(meteorobs) New Recorder

[orink at t6b.com]

Hi, Mark:

I am Orin Keplinger...new to the group, and not clear yet on any rules or "protocols" I should be following. I have been in music for many years and may have some ideas about recorders that could help you.

I did reel to reel music recordings for my choral groups, then tried the various Sony Cassette and Micro-cassette recorders for recording concerts and lectures. I shifted to the Sony Mini-Disc types and currently use the HD version because it gives me a true .wav file with no compression. The HD mini-disc recorders in their current versions are a bit too "fussy" and awkward for anything but serious recording sessions - in my opinion. I looked at other Sonys for lecture quality voice, useful features and portability.The Sony digital recorders do have "folders" but I am not sure either has a useful, real-time "marker" feature like the one that came with many of the older Sony or Olympus Cassette and Micro-cassette recorders.

I am currently evaluating two Sony digital Micro-Recorders...the ICD-BM1 and the ICD-MX20. Both can be had with Dragon Naturally Speaking for about $400 dollars. Both are on the Sony web site. They both have good physical build quality... but don't count on them working if you drop them, especially if you bend the edge of the battery door. I chose to start with the ICD-20 because the built-in Microphone is in stereo. Both use the Sony Pro Duo memory sticks. I use a one gig size card and it gives me about 40 hours of recording time in the best stereo mode... my guess is that even that mode uses some form of compression as my HD Mini-Disk in the 1 Gig size can only give me two hours of uncompressed .wav recording. Both use AAA batteries annd that limits your recording time to about eight hours without needing to change the batteries. New rechargable AAAs last about 9 hours when new and most of my batteries are still giving me that time after two years of use-when freshly charge
 d.

I don't have a lavalier mike yet and kept the recorder under my ski suit in a shirt pocket to keep the batteries warmer during the recent geminids' 13-14 december outing. The recorded voice was noticeably "muffled" but gave me 9 hours of time before the batteries died. I keep a charger in the car for trips and use it for all my gadgets. I can get fresh charges on all the batteries while in route or on site if I leave the motor running.

The ICD-20 gives you a clock that works for year-date-and time to the nearest minute during recording and playback...or to the nearest second if you want to use your watch to keep track of the seconds. You can use the memory stick to transfer to your computer with the included software. Both recorders also have a built-in memory that lasts for one or two hours, as I recall. You do have to select the memory stick on the recorder's menu before use. It is not yet clear to me if the memory stick can be set as the automatic default when turning on the recorder on the day of use. I have yet to try that idea out. If you want I can send you a few minutes of my outing as an attachment. 

I am also not clear whether a lapel mike will operate correctly in the cold when placed outside the ski suit on the edge of one's collar or outside zipper covering. The screens on both recorders are active during down time...like a cell phone left on for getting calls. I haven't really timed how long it takes them to die out but I think it is on the order of a few days. 

I got the ICD-BM1 because it has an on-off switch. I don't know if that gives any really useful help and have since found that one can put the Sony ICD-MX20 screen to "off" by turning on the "hold" feature. The manual didn't mention it, usually the "hold" feature is useful to keep all your current settings from being changed during operation due to brushing against a button by mistake. Both recorders' screens are usefully backlit in operation. I wish my cameras had a similar feature for the current exposure so that I could more easily make a "real time" comment on the recorder as to which exposures might have recorded a meteor. My old eyes need glasses and a flashlight to see the frame counters on my older Olympus cameras. The older cameras do work more reliably in the cold for bulb exposures as the battery need not even be in the camera to use them.

Wow...am I verbose or what?

As Usual,
Orin Keplinger
near Chicago
orink at t6b.com
----- Original Message -----
From: meteors at comcast.net
To: "MeteorObs" <meteorobs at meteorobs.org>
Sent: Saturday, December 15, 2007 10:53:43 AM (GMT-0600) America/Chicago
Subject: (meteorobs) New Recorder

I was in the process of listening to my notes from the other morning 
when my tape recorder's "spindle" froze up. Instead of buying another 
tape recorder, I'm thinking I should move to the digital age and get a 
digital voice recorder.

Anyone have any trouble with these when using them to record meteor data?

Any suggestions on particular recorders, or features?

Thanks in advance!

-- 
Mark Davis, South Carolina, USA
meteors at comcast.net
namn at namnmeteors.org
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