So, I was reading through posts for how Triscuit could spend his $100. And in there found a post about a headphone amp made by Nady.
So, I went to the site and saw all manner of gear, lots of it wireless.
Got me to thinking about a question one of our boxoffice staff had the other day, and that was "how could we make our phones wireless?".

So, the short answer was, "Well, we'd have to get a phone that is wireless from Bell (they're still the big dog here in Canada). It'd be expensive, it'd have to be able to work on an old Meridian phone system, and I'm sure the vaseline would be extra.

So, I look at the phones we do have and they have a small phone like jack (4 pole) that allows them to use an antiquated headset (wired) that really dosen't do it for them. So, I started thinking, it wouldn't be much to wire a 4 pole jack to a 1/8" or 1/4" jack. Once that was done then a myriad of wireless possibilities would open up using wireless stage gear.

So, heres the question and specs.

We have 4 staff in the boxoffice each manning (or is it personing) the phones. So I'd need 4 independant rigs that would allow a basic headset (earpiece and mic). The range is very very small, in fact never exceeding 25 feet. Looking at the basic range of prices of the Nady gear I'm pretty sure it would be much cheaper than buying a new phone system.

So, I looked through all the stuff and I'm sure what I need is there but I'm not smart enough to know what pieces I would need to put together. Budget? Well if I went upstairs and said "Could I have $1000 US to make this happen they'd say, how soon could you get it".

Can anybody help me out here?

Found this on a google search (click me...)...not an endorsement mind you....but it seems cheap enough...
HTH,

-MDK

(edit: ...and I don't see myself as smarter than you, btw.

Thanks MDK, but what I'm really looking for is something to add the wireless capabilities to the existing phone sets, since they are Meridian compatible and offer a headset jack.

ORIGINAL: philchetcuti3
So, I look at the phones we do have and they have a small phone like jack (4 pole) that allows them to use an antiquated headset (wired) that really dosen't do it for them. So, I started thinking, it wouldn't be much to wire a 4 pole jack to a 1/8" or 1/4" jack. Once that was done then a myriad of wireless possibilities would open up using wireless stage gear.

Just for my own sake, myself NOT being one of the smart people, let me think out loud with you here...

You ALREADY have the equipment in place where the office folk can use a wired headset? Is that what I'm reading in the quote above??

If I read that right, what you're looking for is a way to use a headphone amp to strengthen the signal on EACH of the four phones, then spit out the signal to four independent sets of wireless headphone/mic rigs?? So you're looking for:

1) four headphone amps, output from each of the four phones??

2) Or a 4-input headphone amp that will spit out four independent "mixes" from each phone???? How would a person take a 4-input headphone amp, and split the signal among four different telephone?? Hmmm.

I have worries. Impedence mismatching, wireless interference, mangling of signal from the phone(s) since a phone has such low signal to start with. And how would you route this with a 4-input headphone amp?? It's not like you have a mixer to route four different calls to four different telephones. Even if you did the signal would suck. Hmmm.

Anyway, I'm asking questions, cause I'm not clear. Thinking out loud, as I said.

This is a very cool idea. Write more, I'll think out loud some more. We do enough of this we'll rope in some of the smart people.

WC

My main concern with wireless systems is privacy.
You'd be surprised with what goes out over the airwaves. Information that could be used for I.D. theft for instance....

I believe wireless phones broadcast in a different range than wireless mic systems don't they?

Anyway... my $.02 - I used to use a wireless with my band and finally gave it up. It wasn't the distance thing that messed it up - it was just that occasionally it would drop the signal COMPLETELY and there was no getting it back - and it was because most of the systems will do an automatic search for the next available band... Anyway, long story short... It would always drop out at the wrong time (middle of solos) and not come back for a considerable amount of time.

But I do believe it was my own wireless hell - because I tried a myriad of systems...

- Grandpa Mojo
www.grandpamojo.com