Does anybody have any familiarity with the original model AETA SCOOP REPORTER?
Does anybody have any familiarity with the original model AETA SCOOP REPORTER?
I’ve come across them numerous times in the last several years on ebay, and just recently snagged one fairly cheap, and I’m trying to acquire some information on it.
I put together a picture of the front and back: http://end80radio.com/scoop-reporter-front-back.jpg
Any one familiar with it, or by chance have any documentation for it?
I easily found the manual for the SCOOP REPORTER II, but not for this original model.
All I could find was a brief reference: “The product was officially announced at the AES 95 in Paris. Europe 1 acquired immediately some equipments and put them on the field early April 1995.” (http://www.aetausa.com/pages/Tech-Docs/Reports_Eupore1.html)
I can find no manual or other documentation for mine, however, in visually comparing my unit with drawings in the SCOOP REPORTER II manual – the front appears almost identical, as does the back with exception of 3 additions mine doesn’t have:
– A Ethernet jack? – labled “ISDN”
– A 9 pin jack – labeled “remote”
– and a 4 pin jack – labeled “DC in 12V=3A”
So how bout it? Can anyone shed any more light on my new old remote broadcast unit?
Pic: http://end80radio.com/scoop-reporter-front-back.jpg
Vague Awareness
Rich Powers, by studying your links I at least understand what the Scoop is, it belongs to a family of products designed to get near-broadcast quality audio over ordinary dial-up telephone circuits.
I recall that such products started getting sophisticated in the 1970s, and one modern company that’s been in the lead is comrex.com
The Scoop of your description seems to apply to the European region, and the telephone system over their might be different than the telephone standard in the U.S., but I am not sure about this.
Keep digging. Find out if it was ever marketed in the U.S.
Also, call an insider at Comrex and maybe they will know about their competitor’s line of products.
Yes Carl they were and still
Yes Carl they were and still are on the US market ( http://www.aetausa.com/pages/products.html ), the only reason I quoted that European info is because it was the only reference I could find which applied specifically to my model, which apparently is the original Scoop Reporter from 1995
I’ve found all kinds of info and manuals on the other Scoop models – just not this particular one..
That’s just your A typical
That’s just your A typical remote event caster which uses either an IDSN connection, or a standard analog phone connection via the “External Modem” port, requiring one of those old external modem adapters which went to the wayside a LONG time ago. Might find one on ebay or something.
RFB, you saying that just plugging a phone line into the telephone jack on the back of the unit is not all I need to do?
So far all I know about it is what the seller stated: “This unit looks to be a great shape. I am unable to test it thoroughly. But the unit does power up and can dial out. Bid with confidence.”
I have seen these units several times before (on ebay) in the last 5 or 6 years, but usually they sell for more than I wanted to pay for an “iffy”.. or the starting bid was just to much.
In this case I just happened to see it and paid only $22.. but shipping was another $25!
So $47 spent on a unit I’ve always been curious to get my hands on – If this thing is useable for my station, then I’d be happy..
I’m drifting.. Back to point;
Are you saying that simply inserting a telephone line into the phone jack on the unit is not enough to make it function?
Capabilities
“RFB, you saying that just plugging a phone line into the telephone jack on the back of the unit is not all I need to do?”
If I remember correctly, either that unit will recognize what type of line is being plugged into that jack…ie an ISDN digital line, or analog POTS line, or there is a menu where you can select which type of line your going to use. The RS-232 port (9 pin jobber) is to attach an external modem, be it an external modem for an ISDN line, or POTS line.
The ISDN jack protocol and the POTS jack protocol are the same, uses the center two wires of the bunch. The scooper should be able to determine what type of line is plugged into it and dial out the number you enter in the keypad. All that’s needed on the opposite end is a telco hybrid or ISDN modem connected to their board.
Those were used heavily to broadcast things like ball games or other events away from the station’s location. It replaces the older gear which basically used a modified telephone to accept a small mixer’s output (Shure mixers) and send that audio across that tin can line.
Units like yours have the ability to send high quality audio down the line, especially if its an ISDN line.
RFB
RFB, looks like you were a
RFB, looks like you were a little bit off on the information of this one..
I had previously tried to obtain information on this model unit via the internet archived pages of aeta-audio.com with no luck, but on a whim I tried searching simply “aeta.com” which is what currently automatically forwards to the aeta-audio website..
ANYWAY.. I finally have found my unit in Feb 5 1998 under aeta.com!
Although the images and the pdf download of the Scoop Reporter’s data sheet was irretrievable, I was able to obtain the full overview including Features, Bandwidth, How it works, Technical features, the FAQ, and User Reports! – no manual though.
Apparently this unit has no ISDN capability at all (obsolete anyway – right?). It communicates via a CODEC using a built-in V.34 modem, and relies on a second unit to receive it.. To bad, right?.. But wait, it’s not limited to that option;
It connects to any RJ11 telephone jack and features a “Regular field telephone mode”.
From the FAQ page:
What if I can’t get the modems to connect at all ?
In the very worst case scenario, where the modem just can’t lock at 19.2K or higher, the Scoop Reporter can be used as a regular field telephone.
So evidently I can just plug in a phone line to use it after all!
