheaper, and 2, if there are quiet radios, then I am looking for radios.
 
Most of your com should be wired, so focus on fixing that first. Then once that's sorted out maybe you could look at picking up a couple of wireless units if it's really needed. As far as which wireless units to look at it's going to depend on what will tie into your wired system.
 
turtle7896 said:
Alright, thank you.
Click to expand...
@turtle7896 Definitely repair the wiring. Mediocre, but properly installed, wiring is both more affordable and more reliable than wireless systems. If / when you can afford Clearcom wireless it will be simultaneous bidirectional which your walkie talkies would not.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard
 
And I'm still using mumble.. Just went through and did a refresh of all my sd cards and thumb drives that the thin clients are booting from. If funds are limited, it is a very viable alternative. Full duplex.. maybe 1/2 second latency. Running on raspberry pi's and cast off HP thin clients. Running mumble in one format or another since about 2015.. looks like my first post about it here on the pi was about 2017.. so.. it works. The all in one server/wifi no longer works on the latest Pi os, so I moved over to using a cast off router to host the closed wired and wifi network it runs on. Dect headsets (Logitech h820e) give us a good 300 feet of roaming capability for a packless "belt pack" Can use the H800 with bluetooth dongle.. easier to make talk to a pi, but limited to 30 feet from base. Can also cut in a cell phone in a pinch.. which is how we choreographed our onstage moving trees for "Into the Woods" Had 5 of them on cell phone app and ear plug for instructions and movement since they were "blind" We used radios for years and this is lightyears ahead
 
almorton said:
Sounds like a lot of latency for a cueing comms system?
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Not really... our lighting guy has a lot of autonomy.. so we really don't call up cue to cue for that.. We do depend on "clear" after set/curtain change.. Sometimes coordinating a special etc. But things move pretty fast since we do exclusively musicals.
Have used it for straight play.. Stage Manager can still call up ready cue 21... and then booth has annotated script with exact cue placement with the line to actually pull the trigger. Clear after set change works just dandy.. 1/2 second no big deal. Dealing with the unexpected.. hold.. we dropped the vase..... Actor not in place.... etc It just works. Speaking of following script.. when I light I number all my cues according to script page number... 44.1 44.3 44.7... That way if I ever zone out.. can get to the appropriate page in an instant... instead of shuffling to see where in the hell cue 23 is... Bottom line.. if you have a totally anal.. light cue must be on my order at that exact moment Stage Manager.. then I would suggest THEY pay for the clearcom.. problem solved. I watched the "Hamilton" video with Adam Savage.. I'm betting they are not calling all lighting from the SM either. Certain starts and stops sure... but everything??
 
I just saw the MicroCom M and MicroCom XR radio systems at the USITT show this year and am hoping to get funding to purchase a set. They are full-duplex and don't require a base station. BMI Supply sells the beltpacks for $399 and $788 respectively (plus the cost of headsets, etc.) We're replacing another wireless system, and we use them in different venues periodically, so a wired system wouldn't fit our needs quite as well. The MicroCom M system can support up to 5 beltpacks and the XR can support up to 10. They also have adapters to connect to a wired system if you are able to get that fixed. This is the first year I've seen these systems, but they look to fill the gap between the entry level systems and the pro-grade ones.

I do agree with everybody else that a wired system is generally more reliable than a wireless system, which is often better than walkie talkies. So if you've got the wiring and are able to do the repairs or hire someone that will likely end up cheaper and more reliable than purchasing a new wireless system (especially if your budget is limited). Remember, the most expensive and high-tech wireless system in the world is almost as good as a $30 microphone cable.
 
I guess 1/2 a second may not matter (but then would you accept half a second latency on a conductor's camera?). Horses for courses ... we have a wired system anyway, using traditional beltpacks and headsets, so for now it's not something I have to worry about.
 
Our bottom line is $10,000/ 500 milliseconds.. = 20 bucks a millisecond....is still too steep for us. And the walkie talkies were much worse.. especially when someone accidentally went into vox mode with stage noise...

My conductor camera is a 25 buck tiny camera fed to some old analog tv's... I have a stockpile of 4 replacement analog tv's in storage as well. I only recommend the Mumble for the cash strapped.. community theater, schools with no budget etc. It's actually a beautiful thing.. and with the right headset crystal clear voice. To get 90% of the functionality of a "real" com system for a couple hundred bucks is nothing to sneeze at.
 
Sure, and I'm not denying it works, I was just a little surprised that 1/2 second latency wasn't a problem.

I think we'd notice it most on the occasions when we have sound and light ops (rather than a single op running both) in the control room - hearing the other guy over the cans 1/2 a second after they've spoken would would be really off putting.
 
almorton said:
Sure, and I'm not denying it works, I was just a little surprised that 1/2 second latency wasn't a problem.

I think we'd notice it most on the occasions when we have sound and light ops (rather than a single op running both) in the control room - hearing the other guy over the cans 1/2 a second after they've spoken would would be really off putting.
Click to expand...
It's just workflow.. our lights person is the capcom for the booth.. they might have spot lighters on headset, when needed.. sound is just in front of them on a platform in the open auditorium. Sound rarely or ever is working with a headset.. We just use hand signals like navy seals.. Our sound cues are triggered by the same guy running the mixer.. no seperate sound effects op.
 
And it all doesn’t look too unperfeshunul. Under 100 bucks per station even with the Dect headset.
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Last edited:
Good eye.. but we don't play with the props or set decor.. Currently in production for "Disaster" 70's jukebox farce
by Seth Rudetsky et al. Looks like I deleted the dart board when I took out the doubled pictures.
 
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