Tag: soccer

CCS Presentation Systems Installs Technomad Turnkey PA Systems at High School Athletic Stadiums in Mid-Atlantic

BOSTON, June 18, 2008– Technomad Associates, LLC, today announced that CCS Presentation Systems, one of the world’s largest dealers of presentation technology equipment and services with locations throughout the U.S., has finalized three high school athletic installations featuring Technomad Turnkey PA Systems.

Technomad Noho C weatherproof loudspeakers deliver high-quality audio throughout the stadium, from home bleachers to concession stands in the furthest corner

Each Turnkey PA System features two Technomad Noho C weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers for high-quality audio coverage of football games and other athletic events; as well as a complete signal processing rack to produce audio in the press box, including a two-channel amplifier, six-channel mixer, cables, mounting brackets and a dynamic microphone with cable.

The schools include Tucker High School in Henrico County, Virginia, which upgraded to Technomad from antiquated horn systems with poor audio quality. Technomad loudspeakers were also specified for new athletic stadiums at King William High School in Aylett, Virginia; and Our Lady of Good Council High School in Olney, Maryland. The systems at all three schools offer clear voice reproduction and musical output that reaches every corner of each stadium.

According to Gene Wells, Project Manager for the two Virginia projects, he prefers to use Technomad for new athletic stadium projects due to their ability to deliver clear audio to everyone in the stadium. Wells also cites ease of use for athletic departments and weatherproof construction as crucial for high school stadium installations.

Every project is unique, from mounting the loudspeakers to the proper angling to ensure that everyone can clearly understand the audio, said Wells. I am consistently blown away by how two Noho loudspeakers cover an entire stadium. The athletic directors like the system not only because of the sound but also because the loudspeakers maintain a professional appearance on the press box, and the PA systems are easy to operate. As an installer the system is easy to set up and wire, and even in the most unusual installations we are able to position the loudspeakers so the audio reaches everyone. This is due to the very wide dispersion patterns of the Technomad design, which are unlike any other loudspeakers I have seen.

The two Virginia projects differed mainly due to the press box locations. While King William High School has the traditional press box location on the home side, the Tucker High School press box is located in the visitor stands. The challenge for Wells and his team was to ensure that fans in the home stands could hear the audio without overpowering the ears of visiting fans. Wells positioned the loudspeakers straight out angling them slightly to each side to achieve the appropriate balance. The two loudspeakers easily project to the home side, allowing everyone in the 2,800-person capacity venue to hear the live broadcast during games.

The sound quality is amazing, similar to a modern concert venue at maximum volume, said John Carroll, Director of Student Activities at Tucker High School, home of the John Randolph Tucker Tigers. We can easily hear the voice announcing the game clearly through the entire campus. It’s an unbelievable system, especially for a high school, and a million times better than the muffled audio coming out of our old horn system.

At Cavalier Stadium, home of the King William Cavaliers, Wells installed the Nohos on the two press box corners at the top to reach fans on each side. Wells mounted the Noho loudspeakers to fencing pipe atop the press box, using various fly points on the loudspeakers to ensure secure installation. The loudspeakers sit outside in the elements unprotected year round. The mid-Atlantic region regularly deals with a mix of sleet, ice and rain with occasional heavy snows in the winter, and intense heat and rain in the summer.

Cavalier Stadium, which also hosts soccer and track events, will open a concession stand in time for the Fall 2008 football season. The system has been tested to ensure that audio will reach those in line for refreshments, as well as those working inside the concession stand.

Kline Stadium at Our Lady of Good Council High School has a similar setup to Cavalier Stadium inside the stadium. The system, as designed by Lee Bellomy, Account Manager at CCS Presentation Systems in Maryland, distributes audio to two Technomad Noho loudspeakers inside the stadium, and also to a pair of small loudspeakers at the concession stand outside the stadium using a separate amplifier and a fiber connection.

