Technomad Loudspeakers Bring Game Day Audio to Colleges and High Schools

Technomad
LLC has been creating weatherproof loudspeakers and audio systems since 1995,
and this week, high schools and colleges in the Pacific
Northwest began to benefit from the company’s expertise. AVX
Northwest, an A/V equipment dealer, consultant, and installer based in Centralia, Washington,
has just completed two Technomad Turnkey PA school installations, one at Saint
Martin’s University of Lacey,
Washington and another at Kalama
High School of Kamala, Washington, providing substantial sound system upgrades
on the campuses, both indoors and out.

“The
reliability and durability of Technomad loudspeakers outdoors is renowned
because of their weatherproof design, and the voice projection and musical
quality is also very much appreciated in this industry,” says Mark Abbott, founder
of AVX Northwest. “That audio quality and reliability translates
phenomenally indoors, especially in gymnasiums for live sports, concerts and
other events. Indoors, we typically hang the loudspeakers on ceiling rafters
and direct the loudspeakers so that there is an even pattern coverage across
360 degrees.The handoff from one loudspeaker to the next is virtually
unnoticeable.”

Technomad
Turnkey PA Systems typically include between two and four Technomad
weatherproof loudspeakers, a 6RU signal processing rack featuring an amplifier,
mixer and CD player, a dynamic microphone, and all associated cables and
connectors to form a complete PA solution.Both campuses received
Technomad Turnkey PA systems for various outdoor and indoor venues.Saint Martin’s University is sharing the signal
processing rack between three venues, transporting it between a baseball field and
fast-pitch softball field.

Abbott
installed seven Technomad Paris 616 loudspeakers between the two fields: four
for baseball, and three for fast-pitch softball. He installed the loudspeakers
behind the backstops and along the first and third base lines to ensure clear
coverage to all areas. Technomad’s new loudspeaker yokes were used to hang and
support the loudspeakers, providing plenty of flexibility to shield the
loudspeakers from line drives and position them for the best possible audio
directivity. Abbott ran wiring to a lockable, vandal-proof box by the
scorekeeping booth, where an operator can plug in and turn on the system for
immediate operation.

Kalama High
School purchased two fixed Turnkey PA systems for its
multi-purpose outdoor stadium and gymnasium, where basketball and volleyball
games and school concerts are held. According to Abbott, the
multi-purpose outdoor stadium for football, soccer and track previously relied
on a horn system that provided poor sound quality and fell into
disrepair.Abbott installed four Nohos on the back rafters and wired the
system so that the Turnkey PA rack is simply connected to pre-configured cable
runs that descend through the press box ceiling.The result is a reliable,
plug-and-play installation.

“The
projection of the Technomads gives you more than any horn system could offer
for voice, but the bigger difference is the bass response and music quality,” Abbott
says. “Most of the announcers are male, and horns cannot precisely reproduce
the male voice because of the lack of lower end.And bass reproduction is
very essential for today’s music, which is especially important for football
games and practices.”

According
to Bruce Rader, school board president at Kalama High School,
the Technomad system was part of a larger upgrade to the outdoor stadium that
also involved a new turf and a paint job. “The old
horn system sounded horrible; cheerleaders wanted to play music through it and
it didn’t work,” Rader explains. “The four Technomad Nohos reproduce music very
well and cover the entire stadium, from the home to visitor stands and across
the field to each end zone. Inside, we were using 20-year old speakers, and Mark
also recommended four Nohos.We thought that might be overkill, but the
sound is loud and clear without coming across as overpowering.They sound
incredible.”

Abbott
added that the weatherproof aspect is highly important to withstand the
consistent rain and dampness of the Pacific Northwest
region, and the occasional weather-related curve ball. “This winter, we
have had record amounts of snowfall,” he says. “To have a loudspeaker I
don’t have to worry about out in the elements says it all. But the simplicity
of this Turnkey PA System is that Technomad has done all the work. They wire
the amplifier, mixer and take care of all the cabling in advance.Everything
is self-contained and it is an excellent system for schools and colleges that
are on a limited budget but want the versatility that comes with being on the
go and supporting multiple events.”

For more
information, visit www.technomad.com.