No, all cables are connected through sockets.  The input from the power transformer unit to the trap has a two-wire connection on it.  This requires wiring to a plug exactly the same as currently fitted to your manual trigger cable and then locating on the trap.  You will not need an electrician to wire this as long as you can wire it in the same manner as the current trigger cable is wired.  Of course, if you cannot wire this, or are not sure about it, then engage a local electrician to complete it.

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2 - Are there any adjustments for tuning or frequency?

No, the CVR is designed to work without dials or knobs to adjust - this provides the most user-friendly unit that it is possible to have.  Extensive field trials have been conducted to find the optimum level of performance for all human voice ranges.  Despite people being different in their calls etc, the equipment is designed to cater for all voice levels.

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3 - Will this equipment work in rain?

Yes, this equipment has been extensively tested and used in rain - it still operates perfectly.  Hail can affect the performance through causing a vibration on the microphone casing and automatically releasing targets.  It is suggested that if competition must continue during hail, the remote trigger be switched to 'off' and the manual release be used until weather conditions improve.  Of course, shooters may prefer to take shelter while the hail passes, in which case, remember to switch the remote trigger to 'off' so that the unit will not continue to release targets!

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4 - Our club has trees surrounding it - will this equipment work?

Yes.  We have found that the reverberations from trees do not affect the performance of the CVR unit.  In very exceptional situations, e.g. where one trap was surrounded by 2 mt high maize on three sides & the gunshot echo was liking being inside a tin shed, the unit was constantly releasing targets.  This situation was corrected by inserting small pieces of polystyrene in the microphone mouth to muffle noise - the equipment then returned to its normal flawless performance.  Alternatively, stocking could have been placed over the microphone mouth and attached by rubber band.

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5 - Our clubhouse has a loudspeaker system - will this interfere with the equipment?

No. We have found that normal volume loudspeaker (tannoy) systems do not upset the performance of this equipment.

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6 - We employ a scorer and referee - how does this equipment effect them?

It means that whichever of these persons is currently required to operate the target release, will now NOT have to perform this function. Therefore it is possible to combine these two duties and have only one person on the line in an official capacity.

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7 - One of our members shoots from a wheelchair - can he use this equipment?

Yes. CVR equipment has been used by several shooters who compete from wheelchairs. While the height of the microphones may appear to be at an awkward level for them to raise their guns over, in practice this has not caused any problems. Voice activation of the equipment is not hindered from the height of the shooter from a wheelchair.

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8 - One of elder members uses a whistle to call for his targets - what does he do now?

He can compete as per normal.  At Phoenix in February 1999, one competitor used a whistle and the equipment performed exactly as if the person was calling by voice.

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9 - How long does it take to set up the microphones each time?

If can take up to 5 minutes the first time that this equipment is laid out on a field.  However, once the equipment is established and your club finds the most suitable method of storing it, e.g. leaving microphone cables attached to microphones and complete on stands, etc, then it might take as long as 2 minutes to set the gear up.

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10 - Do we have to pack the gear away after each day's shooting?

Not necessarily.  This does depend on conditions at your club and what is happening.  For instance, at the New Zealand and Australian National Championships, all lanes were left with the CVR equipment in situ, day and night, over the whole period of the shoot.  There was no problem with either overnight dew or rain on the equipment in the morning.  However, both fields were well protected overnight and so no damage could occur to equipment.  If your local field only shoots at weekends, then it is suggested that the equipment be packed away in a safe position (the trap house if secured is ideal) each night.

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11 - Some of our members have release triggers - what if they accidentally put a shot through one of your cables?

Although this has not happened yet, it has been suggested as a possibility.  The cable is top quality double axial and can be repaired on site and taped up to return the equipment to full performance, if this should happen.  Each distributor carries a full range of spares for this equipment and so new cables, etc can be purchased if required.

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12 - Is it possible for anyone to receive an electric shock from the remote trigger unit?

Not really.  The transformer that is provided with this equipment allows the unit to operate on 12 volts.  So that means that the remote trigger unit, which is the only piece of this equipment likely to be touched by a person, is extremely safe.  The only potential for danger is if the transformer is immersed in water and fails, causing all the equipment to carry your standard current.  However, this is no different to what you currently have with a constant hand-held manual pull, and in fact is infinitely more safe, given that this equipment is only touched to switch 'on' or 'off'.  Whenever the trap house has been flooded with water and equipment has been immersed, take normal precautions and dry off equipment and test it properly before returning it to normal use. We would advise that on installing the CVR unit in each trap house, the transformer should be attached to the trap house wall, out of reach of any potential water level or damage situation.

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13 - We have some very fast shooters at our club - will this equipment reset quick enough for them?

Yes.  CVR's are provided in two separate specifications. 
In the USA where dtl is shot single barrel and shooters perform very quickly on the line, the return to battery time is 1.6 seconds.  This still allows sufficient time for either an automatic loader or manual loader to operate the trap.
In Australia, New Zealand and the UK, where dtl is shot double barrel, the return to battery time is 2.5 seconds.  Again, this is more than sufficient for the trap to be re-loaded.

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14 - We still use manual loaders for our traps - can this equipment cope with that?

