From: Dave <>
>
>
> What should I be looking for in a boom pole for outdoor work? I've got a big
> stereo Rycote zepp on the way, and the CAD-M179 I'll be using as a "side" mic
> is pretty heavy. At the moment the main use will be getting down close to
> running water.
I've several boom poles. Though they don't see a lot of use. My long
one, made from a carbon fiber sectional still fishing pole is 18'
extended. I only use it to dip my hydrophone, ie to reach out past the
edge vegetation to open water. Since it's a hydrophone, I don't have to
worry about it getting into the water. With regular mics you would want
one that was pretty stiff and controllable to be down close to the
water, a risky task. It is a stiff enough pole it can support the telinga.
I also have a couple of short standard poles. These are multi-sectional,
and very short when collapsed. They only go about 6' or so. Occasionally
useful as a ground prop for long length recordings where it's hard to
have a tripod along.
For most high work I use a very tall light stand tripod. I use that a
lot as it gets up above the more confused sound patterns close to the
ground.
For your use, you need to think how long a reach you need, how long you
will record, and can you hold the weight steady long enough. You will
have a pretty heavy kit on the end of the pole for holding far out very
long.
One source of fairly light sectional poles that are very strong is the
paint department. They have extendable aluminum poles for roller
painting. You will have to adapt the end, but they are very useful. I
have several heavy duty dipnets mounted on such poles. Used mostly when
stalking frogs, in fact I designed them specifically for that task. With
the long reach and lightness I can move fast with them. The ones I have
use hexagonal section aluminum tubes.
Walt
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