The pattern coverage is fantastic inside the stadium, and what’s amazing is that as loud and clear as the audio is, it never bleeds into the bordering neighborhoods, said Ron Colbert, Technology Director for Our Lady of Good Council High School. I was initially surprised when CCS claimed that two Noho loudspeakers would cover the entire stadium, and CCS offered to remove the system if it didn’t live up to the claim. The Technomads do everything that was promised. The students love it all the varsity teams play here and use the system for warm-up music, and the marching band uses it for announcements during practices. Everything coming out of the system sounds great.

ABOUT CCS PRESENTATION SYSTEMS

Since 1991, CCS Presentation Systems has served customers in the corporate, government and educational sectors. CCS provides full service integration, installation and maintenance of audio and video equipment including interactive whiteboards, projectors, LCD & plasma displays, audio systems, document cameras and more. The company has expanded from a two-person operation to one of the largest A/V integrators in the U.S., with more than 300 employees, sales offices in 11 states and annual sales in excess of $100 million.

ABOUT TECHNOMAD

Technomad Associates, LLC, founded in 1995, designs and manufactures loudspeaker systems for the professional audio and security/military technology industries. The company invented the first reliable full-range weatherproof loudspeaker and now offers eight models ranging in power from the 60-watt Vernal 15 to the 1250-Watt OSLO subwoofer. In 2000, Technomad introduces its range of complete Turnkey PA systems that have turned previous complex integration jobs into simple, one-line orders. Please contact Technomad at 617-275-8898 for more information.

REFERENCE LINKS

Technomad Loudspeakers Bring Audio Clarity to Sports Events at Middle Tennessee State University

BOSTON, May 28, 2008-Technomad Associates, LLC today announced that Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tenn., has selected Technomad outdoor weatherproof loudspeakers to provide high-quality voice and music for live sports coverage in its new 2,500 seat stadium. The loudspeakers are the crown jewel of the PA system used for soccer games and track and field events, with only two Technomad Berlin loudspeakers required to cover the entire stadium with a smooth, intelligible audio pattern.

Two Technomad Berlin weatherproof loudspeakers provide live event coverage for 2,500 seats in new soccer and track & field stadium

The stadium, home to the MTSU Blue Raiders teams that play in the Division One Sun Belt Conference, is the newest venue within the university’s Murphy Center Complex, which comprises all the athletic venues on campus. According to Josh Hoevelmann, Electronic Equipment Engineer for MTSU Murphy Center, the Technomad Berlin loudspeakers rival the larger PA systems used for the football and baseball stadiums on campus.

Everyone I talk to on campus is surprised at the audio quality and power output we’re achieving from just two loudspeakers, said Hoevelmann. The output is extremely clear even at mid-field, and it’s not overbearing in the stands. The Berlins provide a full range sound with mids and lower levels as opposed to some of our other systems that produce mostly highs in the output.

Hoevelmann and his team built the PA rack and installed the loudspeakers, which were custom-ordered from Technomad in blue to match the team colors that are visible throughout the stadium. The loudspeakers were installed on the opposite corners of the press box exterior to ensure that those at the farthest corners of the field could clearly hear the audio, particularly during track and field events when the attendance can far exceed the official seating. In addition to providing even coverage throughout the stadium, the smooth audio pattern eliminates bleeding into nearby residential neighborhoods an ongoing challenge for the university.

There is residential housing across the street from the complex, and the original design called for installing the loudspeakers in the scoreboard, which faces the neighborhood, said Hoevelmann. We decided to move the installation to the press box, which in theory would still bleed into the neighborhoods, but the Technomads have maintained a good balance of being intelligible to everyone inside the stadium and not killing nearby residents with bleed-over. There have been zero complaints from neighbors unlike in past years.

The loudspeakers sit outside all year unprotected from the elements, which according to Hoevelmann include intense rain and hail in the fall and winter, and high heat in the summer. The weatherproof construction is only one aspect of the design that he and his team have found favorable. The loudspeakers are unconventionally mounted on the press box: Instead of using the supplied mounting brackets, the installation team took advantage of fly points on the Berlins and chained them to a fence sitting atop the press box.

