Radio age research, manufacturing, communications, broadcasting, television (1941)

The Pocket Ear PVGMY RADIO RECE/VER CONVEYS CUES FROM TELEV/SION PROGRAM PRODUCER TO STAGE DIRECTOR EVER since the first ambitious program was staged in a tele- vision studio, the trailing loops of wire that carry telephoned cues from the program producer in the control room to the stage director on the floor have been an occupa- tional hazard. These cables, lying here and there in innocent coils were wont to spring to life without warning and tangle with cameras, microphone booms and studio scen- ery. Like rubber-covered fiends, they were extraordinarily skillful in trapping a careless thespian or technician with a taut bowline around his ankles, while the direc- tor, finding his lifeline snagged be- yond help, expressed himself mutely but effectively by movement of lips and manual gestures. Such episodes no longer take place in NBC's television studios. For out of the network's engineer- ing laboratory has come the "Pocket Ear" to replace the telephone head- set equipment formely used for communication within the studio. In development for some time, the device has been given a thorough tryout at WNBT and has been called successful. The Pocket Ear is a vest-pocket sized radio using small batteries and even smaller tubes. It weighs only one pound complete and meas- ures 61/2 by 31/2 by 1 inch. The spoken instructions are conveyed from the little receiver to the user's ears through a flexible vinylite tube 1/16" in diameter terminating in a small rubber ear-plug which can be worn for long periods without be- coming uncomfortable. This tube, small as it is, also contains a hair- like wire which acts as the antenna. Signals reach the tiny receiver from a high frequency transmitter installed in the studio ceiling. Al- though the transmitted power is less than 1/lOth of a watt, it is sufficient to give clear reception in any part of a large studio yet is too weak to cause interference be- yond the studio walls. The first model tested retained the standard telephones on the ears but used a vertical antenna rod and tuning attachment which gave the wearer a "man from Mars" ap- pearance. Since the latest models have been THE WIRE LEADING FROM COMPACT RE- CEIVER TO EAR IS ALSO THE ANTENNA WHICH PICKS UP THE SIGNALS FROM A TRANSMITTER IN THE STUDIO CEILING. available, the "Pocket Ear" has greatly improved the conditions un- der which the stage director works. No longer are his movements lim- ited by connecting cables. Wher- ever he moves on the stage, he is able to cue the actors, cameramen and other crew members and direct sound effects while maintaining continuous contact with the pro- gram director in the control room. Recording Studio on Wheels NEW SOUND FILM UNIT CONTAINS ALL FEATURES REQUIRED IN FIELD OPERATION OF MAJOR COMPANIES The first complete mobile record- ing unit to be developed especially for 16 mm. sound film recording has been designed and custom-built by the RCA Film Recording De- partment in Hollywood for the Cor- onet Instructional Film Company, of Glenview, Illinois. The unit consists of a complete film and disc recording channel in- stalled in a custom-built body mounted on a 1% ton truck chassis. The recording channel has all the features necessary for the normal operations of major studios. The optical system of the stand- ard RCA Film Recorder installed in the mobile unit was specially modified to permit recording of di- rect positive as well as negative variable area sound track. For "location" recording, the channel can be operated entirely by batteries which have sufficient capacity for approximately 20 hours of operation. The front compartment of this "recording studio on wheels" con- tains the disc and film recording machines, film loading cabinet, power supply batteries, and a num- ber of storage compartments. The amplifier, power control panel, selenium-type charging unit, dyna- motor and filter are located in a bulkhead which runs crosswise of the truck. The rear compartment contains two large cable reels, lamp batteries, and a cable storage com- partment. Three large doors in the rear of the truck provide easy access to all storage space and equipment, while the rear side of the power panel and amplifier racks are equally ac- cessible through hinged doors, im- mediately behind the amplifier and power panels. [RADIO AGE 31]