Voice Recorder Advice

[theunofficialofficial]

With all this new fangled technology for wirelessly communicating between crew members. I was curious if anyone used a voice recorder for recording fouls. I'm thinking about using one as trying to read my chicken scratch off a soggy game card at the end of a game is getting old.

Wanted to know if anyone else here uses one. Benefits or more hassle?
What models/features would you recommend.
Or just flat out not recommend using one.

[ALStripes17]

With all this new fangled technology for wirelessly communicating between crew members. I was curious if anyone used a voice recorder for recording fouls. I'm thinking about using one as trying to read my chicken scratch off a soggy game card at the end of a game is getting old.

Wanted to know if anyone else here uses one. Benefits or more hassle?
What models/features would you recommend.
Or just flat out not recommend using one.

I know of guys that will use one and turn it on when they go to give the signals to the pressbox. They just say the foul and whatnot as they are signaling.

Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk

[Rulesman]

I used one up to the day I retired. It was a Sony that was about 4" long and 3/4" thick. Got the idea 15 years ago from a friend and former crew mate still now working U in FBS. I loved it. You can use it for more than just recording fouls.

[HLinNC]

We had our BJ's doing it a few years ago before we fully got on Hudl.  We asked for foul reports from the crews to try and match up with what we the training committee were seeing on video.  Now the crews just review their own games and submit plays to us.  I don't know if they are still using recorders or not.

[Welpe]

I use a Sony digital recorder and it is invaluable for quickly recording this type of information. Good also for noting time outs and any issues you need to document for later. Though I recommend writing those down also just in case.

[Legacy Zebra]

My biggest piece of advice is to get one that powers up quickly so you can shut it off between recordings. My first couple games using one, I would leave it on when I put it back in my pocket. Somehow the record button got presses and I recorded about 15 minutes of whistles, bands, and PA announcements. That wouldn't have been too big of a problem, except after I recorded all that, the play button got pressed and for the next 15 minutes I kept hearing faint echoes of whistles, bands, and PA announcements. So now I power it all the way down when I'm done recording a foul.

[Morningrise]

I use one all the time. It's way faster than trying to whip out a card and pen, find the box to write it down, then put everything back in my pocket, all while making sure the yardage was walked off correctly, and all before beginning the presnap routine.

"First quarter 9:56, white, offense, holding, 77, accepted, line judge."

Each recording gets saved to a separate file number, so I can just click forward and backward to jump between them. Always say the quarter and time first, so you know right away what part of the game you've jumped to.

Important feature: Mine has a sliding switch that acts like a safety, so I'm not constantly toggling the record button in my pocket while running.

My voice recorder also has four "folders" that you can jump between. I use folder 1 for first half fouls, folder 2 for second half fouls. Folders 3 and 4 are for anything I might want to remember to note on the postgame sheet, or things my supervisor might come asking about the next day.

My recorder is several years old so I don't have a specific model recommendation. Nothing on Amazon's first page of results seems to match the one I grabbed from Staples back then. Don't pay too much and don't worry about storage capacity - I don't even fill up 1% of mine. These things are designed for hours of recording, not twenty sentences.

I record every foul, not just my own. You never know when it will save the day filling out the postgame sheet.

I don't delete anything until the next week's pregame, just in case.

[Etref]

Just a note
Practice with it at least once on a subvarsity game to get used to it

[Ironhead17]

As a Linesman in SC we submit a report on Arbiter after each varsity game. I picked up a few cheap ones on Ebay ~$5-8 and they work great if the dummy on the other end knows what he's doing. Make sure to record the sequence like the report is formatted. It's an awesome tool, seldom does anyone want to review the penalties they called post game so it affords you the option of getting a quick start towards home.

You'll love it. Practice & get your technique down and make sure to charge you batteries before the game.

I've yet to push a button accidently btw. The small ones have recessed buttons so it is designed well for the pocket. A must have in my book for all Linesmen.

[Joe Stack]

Go a small step further and say, "over," after every report you make. You will invariably say something like, "holding, offense, 64, 2:13." You left out the team, quarter, and maybe if you want, whether it was accepted. You realize that, get back on there to correct it, and later, you don't know if that was a new foul or a rewrite of the first.

Use more, not fewer, words. I learned that when I was dictating stuff in a tape for my secretary to type up.