Can You Hear Me Now?: A History of the Development of the Intercom (Part 3)

Comedian Bob Newhart's first record album, "The Button-down Mind of Bob Newhart", has a hilarious routine called "The Khrushchev Landing Rehearsal". Newhart's routine centers on a television director in the TV control room, trying to direct the run-through of Khrushchev's airplane landing at Idlewild Airport. Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev visited the United States in September of 1959. One of Newhart's gag lines makes fun of then-President Eisenhower's love of playing golf. As Khrushchev approaches Eisenhower to shake hands, Newhart says over the intercom in frustration, "Somebody take the putter from Ike!"

Of course, there was no run-through of this event. News events aren't rehearsed. However, Newhart does a great job of portraying what you would hear on a typical partyline intercom in a broadcast environment. His routine also shows how important to the entertainment industry a functional intercom system is. Television, live shows and motion picture production could not be done without intercom systems. 

After telephones had become common, telephone-type intercom systems started to be used in live theater. There were standard handset-based phone instruments located backstage, in offices, out front in the prompt booth, as well as other areas. But there was still a need for stage managers to be able to talk to their technical crews, especially the spotlight operators. Many theater companies had technical people who built specialized voice communication systems on their own. A one-way talk system was all that most live venues had to use. 

Crew members wore headphones to hear the manager. They could not hold a handset and still perform their duties so they weren't able to talk to the stage manager, or each other. Most of the early headset products used by telephone operators and other users were pretty clunky. Many of them consisted of a pair of headphones and a large, round, black curved tube that sat on the users chest. At the bottom of this tube was a microphone. It was secured by a leather strap that went around the user's neck. 

As time passed, telephone equipment became more sophisticated and cheaper to purchase and creating a partyline system became easier to do. Headsets had become smaller and lighter, most likely due to the demand on part of the telephone company operators. Wearing one of the early headphone/speaking tube microphones for eight hours at a stretch was exhausting and uncomfortable. When television broadcasting began in the late 1940's, the need for an intercom system to connect directors, floor people, camera operators, video switchers, and sound board operators became a necessity instead of a luxury. 

Some TV pioneers tell stories of the pre-intercom days when crew members tried to communicate exclusively with hand signals, much like baseball players do. For a baseball team, this method works well, but in a production environment, it's much too slow and doesn't allow for sudden changes that take place.

Like early theater, most television station's engineering departments built the intercoms used within their facilities themselves. These were typically based on existing telephone technology - by using a power supply that would source the considerable current, multiple users could connect to the same line without lowering the voice level too far to be heard clearly. And the early partyline system was born.

By this time, headsets had evolved into smaller and lighter versions. Wearing a headset now didn't weigh down the user and left their hands free to run a camera, video switcher, or perform whatever duties that person needed to do.

When entertainment production became increasingly complex, intercoms had to also be more complex in their functionality. Large productions needed more than one communication circuit and users frequently needed the ability to switch themselves from one circuit to another. Many venues and stations used one intercom system that covered the entire facility. Local user panels were installed in areas like editing rooms, offices of programmers, and even places like the General Manager's office or the commercial traffic office. For systems of this size, matrix-type switching and local station re-routing were necessary to satisfy all of the requirements. Having the staff engineering people construct and deploy the intercom system just wasn't an option. The operational needs of the system became too complex. 

This was, and still is, true in large-market TV stations that cover many floors. For example, I once worked in a station that had the newsroom on one floor, the studios and engineering department on another, and the sales, traffic and accounting departments on a third floor. One intercom system connected the entire facility and many of the rooms and offices on each floor had an intercom panel. All of the studios were equipped with multiple beltpacks because there were always numerous live productions underway.

Today, sophisticated intercom systems have become so common that much of the modern technology available is taken for granted. The ability to reconfigure systems on the fly, having instant reliable access, high-quality audio, and features such as interruptable foldback (IFB) for cueing and orders from the director, make the modern intercom systems the backbone of any production. Without this capability, producing everything from sporting events to live plays to opera to television shows would not be possible. 

