The Emergence of Production Communications (Pt 1)

Larry Estrin, the Director of the Clear-Com Global Rental Group, shares his perspective on what led to the development of the intercom that we have today. Listen to this podcast which discusses how telephone companies use to provide communication for broadcasters, how intercoms were initially used for construction, and more. 

Stay tuned for the next podcast in this series!

Beauty, Brains and "The Secret Communication System"

Hedy Lamarr
Source: www.hedylamarr.com

Known as “the most beautiful woman in Hollywood”, HedyLamarr was more than just a pretty face. Born Hedwig Eva Maria Kiesler on November 9^th, 1914 in Vienna, Austria, Hedy aspired to be an actress. Her first husband, a much older Friedrich Mandl, was an armaments manufacturer. After her steamy role at age 18 in the German film Ecstasy and Me, Mandl became extremely possessive and reportedly forbade her from pursuing her film career. Instead, Lamarr would accompany Mandl to business meetings where his colleagues would discuss technological advances for the military. By 1937, Lamarr divorced Mandl and moved to Hollywood to follow her dreams in becoming a movie star. Once in Hollywood, she signed a contract with MGM and developed the title of “the most beautiful woman in Hollywood” with exotic seductress roles opposite the leading men of the era, such as Spencer Tracy, Clark Gable and James Stewart to name a few. But it was discussions about World War II with composer George Antheil, which put Hedy Lamarr’s name on the map for something other than her acting.

George Antheil was a composer, author and inventor known for mixing modern sounds, like musical, industrial and mechanical tones, which set him apart from other composers of that era. Antheil also authored several women’s interest columns in magazines, which is how he and Lamarr were introduced. During World War II, Antheil and Lamarr’s conversations turned away from glandular extracts and onto torpedoes. Attending business meetings with Lamarr's first husband gave her insight into torpedoes and other military armaments, creating a bond between the fiercely pro-American Antheil and the actress. It was then that the pair began discussing how a single radio-controlled torpedo could be easily detected and jammed by broadcasting interference at the control signal frequency level, causing the torpedo to veer off-course. 

U.S. Patent Submission Figure
Source: www.inventors.about.com

Antheil and Lamarr developed the idea of frequency-hopping to encrypt torpedo signals. Using a piano roll to randomly change the signal, the short bursts were played within a range of 88 frequencies on the spectrum (there are 88 keys on a piano). The code, which became known as "The Secret Communication System", would encrypt the signal and make it impossible for the enemy to scan and then jam all 88 frequencies. Antheil developed a player-piano mechanism to control the frequency – much like the one he used to score his most famous film production, Ballet Mécanique. Antheil and Lamarr were awarded a U.S. Patent on August 11^th, 1942, but was not adopted by the US Military until the blockade of Cuba in 1962, after the patent expired.

Lamarr was honored with her contributions in discovering frequency-hopping in 1997, when the Electronic Frontier Foundation gave her a belated award. The following year, Canadian wireless technology developer, WiLAN, Inc., acquired 49% claim to Lamarr’s patent for an undisclosed stock amount. Today, Antheil’s and Lamarr’s frequency-hopping idea for autonomous control of torpedoes has now become the basis for modern spread-spectrum communication technology, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and other wireless devices. Earlier this year, Lamarr and Antheil were inducted into the Inventor’s Hall of Fame.

Hedy Lamarr died in Casselberry, Florida on January 19^th, 2000 at age 85. On the 100 year anniversary of her birth, recognition of her accomplishments to modern technology seemed a fitting tribute. Thank you Hedy for your contribution - you will not be forgotten.

Hedy Lamarr
11/9/2014 - 1/19/2000

Clear-Com Interview at NAB Show StudioXperience (Video)

In an interview from the 2014 NAB Show StudioXperience, our Clear-Com President, Bob Boster, speaks with Steve Waskul about delivering communication tools to professionals for a wide range of activities. He discusses the history and development of Clear-Com as well as our current communication offerings and how our systems are being used. He also covers several important announcements that were made at the NAB Show, including the news about the award winning HelixNet® Partyline intercoms and ProGrid^TM.

Watch the full interview here: Clear-Com Interview at NAB Show StudioXperience

Clear-Com Technology Milestones

1972 Clear-Com’s first analog partyline was available to the market.

1981 Clear-Com debuted the first SB8 switchboard.

1992 Matrix I was first introduced to the market.

1996 Clear-Com Vega received the Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award for the development in Broadcast wireless microphone.   

