Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE: Portable radios for customer rentals at a drive-in

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Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 06-10-2012, 08:50 PM:

One of the services we have long offered at our drive-in is the rental of a portable radio for those who want/need it. However, we're having a problem finding good quality portable radios that aren't to expensive, and will stand up to the abuse of customers.

As far as initial quality, we've had good success with the Sony ICF-S10MK2. They sound good and get decent reception even at the front of the lot - which is a good 400' from the transmitter. However, after just a couple rentals the antenna start to break or bend.

I'm curious to know if any of the other drive-in operators have hands on experience with a particular am/fm radio which holds up well over time.

Posted by Monte L Fullmer (Member # 2797) on 06-11-2012, 04:10 AM:

I service a drive-in that uses AM 530Khz along with the FM, and they have a good bunch of the cheapie 12 buck "Rat Shack" portables that actually picks up the AM signal better than the FM.

Thus the antennae rod is not needed to be pulled out.

Wonder if one can take 26g strand wire, solder on end to the antennae point on the momboard of the radio and then take the wire and loop it around a couple of times inside the radio to eliminate the rod antennae where it could still pick up the signals. Would that work?

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-11-2012, 12:17 PM:

Not so much for FM. Few drive ins with functioning AM transmitters.What you describe works on AM since you are using the inductive field, not the normal field used for AM stations. Even for 50 Kw stations the inductive field is gone in a mile or two. Louis

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 06-11-2012, 01:08 PM:

We've used really cheap AM/FM radios we bought from the Dollar General store several years ago. I think the radios were $3.00 each. I bought a case of them (12) and I think we still have 2 or 3 left that still work. The batteries ended up costing more than the radios.

I'd love to find somebody who could make an FM radio that would fit inside the metal shell case of an old drive-in speaker. Heck, even if the speaker case was plastic, I'd still like it. I'd like for the only knob on it to be a rotary on/off volume knob. Have it set up where the FM frequency could be set by dip switches inside the case, and you'd have to have a security screw removal tool to replace the batteries or switch the frequency.

We've never "rented" our radios, but usually loan them out with the exchange of a drivers license. I get my radio back, they get their license back.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-12-2012, 07:39 AM:

Easiest way to handle:

FM only

Bring your own radio

or sit next to the projection room outdoor speaker.

All others: silent movies.

Believe it or not, they do learn. All of them have a portable radio at home. No one is that poor; or if they are, then they can't afford gas. Louis

Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 06-12-2012, 07:57 AM:

I've always liked the idea of having at least one row of speaker poles. That way, it's easy to accommodate cars without working radios, and people who actually like the idea of using the old-style speakers. People who prefer high-quality sound can use FM.

For those with FM transmitters only: what happens when/if you do a "classic car night"? Most cars from the 1970s and earlier would have AM-only radios installed. Do people just bring their own portable radios?

Posted by Tony Gallimore (Member # 5358) on 06-12-2012, 12:09 PM:

A couple of questions as a matter of bringing myself up to date, as I haven't had any association with a drive-in since I worked at one in the 90's. (All indoor since then.) When the transmitters came into use for D/I's, we just added the service and continued to use the field speakers. In fact, we had a few customers who for whatever reason were reluctant to run their vehicle radio's. This was well after the transition to solid state, so it wasn't the problem of the radio pulling so much current that it drained their battery, plus we kept a battery pack and had several employees with cars available to jump anyone with a dead battery. One question is "are these drive-ins you refer to so new that they were built with broadcast capability only, or was the old speaker system abandoned?" We continued to maintain our speakers just the same as previous to the addition of the wireless systems. The speaker post/junction box helped to regulate orderly parking... our field was grass, the ramps gravel and of course no lines for parking, so the posts served several purposes. They even had low voltage lighting in them in addition to the moonlight system. Additionally, I have attended a drive-in where they had mounted horns on each side of the screen and aimed them center field for those who didn't want to use the field speakers or radio. This worked well for theatre patrons, but I'm not sure how the neighbors liked it. In addition, this drive-in accomodated a lot of walk-ins, usually kids not old enough to drive, with benches at the back of the field in front of concessions. That worked well during good weather, but I wouldn't want to be trapped there in a thunderstorm. For this reason, I'm surprised there are many patrons needing to rent a radio at all unless the drive-ins of which you're speaking are newer installations that never had field speakers/posts etc. Just curious... after I retired to my back yard cinema and lawn chair, I just didn't keep up with the drive-in venue.