In case you missed Part 1 and 2 of this series:
    Part 1: Totally Tubular: A History of the Development of the Intercom
    Part 2: Mr. Watson, Come Here: A History of the Development of the Intercom

Paul Black is a freelance writer and broadcast engineer in Northern California. He holds a Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer certification from the Society of Broadcast Engineers and an FCC Lifetime General Class Operator License. He is a licensed amateur radio operator (call sign N6BBZ) and has worked for several broadcast companies, including Bonneville Broadcasting, RKO General Broadcasting, and CBS Television. Visit his website at www.paulblackcopy.com. 

Mr. Watson, Come Here: A History of the Development of the Intercom (Part 2)

In the first part of this series, we discussed how the words "Internal Communication" led to the now common term, Intercom. We also talked about how the first intercom systems were known as voice tubes; tubes that carried voices acoustically. Although these were very crude systems compared to later electrical products, they did actually work. Some types of voice tubes are still in use today.

Like many other technologies, electrification changed intercom products radically. Before the electrical intercom could exist, one invention had to proceed it.

The telephone.

Bell making the first telephone call

When Alexander Graham Bell sat in one room in his Boston home, raised a transmitter tube to his mouth and then said, "Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you", he was talking from that room down to his assistant in the basement, Thomas Watson. Watson, an engineer and employee of Bell's, once claimed that Bell had spilled battery acid on his leg and was genuinely calling for help. However, Watson later said that he could not be certain if this took place during the first test or in subsequent research. In any case, Bell documented the event in his journal on March 10th, 1876, making the first words spoken over what would later become the telephone, revolutionizing communications around the world.

One of the first systems ever patented was built by the Kellogg Switchboard and Supply Company in 1894. It's main purpose was for use in apartment buildings. Some early apartment buildings had a pull-wire, then later electrical, signaling system. A prospective visitor would pull a handle, or push a button on a panel, which would then signal the tenant that someone wanted inside. However, because they couldn't see or talk to who was signaling them, they ran the risk of letting in someone they didn't know, like a burglar.

As is true today, the more upscale apartment buildings in major cities had doormen to guard the building. Prior to the intercoms being available, these men would have to lock out the person asking for entry and go up to the tenant's apartment to ask if the tenant wanted to see the visitor or not. As apartment buildings became larger, this process became frustrating to both the tenants and the visitors.

Early Kellogg Phone

The Kellogg system added a telephone-type circuit to the signal panels. An earpiece and mouthpiece resembling the old-fashioned candlestick telephones allowed the tenant to talk to the visitor directly, instead of having the doorman run up and down to ask the tenant in person.

In the late 1930's, an engineer named Allan C. Bernstein started a company called Adams Laboratories that took the apartment intercom idea into the workplace. Ultimately, Adams Laboratories became the manufacturing arm of Executone Corporation, with Bernstein as President. The first product was a simple two-station system, called the "boss-to-secretary" system. This migrated into further point-to-point wired systems, including one of the first "patient-to-nurse" hospital communication systems ever used. Over his lifetime, Bernstein developed and held many patents until his death in 1987.

RMS Queen Mary's Loudaphone

One unique intercom system for use in noisy environments was made in England in the 1930's. Called the Loudaphone, it was installed in places with high background noise, such as trains or ship engine rooms. For example, the RMS Queen Mary had a Loudaphone system in use in the engine room areas.

After the Bell System monopoly was established in the early 1920's, the local telephone companies owned by Bell, then later American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T), were the only convenient source of equipment and services for regular land-line telephone systems. This gave them a perfect opportunity to also be the provider of intercom systems.

Multiple desk phone intercoms

In old movies from the early part of the twentieth century, some of the scenes set in offices show a desk with two or three phones. Many times, one of the phone would be a part of an intercom system within the building. It wasn't until more sophisticated systems came along that the phones used for outside lines also had an intercom tied to them. However, not all businesses took advantage of this capability. Today, this is still the case.

As time passed, the needs of the marketplace caused manufacturers to make a lot of progress on new features. Speaker-based intercoms, such as those used in naval ships in WWII, became common in the commercial world. Since these operated like a speakerphone, they didn't require a handset. More than one person at a time could participate in the conversation. Noise-cancelling circuits for loud areas, public address capabilities, and other similar modern features made it easier for end users to find a system that suited their needs.

