Busy in the Park

This time last year we said:

Showcomms are providing backstage show and lighting communications equipment and crew to SIS LIVE for this weekend's Proms in the Park... This is the 5th year running that Showcomms have provided backstage comms for Proms in the Park (previously to BBC OBs before they were bought by SIS). As they say, happy customers come back!

Well, this year, we returned to Hyde Park for the 6th year of Proms in the Park, plus Elvis Forever and this weekend's Papal Vigil.

As before, we supplied the backstage and lighting comms. Bruce took this picture of the heart of the comms system.

Price reduction on ASL headsets

We have reduced the prices on ASL HS1D headsets for Tecpro and other intercom systems. We now list them at only £52. Supplied boxed it is already factory fitted with a 4 pin XLR female plug.
We can also change the plugs in our workshop to XLR4M for RTS beltpacks, XLR5M for CTP talkback, TP120/Nexus for Peltor or just about any other connector...

Proms in the Park and Thank you for the Music for SIS LIVE

Showcomms are providing backstage show and lighting communications equipment and crew to SIS LIVE for this weekend's Proms in the Park and Thank you for the Music.

The total rig consists of:
2 x crew (Alex Wrigglesworth and James Wilson)
16 x RTS BP325 beltpacks
1 x RTS single channel PS15 power supply
1 x RTS 3 channel PS31 power supply
1 x RTS SAP612 Source Assignment Panel
2 x RTS Biscuit boxes
5 x RTS SSA324 2 to 4 wire converters
4 x CTP 4 wire boxes (1 x 2 channel, 1 x 4 channel, 2 x 6 channel)
1 x Key Radio Base Station
Motorola GP300 radios
1 x JFMG Radio licence

This is the 5th year running that Showcomms have provided backstage comms for Proms in the Park (previously to BBC OBs before they were bought by SIS). As they say, happy customers come back!
Now, where is that Abba CD...

Making a splash at the Worthing International Birdman

Showcomms provided radio and wired comms for Factual Productions last weekend for their shooting of the Worthing International Birdman.
Pictured above is Cameraman Noel Greaves-Lord and Director Andy Roberts.
The winner of the contest Steve Elkins just missed the £30,000 prize for a 100 metre flight with a recorded distance of 99.86 metres.
The video below was edited from Factual's footage (though isn't their cut).

New Talkback returns from Isle of Man TT

Showcomms CTP 24 x 24 Matrix Talkback intercom system has returned from its first job - the coverage of the Isle of Man TT for ITV.
ITV featured nearly 50 hours of programming from the TT on ITV1 and ITV4 presented by leading ITV sports anchor Craig Doyle with commentary from former racers Steve Parrish and Jamie Whitham, who both competed at the TT.
The Showcomms hire system, used to connect production areas, features:
A Talkback 24 twenty four square 1U matrix, four wire talkback system. It is PC programmable, includes full IFB facilities, and can support any combination of talkback panels and four wires, up to a maximum of twenty four.
7 x 12 key panels. Each key has it's own volume control, automatically assigned to the reverse of the key destination(s).
Jackfield with 8 RJ45 ports and 16 audio 4 wire i/p, o/p & IFB XLRs.
Panels connect by CAT5 or CAT6 cable (cable not included).

(P.S. Motorcyclists reading this may be interested in our ProGuard Custom Motorcyclists earplugs... )

BBC South presenter to open new University of Winchester studio

BBC South presenter and journalist Sally Taylor is formally opening a new TV studio with a linked newsroom at the University of Winchester on Wednesday 27 May. She will cut the ribbon at the opening ceremony in the presence of students, staff and journalists from local and national media.
Showcomms supplied and installed the Tecpro wired and Trilogy wireless intercom talkback system for the studio.



From the Spring 2009 inspection report produced by the Broadcast Training Journalism Council:

"The new studio is a high grade three camera digital TV studio.
"The studio has a good height – probably a double floor height and an extensive and highly flexible lighting rig. In addition, there’s a green screen area, and potentially this studio will be able to do a great deal more than just run an evening news magazine programme.
"In addition, there is a live studio facility in the newsroom, with a number of inject points around the campus, which should prompt some highly varied and imaginative treatments of news and current affairs programming.
"Portable equipment is easily available to the students and includes Marantz and Sony PD170 cameras.
Technical support is good and the technical team are very helpful."
In addition the university has a dedicated multimedia newsroom with work stations provided for all students producing weekly and daily radio and television bulletins, news and features websites.
The studios and newsroom are used by students on BA and MA courses and are part of the university's focus on careers in the television and multimedia news and journalism industries. Both UK and international students take part in courses that use the studios to produce regular scheduled TV and radio news bulletins, magazine work and multimedia production.

New Broadcast talkback system coming soon

Wednesday saw a scheduled power outage in Chelsfield for the day, so Bruce and Duncan set off to see Chris Thorpe at CTP Systems in Staplehurst to see a new system being assembled for Showcomms' line of broadcast dry hire kit. Chris, Bruce and Duncan used to work together at VMTV (Visions Mobiles/Molinare).

The new system will have a number of panels centred on CTP Systems' Talkback 24 PC programmable 24 square matrix. They were very impressed at how easy it was to set up, making it excellent for trouble free dry hire.

More news soon on on the first job for the kit scheduled for May.

Read about our past projects here

Broadcast Projects

R.N.L.I. AGM 2006 2007 2008



Backstage wired and wireless communications for the R.N.L.I. AGM at The Barbican Centre


BBC Proms in the Park 2005 2006 2007 2008



Stage Showcaller and separate Lighting Communications with Interface to BBC OB truck
3 Jelibox Camera Crane Talkback systems for the Technocranes
LD Turbo's comms to his 2 Spot Op Towers are kept seperate, even his truck 4 wires are sent over an Adder Fibre Optic circuit.



Live 8

In London we provided a Clearcom Easyspeak dual channel wireless intercom system for Streaky, the TV Stage Manger.
At Murrayfield we dry hired all the backstage wireless and wired beltpack communications for the show.


Industrial Communication Projects

DSTL Farnborough / RAF SpadeAdam 2006



Interface of an RTS system to a vehicle now stationed at RAF Spadeadam.
The system included repair of then interface to a Spadeadam Intercom (shown in image) plus duplex connection to 2 x Air Traffic Control radio systems and a further small system in another vehicle.



F1SuperAguri 2008



8 way Peltor Dect-com beltpack system for Car Refuellers supplied with Microm III noise cancelling microphone in-ear headsets worn under fire saftey equipment and integrated into their suits.


Eye Power Station

Lone Worker Radio System for this Suffolk Power Station


MSV Express

Setcom Radio Controller allows Operator to speak to more than one radio system (crane) on different bands using only one unit.


Isle of Man TT

Customer drops by to test and purchase2 headsets for passenger Police operators with Motorola Tetra Airwave radios
The microphone on the Mckay 3 Wire headset was found to pick up the least twin squirrel engine noise.


SPONSORSHIP

Rushden Firefighters 2006
Around the UK in 8 days - Showcomms supplied 2 VoiceVests and a small donation

The Rushden Firefighters visit Essex

2007 Metropolitan Police Fishing Team
The MPAS A team came 2nd in the National Championships
Showcomms sponsored the all Tee shirts for their teams