The press box construction did not allow us to use the brackets, but the loudspeakers offer many fly points in the design to use eye bolts for unconventional installations, said Hoevelmann. The design made it very easy to hang the loudspeakers and chain them to the press box fence for a secure installation. The bonus is the blue color choice as installed; they match perfectly to the blue colors in the stadium. The assistant athletic director didn’t event notice them during the initial walkthrough because they blend in so well with the press box.

Technomad Loudspeakers Installed in Multiple Sports Venues Across San Mateo Community College District

Three campuses standardize on Technomad loudspeakers for indoor gymnasiums and outdoor stadiums

BOSTON, April 29, 2008 – Technomad Associates, LLC today announced that San Mateo Community College District in California has standardized on Technomad weatherproof loudspeakers on its three Bay Area campuses. Skyline College in San Bruno; Canada College in Redwood City; and the College of San Mateo are home to multiple indoor and outdoor venues now using Technomad Vienna 16 and Noho C loudspeakers for live sports and event coverage, with additional venues to follow as the district moves closer to completing a multi-year, multi-venue upgrade project that covers everything from field surfaces to bleachers to PA systems.

This is an ongoing project with one facility upgrade after another, and we have found the Technomad loudspeakers to be highly versatile with excellent audio quality both indoors and outdoors, said Jim Petromilli, Director of Instructional Technology at the San Mateo Community College District. Outdoors, the weatherproof design is ideal for our three campuses, all of which have very distinct microclimates that can include high heat, heavy rains, and rust from bay moisture. We have also found that the Technomad Vienna loudspeakers perform exceptionally well in our gymnasium at Skyline College for basketball, graduations and other events, and we are planning a similar installation in a second gymnasium.

The outdoor Technomad installations as integrated by Petromilli and his team include: five Noho C loudspeakers for Bulldog Stadium, the football stadium at College of San Mateo, with a sixth Noho C assigned to a nearby track and field area; nine Noho C loudspeakers for three baseball diamonds; two soccer fields, each with two Noho C loudspeakers; and three Vienna 16 loudspeakers for a new softball field that opens this spring.

Lloyd F. McKinney Associates of Hayward, California, procured the loudspeakers from Technomad for all venues, citing the weatherproof design as ideal to handle the different weather elements of the three campuses. The company also led the systems integration project for the gymnasium at Skyline College, home of the Skyline College Trojans, due to the height and complexity of the loudspeaker installations and system wiring. Twelve Technomad Vienna 16 loudspeakers were mounted onto concrete beams or steel structures in the gymnasium, with quad amps to drive selected speaker banks depending on the event. Each side of the gym features five Vienna 16 loudspeakers, with every other one facing the opposite direction to maximize coverage. The final two Vienna 16 loudspeakers were installed on a steel structure above the main basketball hoop, aiming down toward the center of the auditorium.

According to Rick McKinney, Vice President of Lloyd F. McKinney Associates, Petromilli and his team requested an indoor demo after experiencing the high audio quality of the initial outdoor Technomad installation at Bulldog Stadium, adding that the wide horizontal coverage pattern of the Viennas and Nohos allows the colleges to cover wide bleacher areas without hot spots.

Indoor reverb is always challenging in a gymnasium since you’re dealing with hardwood floors, concrete in bleachers and other acoustical challenges, said McKinney. The Vienna 16 loudspeakers provide plenty of power and voice intelligibility for Skyline College events, with a smooth and even audio dispersion throughout the bleachers. In fact, the two Viennas above the main basketball hoop cover the entire gym quite well on their own, but the additional speaker banks give Skyline College plenty of flexibility to orient the sound system to meet different requirements depending on the event.

According to Petromilli, the Skyline College gymnasium is the crown jewel of the district-wide sports facilities upgrade a complete remodel of an existing facility that adds a video projection system and free Wi-Fi in addition to the new floors, bleachers, and PA system.

