What are people using to play dawn song and chatter CD?
I'd like a system to start automatically and end automatically after 2hrs
Please tell me exactly what to buy.
I have the CDs, need to figure out the system
One different thing is, I constructed a chimney swift tower and have recorded a CD of chimney swift sounds I would like to use it in the same manner to attract chimney swifts.
Thanks
Play CD system?
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Guest
Murph345,
I'm not sure what how other people are playing their tape/cd. I just ran a long speaker wire of the right side of my home stereo. It has the auto loop play on it so it works out pretty good....as long as I remember to shut it off at night
My father Inlaw bought a portable cd player that plays continuously. He just ran a drop cord out and put it under his pool deck. Not sure if you could put something like that on a timer. When the power comes back on, not sure if the play button need pushed again? Goodluck!
crutch
I'm not sure what how other people are playing their tape/cd. I just ran a long speaker wire of the right side of my home stereo. It has the auto loop play on it so it works out pretty good....as long as I remember to shut it off at night
My father Inlaw bought a portable cd player that plays continuously. He just ran a drop cord out and put it under his pool deck. Not sure if you could put something like that on a timer. When the power comes back on, not sure if the play button need pushed again? Goodluck!
crutch
THis may sound complicated but I have two setups now and it really works great.
I bought a radio/tape player from a chevy blazer on ebay. ($20). I then bought a 120volt to 12 volt converter from radio shack. I hooked the converter to a simple household timer that you can set the times on and off with. I ran a wire underground to my housing by simply opening a slot in the ground with a spade and pushing the wire down in the slot.
The radio/tape player has auto reverse feature. Thats a must. The radio will start immediately when power is turned on thats also a must.
Now I have the timer set to go on way before I wake up and turn off at 10AM.
All this has not done me any good. This is my 7th year trying with no luck as yet.
One last thing I had to make a tape from the dawn song CD.
As I said sounds complicated but works great. Just does not attract martins!!!!
I bought a radio/tape player from a chevy blazer on ebay. ($20). I then bought a 120volt to 12 volt converter from radio shack. I hooked the converter to a simple household timer that you can set the times on and off with. I ran a wire underground to my housing by simply opening a slot in the ground with a spade and pushing the wire down in the slot.
The radio/tape player has auto reverse feature. Thats a must. The radio will start immediately when power is turned on thats also a must.
Now I have the timer set to go on way before I wake up and turn off at 10AM.
All this has not done me any good. This is my 7th year trying with no luck as yet.
One last thing I had to make a tape from the dawn song CD.
As I said sounds complicated but works great. Just does not attract martins!!!!
I found a Phillips Boom box from a Pawn shop that plays 3 CD's, has a timer on it & is programable. I used speaker wire & hooked up the least expensive Radio Shack power horn as the speaker & attached it to my housing pole. I have the CD player in my house with the wire going out one of my back windows to protect the player. I put the Dawn song on early 2 X then play the daytime chatter all day long. Each CD is around 70 minutes & repeat them in the program until dark.
I still don't have any residents (my ASY pair from last year didn't come to my setup 'til May) but had a pair visit today during a rain storm. It seems to at least get lookers & am hoping for some SY's to come in soon.
I still don't have any residents (my ASY pair from last year didn't come to my setup 'til May) but had a pair visit today during a rain storm. It seems to at least get lookers & am hoping for some SY's to come in soon.
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Guest
I took an old PC and copied the Dawnsong and Daytime Chatter CD's to the harddrive. I then wrote a little program that loads and plays the recording with variables for the loop function. IE - I can tell it to first play the Dawnsong X number of times and then load and play the Daytime Chatter Y number of times.
I then hooked the PC and powered speakers to a plug-in timer set to start at 5:00 AM and shut off at 8:00 PM at night. Since the original CD files played a fixed amount of time I was able to program the number of times the system should loop the file and then switch to the other to achieve the play times I wanted.
The only draw back to the system was that PC's rely on power amplified speakers. Since I am planning on using some outdoor powerhorn speakers given to me by Fred Kaluza I am now having to add an amplifier to the circuit.
I used an old computer from work that it did not cost me anything and I wrote the program to run from DOS so I didn't need to mess with Windows. I set the system boot sequence to not require a keyboard or mouse so it starts and runs automatically when power is supplied.
The system has been running (during spring and summer) for over seven years up in my barn. I do think that this set up is rather complicated if you don't have the old computer and expertise to configure and program it, but it has worked well for me.
Jeff
I then hooked the PC and powered speakers to a plug-in timer set to start at 5:00 AM and shut off at 8:00 PM at night. Since the original CD files played a fixed amount of time I was able to program the number of times the system should loop the file and then switch to the other to achieve the play times I wanted.
The only draw back to the system was that PC's rely on power amplified speakers. Since I am planning on using some outdoor powerhorn speakers given to me by Fred Kaluza I am now having to add an amplifier to the circuit.
I used an old computer from work that it did not cost me anything and I wrote the program to run from DOS so I didn't need to mess with Windows. I set the system boot sequence to not require a keyboard or mouse so it starts and runs automatically when power is supplied.
The system has been running (during spring and summer) for over seven years up in my barn. I do think that this set up is rather complicated if you don't have the old computer and expertise to configure and program it, but it has worked well for me.
Jeff
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Guest
When you guys are playing these CDs/Tapes how important is the location of the speaker? Does it need to mounted on the PM house, at the top of the pole under the house, somewhere else on the post? Or can it be mounted on another structure near by and aimed at the house? Or anywhere outside in the general area?
Also, how loud should it be? I know that's subjective and difficult to say, but for example, a pleasing level when you are standing near the speaker? Finally, do neighbors complain?
Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a birder and love all birds (well, except two) but I'm a newbie on PMs.
Gus
Also, how loud should it be? I know that's subjective and difficult to say, but for example, a pleasing level when you are standing near the speaker? Finally, do neighbors complain?
Sorry for all the questions, but I'm a birder and love all birds (well, except two) but I'm a newbie on PMs.
Gus
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Guest
Fotoman,
First, I have my speakers located about fifty feet away from the houses and at ground level (pointing upward) and they seem to attract the martins just fine. It appears that once the martins called to the area by the sound they just naturally investigate the housing in the immediate area.
In the spring I have my sound level fairly high until I have found some martins checking things our, and then I turn it down a tad. Since we live in the county with no immediate neighbors there is no problem with complaints. We do get a few humorous comments from visitors once in a while.
Jeff
First, I have my speakers located about fifty feet away from the houses and at ground level (pointing upward) and they seem to attract the martins just fine. It appears that once the martins called to the area by the sound they just naturally investigate the housing in the immediate area.
In the spring I have my sound level fairly high until I have found some martins checking things our, and then I turn it down a tad. Since we live in the county with no immediate neighbors there is no problem with complaints. We do get a few humorous comments from visitors once in a while.
Jeff
Try this site. It is for setting up your computer.
Outdoor speaker setup
link fixed
If it gets deleted send me a message.
Outdoor speaker setup
link fixed
If it gets deleted send me a message.