Wires, wires and more wires

One large cost factor in intercom installation was the wiring that had to be run inside the building. Pulling wire is extremely labor-intensive and it can be the most expensive part of an installation. To help with this, manufacturers came up with wireless systems that function like speakerphones, but use radio frequencies instead of wiring. Another unique solution that was developed became know as a Powerline system. A Powerline is when the intercom hardware uses the wiring that provides power to the outlets as a path for the signal.

In our next installment, we'll talk about the current state-of-the-art intercom technology and address two of the largest users of intercom products - the entertainment and broadcasting industries.

In case you missed Part 1 of this series:
    Part 1: Totally Tubular: A History of the Development of the Intercom

Paul Black is a freelance writer and broadcast engineer in Northern California. He holds a Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer certification from the Society of Broadcast Engineers and an FCC Lifetime General Class Operator License. He is a licensed amateur radio operator (call sign N6BBZ) and has worked for several broadcast companies, including Bonneville Broadcasting, RKO General Broadcasting, and CBS Television. Visit his website at www.paulblackcopy.com. 

Totally Tubular: A History of the Development of Intercom (Part 1)

People have always needed to communicate over long distances. From the smoke signal used by Native American tribes, to the telephone, to email via the Internet, the ability to communicate at a distance is a need that goes back through the millennia.

Equally so, communicating over smaller distances has also been important. Talking from one floor to another in a single building, or within any large area (such as inside a warehouse) requires some form of internal communication. 

From "internal communication", we get the now common term of "Intercom". This term is generally used as the name of a device or system that allows people to speak to each other from one room to another, or across a large open area inside a structure.

Before electrical systems were common, the usual way to get someone's attention was by some form of signaling. As an example, communicating in a large mansion-style home from the parlor to the servant's quarters was done by pull ropes that were connected to bells that would ring - when the rope was pulled, the bells would ring, grabbing the attention of the servant. When electrical signaling devices became more commonplace, these pull ropes were replaced with wired pushbuttons that would trigger a buzzer that would sound in the servant's quarters. Whether with the pull ropes or the wired pushbuttons, the servants were only alerted that their services were needed; therefore they needed to walk from one area of the house to the other to find out what was needed.

Being able to actually talk to a person in another part of a building would be more efficient. The result of this need of efficiency was the development of an acoustical communication system, or more simply, a voice tube. A voice tube is a hollow tube or pipe that was run from one place to another, allowing people to talk back and forth to each other from different ends of a building.

The idea for the original voice tube began back in the early nineteenth century by the French scientist, Jean-Baptiste Biot. His unusual choice of laboratory in which to test his theory - the water pipes of his home city of Paris. From his experiments, Biot discovered that smaller pipes carried sounds over amazingly long distances. Larger pipes just didn't work as well for carrying sound.

In 1849, Scientific American magazine published an article describing what they called as an acoustic telegraph - a tube made of gutta percha (a latex-like material that's produced from the sap of trees that grow in Malaysia). The article claimed that a tube made of this material and of the proper size could send voices for several miles.

Later voice tube developments included work done by Antonio Meucci, an Italian immigrant scientist who built an acoustic speaking tube system in his home in New York. He later was attributed for his work on what eventually became known as the telephone.

Early aircraft models were usually of the open-cockpit design and were extremely noisy. Instructors had to scream at their flying students in order to be heard above the sound of the engine and the slipstream noise. So, in 1917, at a flying school in Gosport, England, an instructor named Robert Raymond Smith-Barry sought to overcome this problem with some rubber tubes that had a funnel on one end, and a pair of primitive headphones made of cloth and rubber on the other end. The student wore the headphones and the instructor spoke into the funnel. Smith-Barry called his invention the Gosport Tube, after the town the school was in. This became a commonly used item for flight instruction until as late as the 1930's when closed cockpits and electrical intercoms became the standard in aircraft.

