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FAQ on Favorite Equipment?

Subject: FAQ on Favorite Equipment?
From: "Jim Morgan" <>
Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2004 13:42:26 -0700
Have added equipment lists of more members.

Jim

Jim Morgan
Acting Moderator
Nature Recordists e-mail group:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/naturerecordists
Personal Photography:
http://wingsofnature.com/

********************************************
John V. Moore:

I use the HHB Portadisc MD but always keep a Sony TCM 5000 as a back-up. I 
have many extra battery packs for the battery eating HHB. For mics..Telinga 
Parabolic set up with single Sennheiser MKH 20 P 48 mic which runs off the 
phantom 
power of the HHB. I could use about 5-10 more dB gain at times. Back-ups are 
ME 66 and 67 Sennheisers..hand held. My goal is not pristine beautiful 
recordings (although I love it when this happens), but representative 
vocalizations 
of a publishable quality. I have to have the recorder ready for immediate 
recording and this is why I use so many batteries with the Portadisc. I use 
rechargeables NiMH and have a MH C777 Universal charger as well as the 
Portadisc for 
recharging. So far, so good.

**********************************************************
Jim Morgan:

mic - Two Telinga Twin science with a Telinga wind screen - recorder - four 
Sony MiniDisc MZ-R50 
and one MZ-R55. Also a 32" Greg
Clark dish that needs a full time mic.

A mounting bar that adapts to a tripod and holds a Telinga mic and a 
spotting scope for observing & verification of the bird being 
recorded.
************************************************
Dan Seven:

Equipment in use here is HHB Portadisc recorder w/spare battery
packs, Sony MZ-R37 w/ECM-DS70P mic, excellent portable setup...this is
where other larger recorders fall short. It fits into a fanny pack with
extra batteries and discs and comes in very handy....MKH 815T Shotgun
mic, ME80 Short Shotgun, Sony ECM's w/Sony 810 Pro wireless sets(3),
Foam windscreens,
Shure FP32 mixer/pre..can provide T power for long shotgun mic. I like
AKG 240 headphones, have Senns as well.

Sony JA3ES minidisc deck in rack with PSB speakers and Bryston
.5B Preamp and 2b Pro amps..PC with Adobe Audition.

The usual cabling and connectors and tripods..A Sony Parabolic
Mic which I find does not work really nearly as well as the 815T. It is
possible however to clamp the R37  with mic attached into its dynamic
mic holder in its entirety for a cable free portable setup..quite
susceptible to wind I could add, but it does work.

Am looking for more mics as well as a larger battery pack
(Nicad) for HHB. It does use up some battery.
***********************************************************
Martyn Stewart:

Telinga Stereo Dat, Twin Science and dish (for species recording)
 Sennheiser mics MKH 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 110
 AT 4071A Shotgun
 Marantz PMD-670 Flashcard recorder
 HHB Portadisk (yet to be beat)
 Tascam DP-1 Dat recorder (Not used much now)
 Sharp DR-7 Minidisk (very handy pocket recorder)
 2 X Sure ECM-44 (Great ambient recording mics as per Bernie Kraus)
 Sennheiser EW-500 transmitter and receiver (I can sit in the car on 
Mozzie  days)
***********************************************************
Walt Knapp:

Let's see: In the Ranger, my "regular set", goes on every recording 
trip.

Recorder: HHb Portadisc  (not a battery hog, excellent recorder) 
Lives 
in a PortaBrace case, the one they make specifically for it. Case has 
room for spare battery caddy, 6 extra minidiscs, and a thick pack of 
my 
field cards. In addition to the Portadisc.

Preamp, used occasionally: Sound Devices MP-2 with cables to match to 
the Portadisc and mics (I use a 15dB attenuating cable set between it 
and the Portadisc). Also lives in a PortaBrace case, the one for it. 
Keep nimh battery pairs for it in the case. But there is lots of 
unused 
room. The MP-2 can provide M/S decoding in the field for the 
headphones 
without messing with the M/S being recorded.

Microphones:

1) Telinga Pro VI with DAT Stereo mic element (that's the latest 
handle, 
runs off phantom power and has a removable cable in my 5 pin stereo 
system) Also has the rycote windscreen. In season lives loose on top 
of 
things in the Ranger when not in use. I have the dual science mic, 
but 
hardly ever use it. Even scientific survey recordings are better done 
in 
stereo.

2) SASS/MKH-20 and SASS/MKH-110 (modified SASS as per Lang's design 
idea, my machining, both with Crown's windscreen, and handmade fur 
cover)
http://frogrecordist.home.mindspring.com/docs/my_mod_sass.html
These each in plastic bins from the container store.