The Technomads replaced a poor audio system that produced a massive echo, he said. It was difficult to hear in certain areas and we received many complaints. The Technomads bring a huge improvement in voice intelligibility, and the audio quality has improved our attendance in a very competitive market. The PA system has become part of the events at Skyline College, with music and additional entertainment for attendees to create an enjoyable experience.

The Noho C loudspeakers at Bulldog Stadium replaced aging horn systems that produced highly distorted, unintelligible audio. Three Noho C loudspeakers are installed on a press box facade at the 50-yard line, with two more mounted on light poles at the opposite side of the field.

“We opted for multiple loudspeakers that produce high quality audio at a lower level so we could achieve even distribution through the crowd,” said Petromilli. “This is also very important during track events; with so many events on the field, the participants can clearly hear their events being called. This includes the separate area where shot-put, javelin, and other events are held. And during football season, music is a more integral part of the experience, especially during warm-ups. The Technomads provide a pleasant musical output in addition to clear voice reproduction. We literally have people from visiting teams all over southern California knocking on our press box door complimenting us on our sound system, music, and overall presentation.”

Technomad Offers Outdoor Audio Tips for High Schools

The importance of quality audio at outdoor high school athletic fields is too often overlooked. Providing a sound system for a high school stadium comes with a long list of challenges, from weather to audio dispersion to the complaints of nearby residents, all of which are easier to address with proper planning.

Successful high school outdoor audio begins with good communication from the sound system provider to the Athletic Director. How the system is designed and installed will affect both the ease of use and the quality of the audio output. The sound system provider must thoroughly understand and be responsive to the needs of the school. The end users in high school venues are generally volunteers. Whether students, parents or faculty, it is likely that the end user will have limited audio experience. A responsible audio contractor will have this in mind and design and deliver an easy-to-use outdoor audio solution.

A variety of loudspeaker manufacturers offer weather-resistant products, but these enclosures can only withstand the elements for so long. A true weatherproof speaker will not keep the rain and snow from entering the loudspeaker; however, it will include provisions for managing moisture. This may include a higher-quality grill system or tiny exit holes for drainage. Neither the structural integrity of the outer shell nor the perceived audio should degrade over time from ordinary outdoor exposure.

The school’s budget will of course influence purchasing decisions, and the regional weather will dictate what kind of protection is needed to extend the life of the system. Paging horns are durable, and sound quality has improved over the years, but they are still primarily paging horns. Low-cost loudspeakers are yet another option, but their inability to withstand the elements will result in a very short life and create the need for regular replacement. Another way to extend the life of the loudspeakers is to remove them when not in use, although re-installation and repair to wiring and cabling become time consuming.

Location is key. While location brings loudspeaker placement to mind, the school’s geographical location is also important. The ability of the loudspeaker to withstand the elements, from the Arizona heat to the snow and wind in Upstate New York, must be considered. Location becomes a factor once again during installation. The typical high school outdoor audio system features several loudspeakers powered by a central PA rack. Where these systems are positioned in the stadium and how they are installed will be critical to the success of the installation.

The press box is by far the best initial choice for loudspeaker installation. The flat surface of the press box offers a smoother and more secure mounting surface than telephone or metallic light poles.

The main issue with loudspeaker installations on widely separated light poles is an echo that results from the near loudspeaker audio arriving prior to the audio from the far loudspeaker. This echo, which must be eliminated electronically, results in uneven sound that degrades speech clarity and music quality. Sound that is properly controlled is also easier to keep out of the yards of neighbors who might not want to hear it.

Sound coverage is a challenge as well. Loudspeakers directed toward the home bleachers leave the field and visiting bleachers uncovered. Lower quality loudspeakers will especially have trouble reproducing intelligible speech and music throughout the stadium. The press box installation, with loudspeakers pointing straight out and tilted slightly downward, helps minimizes echo by ensuring that attendees hear audio from only one loudspeaker. Loudspeakers with wide dispersion patterns optimize coverage, delivering a pleasant audio experience to all bleacher areas and the field. Loudspeakers will outperform traditional horn systems, which are well known for the inability to reproduce the deep bass and detailed highs that are common with high fidelity loudspeakers.