2004 Eclipse v1.0 was released.

 

2007 Clear-Com unveiled its line of 30+ Encore analog partyline systems.

2009 Tempest wireless intercom was launched and I.V.Core Intercom-over-IP technology was developed.

2011 Clear-Com won the Technology & Engineering Emmy® Award for invention of the distributed wired beltpack.
 

2012 Clear-Com released HelixNet Partyline, the first digital partyline system, on the HelixNet networked intercom platform.

Clear-Com Booth, Back in the Day

We found some photos of our Clear-Com tradeshow booth from 1981. How do you like our previous logo and displays?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Rememberance of John D. Silva

Photo Credit: airspacemag.com

 

This past November, John D. Silva, a pioneer of the broadcast industry, passed away. We'd like to recognize his valuable contributions in this post.

According to Bob Pool of the Los Angeles Times, "[John D. Silva] turned a rented Bell helicopter into the Telecopter, essentially a flying TV studio. The first of its kind, it put Channel 5 news at the forefront of live aerial coverage of major events like parades, fires, earthquakes and massive freeway snarls.

Hundreds of televised car chases later, Silva's invention is a staple of local television news stations, along with the mobile unit he also had a hand in developing."

Read more: John D. Silva dies at 92; introduced news helicopter

Tune Into Free-Form Radio!

Photo Credit: kdvs.org

Relive what FM radio was like in the early days as KDVS, the radio station operated by UC Davis students, joins forces with former air staff of legendary Sacramento radio station KZAP to celebrate free-form radio.

KDVS will dedicate 48 hours of continuous programing featuring former KZAP disc jockeys playing the music of the late-1960s and early-1970s and telling stories about what it was like in the early days of progressive FM radio. The special programming begins 6:00 a.m. Thursday, November 8, 2012, and ends at 6:00 a.m. Saturday, November 10.

Back in the 1960s, most radio stations were only playing music from the top 40 playlist. Around that time, Tom Donahue invented free-form radio in which a station would play the album tracks chosen by the DJ rather than from the predetermined top 40 playlist.

Founded in November 8, 1968 in Sacramento, CA, KZAP was one of the earliest adopters of free-form radio. Ed Fitzgerald, Clear-Com’s Director of Customer Satisfaction, was the General Manager of and a DJ (Uncle Ed) at KZAP during its early beginnings. He will be one of the individuals featured on KDVS this week.

On a similar note, many of the rock and roll legends that were featured on KZAP played at the Avalon Ballroom, which was a music venue owned by Bob Cohen, who was one of the founders of Clear-Com. Those musicians included the Grateful Dead, Janis Joplin, Jefferson Airplane and more. Tune into KDVS to hear some of those great hits once again!

 

Read the full press release: KDVS Radio Celebrates Free-Form Radio

Yankee Doodle

Photo Credit: pawls.lib.ms.us

Did you know that the first sound recording of music was the recording of Jules Levy playing Yankee Doodle on a cornet? Jules Levy first started playing the cornet at the age of 17 and eventually became the most celebrated cornetist of the 1800s.

Jules Levy
Photo Credit: able.hive.no/trumpet/levy

The process of recording onto a membrane or thin paper was invented in 1857 by Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville, but at that time, the sound could not be replayed. Later, magnetic recording was invented, but it was only used to record telephone messages. Inspired by a visit to Edison's lab in New Jersey, Oberlin Smith worked to record Jules Levy's Yankee Doodle onto a record.  



Sources:
First audio and video recordings
Jules Levy
History of Sound in Chronological Order

Tribute: Steve Sabol

"Tell me a fact, and I'll learn. Tell me a truth, and I'll believe. But tell me a story, and it will stay in my heart forever." ~ Steve Sabol, President of NFL Films

And for the last 50 years, telling a story is what Steve Sabol did best. He was the master of vision as he continuously stepped out of the box and created new ways to bring the realism of football to audiences across the nation. He wasn't afraid to break ground and take risks. He was the first to have players and coaches wear wireless microphones, the first to use slow-motion at ground level, the first to create montage editing in sports, the first to use reverse angle replays, the first to create sports folly films, and the first to create custom composed musical scores to sports films. He was the creative genius behind how we experience sports today. Winning over 40 Emmys for cinematography, editing, writing, directing and producing, the man was truly a legend.

NFL Films is a long-time customer of Clear-Com and we are proud that we were part of his remarkable impact in the media. The sports world lost a true visionary this week. We at Clear-Com are sending our condolences to the family and friends of Steve Sabol. May his spirit live on......