In 1926, the Bureau of Standards of the United States Department of Commerce issued a paper that could be purchased by the US Government Printing Office for a pricey 15 cents, entitled "Transmission of Sound Through Voice Tubes". It is an exhaustive study of the physics of sending sound via hollow tubes, including photographs and mechanical drawings of the tubes used in the test procedures. The US Navy actually initiated the request to the Bureau of Standards for these tests to be done. The Navy is one of the prime users of acoustic voice tube technology, and that is true even to this day. Currently, modern Navy landing craft (or LCU's) use voice tubes to communicate from their upper deck to control centers below deck. Other naval vessels also use them, as well as merchant marine cargo ships.

The major advantage of a voice tube system over an electrical communication system is its simplicity and reliability. Voice tubes are impervious to the problems plaguing electronic systems, such as power failures, broken or shorted wiring, and invasion by moisture. So, despite the sophistication of modern electrical intercoms, acoustic speaking or voice tubes remain in use. Because of this, voice tubes make these a good choice for these applications.

In our next installment, we'll look at the rise of the electrical intercom systems, how they developed from the days of the invention of the telephone, and why some of the first applications of these products were for safety and security purposes.

Paul Black is a freelance writer and broadcast engineer in Northern California. He holds a Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer certification from the Society of Broadcast Engineers and an FCC Lifetime General Class Operator License. He is a licensed amateur radio operator (call sign N6BBZ) and has worked for several broadcast companies, including Bonneville Broadcasting, RKO General Broadcasting, and CBS Television. Visit his website at www.paulblackcopy.com. 

ROAD REPORT: Space...the Wireless Frontier

Ok...time to get out your Star Trek communicator pin, your Mr. Spock ears and Klingon mask and sash. Clear-Com brings us to the edge of space exploration - or at least to the training centers.

We start with a 6 million gallon pool that's bigger than a football field. A major space agency uses this pool to train astronauts from around the world, simulating the weightless conditions of working in low earth orbit.

The astronaut trainees put on their space suits and, through an umbilical of tubes and cables to the poolside tender positions, get their air, medical telemetry and communication needs. They all connect via standard 4-wire connections (line-level inputs and outputs to a matrix port in the main control server room). There are controllers at poolside and controllers simulating Mission Control Center-like consoles that guide the trainees and the scuba diver assistants through the paces of their exercises. A beautiful techno-ballet in the slow motion world of the underwater, weightlessness of simulation training.

Why Do Astronauts Use Training Pools?


Imagine you are all suited up in your cool, high-tech space suit. HAL900 has opened the Pod Bay door. You stand on the step, taking in the unbelievable view and....you step off into the abyss to do your spacewalk in order to fix an antenna on the other side of the Space Station. In the weightlessness of space, you turn your wrench to tighten the bolt on the antenna. But, if you haven't practiced your task while weightless, just as you move your body to turn the bolt....it's quite possible you might also turn the whole Space Station! Didn't know your own strength, did you?

Well, this training is why the astronauts do simulation training at the pool. Using Clear-Com's FreeSpeak II wireless and Eclipse HX digital matrix systems, the team is able to coordinate communications between the Control Room simulations, the Dive Boss' station, the medical team (who constantly monitor the astronauts' and assistant divers' vitals), and the technical coordinators, while maintaining clear and open lines of communications. This way, the task of learning how to work in weightless conditions can be run in a smooth, efficient and safe manner. 

Wireless Work Flow

Wireless communication can be very persnickety, as we all know. In this decade, we are seeing the loss of wide swaths of the narrow UHF spectrum. As these bands are sold off to the highest bidder, we are all left looking for new places to use our small signals for mics, comms and IFB (interruptible fold back for talent and in-ear monitors). 

Clear-Com's FreeSpeak II plays a big part in the workflow here. First off, the 1.9 GHz model keeps the comms well out of the way of other frequency traffic, both in the remaining UHF and the now very crowded 2.4 GHz spectrum. With that said, with the deployment of Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology and recent Clear-Com innovations, the use of 2.4 GHz wireless systems are becoming more attractive. The FreeSpeak II 2.4 GHz has been chosen for some of these training facilities because of the redundancy transmission of the FHSS scheme, which helps with the immensity of the room and reflective nature of the architecture and the huge water surface reflectiveness. 

