Is the WONZ Show really worth my efforts?

[Dave Homewood]

Are people actually listening to and appreciating the Wings Over New Zealand Show?

The past couple of episodes have in my opinion been interviews with very interesting men, but have generated few plays, and no feedback whatsoever, which is both baffling and sad, and pretty demoralising.

The most popular episodes have been with warbird restorers, and I am wondering if I should simply restrict the show's scope to warbird restoration and operation alone, forgetting all the other areas of aviation, so I am not wasting my time and effots recording shows that no-one wants to hear.

Or shall I give up altogether?

[flyjoe180]

Hey Dave, I do listen to them when I have the time, as they are quite lengthy. I come on to read the forum less than I used to due to time (lack thereof), but just because I don't make as many comments as I have done in the past doesn't mean I am not reading/enjoying the content. What you are doing here is a great project, preserving the words of some interesting people in New Zealand's aviation community. Chin up old chap, we are watching/listening. Thank you for making these recordings available for us all to listen to.

[baz62]

Nov 29, 2012 11:14:01 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

Are people actually listening to and appreciating the Wings Over New Zealand Show?

The past couple of episodes have in my opinion been interviews with very interesting men, but have generated few plays, and no feedback whatsoever, which is both baffling and sad, and pretty demoralising.

The most popular episodes have been with warbird restorers, and I am wondering if I should simply restrict the show's scope to warbird restoration and operation alone, forgetting all the other areas of aviation, so I am not wasting my time and effots recording shows that no-one wants to hear.

Or shall I give up altogether?

Hell no don't stop! I am slowly making my way through listening to them but have to put aside some time to sit and listen, she's a busy life out there sometimes.
Your hard work is appreciated by me and Ken too enjoys them too.

[Andy Wright]

You'll need slapping if you do, Dave! ;D

I've listened to about half of them (i.e. 100% of the first half) and am itching to download the rest as there's some interviews in there that really pique my interest. I'm studying at the moment - have just over a week left - so once I have the time I'm looking forward to a few podcasts playing in the car again.

Have been thinking about sponsoring you and taking one of those ads on the page but can't commit too much of use at the moment.

Thank you for the interviews to date.

[Deleted]

Your efforts are very much appreciated! If I had internet access at home - other than my cellphone - I would be able to give feedback more often. That, and the fact I've been studying full time and working part time, means I can't post as often as I'd like, let alone download the episodes I greatly enjoy when I can.

[obiwan27]

Hi Dave, I too have been constrained by time mainly, in downloading and listening to all of the podcasts. I plan to download more over the coming month as I'll have two weeks off work and two weeks off to be able to enjoy the results of your efforts. Very very much appreciated.

[shorty]

I don't know anything about podcasts!

[lumpy]

I wouldnt even know where to look for a podcast . Still kind of trying my head around work stuff - like PGM-EFI , the difference between a ECT and an EOT sensor , how to read DTC blink codes , etc ! ( and why the hell dont they just write what the letters stand for ) !
So to answer to your question , Im sure your efforts ARE worthwhile , but sorry , I havn't listened to any .

[suthg]

Just enjoyed listening to the enthralling life and work story of Paul McSweeny of Pioneer Aero Restorations and I am enthused to listen to a whole lot more. Well done Dave, hope more folks find the time to get onto the list and click away and listen.

Paul has an easy voice to listen to, seems our age and full of enthusiasm for the restoration projects he has done and is doing now and the Tempest they have now started. Thinking of Anthony Galbraith next and then Gavin Conroy the aviator and photographer. Heaps to sit back and listen to.

[Dave Homewood]

Thanks for the feedback chaps. I am quite proud of a lot of the shows done so far. I have managed to talk with some really interesting people about a wide variety of New Zealand aviation topics and covered some topics perhaps a lot more indepth than something like a magazine article could have.

In a week's time on the 14th of December we'll mark a year since the first episode went online, and in that time 29 episodes have gone up on the site. They are of varying lenghts and a few are of not so great quality, but most are pretty long, detailed and interesting, and also quite listenable I think. Not too bad really, that is more than an episode per fortnight.

I will keep plugging away at recording new and interesting shows. I'm glad to see a few people are listening to them and enjoying them.

For the liks of Grant and Shorty who find all this bewildering, simply go here:
www.cambridgeairforce.org.nz/WONZ_Show.html

And then select an episode, and at the bottom of each episode entry you have the choice of either:
a) push the Play button on the left of the embedded player and you can listen to it right there on your computer, as a streaming download
or
b) below that is a Click to Download Episode function. Simply click the link, and in the pop up box hit Save. This will download the episode to your PC and you can then keep the MP3 file on your own computer, or put it onto your MP3 player or iPod to listen to later (in the car, while gardening, whilst going for a walk, in bed or wherever you choose, away from the computer).

It's all pretty easy when you now how, but if you guys are still confused, send me an email and I'll be happy to answer questions.

[JDK]

It's a lot of work, but I think you'll find it'll be worth it over a long period, Dave.