Posted by Barry Floyd (Member # 385) on 06-12-2012, 12:14 PM:

Our drive-in was built back in 2003, so the only thing we've ever offered was FM transmission. We do have 2 inch PVC posts spaced in the field like speaker posts, for the sole purpose of aiding in parking.

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 06-12-2012, 12:24 PM:

My drive-in experience is pretty much limited to the one I have been operating for the past 7 years. So it's difficult for me to give much of a historical perspective.

My drive-in was opened in the early 1970's. To the best of my knowledge the sound has always been broadcast on AM & FM. Despite a large collection of old "stuff", I see no remnants of speaker poles - no spare parts and no cut off poles or filled holes.

We don't allow walk-ins, partly because we are not located close to where people might walk in. But also because our facility is not built to accommodate walk-ins.

I think the main reason we wind up renting radios is for the people who want to sit in lawn chairs or the bed of their pick-up. There are also people who are not able to completely turn off their car's lights (or more likely they don't know how). And of course there is the occasional car that doesn't have a radio. Regardless of the reason, the radio rental is a service we have always offered.

Posted by Tony Gallimore (Member # 5358) on 06-12-2012, 02:44 PM:

Just out of further curiosity, Justin, some of the first AM systems used the pre-existing speaker wiring to the posts as the radiators for the AM signal. What little I remember was it wasn't real efficient and experienced interference from the night time skip of adjacint radio stations, heterodyne, passing cb radios etc. Is it possible your theatre was one of the earlier systems that later converted to better AM technology when it became available? The timing (1970's) would be about right. Because of the interference problems, I read the FCC relinquished their binding regulations and let the AM designs go to a single antenna and let them radiate up to three miles around the theatre, controling that by the power output at the transmitter. With the power boost and better filtering on the receivers, they were able to overcome the interference. I never saw one of those first AM systems in operation, only read about it in Boxoffice Magazine and in broadcast mags, as I was also involved in broadcast engineering too. The old prototypes, I understand, came and went faster than 1950's 3-D. FM, for theatres was introduced around then too, and the FCC mandated all receivers be AM/FM capable. I guess the problem was pretty much solved until the FCC started arguing about which type of FM stereo to mandate. Then it was AM stereo... It's always something with federally regulated electronics, isn't it? Great talking to you guys!!

Posted by Justin Hamaker (Member # 2165) on 06-12-2012, 02:55 PM:

Tony, I honestly don't know the answer to that question. All I know about the AM is there is a box next to the sound rack and than it works on 530 AM. Beyond that, I don't even know where it's transmitted from.

But as I said, I don't know that my drive-in ever had speaker boxes, so it would be unlikey that type of system is in place.

Posted by Louis Bornwasser (Member # 3063) on 06-13-2012, 06:39 AM:

AM: the best systems used "leakey coax" great coverage and no spillover. (One drive in we did had no reception in the concession stand, but was the strongest station on the dial in the car!)

FM: I know this is counterintutive, but: 1 watt (illegal) but with the antenna mounted at the baseboard of the projection booth. The goal is a very strong signal that doesn't go very far. Louis

Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 06-13-2012, 02:20 PM:

Why wouldn't you just buy cheap radios for under $10.00 and sell them at cost but with the provision that, if the person returns the radio, they get half their money back. If they don't return the radio, nothing lost.

If you sell/rent the same radio two times, you've just paid for it. If the thing gets lost, broken or somebody takes it home, you can still buy anther and you haven't lost anything.