There is a lot of information provided on it if you or anyone cares to look it over:
Scoop Reporter
http://web.archive.org/web/19980205100703/http://www.aeta.com/html/scoopr.html
FAQ:
http://web.archive.org/web/19990204011513/http://www.aeta.com/html/scoopfaq.html
It bought it about a week ago, so I expect it to be arriving any day now. Hopefully it will prove useful for a quick and simple live broadcast of local events, there’s a lot of them going around here every year.
Scooper Details
I did say if I remembered correctly..which implies I might not be correct in remembering the fine details! 😀
It’s been some time since fooling around with those things as far better options exist for out of town remote broadcasts these days..as has been for the last 15 or so years.
Keep in mind even though it can dial out on a POTS line, that audio isn’t going to be fantastic or anything but telephone sounding..ie tin can bandwidth. It might be better to use it’s packet mode instead..but as you found out, you need an identical unit on the other end to decode it.
Given it’s size and other stuff necessary to tag along on remotes, your better off using a cell phone! But I have two of these units similar to your unit and they are fun to play with on the bench!
RFB
Given it’s size and other
Given it’s size and other stuff necessary to tag along on remotes, your better off using a cell phone!
Well, it’s only 12″ desktop type unit, it seems at a sports game or parade or whatever it would be better to set it down on a table and use this with it’s multiple mic inputs, built in phantom power, mixer for the inputs, headset and line output.. Plus power can be AC or standard D size batteries.
Other than the microphones and a headset, there’s nothing else to tag along.
Based on the user reviews it also works nicely communicating full duplex with someone on a regular phone with surprising quality ( it boast 7.5 kHz Audio over a Single Plain Analog Telephone Line.. I really don’t know what that means though.)
I don’t see how using a cellphone would be the better choice for a remote broadcast..
But then again, I don’t know since it’s not yet arrived for me to experiment with it.
RFB, It might be that I’m just being stubborn in not listening to your seasoned experience.. Maybe I just want you to be wrong about this because I want it to end up proving to be a beneficial addition to my station.
Even the experts can occasionally be wrong.
I’ll find out soon enough.
Frequency Response
7.5kHz is a very high quality band width, especially for voice.
Consider that the highest note on a piano is 4.2kHz. The only thing that would make those high musical notes sound better is to hear their upper harmonics, such as 8.4kHz for the 2nd harmonic of the piano’s highest note.
So do not give up on that Snoop device. It sounds very useful.
WHAT?… WHAT?…
All I can hear above 5K is ringing in my ears from tinnitus.
Quite Good
Ah yes, Franz Tinnitus, composer of Symphony for an Orchestra of Harmonicas.
Not even the Concerto of Banjos can equal such majestic tones.
As far as music sent over telephone wires, back in the 1950s there was a radio program called the Telephone Hour. Hours upon hours of either concert music or phone conversations, I forget which.
What?.. What?..
What are you talking about?
Esoterica
Sorry to be too esoteric.
Good Audio On POTs
” it boast 7.5 kHz Audio over a Single Plain Analog Telephone Line”
Very comparable to, but just a tad above today’s silly NRSC curve characteristics in AM broadcast transmission, which in of itself is limited by the receiver’s IF bandwidth.
Some of those units came with a special equalizing circuit which when activated further increased the audio quality on the POTS lines. However if adjusted too far, would make the audio on the line very noisy and cause inductive bleed-over onto adjacent lines at the breakout box of the telco company, and even down the fat black cables hanging on the utility poles. POTS lines are just DC voltage lines modulated with AC signal..ie audio. If driven too much, that would cause the lines to produce enough magnetic field effects and inductively couple that audio on them onto other lines, especially if all those lines are clustered inside a multi-conductor cable, where all of the lines are side by side and nothing but the wire’s own insulation between them.
Only reason I pointed out the use of a cell phone was in the cases of quickie news report remotes, where carrying around the scoop unit and accessories and setting them up is cumbersome to remotes of on the spot reporting. But for broadcasting ball games and the like, they are superior and preferable than the old method of modifying a telephone to accept a line output signal from a small mixer and flipping a switch routing that line audio from the small mixer to the telephone’s mouthpiece microphone wires via a padding resistor network. Yep in the grand ol days even such rigging was common place though not freely admitted by most due to peer ridicule..tho those peers did the same thing too.
It will most certainly be a beneficial addition to your operations no doubt! I’m not at all saying you wasted your time and money in purchasing it. I have two similar units myself and if I thought they were useless in today’s radio world, they would have been sold off by now. With two of them, it makes it extremely easy to interface to your studio console without the hassle of finding a telco hybrid and wiring that in for a single line/single call scenario.
I’d say you got a great deal there End80! With your recent efforts in local sports coverage, why the heck not! Or was that Ken..or ??? It’s been a very long night doing studio and transmitter maintenance and outdoor antenna maintenance! 🙂
RFB
Pooper Scooper
That’s just your A typical remote event caster which uses either an IDSN connection, or a standard analog phone connection via the “External Modem” port, requiring one of those old external modem adapters which went to the wayside a LONG time ago. Might find one on ebay or something.
ISDN..is even more ancient than those old external analog modems!
That particular unit can send very high quality audio down the line since it is a digital device. I’ve got two older analog units that your scooper would put to shame when it comes to the quality of audio it can deliver.
RFB