Yes.  As outlined above, the equipment is well designed to cater for manual loaders.  However, shooters do need to realise that it is their voice that activates this equipment and so once they conclude a round they need to be careful about talking or calling out before either stepping back from the line or having the referee/scorer switch the unit 'off'.  An inadvertent release of a clay at the end of a round might take a manual loader by surprise, if shooters on the line were to call after concluding a round.

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15 - Our club is fully equipped with auto-loading traps - can we use your equipment on these?

Yes.  This equipment will work with any make of trap and if your club has auto-loading traps then you have the ultimate in set-ups!  For practice traps, you can even run these without any person being in attendance.

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16 - Can we bury the main cable, from the trap house to the control box, underground for a better look to the trap lines?

Yes, this is quite possible.  While the coaxial cable that is used for the main line between the trap and control box is to a standard able to be buried in the ground, we would suggest that you take an extra precaution of protecting it with a plastic pipe.  Simply purchase a length of pipe long enough to reach from the trap house to the 16 yard line and then insert the cable through this, before burying it.  The added protection will ensure that anyone putting a spade, fork or mechanical digger of any sort into the ground in the future has some buffer before possibly severing the cable.  Ensure that if you do bury the cable, there is a record of the location of this!

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17 - Our region gets snow during the winter - will your equipment stand up to freezing temperatures?

CVR equipment has been tested to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees centigrade) and in snow.  It still performs to the same standard in these conditions. 

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18 - Our region gets very hot summers - can your control box, cables, etc stand out in the heat all day without malfunctioning?

Yes, CVR units have been tested to 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees centigrade) and still perform perfectly.

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19 - We would like to operate our practice traps on coin or swipe card activation - are you going to develop a model to operate like this?

We have had several requests to design a unit that can operate like this and it is on our agenda to do so.  We would like to be testing a unit for this operation before the end of 1999, so watch the web-site for "new products".

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20 - Our club has more than 10 traps in a line, how does the call or gunshot from an adjoining lane affect the equipment?

“It doesn’t. The CVR has been designed and extensively trialed on regulation sized fields with all normal (and some abnormal) noises and it performs without problem.

However, where some Clubs have lanes set-up closer than normal regulation (generally at older clubs, e.g. Vandalia) and the shooter at 27 yd handicap is much closer than would normally be anticipated, there may be some problem with false release with calls from the next lane.

There is an easy cure when this problem arises. Simply place some 3 - 5 (3” x 4”) pieces of foam rubber or similar into the shroud of each microphone. This gives a slight “muffling” effect to calls from the adjacent lanes, but does not detract from the shooting lane itself and will eliminate false releases.”

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21 - Our club looks at several ways to earn/save money - how can your equipment help us in this regard considering we have to pay good money to install it?

There are several ways that CVR equipment will help you in this regard.
If you employ two people on the line currently, then this can be reduced to one, as the function of manual release has been eliminated.  This is a saving, and should see a pay-back in approximately 12 months.
You will waste less clays.  Shooters do not reject targets with the CVR giving perfect release every time.  This is a saving. Shooters will practice more with CVR equipment as they get the same release as if they are on the competition lines - this will generate more profit for your club.
Insurance premiums should be reduced by installing this equipment, given that it allows one person to be taken off the line who is not a shooter. More competitors will attend your shoots once they know you are using this equipment as they recognise that it makes for a more enjoyable and fair competiton. You will find that your shoots are run better as there is less organisation involved with officials required - again this leads to better attendance at competitions. Shoots will run to time more often as there is no need to constantly 'find' the person required to manually pull the targets - again, this leads to better attendance at competitions.

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22 - Some of our members have very deep voices - will they be picked up by the microphones?
 

Yes, although we have found that some people with such a voice (especially if combined with facial hair) can cause a failure to release targets.  It may be necessary for a person with such a voice to practice their calls to ensure the optimum level - this can be done without releasing targets through de-activating the trap and watching the led light on the remote trigger 'wink' off when it is activated.

Where some shooters are experiencing problems with their call giving intermittant releases, then it may be necessary to experiment with a clearer command word.

The word “pull” is ideal. However other words such as “now” “kick” “mike” etc work equally as well, as these words have a sharp starting consonant.

As the CVR equipment is designed to recognise a human voice at a certain pitch, the optimum performance is with a clear command, rather than a word that is clear part-way through the call, as in “puuuuuuuuullllllllll” which may be started very softly.

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23 - One of our members has a very sharp "huh" call rather than "pull" - is this likely to cause any problems?

It can do.  If the length of time that the voice is projected for is too sharp, then the equipment possibly recognises it as a gunshot rather than a voice.  To cure this problem, the competitor may need to simply lengthen the call a fraction or change to calling the traditional word "pull".

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24 - Some of our lady members have quite soft voices - can the voice releases pick up these calls?

Yes.  Very few women have problems with the CVR failing to pick their calls and in fact some find that they get better calls through this equipment than with a manual puller!  Most ladies with a soft voice recognise this fact and change very quickly to a slightly louder voice if they get problems.

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25 - I've heard that automatic shotguns can cause problems with your gear - is this true?

Yes.  We have found that some automatics, especially some of the older models, do have a tendency to cause false releases.  This is because of the peculiar pattern of noise that the breech makes when reloading.  We suggest that where competitors are using such a gun they turn fractionally from the equipment when reloading in an effort to minimise any false release of targets.

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