3) MKH-40/30, MKH-60/30 & MKH-80/80 M/S mics. (mixture of rycote and 
sennheiser windscreens/suspensions/fur)
http://frogrecordist.home.mindspring.com/docs/my_ms_setups.html
All three in one craftstore plastic bin, still looking for storage 
just 
the right size.

Headphones: Sony MDR-V900 (two pair along)

Cables: Canare star quad cables, Neutric X-HD series waterproof heavy 
duty XLR connectors, I make my own cables. All the above systems are 
adapted via Y cables or such like to a 5-pin XLR stereo system, with 
Y 
cables at the recorder end to break the channels back out. Saves 
cable 
clutter. The star quad is used with both channels in the 4 conductors 
of 
the star quad, which negates some of the interference resistance of 
the 
cable, but not a big problem for nature recording. I've cables from 
5' 
for hand held up to about 100'. This and more small stuff in a 
PortaBrace large run bag.

Support: Two unknown brand lighting tripods. For heights up to 19' 
with 
the newer one I just got. The original one is good for about 15' and 
is 
heavier duty:
http://wwknapp.home.mindspring.com/tall.tripod.1.jpg
Use adapters I custom machined to attach the mics.

Sound Meter: Extech 407750

Location: Garmin Street Pilot III loaded with detailed maps in it's 
removable memory. Don't forget to document what you record. Backed up 
by 
a Delorme Gazetteer, the Garmin is not good for looking at the larger 
picture. These normally live on the Ranger dash.

Weather: Kestrel 4000 (measures just about any weather parameter), 
also 
have a no name digital thermometer that has a magnet so can be 
plunked 
on the outside of the ranger for a quick reading.

Lighting: Petzl LED/incandescent dual headlamps, several maglights 
and a 
couple newer high intensity LED flashlights. Recording frogs is a 
nightime activity. A sackfull of nimh batteries, organized in sets, 
managed on a charge schedule. Also onboard chargers for everything, 
some 
12volt, the rest run off a small Radio Shack inverter. There are 7 
power 
outlets I put on the Ranger dash to handle it all.

Transport: It all is carted by a 2000 Ranger 4x4 supercab 4 door 
pickup 
with a Leer high top canopy. Which has a Tule luggage carrier and 
kayak 
mounts on the bars on top (The kayak I use is a Ocean 
Kayak "Drifter", 
though I have a couple others I could use). The Ranger is also my 
home 
and sleeping quarters on foray.
http://frogrecordist.home.mindspring.com/naturerecordists/Ranger.jpg

Note the Ranger is wired with Sony MD changer and Sony MD/radio unit 
networked together with a Sony link unit. With line in capability to 
play from other sources. Record a MD, play it on the way back home. 
Or 
as many as 7 without having to change any. Used mostly for music on 
the 
run to and from recording sites. Could easily be set up for playback, 
some could be done just by opening all 4 doors.

That does not count the biologist gear. Swift Field microscope, nets, 
snake hooks, boots, sample bottles, critter keepers and so on. Nor 
the 
Palm Tungten C which contains my database, photos, ID sound samples 
and 
assorted other data nice to have along. (and a computer scanner to 
diagnose the Ranger's computer) Nor does it get into the digital 
camera 
gear. Or food, clothes, sleeping equipment, tools and so on.

Also have at home:
Two MKH-816's, MKH-70, some more MKH-110's, two Sennheiser 1000 
digital 
wireless setups. A couple hydrophones, and a number of lessor mics 
like 
the Sony ECM-MS957,  A unmodified SASS, a early Sennheiser binaural 
head. And lots of assorted other misc. Still waiting completion of 
setups, or like the two Sony MZ-R30's replaced. Some goes along with 
me 
sometimes.

Is any of this my Favorite? It's what I use currently, and in some 
cases 
I believe it's the best for me, and probably for many others. But 
something could come along tomorrow that would be better. That does 
not 
mean I'd get it, but it does mean that favorite may be too strong a 
word.
***********************************************************
J Young:

HHB Portadisc (the battery monster)
Sony MZ-R30
        MZ-R50
        MZ-R55    player/recorders

Telinga Stereo-DAT mic
            EM-23 ??
            Parabolic dish

Sennheiser  K6, ME 64
                  K6, ME 67
                  MKH 110
Homemade windscreens, designs of which are always in flux.

All stored and most carried in PortaBrace packs.

There you have it, the whole kit. I'd love to find one more MKH 110. 
If anyone has one too many ...


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