Comrex Vector issues

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Clay JD Walker
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Comrex Vector issues

Post by Clay JD Walker »

Yo gang...on the way to Lowes Motor Speedway for the weekend...gonna broadcast wall-to-wall from Friday morning to Saturday afternoon, and have the new IP-based Comrex Access, hardwired to Windstream's drop-DSL. I also have ordered a POTS line for backup with a Comrex Vector, however, when the engineer handed the unit to me this morning, I tried to power it on and it's stuck on the 'Initializing' screen. Anyone else get an error like this, and if so, got an idea on how to get it to work again? I've used this Access unit for two years now with a 3G Sprint card and have never had a lick of problems...this is the first time I'm using it on a dedicated DSL line, so I'm wanting to make certain that I am totally covered. I doubt I'll be able to leave the infield, and I'd rather not bug Doug at PRN for his ISDN line...got any ideas? Cameron? Dave Harman? Jay (hoping for a lame engineering slam from ya)?
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Cameron »

The vector is similar to PC BIOS and stops the boot-process on a problem.
1) Make sure none of the buttons are sticking. Sometimes the Vector's funky-little buttons get lodged behind the plastic front.

2) Take the unit apart (it's not that hard) and check if the boards, modem, ic's, and ribbon-cables are properly-seeded. The firmware will stop if it can't talk-to all of it's friends.

3) Count the dots on the intitalizing screen. Like Comrex's Nexus ISDN unit, each dot represents progress in the boot-up. Comrex will be able to tell you what hardware it's stopping-on.

If you have to go to this unit, (I doubt the access will let you down) be sure when the POTS line has a piggybacking DSL, you use a DSL filter ahead of the Vector's modem. You will filter-out the high-frequency DSL-garbage and won't confuse the modem.

The Access ships with a POTS modem. It is backwards-compatable with the Matrix, Bluebox, and Vector. It also ships with a WiFi card. If for some reason you can't get the unit to work with the locked-down DSL, the 46,453 Wi-fi signals at the track, or the the 3G IP, you can put it in POTS mode and call another Access, Matrix, Vector, or Bluebox.

Grab Harrill out of the PRN trailer if he has a minute. He will get it working.
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Clay JD Walker »

Thanks for the help, Cameron! I checked the little buttons by the screen and it looked like the bottom one was stuck, and it booted right up. My home telephone service has that annoying 'pulsing dial tone' when I have voice mail, so when I went to dial back to the station last evening, the system didn't think I had a dial tone, so I cleared out all of the telemarketer messages so I could get a straight tone, and boom, I was able to dial out. You're right about the Access. I suppose I have gotten spoiled about how great the audio quality is on it, because in comparison, the Vector sounds like garbage. As a precaution, I am bypassing the Sprint 3G card on the unit, and going with a dedicated connection in anticipation of race day outages on the cell phone network. Something tells me that with all of the fans in the stands with their phones, plus all of the other sporadic RF that's flying around, I won't be able to get a solid connection over the 15 hours or so I'm going to be on the air. I was amazed, too, that with the 128k cheap-ass DSL I have at home that I was able to get connected at a pretty decent rate without any real noticeable audio degradation. Let me just say this...if you're on the streets a lot, and are tired with f-ing with a marti, and can't get a POTS line for a traditional codec, the Access, hands down, beats the pants off of anything else on the market. I've had mine for over two years now and the only problem I had is when I lent it to our sister Hip Hop station and they dumped Coke in it...

'just sayin'.

Thanks again, Cameron!
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by genlock »

Methinks Clay(JD) Walker owes Cameron a station tee shirt for engineering help.
"Everyone Should be aware that you're just a screen grab away from infamy."
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Cameron »

Our Access doesn't leave my sight.
I used it last weekend in the Superdome to rebroadcast 93.7 inside the dome via the Saints' internet connection.
TSA looks at it kinda' funny, though.
Clay JD Walker wrote:Thanks for the help, Cameron! I checked the little buttons by the screen and it looked like the bottom one was stuck, and it booted right up. My home telephone service has that annoying 'pulsing dial tone' when I have voice mail, so when I went to dial back to the station last evening, the system didn't think I had a dial tone, so I cleared out all of the telemarketer messages so I could get a straight tone, and boom, I was able to dial out.
If you wanted to save your messages, get to your keypad dial screen and press "Quick Dial" on the Vector about 4 or 5 times. Then enter the telephone number you wish to dial. The display will show commas leading your number. That represents "pause" to the modem and would give your dial-tone time to cycle out of the pulsing.
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Cameron »

genlock wrote:Methinks Clay(JD) Walker owes Cameron a station tee shirt for engineering help.
Shhh. If someone thought I actually "knew" anything...whew.
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Clay JD Walker »

Looking into my temporary broadcast position, on the backstretch looking into turn 3 at Lowes Motor Speedway:
Image

Not a sniff of problems out of my Access, wired straight to the DSL line...the vector's just there to keep the Access company...if you wanna hear how this all sounds, stream it now at 931wolfcounry.com

/shameless plug
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Cameron »

The laptop-screen is just plain pandering.
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by AmpedNow »

Pure awesome.

8)
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Cameron »

What? No fiber/25 dry-pairs to a booth a 1/2 mile away, uplink truck, contact closures, 10 wireless frequencies on air at all times from over a mile-radius? That's no NASCAR radio broadcast. That's just a remote. :wink:
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by Clay JD Walker »

Nope, just one line just laying on the ground along turn three, down to the backstretch...just along the fence there. It was great last night when the Nationwide race was goin on...and three fat, drunk women tripped over it...that and a shared camper crapper at 4 a.m....the only real hazards thus far...but the morning is young.
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Re: Comrex Vector issues

Post by sportsvoice »

I wish we had an Access. Could have used it last night, because we had such a poor Marti shot for our high school game broadcast...and we have one coming up that's too far away and cell phone is going to be the only option.

I need to get out my grant-writing pen... :D
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