CF-Card sized audio front end for your PDA or Laptop PC 24-Bit / 96kHz Enables you to record, edit & send your audio from a familiar device Fits in any PDA equipped with a CF-Card slot and running Windows Pocket PC Fits in any laptop equipped with a PC-Card or CF-card and running Windows XP/2000/Vista Standard & Pro versions available Mini-Jack or Lemo mic connectors Phantom power or Mic Bias Onboard Limiter Automatic Gain Control (AGC) High Power Headphone Amplifier Multi-Vendor Software Support Really easy to use
| MAYCOM N>TRANS | specs | pdf | manual | buy |
 Record & edit broadcast quality audio on your Pocket PC (PDA) N>Trans is Maycom's newest product. A brand new platform for computerized audio recording, N>Trans is a Compact Flash (CF) sized Audio Card for use in a PDA running Windows Pocket PC or a laptop PC running Windows XP/2000/Vista. It enables you to record broadcast quality audio in mono or stereo and then edit it straight away. And if your PDA or laptop is WiFi equipped you may even send (FTP) the interview directly to your station's server for immediate airing!
By using the N>Trans Audio Card together with a PDA or laptop the reporter is fully equipped to record and distribute broadcast quality audio as well as the many different kinds of textual and graphic content a PDA or laptop can deliver. Broadcasters these days not only transmit programming conventionally but also produce feature-rich websites that enhance - even substitutes in some cases - the regular broadcast schedule. So, as well as good audio, text and graphic information is also important. Increasingly the reporter must be a multimedia provider. Enter Maycom's N>Trans!
Maycom designed and now manufacture the N>Trans in their own factory, and can even provide a Software Development Kit (SDK) for third party software developers. N>Trans supports Windows Pocket PC and Windows XP/2000/Vista. Software developer, Technica del Arte, have already developed a recording, editing and communication program for N>Trans and it is called LUCI. The combination of N>Trans, a PDA or laptop and LUCI enables a reporter to make a recording (MP2 or WAV), edit the recording and send it to the studio using the WiFi communication features of the PDA (if present).
N>Trans comes in two versions: N>Trans and N>Trans-Pro. The difference between versions is in the types of connector and microphone power supply...
N>Trans has 3.5 mm Mini-Jack connectors for Left (Balanced), Right (Balanced) and a stereo input (unbalanced with 3V microphone bias for electret microphone support)...
N>Trans Pro has a single 5-pin LEMO connector wired for Left an Right balanced inputs. Both channels can supply a 48, 24 or 12V Phantom power.
Both cards have a 24 bit 96kHz AD/DA converter onboard. The maximum conversion is that can be used is dictated by the software and the type of PDA or laptop being used. LUCI, for instance, is designed for Electronic News Gathering (ENG) applications and uses MPEG compression and linear WAV (max 16Bit / 48kHz). It is great for basic mono recording and editing, and its big brother, LUCI EDIT, adds stereo capability and more.
The audio front end of the N>Trans consists of two mic/line amplifiers, a -20dB mic attenuator, a limiter, automatic gain control (AGC), microphone power supply (mic-bias or phantom, depending on version) and a high power headphone amplifier.
N>trans may be used with any PDA running Windows Pocket PC and equipped with a CF-card slot. There are several leading makes of these on the market - we currently use and recommend the HP iPaq hx2490. Recordings are made on the SD card in the PDA's SD card slot. N>Trans may also be used on a laptop running Windows XP/2000/Vista and equipped with a PC-Card or Compact Flash (CF) card slot (if your laptop has a PC card slot, then you will require a PC-to-CF card adaptor - see price list below). 
Above: N>Trans & N>Trans-Pro shown outside the PDA
Below (L to R): N>Trans-Pro & N>Trans in PDAs, N>Trans in laptop PC |