Now you've got it on the damned evil iTunes, too, it's easy for me to listen on long car drives, and if you could add the earlier episodes to that, you'll see at least one download more for most of them! I'll give 'em a go for the next trans-Pacific flight, too.

[Dave Homewood]

Hi James, thanks for that. I have not transferred the older episodes over to the new account which has iTunes because I will soon run out of space on that account I'm afraid. It's already well past half full. The older ones are still fully downloadable from the page on my site though, I believe.

[JDK]

Thanks Dave. Though I loathe iTunes, it's the only straightforward way I can easily get podcasts onto my iPhone, which is my listening medium; I don't listen to my computer, which is the other place I can play podcasts.

I would also say, that though iTunes proves Apple can do things worse than Mircrosoft when they try, you would get a degree more access via that source, for the reasons I've just outlined.

Still, keep at it, and I look forward to hearing more! I enjoyed being able to listen to your recording of talking to Don and Jim on Hinds, knowing I'd missed it at the time as I'd been prowling Don's collection while you were occupying his attention... I don't usually get to check out the aircraft then listen to the owners later!

Regards,

[Dave Homewood]

That interview with Don and Jim was one of my favourites so far.

Just download the files onto your drive, then drag and drop them into an iTunes folder, and next time you plug the phone into your PC they should jump onto it (if iPhones work the same as iPods??).

[aeromedia]

Dave, I have heard you sometimes comment about sound quality / technical difficulties. Can I ask, what sort of gear are you using? I record field material for use on- air with my iPhone. There is an app called irig and a special irig mic available with a close and distant switch on it. They are the bees knees for what you are doing. You can even edit on the phone ! You just email the file to yourself on the phone and open it up on your computer and "voila".
It's money, I know, but collectively we should find a way to raise some bucks and buy you one.
Thoughts?

[aeromedia]

Because I agree, the work you are doing is entertaining, informative and very important. Keep it up. Ive only heard a couple so far, but please know it is appreciated.

[vs]

Just set it up in my itunes and down loaded a few. I love listening to pod casts when I am on the cycle at the gym. Also really enjoy the airplane geeks and Plane Crazy down under.

Nice and easy now it is all sorted on iTunes

[JDK]

Dec 9, 2012 6:16:28 GMT 12 Dave Homewood said:

That interview with Don and Jim was one of my favourites so far.

They're a team; I'm only sorry I didn't get much time to talk to them at the recent forum meet, but Jim was holding a machine gun!

Just download the files onto your drive, then drag and drop them into an iTunes folder, and next time you plug the phone into your PC they should jump onto it (if iPhones work the same as iPods??).

That's an hour and a half of my life I won't get back. We won't go through all the 'why' it won't work - none of which is WoNZ podcast's fault, but as VS just said, if you can get the podcasts onto iTunes standard (it has put three episodes from different periods into three different podcast shows for me) that'd get better access for the lazy or frustrated!

Regards,

[Dave Homewood]

The recording device is actually very good, and I don't have issues with it, the main issues have come from two things - one is when I have done issues by phone. I use a proper phone tap but it does not give the best quality and as out actual telephone and the line are pretty crap it has sometimes hindered the quality. This is not to say the results are unlistenable, they are to a point but if people want to list thru the iPod in their car, etc, maybe not so good.

The other area of sound issue has been an outside noise that is picked up but wasn't realised on the day - the most recent one has a bit of clicking which I now realise must have been my interview tapping the table with his foot, the table that the mic was sitting on. But the audio is still fine, he and I comes across nice and clear. I just have to be more environmentally aware of such things in future. If you listen to latter episodes I think the quality is markedly better than earlier ones, I am now avoiding the phone interviews as best I can and I am much happier with results of the face to face chats.

For the record the recorder is a very nice 2GB digital Sony ICRecorder, which is the same as the silver one in the middle in the photo here:
www.houseofjapan.com/electronics/sony-ic-record-ax412bf-bx312

It has mega space, and literally after all the recordings I have done, many many tens of hours, I am still using the same two sets of AAA batteries (I bought a second set and have switch them over peeriodically waiting for the others to run out but they never do! The low battery usage is remarkable), I mist have recorded about 35 to 40 hours, and they are standard shop-bought batteries.

the microphone is reall good too, and I have a second mic that I already had, and bot pick up everything well (which is why you get a bit of backround sometimes).

I have used it to interview "in the field" in places like Mystery Creek while they dismantled the Dakota and in the big noisy paintshop at Hamilton Airport and the interviews come out great despite the busy environment. So I am more than happy with the equipment, I just needed to work out how touse it to its best advantage and I think I am getting there.

Thanks for your interest though, I really appreciate it.

[Dave Homewood]

Dec 9, 2012 6:57:47 GMT 12 aeromedia said:

Because I agree, the work you are doing is entertaining, informative and very important. Keep it up. Ive only heard a couple so far, but please know it is appreciated.

Thanks Peter, I appreciate that!

You know I want to interview you sometime in the future too, eh!