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Re: Reflector and cable noise

Subject: Re: Reflector and cable noise
From: Syd Curtis <>
Date: Thu, 04 Mar 2004 08:38:16 +1000
Walter referred to the potential problem of a mic cable hanging
in front of the reflector and possibly generating noise when it touches the
dish, and he wrote:

>
> If building one, it might be possible to come up with routing to bring
> the cable out back through the center hole.
>

For a number of years I used a Grampian aluminum dish and the noise the
cable could make on that metal dish was far greater than on a Telinga.
Problem was easily solved however: a clip on the edge of the dish to hold
the cable and keep it from moving.

Example of cable on dish noise:

Norman Robinson was the CSIRO lyrebird expert.  After years of research and
hundreds of hours of recordings he was convinced that, contrary to popular
belief, lyrebirds do not imitate mechanical sounds (of human origin) in
their breeding season song - and said so often and including on public
radio.=20

Harold Pollock was a wildlife photographer who made an excellent lyrebird
film.  He told Norman he had a tape of lyrebird breeding season song in
which the bird did mimic  a mechanical tapping sound.  Norman told me he
listened to the tape and at first hearing it sounded convincing. Then he
realised what it was: Harold had been using a Grampian dish and it was the
cable bumping the edge of the dish.

Cheers

Syd



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