The FreeSpeak II solution uses a deployment of an array of Transceiver Antennas that can service up to 5 beltpacks per transceiver. These are then spread out around the needed coverage area and the beltpacks hand-off from one antenna to another as the users move about the covered areas. Their seamless hand-off is clean and has a killer clear sound. The high quality spectrum of audio makes the FreeSpeak the best sounding multi-channel communication system around. And when using the matrix integration card option, as the large training pool area has, it makes it possible for any intercom panel in the facility to directly talk with any and every beltpack user, and vice versa. When programming the FreeSpeak II through the Eclipse HX's EHX software, it's just a simple drag and drop function. BINGO...you're all set to get to work. When using this integrated method, the beltpacks can do just about anything that the wired matrix user panels can do. If there's a telephone interface in the matrix, the FreeSpeak II beltpacks can be programmed to make a telephone call (including speed dial to the actual destination phone number) or trigger relays or GPI's with the touch of a button.


The award-winning audio clarity of the FreeSpeak II wireless system makes for crisp and clear communications, in an environment where it's most vital, like simulated training courses for astronauts going into space. These expert technicians need a system that can adapt to their unique workflow and one that they can trust will work in any environment. Perhaps, one day......even in space. 

Rom Rosenblum has always been a capable, yet rebellious audio-guy. Originally in the music recording business as an engineer, with a long Emmy Award winning career in live TV broadcasting, Rom worships at the altar of All Things Audio. As one of the Applications Engineers at Clear-Com, he works as a catch-all fixer for folks who need tech support, commissioning, systems design, product development, and sales support.

Clear-Com Hosts Training for IATSE Local 16

Photo credit: https://www.facebook.com/pages/IATSE-Local-16/156851841041721

Come join Clear-Com as we do our training for IATSE Local 16! 

Where: Moscone Center 747 Howard Street, San Francisco, CA 94103 

When: January 30 - 31, 2015

About the Training: Become more familiar and proficient with our Tempest wireless intercom and HelixNet digital network partyline! While these systems are certainly intuitive and provide an easy out‐of‐ box experience, we will train members to impress clients with their ability to configure and operate them at the power‐user level. Though simple configurations are instantly achievable, the more advanced features are equally easily attainable. We will also look at very new and emerging technologies in IP and fiber transport as well as the newly released FreeSpeak II DECT wireless digital intercom system. Whenever possible, we will keep the training as generic as possible, including attributes of Clear‐Com products, as well as other manufacturers’ features and models. This will include pin outs for products and handy tricks to interface all of the many popular professional intercom systems, wired or wireless, together. Your presenter has spent many years doing exactly what your members do every day. He or she can relate to the workflow and challenges which IATSE members confront at their gigs. Clear‐Com knows that a smooth gig, staffed by a knowledgeable crew leaves the client feeling well served and ready to recommend both crew and gear for future shows. This is our goal: to make the staff shine and have the client confident for the future.

Musical Magic from Memphis

Video credit: london-theatreland.co.uk

Memphis recently opened at the Shaftesbury Theatre in London's West End, complete with sound design by Gareth Owen. A significant innovation for this production is the communications system, where the team is really pushing the boundaries with its first ever use of the Clear-Com HelixNet four-channel remote station, as well as integrating the Clear-Com FreeSpeak wireless intercom system.

Read the full story here: Musical Magic from Memphis

Vote for Clear-Com's HelixNet Partyline!

Vote for Clear-Com's HelixNet Partyline to win the 2014 Sound & Video Contractor Most Innovative Product Award!

Vote here: 
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZMLT9D9

 

Here's why we think HelixNet Partyline should win:

HelixNet® Partyline is a revolutionary digital network partyline system that delivers an unprecedented level of performance. The product family comprises the main station and user devices—including the digital beltpack—new remote station and new speaker station with S-mount. With the addition of these two new devices, users have greater flexibility to build an intercom infrastructure that fits their workflow. HelixNet also offers interface and linking modules to network main stations and connect it to two-wire and four-wire audio systems.   

