Sound from phone through speakers

[sparkplug]

I'm not much of a sound tech (I'm the video dude), but I have something that I'd like to do for when the pastor and a few couples go on a marriage retreat later this year. During the Sunday morning service, I'd like to have a live phone call played through the sanctuary's system, with the ability to talk back using either a headset, a microphone, or whatever we need to use. Can it be done? If so, what all will we need?

[sheldon]

What you want is called a Hybrid Phone Patch. We use an older version of the Gentner unit and I found one on Ebay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...776190297&rd=1

It plugs into your sound system and you can talk from the pulpit just like they do on TV. The congregation hears the incoming call over the mains and you reply just by talking into the pulpit mic like normal.

[sparkplug]

Thanks! Do you know of any retail or online companies that market them?

Edit: nevermind. Froogle answered my question.

[Elec R. Winner]

i'd guess if you use a cell phone with a headset jack, you should be able to get audio in and out of the cell phone with a mini-TRS to 2 RCA... like a mini insert cable. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...=265063&is=REG
this would work if you have to use a land line.

[sheldon]

The unit I posted from Ebay retails for about $400 or so. That price is excellent even with the buy it now.

There are other products, but Gentner is the mainstay of the radio business. They make fancy multiline systems that run many thousands of dollars.

But to answer your question, I purchased ours from CCI Solutions in Olympia Washington. Call 1-800-426-8664 and ask for Stephen. Tell him I sent you.

[dljordaneku]

Originally Posted by Sheldon

The unit I posted from Ebay retails for about $400 or so. That price is excellent even with the buy it now.

There are other products, but Gentner is the mainstay of the radio business. They make fancy multiline systems that run many thousands of dollars.

But to answer your question, I purchased ours from CCI Solutions in Olympia Washington. Call 1-800-426-8664 and ask for Stephen. Tell him I sent you.

This has been discussed before. try this links
Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

dj

[Simo]

Nowadays, as the traditional cord phones are becoming rare, and everybody has a cell phone, there is one more option you could do:

1. Many high-end cell phones have a small speaker on them. Find somebody who has one.
2. Make a phone call and use your normal PA microphone (lav or handheld) as usual. The person making the call should probably wear a hands-free with a small mic so the people in the other end would hear the conversation better.

Worked ok for us. We have had phone calls to/from our missionaries done this way. The sound quality is not hi-fi, but who cares. A phone call from the missions field, somewhere out there, should not sound like hi-fi.

Simo

[sparkplug]

We have some old corded phones lying around that have speakerphone capabilities, and we've got a phone jack in the tech booth, so I'll see what we can do with that. If that doesn't work, I'll probably go with the phone patch.

Thanks for the responses!

[sheldon]

Originally Posted by sparkplug

We have some old corded phones lying around that have speakerphone capabilities, and we've got a phone jack in the tech booth, so I'll see what we can do with that. If that doesn't work, I'll probably go with the phone patch.

Thanks for the responses!

If you are planning on doing this more than once, I would invest in the phone patch. Play with it a bit making local calls as you have to set both incoming and outgoing volume levels (my wife threw a fit once she found out she was being played over the main speakers... I called her at home to test).

If this is going to be a one time thing, above are some great ideas that may work for you.