BlackRockBigfoot Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 Finally finished my parabolic setup. A few years ago, we heard what sounded like high pitched pseudo-speech/samurai chatter near some caves on the side of a mountain in north Georgia. Our action cam mics couldn't pic it up, so all we were left with so the video of our reactions, some possible small human-like footprints, and our memories... My goal then became to have the ability to not miss such sounds in the future...if we are lucky enough to hear them again. I picked up the Zoom H4N Pro a year or so ago and recently picked up the soft case...which I attach to my pack and leave running while we are out. With the parabolic setup, the soft case will stay on the Zoom to offer it a degree of protection. Velcro flaps offer easy access to the necessary plugs and switches. Power consumption was already an issue with the built in microphones, so with the attached XLR microphone for the parabolic dish needing 48 volt phantom power, I am running a 32000 mah power bank made by RAVpower. I use these power banks to recharge cameras, digital recorders, flashlights, etc. while in the field and have been very pleased with them so far. I currently have 3 larger banks and one smaller one available to use. The ABS parabolic dish itself is 11.5 inches wide and .030 thick. I chose the black option as opposed to the clear polycarbonate since we plan on painting the dish itself. Honestly, price played a part in my decision to go with the lower cost black dish, as I already felt bad shelling out $200 for a piece of curved plastic and some connectors. Weight is negligible, with the total weight without microphone coming in at under 7 ounces. I have not yet weighed the entire setup, but considering that I was already carrying most of this...I am not worried about extra weight. I went with the Pro Mini, since I will be carrying this in a pack along with the rest of my gear. Down the road I may see about getting a larger dish if I believe that I can carry it without the wider dish becoming awkward or cumbersome. The handle base has metal 1/4-20 threads, which I have used to connect a Gorillapod. This particular Gorillapod will be replaced soon, as it does not have the necessary strength to hold the dish to the degree that I would feel comfortable if I wish to set the dish up stationary. I picked up a Wildtronics brand Micro Mic XLR to go with this dish. It is a low noise, high sensitivity, omnidirectional microphone with a noise floor of 14dBA. As I gain familiarity with this setup, I will try different mics to see which suits my needs the best. I picked up a pair of Sony noise cancelling headphones and a hard case to carry them. I will be testing the setup this weekend when I am out doing a preliminary investigation of some activity north of me that a fellow forum member was kind enough to refer to me. I will report back on how it functions and what sort of recordings I am able to obtain. Pro Mini Parabolic Kit Wildtronics LLC | Pro Mini Parabolic Kit Micro Mic XLR Wildtronics LLC | Micro Mic XLR Microphone Zoom H4N Pro Amazon.com: Zoom H4n Pro 4-Track Portable Recorder, Stereo Microphones, 2 XLR/ ¼“ Combo Inputs, Guitar Inputs, Battery Powered, for Stereo/Multitrack Recording of Music, Audio for Video, and Podcasting: Musical Instruments RAVpower 32000mah power bank RAVPower RAVPower Ace 32,000mAh Portable Charger RP-PB064 B&H (bhphotovideo.com) Protective Case of the Zoom H4N Pro Amazon.com: JJC H4n Protective Carrying Storage Pouch Case Bag for Zoom H4n Pro All Black & Tascam DR-40 Handy Portable Recorder replaces Zoom PCH-4n Case, with Clear Visible Front Face Cover Protector: Musical Instruments 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiiawiwb Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 BRB - Wow. Now that is a sweet setup! Congratulations. Gamechanger for sure. You'll be able to hear a mouse walk at 100 yards. Do you know what SONY headphone model you got? When you get familiar with using it, it would be great to hear someo audio files of things moving about in the night. I've been eyeballing that exact parabolic dish and mic. How do you plan on carrying the dish? Will you attach it outside to the front of your backpack, the top of it, inside the pack? If outside, how will you lash it down to your backpack--paracord, thin bungee cord, other? You've got a video camera, a thermal imager, and now the parabolic dish setup. You are loaded for bear!! Mr. Sasquatch, meet your match--our own Mr. BRB!! My best sasquatching spots all involve a remote pond. I can imagine how that parabolic dish would be able to pickup any sound of something across the pond walking as the sound carries well over water and the slightest noice would be detected, heard, and recorded with that setup. Way to go BRB and thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthWind Posted May 21, 2021 Share Posted May 21, 2021 The one I made works well enough, but it is certainly not pro-grade. Also, it is hell trying to carry it anywhere. One day I would like to build a small FM transmitter to pipe the output into, and then be able to listen from say, a mile away. Even on the car radio, maybe, while we sit and enjoy our morning coffee. :-) Nice setup, BRB! Thanks for sharing. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackRockBigfoot Posted May 21, 2021 Author Share Posted May 21, 2021 2 hours ago, wiiawiwb said: BRB - Wow. Now that is a sweet setup! Congratulations. Gamechanger for sure. You'll be able to hear a mouse walk at 100 yards. Do you know what SONY headphone model you got? When you get familiar with using it, it would be great to hear someo audio files of things moving about in the night. I've been eyeballing that exact parabolic dish and mic. How do you plan on carrying the dish? Will you attach it outside to the front of your backpack, the top of it, inside the pack? If outside, how will you lash it down to your backpack--paracord, thin bungee cord, other? You've got a video camera, a thermal imager, and now the parabolic dish setup. You are loaded for bear!! Mr. Sasquatch, meet your match--our own Mr. BRB!! My best sasquatching spots all involve a remote pond. I can imagine how that parabolic dish would be able to pickup any sound of something across the pond walking as the sound carries well over water and the slightest noice would be detected, heard, and recorded with that setup. Way to go BRB and thanks for sharing. Sony MDRZX110 Noise Cancelling Headphones. They were recommended to me by a sound guru. They were inexpensive so I went with them. I will probably end up breaking my first pair anyway... https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00NG57H4S?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title The plan right now is to sew a pouch with padding that can lash to the exterior of my pack. It’s ABS plastic and durable for its weight, but it’s still thin material. I will probably use light bungees to attach it. I have toyed with a few ideas, but now that I have it in hand I can experiment with the best carrying method. Obviously, this won’t have the range of a full sized dish, but I don’t want to lug a full sized dish through the woods...so, hopefully this will be a good compromise. My next step is to figure out the actual mechanics of using it. Obviously it will be used when we are stationary, but there are a few cables going on here...microphone, headphones, and backup power supply all plugged into the Zoom. My initial impression is to make a harness of some sort, so that I can easily adjust my position as necessary. Attach the Zoom and backup power supply to a belt or harness, so I don’t have to pick them up and reposition them if I need to move. The Zoom has a soft case and I may just use a milsurp magazine pouch to carry the power bank. 1 hour ago, NorthWind said: The one I made works well enough, but it is certainly not pro-grade. Also, it is hell trying to carry it anywhere. One day I would like to build a small FM transmitter to pipe the output into, and then be able to listen from say, a mile away. Even on the car radio, maybe, while we sit and enjoy our morning coffee. :-) Nice setup, BRB! Thanks for sharing. That FM idea is intriguing! If you build it, let me know. Thanks for the kind words! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts