"The area had been experiencing some minor issues," explains Steven Manno, systems designer at BlueWater Audio. "Typical stuff like swimmers and surfers straying into each others' areas and such, and they needed a marine announcement system. They only had this one small, out-of-the-way lifeguard station and a very limited budget."
Manno opted to mount a pair of Community R.5-HP loudspeakers midway up a bluff overlooking the cove, which maximised throw and limited potential vandalism. The installation was challenging, to put it lightly.
"For one thing, it's actually a state beach and coastal preserve, bordering private homes," Manno observes. "So we had the property owners above, the Coastal Commission below, and the lifeguards at eye level, all watching us. We had to carry the gear partway up the cliff, being careful where we put our feet, because it's a protected preserve. Three more guys rappelled down from above. We used the stainless steel yoke that comes with the R-Series to secure the speakers to an existing steel pole. It's a simple design, but totally effective."
Adding to the difficulty of the installation was the weather. "We had 10 to 12ft surf and a wind of thirty knots," Manno continues. "And of course if it's an outdoor installation and I'm doing it, it requires rain, so we had plenty of mud as well. It was a bit hairy."
It's not an installation one wants to have to service often and the system needs to deliver maximum performance every day, without fail. "Just think about the conditions," says Manno. "You've got speakers that have to compete with the roar of the surf, blowing directly into a prevailing wind that's loaded with moisture. And they have to be out there, getting hammered with wind and blasted with sand day after day. Community stuff is the only thing out there that can handle that scenario and be clear and articulate out to 300m.
"I've installed hundreds of R-Series speakers, in some of the most unbelievably harsh environments, from the beach to the desert. They're so reliable, even the Marines can't destroy them."
(Jim Evans)
