Gear Growing Feet

[mrsteaks]

Sore topic, but worth asking. What have you folks lost during location work, as in, gear that "walked off"?

I've been lucky, so far. A couple of rolls of gaffer's tape, and a mat I use to cover cable runs. That's been it.

[nathanvacha]

good thread topic, i'll be glad to hear any tips about preventing it, too.

i haven't really lost much, but we go through immediately after curtain and grab mics, then pack up anything small, grab anything borrowed by artist, and then strike cable

[d_fu]

Come to think of it... Nothing so far in almost 14 years... Knock on wood.
I always go and collect mics first.

[mrsteaks]

Collecting mics is the first thing I do, too - to prevent them from being knocked over as well as disappearing.

I have my name and phone number etched on some of my gear - not the mics, of course. They aren't marked at all, although they probably should be. Cables all have markings on one end, stands have markings, too.

[locosoundman]

My cables are marked, but over the years a few of them have disappeared nonetheless. That being said, I also have occasionally (quite unintentionally) ended up with someone else's mic cable after a gig. If I know who, I will make an effort to return it, if not it is pressed into service to replace my own MIA's.

I always rescue my mic's immediately after the show ends to prevent damage and/or theft.

Regardless, some of my mic's are marked - especially the types that a live sound co or theatre might also have onstage - more expensive one's by label or cheaper ones (SM57's etc.) with a sharpie in an unobtrusive place.

All of my gear is labeled in some way - not that someone couldn't peel off the labels, but this prevents honest mistakes or confusion. The labels also leave some gunk behind when they are peeled off. This, coupled with the list of serial numbers kept in my files, could prove theft.

Insurance is a good idea. I also used to keep a detailed list of everything I brought on site, right down to the last adapter. Might be a good idea to take inventory again...

[huub]

two shure beta 87a, 6 sennheiser skm 5000 radio mics (just the mics, no receiver?!) bunch of dpa 4060's, a lot of sennheiser hd25 headsets, tons of xlr cables, a zillion xlr sexchangers.....

[Jim vanBergen]

before, during!, and after TV broadcasts:

Sennheiser 416 (SIX OF THEM!)

Sennheiser MKH60 (2)
Sennheiser MKH70 (only 1 thank god)

countless cables...

battery-powered preamps...

cable ramps...

apple boxes...

cable crates...

12' ladder...

orange traffic cones... (even with the company logo on them! maybe that's why)

RTS beltpacks, beyer headsets galore....

wireless- too expensive and painful to even discuss.

JvB

[Plush]

We got "security" for that.

These are very large men who offend the offender before he can offend us.

These "security personnel" make themselves available to us for a fee and a rib dinner.

[Reptil]

portable teac dat machine
dj headphones
cables

[mrsteaks]

Originally Posted by Plush

We got "security" for that.

LOL! Wouldn't that be "We got security for dat"? Chicago, doncha know!

[Plush]

Dat's rite--where you at?