Sometimes, however, a press box is not an option. A recent Technomad installation on a new soccer field at a high school in Columbus, Ohio lacked a press box. The rack system was integrated within a cement shell that was wired for electricity. The installer ran cables under the field surface to the other side where the loudspeakers were installed on round light poles with specialty brackets. This situation is an example of how a smart installer using high quality products can provide excellent audio quality under less-than-ideal conditions.

Different fields require different sound systems. Baseball fields, for example, require an almost completely different approach due to the design of the field. In this case the backstop is a better mounting location than the press box or light poles. Loudspeakers with wide audio dispersion should be installed high enough on the backstop and angled so as to provide a single source to both home and visitor stands as well as the area behind home plate and into the field.

Regardless of the stadium in question, proper planning and a willingness to purchase better quality equipment right off the bat will give the school a great quality sound system and help eliminate headaches in the future.

Note: A modified version of this article was published in the November, 2007 on-line and printed editions of Christian School Products magazine.

Technomad Outdoor Loudspeakers Deliver High-Quality Audio at Mount Si High School

BOSTON – Technomad Associates, LLC today announced that Mount Si High School, part of the Snoqualmie Valley School District in Snoqualmie, Washington, has installed two Technomad Noho C weatherproof outdoor loudspeakers for its Soccer and Track Field to provide voice and audio playback for all events. The Noho C loudspeakers replace less reliable loudspeakers that struggled to fill the track and field area with intelligible audio. They also offer a true weatherproof loudspeaker solution for a region in the west foothills of the Cascade Mountains noted for its heavy annual rainfall.

Electrocom of Washington recommends and installs Technomad Noho C weatherproof loudspeakers for Soccer and Track Field in rainy environment

Our track and field events are spread all over the field, and people had trouble hearing the live audio from our older loudspeakers depending on the location of the event, said Carl Larson, Director of Operations, and Snoqualmie Valley School District. The Technomad loudspeakers are a major improvement and direct the audio to all areas of the field to provide complete coverage. Also, we receive 80 to 90 inches of rain each year, and these loudspeakers are still pumping.

Electrocom of Lynwood, Washington handled the installation and recommended the Technomad Noho C as a reliable loudspeaker that would produce the audio levels and field coverage the school required. The loudspeakers are mounted on two light poles directly behind the visitor’s bleachers of the school’s football field. A two-channel 550-watt amplifier powers the Technomad loudspeakers from the home press box on the opposite side of the football stadium, using thick, protected cabling to drive the 8-Ohm signal from a long distance. A line for a single microphone is run through the same protective conduit to the Soccer and Track Field, where volunteers broadcast live coverage of the events over the Technomad Noho C loudspeakers.

The Technomad Noho C loudspeakers by far outperform the non-Technomad loudspeakers that the acoustical consultant recommended for the football field. Those loudspeakers simply cannot reproduce the high volume required to fill the stadium and compete with crowd noise, said Jerry Hegstad, Education Market Manager, Electrocom. We immediately recommended Technomad when the customer asked us to improve the loudspeakers on the Soccer and Track Field. They sound far better and have a much broader audio dispersion so everyone can clearly hear the live broadcast regardless of location. They also work great for exterior installations, an important element when designing and installing outdoor audio systems.

Technomad loudspeakers are available separately or as part of complete Turnkey PA Systems which feature an audio mixer, power amplifier, speaker cables, speaker mounting brackets, a dynamic microphone with cable, and a rack enclosure.

ABOUT ELECTROCOM

Electrocom is a leader in innovative sound reinforcement and intercommunications design and installation. Responsible for the majority of school and health care facility intercom/clock sales and installations in Western Washington, Electrocom offers a no obligation sound reinforcement evaluation to school districts throughout Western Washington. Their evaluation includes sound reinforcement design for a school gym, band and music rooms, sport stadium, commons, or classrooms. Electrocom, established in 1946, is an exclusive dealer for companies such as Technomad, Rauland-Borg, and Yamaha.