[BC] cell phone interference?

[Barry Mishkind]

At 03:35 PM 5/2/2005, Barry Rueger wrote
>Am I crazy, or is it possible for the signals that cause cell phones
>to ring or vibrate also cause electronic noise or interference in
>field recordings onto mini disc or flash cards?

         Yes... I think so.  If I am near a
         speakerphone, I ALWAYS know
         when the Nextel is going to ring.

         I don't know if all cells do this...
         at least the Motorolas on Nextel
         channels do.

>I remember hearing some weird fuzzyness, almost like a beeping or
>little electronic revilee that I thought was a short in my machine,
>but then my interviewee reached for his phone, the ringer of which
>was switched off. It was only when listening to the recording later
>that I made the potential connection. Now, the same noise has shown
>up on a recording one of our reporters made on a Marantz PMD 660 -

         Eeek.  Sad....

>Should I start asking interviewees to switch their phones completely
>off while I record, or am I just nuts.

         No ... you are on solid ground.

         Or, it wouldn't hurt to ask them to set the phone
         on a table or in the next room during the
         interview if they are on-call ... or expecting
         a call....






_______________________________________________________________________
Barry Mishkind     -       Tucson, AZ    -   520-296-3797