Audio Relay
The Audio Relay was designed and constructed by Brennan McGaffey / Intermod Series to operate as a mobile audio player and a radio transmitter that can accumulate and share homemade or unusual CDs as it travels to different locations. The AR is designed to be as small and lightweight as possible for maximum portability, and it can store several hundred unique CDs which can be played on the built-in CD player. Other audio sources such as a laptop can plug into the line input jack. A 4-watt transmitter is built into the unit for FM broadcasting. Average broadcast coverage is several city blocks. The Audio Relay runs on standard electricity. If that's not available, it's designed to use a car battery which, when it runs low, can be charged using the solar panels or by connecting the battery and plugging the unit into an electrical outlet.
There are two Audio Relays. The original was built in 2002 and has been relayed to over a dozen locations. In 2007 it was loaned to Esteban Garcia and Radio Chiguiro in Lafayette, Indiana, for several years and is currently being used by Radius in Chicago. The second Audio Relay was built with a new Brennan McGaffey / Intermod Series design in 2005. This version traveled with 'Beyond Green, Toward a Sustainable Art' which originated at the Smart Museum and traveled as an iCI exhibit.
The Audio Relay is a collaboration with Temporary Services. They maintain the library and coordinate the itineraries.
The photos show the 2005 model, the 2002 model, some pictures of the AR in-use, and the 2005 Brennan McGaffey / Intermod Series design drawing.
Photo documentation of the 2005 model under-construction can be found here.