HelixNet enhances collaboration by providing extended connectivity, many system users, and high channel density. Up to three HelixNet main stations can be networked for wide collaboration. Designed with award-winning I.V. Core™ technology, the systems can be intelligently linked over LAN infrastructure using an Ethernet module. This creates a decentralized, distributed intercom architecture. A fiber module is available as well to connect systems over long distances.

In addition, main stations can be networked to allow more users. When three systems are connected, up to 60 HelixNet devices can be used. It also integrates with analog partyline systems, matrix intercoms and other audio devices via two-wire and four-wire interface modules, extending communication even further.

Three linked main stations provide 12 shared intercom channels. Channels can be customized to make information more manageable. Each beltpack can be assigned any two of the 12 channels at once. From the main station, remote station, and speaker station, users can select any four of the shared channels. Channels can be changed instantly from the user device or main station without added cable runs.

Furthermore, HelixNet reduces cables, time, and labor spent on setup and configuration, enabling huge cost-savings. Each user device receives shared audio channels, program audio feeds, and power over a single shielded twisted-pair cable. Moreover, since microphone cables and CAT5 are ubiquitous, they are more economical and straightforward to use. HelixNet can also leverage an existing cable infrastructure.

System configuration, maintenance, and operation are as easy as setup. User devices can be powered in multipe ways: via Powerline modem, Power-over-Ethernet (PoE), or a universal AC wall adapter. After the system is powered, hardware auto-discovery permits connected HelixNet devices to be immediately recognized by the main station for rapid startup. The waterfall menu structure supports quick access to setting for effortless configuration. Channels are distinguished by labels on high-resolution, 10-character OLED displays. Buttons and volume knobs are also positioned to be quickly located and controlled.

HelixNet is the optimal intercom for all types of applications because of its durability, superb sound, and reliability. Fabricated from lightweight cast aluminum, the rugged system is tough enough for demanding indoor and outdoor use.  Designed with high quality “Clear-Com Sound”, the system enables clear communcation. In addition, program volume levels are adjustable to aid concentration in the noisy areas.  Another differentiator is that the system is unaffected by electromagnetic interference and ground loops, eliminating hums and buzzes.

All in all, users that have taken advantage of HelixNet have been able to improve collaboration, reduce costs, and boost efficiency.

Creative Force Installs Clear-Com at GEMS Schools

Dubai-based audio designers, Creative Force, has installed Clear-Com analogue Encore Partyline intercom systems into a number of GEMS international schools in Dubai. The units were sold through local distributor NMK Electronics Ent. - See more at: http://www.proaudio-central.com/articles/middle-east/Creative-Force-installs-Clear-Com-at-GEMS-schools#sthash.udefpjC3.dpuf

Photo Credit: proaudio-central.com

Dubai-based audio designers, Creative Force, has installed Clear-Com's Encore analogue partyline intercom systems into a number of GEMS international schools in Dubai. The units were sold through the local distributor, NMK Electronics Ent. 

Read the full story here: Creative Force Installs Clear-Com at GEMS Schools

HelixNet Partyline for Houses of Worship

Product Review: RS-701 Analog Partyline Beltpack

"Clear-Com is on the short list of world-class coms manufacturers, and there’s a reason for it. They offer sturdy products that deliver quality audio, and the RS-701 beltpack is no exception. It’s worth a look if you’re in the market," says John McJunkin, the Principal of Avalon Podcasting.

Want to find out more about the RS-701 analog partyline beltpack? Read John McJunkin's full product review here: RS-701 Analog Partyline Beltpack
 

Boosting Broadcast Audio at the Chinese Grammy's

Photo Credit: encn.blouinartinfo.com

Organizers of the 25th Golden Melody Awards enlisted the expertise of Larry Estrin, the Director of the Clear-Com Global Rental Group, to make the Chinese Grammy Awards as engaging as its American equivalent. Mr. Estrin helped improve the audio by reconfiguring the way the sound and communication systems were installed and used. 

