Drawing of a possible design for a simple to construct
Parabolic
Here is the mic (minus the microphone), reflector is a Telinga,
others can be used, stay above 20" diameter. The nosepiece built to a
level of cut away that can be done fairly easily with a number of
different tools. The two disks clamping the reflector are rug castors
with a hole drilled through them. Remaining construction is simple
pipe cutting. Glue the joint between handle and T. The joints on the
nosepiece should not be glued so you can mount the mic. Place foam
around the mic, at the opposite end of the nose pipe, and bottom of
the handle. Cover the handle with foam, etc. to reduce handling
noise.
A recording with the setup as
shown, Sony ECM-T140 Tie Tac Mic, Sony MZ-R30 MD.
Southern Leopard Frogs (50 & 100'), insects, at night. Also
chicken house fans (800'), gas turbine power plant (2 miles)
If you have access to a milling machine or are otherwise adept, this
is about as much as you can cut the pipe away. Note the plug in the
pipe to keep sound from travelling through the piping to the mic. And
a view of the mic wedged into the end with some foam.
A recording with this light
nosepiece, Sony ECM-T140 Tie Tac Mic, Sony MZ-R30 MD
Insects 50+ feet, Jay (400-600'), Crows (800-1000'). Also chicken
house fans (800', gas turbine power plant (2 miles), airliners, etc.
A design using a reflector that used to be available from
www.amazing.com. Same diameter as the Telinga reflector, but flatter
with a longer focus. The small plastic funnel acts as a barrier to
help keep down pickup from the side. I used this setup to record
frogs for more than two years before moving to the telinga.
A recording with this setup, Sony
ECM-T145 Tie Tac Mic, Sony MZ-R30 MD
Southern Leopard Frogs (50 & 100'), insects, at night. Also
chicken house fans (800'), gas turbine power plant (2 miles)
For comparison, recordings with the Telinga Pro V with DAT Stereo mic
element, Sony MZ-R30 MD:
1. Mixed to Mono, as are all the
above.
2. Original Stereo version
Southern Leopard Frogs (50 & 100'), insects, at night. Also
chicken house fans (800'), gas turbine power plant (2 miles)