RFI: Phone Interview On A Cordless Phone?

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Has anyone ever tried this? I might be conducting a few in the near future, & was wondering if I could get away w/ using my cordless phone & a suction-cup mic plugged into my oldish mini-recorder. I'd like to avoid needing to use an old-fashioned CORDED phone to perform such shenanigans. Guidance would be appreciated.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 18:36 (twenty years ago)

I've never used a suction cup mike, they seem awfully Get Smart, no?

For a while, I just had a cordless phone at home, and just took CRAZY notes, which is, long term, best anyway.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 8 March 2005 18:39 (twenty years ago)

When I worked w/ my dad, he employed one - just stuck it to the back of the receiver & it worked fine, for the most part. Of course, I'll have to GET a suction cup mic first. & I don't trust my note-taking skills enough to just get by w/ that.

I have noticed, tho, that my cordless has a headphone jack, so maybe I can get away w/ plugging the tape recorder straight into the receiver through that? Hmmm?

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 18:43 (twenty years ago)

Can't you do it with the mike turned up? I know my phone has that option. Very easy if you're bored with the conversation and want to *multitask*. heh

Feh, I don't know how you say it in English. Anyway, I did it that way: put it on loud so I didn't hold the telephone and put a taperecorder next to it. That said, I am a complete nitwit when it comes to these things...

― nathalie barefoot in the head (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 18:43 (twenty years ago)

I've never used a suction cup mike, they seem awfully Get Smart, no?

They work incredibly well though.

― Mr Noodles (Mr Noodles), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:01 (twenty years ago)

David settle for nothing less than the Olympus TP-6. They are not to be used with cellies, but work perfectly with cordless phones.

https://emporium.olympus.com/innards/empProdDetails.asp?sku=145041-410

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:35 (twenty years ago)

That looks nice.

Another option is to do the interview on a speakerphone, and have your domestic take notes.

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:39 (twenty years ago)

What's shorthand for "pass the dutchie"?

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:41 (twenty years ago)

well if alligator clips are your thing:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v134/tracerhand/phone_rig2.jpg

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:42 (twenty years ago)

OH NO WORK ADVISORY WARNING!

So wait a sec - you plug the mic into the tape recorder, put the other end into your EAR, and it records the conversation? That's like magic!

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:46 (twenty years ago)

what's the goal of the interview in terms of sound quality? do you just need a recording to have for your own notes/etc., or do you need it to be of broadcast quality?

― kelsey (kelstarry), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:53 (twenty years ago)

I just want it to be audible for when I transcribe it or listen back for pull quotes, but ideally I'd like as high a sound quality as possible w/out purchasing bugs from black market Communist spyware suppliers.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 19:58 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, the earpiece acts as a microphone as well. It uses the plastic housing of your phone as a big resonator, so it picks up both halves of the conversation.

No telephone interview will ever have "good" sound quality, no matter what equipment you use. ISDN links are the only way to get broadcast quality with a phone line.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

I want what they used in the Jason Bourne movies to talk over the interweb. That's some fancy shit.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

To explain that first paragraph better: when you put the phone to your ear it comes into contact with the earpiece, which is also a microphone. It picks up the vibrations from the housing of your receiver, which includes both you and the person you're talking to. The quality isn't great but it's good enough for transcription.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 20:07 (twenty years ago)

Oh, so the earpiece goes into the ear that'll be near the reciever! That makes a lot more sense than the 50s sci-fi sound-waves-thru-skull theremin-soundtracked scenario I was imagineering.

― David R. (popshots75`), Tuesday, 8 March 2005 20:15 (twenty years ago)

That would be cool. YOUR BRAIN IS A RADIO!

― Huk-L, Tuesday, 8 March 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)

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