Uplink IFB/sound problems
Nino Giannotti
having the same problem with the IFB. The talent was hearing himself talking
in the IFB with time delay. To get the job done, the truck operator ended up
having to lower the volume when the talent was talking and bring it back for
the questions. We got the job done but we had a debate with the technicians
at the downlink site. They insisted that the problem had to be in the truck,
but in our opinion, because of the time delay we figured that somehow the
audio was being fed back into the IFB back at the station. Also, the IFB
goes thru cell phones on the truck and the audio via satellite. Has anyone
dealt with similar problem?
Usually when a truck have problem with its cell service, I end up using a
Conex cell interface box on my cell phone or a JK box on hard line. Both are
time consuming to set up especially when already into the window. Does any
manufacturer make an IFB cord that can quickly be plugged directly into the
standard 2.5 mm plug of the cell phone without having to go thru any box.
Thanks
Matthew Mayer
> Same location, two days apart and with two different trucks we've
> been having the same problem with the IFB. The talent was hearing
> himself talking in the IFB with time delay. To get the job done, the
> truck operator ended up having to lower the volume when the talent
> was talking and bring it back for the questions. We got the job done
> but we had a debate with the technicians at the downlink site. They
> insisted that the problem had to be in the truck, but in our opinion,
> because of the time delay we figured that somehow the audio was being
> fed back into the IFB back at the station. Also, the IFB goes thru
> cell phones on the truck and the audio via satellite. Has anyone
> dealt with similar problem?
Sounds like the downlink site messed up their mix-minus and sent you
full program back so the talent heard himself with the satellite delay.
Of course, there is no way to prove this unless you had the time to
kill your IFB line and dial it up on your own cell and listen to the
talent talk down the line. If you hear it there, there is no way it is
the truck.
>
> Usually when a truck have problem with its cell service, I end up
> using a Conex cell interface box on my cell phone or a JK box on hard
> line. Both are time consuming to set up especially when already into
> the window. Does any manufacturer make an IFB cord that can quickly
> be plugged directly into the standard 2.5 mm plug of the cell phone
> without having to go thru any box.
>
I've wondered that myself. It has been on my pie-in-the-sky project
list for a while. Would a JK Cell Tap work? It's unclear from the site
what kind of level the audio output jack provides.
http://www.jkaudio.com/celltap.htm
HTH,
---Matt
Chicago, IL
mpmATmpmpsDOTcom
Marty
Nino Giannotti wrote:
I would agree with Matthew that the studio was not sending you a mix
minus feed. There's nothing you can do to correct the problem beyond
telling them.
The 2.5mm jack on a cell phone is adequate to drive an IFB earpiece
directly. I would have to verify whether tip or ring carries the
earpiece output. You might find a 2.5mm to 3.5mm adapter from Radio Shack.
The JKA Celltap mixes send and receive audio which you don't want.
The JKA Compack interfaces to the 2.5mm cell jack as well as PL
intercoms, analog phone lines and all handsets.
Marty Atias
ATS Communications
Klay Anderson
Marty <Ma...@atscomms.REMOVE.com> wrote:
> I would have to verify whether tip or ring carries the
> earpiece output.
Tip is mic input; ring is audio output.
--
Regards,
Mr. Klay Anderson
Klay Anderson Audio, Inc.
http://www.klay.com1-800-FOR-KLAY
Fred
"Klay Anderson" <kl...@klay.com> wrote in message
news:klay-F73469.1...@terabinaries.xmission.com...
Depending on model/brand/age some are 2.5mm with 3 contacts, some with 4.
Some phones
require a shorting resistor inline to activate the phone's output. Older
models are less "standard" for
after party accessories but adapters are fairly easy to obtain.
William Sarokin
"Nino Giannotti" <agian...@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
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> . Also, the IFB
> goes thru cell phones on the truck and the audio via satellite.
It might have been the cell phone part of the link. I often hear my own
voice delayed by about a second when on my cell. Sometimes hanging up and
re-calling solves it. Sometimes it doesn't. I know Verizon has been trying
to solve this one for years. It's not as bad as it used to be, but still
common. It's no unfeasible that it hit the same caller 2 days in a row.
Billy Sarokin
Eric Pierce
Not so sure that would be the problem. The cell phone link is described
here as an IFB, therefore the voice of the talent on location would
never be on the cell phone for it to reflect back.
I go with the feeling that the problem is with master control sending a
true mix-minus, as it almost always is...
Eric Pierce
Thom Shafer
Has all the markings of a classic mix-minus snafu. Anytime talent is
hearing themselves with a delay in the IFB the downlink site is guilty until
proven innocent and not the other way around! :) Been there, done that way
too many times!
The trick is to have no doubt as to what the problem is. Which forces them
to check their configuration. For example I would not say that I was
hearing a delay in the ear. I would simply request a mix-minus feed and
hold that position until it appears. It always does....eventually.
Have a great day.
Thom Shafer
http://www.televisionsound.com
"Nino Giannotti" <agian...@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
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Brad Harper
over a speaker instead of an IFB. This would cause some leakage if they were
not using a very high quality telephone hybrid. I have experienced this one
myself.
Brad Harper
Cleve Massey
station or network or whomever you are working for. As far as trucks having
cell phone problems, that seems to have almost vanished for me as cell
service is so much better than before!!!
I always route the IFB thru my mixer and then to the talent...that way I can
hear any potential problems hopefully before they happen. In your case, at
least you could have been riding the levels and potting it up at the right
time as you could see the talent and hear what was going on.
In a real pinch you can use those annoying little mic-headset things that
come with all cellphones...put tape over the mic and hid the cable to the
ear and for the short-run it will suffice. I too have been wanting to try
the various cell phone taps and see how they work...or maybe just take the
little cable and disconnect the mic, leaving the earpiece only working.
Holidays are made for projects such as this...or I could never do live TV
again!!! YEA RIGHT!!!
cleve
>
Matthew Mayer
schematics for making something to work with Nokia cell phones. Looks
pretty simple if you are handy with a soldering iron.
http://free-zg.hinet.hr/GoranJurkovic/nokia/
---Matt
Chicago, IL
rwhiteh
<agian...@tampabay.rr.com> wrote:
>Same location, two days apart and with two different trucks we've been
>having the same problem with the IFB. The talent was hearing himself talking
>in the IFB with time delay.
Hey Nino. How you been?
I'm coming to the discussion late so it's probably already been
anwered in full by the other fine folks here, but it sounds like the
classic mix-minus problem that we all get from time to time. You just
have to raise cain with master audio until they patch it right and
send it clean. I do a lot of network stuff and you'd be surprised how
many times the net sends full program.
As to the cell phone, I doubt that's it. You'd only be getting the
return on the cell anyway, not your audio because that goes up one of
the paths from the sat truck so you wouldn't hear that back on the
cell. I don't see how that could bleed or get mixed into the IFB on
the cell.
Let us know if you hear of a solution to your situation.
Take care,
rob whitehurst
www.sounddude.com
*
Nino Giannotti
Thanks everyone for your inputs (and confirmation of where the problem was)
I copied and pasted every response and e-mailed to the studio. There's power
in numbers. Most likely I will never hear of where the problem was but I'm
sure that it will silently go away.
Thanks to all and a very Happy Thanksgiving
Nino Giannotti
"rwhiteh" <rwhi...@tampabay.rr.com> wrote in message
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