Handbook for Sound Engineers

1518 Chapter 40

Convenience stores have a captive audience when it
comes to customers who are pumping gas. Message
repeaters can trigger different advertising messages when
someone drives up to the gas pump. Studies have proven
that sales increase dramatically with this type of adver-
tising. Repeaters can be configured to play the appro-
priate message to shoppers as they enter or exit a store.
Message repeaters are used in some stores to do
targeted in-store advertising. Special repeaters allow
messages to influence the customers when they are near
the point-of-purchase. Targeting is done by using
sensors to trip the control circuit, thereby giving adver-
tising messages when someone enters a particular aisle
or department. Even more specific targeting can be
accomplished, for example, when someone reaches for
a brand name product, as detected by a motion sensor, a
message can be played to try the store brand.
Customized modes of operation form an elegant
solution for in-store use. Specific options could include
individual timers that would allow each department
manager to specify the amount of time before the
message repeater transmits another message triggered
from the same department. A second audio output
channel allows office or security personnel to know
when someone needs assistance in sensitive areas, such
as someone in the area carrying a handgun. Message
repeaters can allow any department zone to be enabled
or disabled from a central location, such as the front
office. If a child is playing with a button, the store
manager can temporarily disable that button until the
child moves on.
With a built-in scheduler, message repeaters can
announce appropriate closing times each day. Sophisti-
cated software allows a single intelligent message
repeater to perform many of these functions
simultaneously.

40.4.4 School Applications for Message Repeaters

School closing or shortened day announcements for
snow days etc. can be recorded and played back over
the school PA system and the local town access TV
channel.
Also class change announcements and activities
announcements can be prerecorded and transmitted day
or night automatically through the internal scheduler. A
message repeater can also be set up as a dial-in line for
sports schedules, latest news, and so forth.
Often school gyms or auditoriums are used after
hours. Due to fire regulations, many do not have secu-
rity gates to separate the used area from the rest of the
school. A message repeater, triggered by a light beam or

motion detector, can energize a message repeater to

notify people that they are walking into a closed area,

while simultaneously alerting personnel or security

staff. In the event of a lock down situation, message

repeaters quickly and reliably direct students and staff

in safety measures.

40.4.5 Transportation Services Applications for

Message Repeaters

To ease the burden on the driver, bus route stops can be

manually selected, controlled, and played on a message

repeater or they can be completely computer controlled.

Message repeaters on tour buses are often used to elimi-

nate the necessity of a tour director and to give a

running dialogue of the tour route. Usually the driver

controls the repeater by pushing a switch when he or

she is ready for the next message to be announced.

Message repeaters on mass transit loading platforms

can announce train arrivals and departures, safety

messages, and upcoming schedule changes. The Statue

of Liberty Ferry chose Alarmco’s Instaplay™ to intelli-

gibly announce tour information and required safety

messages, Fig. 40-3.

40.4.6 Information/Broadcast Services Applica-

tions for Message Repeaters

USIA Voice of America uses message repeaters in a

number of European countries to retrieve messages that

are broadcast over a worldwide satellite network. The

broadcast messages are downloaded in various

languages into the appropriate repeater. Local radio

stations in the individual countries dial into the repeater

and download the messages, which are in turn broadcast

over the radio stations. Intelligent message repeaters

have the ability to record remotely from a line level

input, thereby allowing the remote telephone to control

them, while they are recording from the satellite.

Because messages can be easily changed, they are

ideal for radio broadcast directions, Traveler Advisory

Radio (such as AlertAM from Information Station

Figure 40-3. Instaplay message repeater. Courtesy

ALARMCO.