Theatre phone system/radios for duty managers

[johnlinford]

Hi all,

 

My venue is looking at adding an extra support manager, and as a result we're looking at changing how we handle our internal phone system.

 

We currently have a DECT cordless phone that the duty manager has, with fixed phones at the box office, bar, SM's desk, other useful backstage locations.

 

Ideally we want the support manager and duty manager to both have some sort of wireless phone, but our experience with DECT cordlesses has been that they don't stand up to the demands of theatre very well.

 

What solutions are others using?

 

Thanks,

[rooftop]

John

 

We have exactly the same dilema...so far, we have not found an alternative to DECT. Mobile coverage is very poor inside the theatre, so a mobile phone wasn't an option either. What we have is a DECT base station, plus three repeaters strategically positioned to increase coverage.

 

We've been through three different types of handset, mind.

 

The original BT Diverse 6200 lasted about 6 months before completely failing.

 

The replacement BT Elements looked good on paper (ruggedised, built in torch), but didn't work with the Diverse repeaters and stopped charging after 6 months.

 

the current Siemens Gigaset has been in use since June last year and so far has out lasted both. At £50 for the handset, my opinion is if we have to buy a new one every year then it's hardly going to break the bank. It works with the Diverse repeaters too, as most of the BT Diverse range is actually Siemens under the skin.

[peternewman]

I think Warwick have some odd system where you can dial a radio, so they use Motorolas for the duty managers etc. Unfortunately I don't know any more detail than that, but I think its correct and I imagine it should be possibly given some of the clever stuff the Motorolas can do when suitable programmed.

 

Otherwise pagers work fairly well for us at work, but its a rather different environment and I guess you'd rather have more direct contact with callers.

[danburns]

I think the dial a radio system that Peter is thinking of would be a trunked radio system.

 

They're *very* clever in what they can do (it's possible to set them up almost like a mobile, being able to group and individually call people) but have the price tag to match. I know ICOM and Motorola both do trunking systems amongst others - if you were interested in that sort of route, your local radio supplier may have more info on it. It's possibly a bit overkill just for a station or two though!

[dunk_1984]

I think Warwick have some odd system where you can dial a radio, so they use Motorolas for the duty managers etc. Unfortunately I don't know any more detail than that, but I think its correct and I imagine it should be possibly given some of the clever stuff the Motorolas can do when suitable programmed.

 

Motorola GP380 and newer have this feature.

[pritch]

Mobiles are certainly an option, depending on how coverage is inside your building. There exist solutions which will allow you to use mobiles as extensions to your PBX if you're that way inclined, or you can just set up speed dials to the mobile(s) from the other phones in the building.

 

Alternatively, what about a pager system? If you've got enough wired phones throughout the building, perhaps that would be of use?

[Ben Langfeld]

Thought about Wifi VoIP phones? I've got a cheap UTStarcom thing that is fantastic for the money. Mine cost me about £30 on eBay brand new.

[lildriscoll]

im not sure how useful this could be but take a look at ascom www.ascom.co.uk.

we use these at work and they have pretty good range through walls and even across the road in mcdonalds!

[peternewman]

I think the dial a radio system that Peter is thinking of would be a trunked radio system. <snip> It's possibly a bit overkill just for a station or two though!

Yes I've used a huge trunked system elsewhere and it was very cool, if a tad frustrating when someone or the trunk was "engaged" at times. I'm not entirely sure, but doesn't some of the more basic multichannel working just use tones at the start of transmission, or is that just for the PMR stuff? Presumably a tone or similar based option would be far cheaper and still workable for a relatively small number of users?

[dbuckley]

Mpt1327 trunking uses tones at the start of transmission to control and identify the channels.

 

You can have quite a small trunked radio system, go to Tait MPT1327 trunk systems [click] and download the TN1100 brochure.

 

Tait Electronics are another NZ company who like Selecon, make best of class products. This stuff is widely available in the UK.

[Loz]

At the venue I work in, we just use normal radios, not trunked or anything special.....

House Manager, Box office, Security etc and us, Technical, all have a radio, and are assigned different channels, which we remain on during the day.

Then if you want to contact someone, you switch to their channel, and speak to them, then revert to your own channel afterwards.

Works perfectly for us here, I'm surprised to see that noone else has described the use of this system elsewhere.

 

Also: in the event of an alarm or emergency, all radios are switched to channel 1, so emergency instructions can be given,

[rooftop]

That is a nice simple system, which we used to use (except with just two channels - FOH and Technical).

 

Once we got our new VOIP phone system in place, with a phone literally in every location possible, the radios seems like over kill. All that was required was a cordless handset for the duty manager.

[mikienorth]

There are many great 'HiTec' solutions to this, but in our major venue that has tried the 'HiTec' solutions we have gone back to good old motorolas.

We have one 'main' channel, a security channel, and four others. these tend to be assigned to an event, so if you are working that event you sit on that event channel, and if you are duty or floating, you sit on the main channel. There are often spare channels, and if a long conversation is to be held, we often contact on the main, then jump to another channel to reduce traffic.

 

Works well.

 

Our 'HiTec' system was a VoIP system called Vocera. A wearable 'badge' (Hung round your neck, or clipped to your pocket) that had a big button on the front. Press button, say "call (Persons name)" It did it. Or rather didn't. Not much good in high noise environments, we are an arena. Relies on very good wi-fi coverage, which most of the building has including the outdoors, but can't roam that well (Switch from base station to base station while walking).

 

Very good otherwise - can dial extensions, outside lines, people, groups of people, can divert to a duty person when a department is called, can do PTT, conference calls voicemail and all sorts. Just relies on your voice to do it, and it can't understand or hear you 60-80% of the time.... It was all very star trek.