Read the full story here: Boosting Broadcast Audio at the Chinese Grammy's

Designing Government for the People

Photo Credit: trinitydps.com

The Wylie Civic Center in Dallas is a 45,000-square-foot city hall and city council meeting chamber  augmented with a 44,000-square-foot recreation center and a 47,000-square-foot library. Inside, newly fit and well-read constituents can listen to and interact with their city council and mayor via AV systems. 

Read the full story on the installation of its new systems, which include Clear-Com: Designing Government for the People

Vegas Church Goes ‘All In’

Photo Credit: CDFOnline.org

The Crossing, a 1800-seat church in Las Vegas’ upscale southwest neighborhood, was shooting for the stars when it opened up its worship center in February. The third and largest sanctuary on the decade-old church’s campus, the new church building doubles the capacity of the prior one. But it’s not about size so much as it is about quality AVL.

Read the full story in Sound and Communications on the Crossing's installation, which included Clear-Com's SB-704 intercom: Vegas Church Goes ‘All In’

Application Diagram: OB/Venue with Partyline and Signal Transport Solution

The following diagram provides a sample of a common application using Clear-Com products. To access the PDF download or to find out what Clear-Com products are shown in the diagram, click here.

OB application (venue) with digital partyline and signal transport solution:

Application Diagram: Stadia/Arena with Partyline and Signal Transport Solution

The following diagram provides a sample of a common application using Clear-Com products. To access the PDF download or to find out what Clear-Com products are shown in the diagram, click here.

Stadia/Arena with Partyline and Signal Transport Solution:

Application Diagram: Church with Matrix, Partyline and Wireless

The following diagram provides a sample of a common application using Clear-Com products. To access the PDF download or to find out what Clear-Com products are shown in the diagram, click here. 

Church with Matrix, Digital Partyline and Wireless

Application Diagram: Performing Arts Center with Digital Partyline

The following diagram provides a sample of a common application of Clear-Com products. To access the PDF download or to find out what Clear-Com products are shown in the diagram, click here.

Performing Arts Center with Digital Partyline:

Clear-Com’s Simon Browne on the Comms Giant’s Sports-packed Year

Photo Credit: glasgow2014.com

 With systems at every venue involved in the World Cup and extensive usage at the Commonwealth Games, 2014 is on course to be a landmark year for Clear-Com in sports. Director of Product Management, Simon Browne, spoke to SVG Europe about specific system deployments and the long-term benefits of such high-profile projects.

Read the full story here: Clear-Com’s Simon Browne on the Comms Giant’s Sports-packed Year

ABS Installs Native HD Infrastructure for KHSL

Photo Credit: pipelinecomm.files.wordpress.com

Professional video and audio systems integration firm, Advanced Broadcast Solutions (ABS),  designed and installed a new HD-SDI infrastructure with embedded audio for KHSL, the CBS affiliate serving the Chico-Redding, Calif. market (DMA #132). The native HD upgrade included new master control and production control rooms, plus new studio and ENG cameras, NLE systems, and the adoption of a tapeless workflow. Clear-Com's intercom systems were also installed as part of this upgrade.

Read the full story here: ABS Installs Native HD Infrastructure for KHSL
See if you can spot our MS-704 Encore partyline main station in the photo!

Willow Creek Community Church: Clear-Communications with Clear-Com

Photo Credit: Willowcreek.org

In Technologies for Worship Magazine, Matthew Wentz, the Audio Systems Engineer for Willow Creek Community Church, writes about the importance of Clear-Com’s communication systems for his community.

Wentz states, “At Willow Creek, communication is key for our services to run smooth. At any given time, up to 40 stations could be used with both staff and volunteers operating these units. We use a combination of Clear-Com’s I-Series and V-Series, along with their CellCom beltpacks. We also have an analog partyline backbone that was moved over when our main auditorium was built in 2004. The backend of the system is an Eclipse-Median frame which allows us great flexibility. This flexibility comes with the availability of their interface cards and modules, which allows us to connect our I-Series panels, our v-station panels, and our analog partylines all into one unit.”

Read the full story on page 29-30 of TFWM – Willow Creek Community Church: Clear-Communications with Clear-Com