Talk Back Systems

Talk Back Systems were touched on by Dave Allen and others in his recent "Understanding Radio Mics" article. Our theatre currently uses some UHF CB radios with headsets, sometimes with mixed results. Accidentally locking mics open, interference from outside public users, time delays in signal transmission, loose connections... the list goes on. A wired in system would be a great alternative. Unfortunately from what i have seen the commercially available ones are a little out of our reach for what i consider a basic set-up, 3 maybe 4 headsets in a small theatre. 2 either side of stage, 1 possibly 2 for the Bio Box. I have often thought about designing and building a set-up based on an old amplifier. I'm an electrician with an interest in electronics and can visualize a simple design. But would it work? Is it possible and has anyone built their own wired in Talk Back system?

Well early talkback systems were simply an amplifier with each headset mic feeding into an input on the amp and the headset earphones connected to the output with a resistor to limit the power. The only problem is the wiring, as long mic runs need to be balanced to reduce noise, so you need to run a balanced line and a speaker line to each headset. The modern talkback amplifies the mic signal in the beltpack and feeds a high level signal around the system which reduces the noise ratio. If you're handy you can buy the kits from Altronics and put them together yourself. I do sell an imported unit, Altair, from Spain, which is lower cost than some others and has some nice features like the ability to turn off all the headset mics remotely from the main unit, a good idea if you get too much chatter, the operator can press the button to talk again but it gives the SM some over-riding control.[end of ad] Either the built units or the home made ones can now take the computer style headsets or the more conventional type. Unfortunately Dave Allen is dead, but you can have Dave Ashton or Don Allen.

talkback systems

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