Photo Source: chicagonow.com

Steve Sabol, President of NFL Films

(October 2, 1942 - September 18, 2012)

What is the Sound of Silence?

What does silence sound like? Well, Simon and Garfunkel wrote and sang a song about that. The song "The Sound of Silence" was featured on the album "Wednesday Morning, 3 am" and talks about man's lack of communication with his fellow man. It took Paul Simon half a year to write the lyrics. Although the album tanked initially, that song was reworked and eventually became a number one hit.

Are You up to the Challenge?

How many of you know what these are?

Photo Credit: militarychallengecoins.com

They are challenge coins!

A challenge coin is a coin with an organization’s insignia and is carried by the members of that group. In the military, they are normally presented by commanders to recognize outstanding service or the special achievement of a member in the unit.

The tradition goes back to WWI when the coin was being used to verify a person’s identity during meetings or membership to a specific unit. The very first unit in the U.S. Military that was known to have a coin was the Special Forces Group, the Green Berets. There is also a specific way to hand out these coins, which is usually through a handshake. It is passed from the right hand of the giver to the right hand of the receiver.

These challenge coins became increasingly popular in the past few decades and soldiers began “the challenge”. The challenge starts off with the challenger drawing his/her coin and slapping it on the table. Everyone being challenged must immediately show the coin for their organization and anyone failing to do so must buy drinks for the challenger and everyone else who has the challenge coin. However, if everyone that is challenged has their coin, the challenger must buy a round of drinks for the group instead.

In 2009, Clear-Com designed and created our own challenge coin with images from the military, aerospace and government to represent the markets we serve. We offer them to customers/personnel in uniform during meetings and also use a handshake to complete the transfer.   



Watch this video below to learn more!

The Development of the First Clear-Com Beltpack (Podcast)

What goes on inside the mind of an inventor? Well, now you can find out what Charlie Butten thought in this Clear-Com podcast when he invented the industry's first partyline beltpack. He remembers how the production team in rock concerts had to communicate by sending runners through the audience to give a note to those in the backstage. When these concerts became increasingly crowded, Bob Cohen and Charlie decided that they needed to build an intercom system that would make it easier to communicate between the back and front of the venue. Learn about the source of Charlie's ideas and how he designed the very first beltpack from the initial stages to completion. 

Why Did Our Intercoms Change Color?

http://www.clearcom.com/product/partyline

Did you know that at the very beginning, Clear-Com’s main stations were actually black? We had designed them that way to blend in with the dark environment of the stage. In the 1970s, we decided to change the color of our main stations to dark brown because it was the trendy color of that era. Further, we didn’t want to make too big of a leap from the original black color so we figured that brown was close enough to black. Later, our executive team decided that the dark brown looked too old fashion and they wanted our intercoms to look contemporary and modern so light brown was the color adopted for the main stations instead. Through a discussion of several product managers, the systems finally made a transition to the color blue, which is the current color of our Clear-Com intercom systems today.

Friday Fun: Happy Birthday Mr. Hertz!

Did you notice this neat Google Doodle this past Wednesday?

Photo Source: www.thehuffingtonpost.com

Well, it was in honor of the 155th birthday of German physicist Heinrich Rudolf Hertz. You know, that guy that proved that electromagnetic waves exist, otherwise known as Hertz. A very pivotal discovery for us living in audio-land.

The Huffington Post wrote a brief article about Hertz and Google's homage to the man. Here's some excerpts:

"Heinrich Rudolf Hertz, born in Hamburg on February 22, 1857, was the first person to prove electromagnetic waves exist...and that electricity can be carried through them."

"While this Google doodle is pretty simple, it's not without its hidden features.....The wavelength's repeating pattern outlines the shape of Google's usual logo."

"Great as has been the influence of his work in the short period which has elapsed since its promulgation, the importance of its ultimate results can scarcely be overestimated. [from the physicist's obituary]"

Read the entire Huffington Post article here.

Friday Fun: Evolution of Audio

History is a funny thing. It's made up of all these events that create innovations that become staples in our everyday, present life. Like light bulbs, automobiles, cell phones, iPods...... I mean, what would we DO without these things?

And then I stumbled upon this: an audio timeline. Boy, have we come a long way from Liquid Transmitters and Shellac Discs.....I wonder what new gadgets we'll be using in the next 100 years. Any guesses?

