Buzzers for Large Teams

New high school teams looking for advice should post here.
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HaslettSenior
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Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by HaslettSenior »

Hello all,

Recently, my team has expanded from twelve to over twenty students, and we're looking to find a new buzzer system to accomodate growing numbers. Currently, we use a handheld push-button series with lockout. This configuration creates a spaghetti monster of cords, so we're looking to find something wireless if possible. Can anyone recommend some places to look or, even better, some specific models?

Thanks!
HS

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Matthew Heard
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Haslett High School, Michigan
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merv1618
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Re: Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by merv1618 »

Wireless buzzers are more hassle than they're worth, plus they cost a lot of money. I've said this before on the forums, but when it comes down to it, Andersons are essentially the best easily available system out there.
Adam Sperber
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vinteuil
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Re: Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by vinteuil »

Honestly, with that many people, practice is impossible to run productively. Maybe think about getting a second set of buzzers and running in two rooms?

I get the feeling that someone from LASA is well-qualified to post here.
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Eddie
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Re: Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by Eddie »

You can find information about Andersons here. The second one (hand-held buzzers) are personally my favourite, and a case is $15 extra. The parts are really easy to replace, too, and they're generally good with communications.

I've also heard good reviews about these buzzers, which come with a padded case. Their biggest advantage over Andersons in my opinion is that they can be hooked up to support more than ten players at once, which comes in handy sometimes.
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Nine-Tenths Ideas
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Re: Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by Nine-Tenths Ideas »

University of Maryland is well-known for its large, snake-like mess of a buzzer system, affectionately nicknamed "the Knot," which can accomodate up to 16 people. And, honestly, the tangle is rarely much of a hassle. If you're really looking for a buzzer system that will accomodate a large number of people [and, realistically, I know of none that go above 16], the Knot may be your best option. That's really only if you're deadset on keeping your practices to one room; splitting and using two buzzer systems is probably a better use of your money and effort.
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jonah
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Re: Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by jonah »

Buzzersystems.com has a system that accommodates up to 20 and another that goes up to 28, though they're pretty expensive when you get to that many players.
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Frater Taciturnus
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Re: Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by Frater Taciturnus »

This may exceed your individual needs, but for extremely large groups this product may be among the better options.
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Adventure Temple Trail
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Re: Buzzers for Large Teams

Post by Adventure Temple Trail »

If you buy two buzzersystems.com Ten-Player buzzers (which each handle 10 people), they can be linked together with a special multi-system connector cable to operate as a single lockout set. This is probably the best option, since you can easily de-couple the buzzers and bring two normal-sized sets to tournaments for 2 buzzer discounts rather than hauling around a large monstrosity.

Alternately, "The Knot" is more technically referred to as the "Quiz Wizard II Four-Team Configuration" if that's what you're looking for. Its cords come tied together in sets of four, which does remove a lot of the tangle hassle.
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