Is this even possible...

A

alexb123

New member
I was informed today that I could not use a standard Dictaphone to record a court hearing because the court microphones in place were so sensitive that my device could interfer with theirs.

Mobile phone, wi-fi, (as far as I know hearing aids) are all fine and these all transmit something externally. A Dictaphone just records and doesn't transmit, as far as I know.

So is this claim by the courts a really possibility or just an excuse to stop me recording?

Thanks
 
Ask the courts in your jurisdiction for their policy on electronic devices in the courts. In my jurisdiction, electronic devices are allowed. This is usually restricted though, and the restrictions are publicly available. The biggest restriction on recording is that the recording can only be used for "note taking" purposes only.

Official transcripts, recorded by the court themselves may be available. Again, ask the court directly.

To sum it up, ask the courts directly. A home recording forum may not be the best spot to get advice on your rights to record legal proceedings.
 
pegger said:
Ask the courts in your jurisdiction for their policy on electronic devices in the courts. In my jurisdiction, electronic devices are allowed. This is usually restricted though, and the restrictions are publicly available. The biggest restriction on recording is that the recording can only be used for "note taking" purposes only.

Official transcripts, recorded by the court themselves may be available. Again, ask the court directly.

To sum it up, ask the courts directly. A home recording forum may not be the best spot to get advice on your rights to record legal proceedings.
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Hi Thanks for the feedback.

The issue of right to record is fine, it's illegal but I made my request under a disability law. So the legal aspect is fine, this is more a functional question, is it even possible for the dictaphone to cause problems?
 
alexb123 said:
...is it even possible for the dictaphone to cause problems?
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Almost certainly not, but...

Dictaphone is a company name and by extension a generic term for any dictation recorder. It's not any specific technology. You're going to have to be more specific about your equipment if you want a definitive answer.
 
Thanks for the reply.

As no one inspected the device, it would just have to be a generic Dictaphone. I didn't know it was a brand name.

Are you able to also tell me, would a laptop or a mobile phone, hearing aids, be more or less likely than a Dictaphone to scrabble a recording?
 
I think background noise is as much an issue as other types of interference. Laptop fans, click play, equipment moving about, I would think it would be very disruptive and when proofing the court notes, a sound from someone in the background could interfere with the voice heard.

They keep these machines out as a rule for the integrity and the flow of the proceedings. Let's face it, a high profile court case with people clicking machines, getting microphones just right, etc. is just intrusive to the process. I think wireless signals is the least of their worries.

They probably give special permission based on the disability act because they have to, but that still allows them to keep it controlled.
 
alexb123 said:
Thanks for the reply.

As no one inspected the device, it would just have to be a generic Dictaphone. I didn't know it was a brand name.

Are you able to also tell me, would a laptop or a mobile phone, hearing aids, be more or less likely than a Dictaphone to scrabble a recording?
Click to expand...

"Dictaphone" doesn't have a specific meaning whether or not you use it in the brand or generic sense. It can mean anything from a cylinder recorder from a hundred years ago to a digital handheld device. You will have to specify the actual device in question, make and model.
 
To answer the question. It must be just a reason to keep you from recording. A recording device (through its microphone) that passively pulls audio waves out of the air cannot interfere with another microphone that is passively pulling audio waves out of the air. You are not adding to the waves, nor are you taking away from the waves (any more than, say, another body in the courtroom would.)
 
BroKen_H said:
You are not adding to the waves...
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An old cassette deck could have transport controls that make a fair bit of noise ("adding to the waves") when the recording is started or stopped. But without knowing the device in question we can't possibly offer any definitive advice. For some reason the OP seems determined to withhold that information.
 
Sorry I'm fine telling the type of device its just a standard Olympic pocket device. Not sure of the code. I didn't mention it as the court were clearly not interested in knowing anything about it, just that I couldn't use it.

And as I suspected the reasoning given for this refusal appears to be faulty.
 
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