Source: www.mrpophistory.com

The Evolution of Television

Photo Credit: Earlytelevision.org

The origin of television traces back to the early 1940s when New York City had the only broadcast station and television sets were few and expensive.  In fact, most people didn’t even know what television was, let alone, own one. Nonetheless, it soon became more affordable and popular by the early 1950s. People began to watch television up to five hours a day with news and educational programming comprising over 50% of television shows followed by drama, which was about 30% of programming.

In the 1970s, television stations, such as WINK TV, began to approach Clear-Com for our intercom systems because they were extremely reliable and had successfully proven themselves for intercommunications in the live performance market.

Today, nearly every American household owns a television set, having immediate access to breaking news updates, educational programming, and entertainment. Major leaders in broadcast, such as CNN (Washington D.C.), CBS (California), Associated Press (Washington D.C.), and more, rely on Clear-Com for their television productions and broadcast operations.

Sources:
www.tvhistory.tv
www.livinghistoryfarm.org
www.earlytelevision.org

Who hears better?

Photo Credit: dogs.icanhascheezburger.com

Do women or men hear better?

When men and women are born, their hearing abilities are the same. However, a study from John Hopkins University shows that men are five and a half times more likely to experience hearing loss starting from the age of 20. The reason for this is because more men work in loud environments.

How do men and women listen differently?

When listening, men only use their left side of the brain whereas women use both sides, but with an emphasis on the left. The left side of the brain is associated with listening and speech, but the right side is related to performing music and spatial relationships.

Which ethnicity hears better?

A study with the federal National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health reveals that African Americans hear better than Caucasians. Those scientists believe that their large amounts of melanin protect them from noise-induced hearing loss since melanin plays a role in removing harmful chemical compounds in the inner ear.

Sources:

ABC News
MedScape
Times Daily

Are You Serious? A Tradeshow Incident You Won't Believe

Photo Credit: Fungopher.com

Over two decades ago when Clear-Com was exhibiting at an Audio Engineering Society (AES) tradeshow, something out of the ordinary happened. We experienced one of those shocking “Are You Serious?” moments.  Examples of “Are You Serious?” incidents are when someone accidently sets their hair on fire or spills coffee all over their clothes before an interview. Fortunately, none of those happened at Clear-Com. This occurrence was in fact no accident on our part.

After Clear-Com sets up the booth, equipment, and resources, tradeshow attendees will usually visit us asking for product information or demonstrations. One attendee came by our booth and asked one of the Clear-Com employees about our speaker stations.

The conversation went something like this:

Attendee: “Are these speakers durable?”

Clear-Com Support Staff: “Yes” (Gives explanation.)

Attendee: “Are these speakers sturdy?”

Clear-Com Support Staff: "Yes" (Goes on to explain the features of the speaker system.)

Attendee: “Can these speaker stations take a lot of abuse?”

Clear-Com Support Staff: “Of course they are reliable.”

Then, the attendee picks up the speaker station and throws it as hard as he can so that it smashes onto the floor. Without a word, he flees our booth.

Are you serious?

Wheelchair Races to the Pantry



Photo Credit: punkoryan.com

 In the late 1970s, one of Clear-Com’s employees had a serious knee injury so he had to stay and move around in a wheelchair.  While exhibiting at the Audio Engineering Society (AES) tradeshow in Los Angeles, he met up with one of our Clear-Com dealers who also happened to be in a wheelchair. They spontaneously decided to have a wheelchair race with a representative from their company running and pushing them down the streets.   

Unfortunately for Clear-Com, our employee’s wheel chair tipped over. He rolled out in front of the doorway of the well known and crowded Pantry cafe. There was a very long line at the restaurant and a worker at The Pantry, who didn’t see what had happened, came out and told the already wounded Clear-Com employee to get up and get in line like everyone else.  

Since then, we have learned our lesson: Make sure you do not tip over during a wheelchair race.

Trapped Coal Miners: Rescued

Photo Credit: smashingusa.com

On August 5, 2010, a tunnel collapsed causing 33 coal miners to be trapped underground in northern Chile. They only had food supplies that would last for 48 hours and drank the underground water to survive.

Although most rescue efforts are completed in less than two weeks, these miners were confined for 17 days before being discovered.  After eight drilling attempts to find them, the rescuers finally had hope when they heard the mining workers hammering below.

Using Clear-Com’s Encore partyline intercoms, the rescue team coordinated their intense operations to save the trapped individuals. After drilling a hole, they sent a probe 2,257 ft. deep to identify the exact location and condition of the miners. Once the opening in the ground was large enough, the rescue team successfully brought up each miner, reuniting them with loving friends and relatives.

Read More >> Trapped Chilean Miners Still Alive after 17 Days