Spotting Equipment
Spotters, key girls and the like have to call the BP into a game somehow. Whilst physical signals are still used, electronics are favored by most professional teams.

They can be as simple as: -

A vibrating receiver worn by the BP and a push-button key ring style transmitter used by the spotter. When spotter number three gets a count he calls the BP in with three presses of the key ring.

Or as complicated as: -

The BP wears a receiver together with a concealable ear-canal receiver. The spotter uses a transmitter with a microphone that he talks into. This method allows for the transmission of much more complicated information like table number and individual deck counts etc.

Video Cameras
Transmitting live video off-site has always been the Holy Grail for those advantage players with a fondness for electronics. Until fairly recently technical limitations made this impractical;

Cameras with lenses small enough to be concealed did not have the signal processing required to handle the flare given off cards from the overhead halogen lighting, resulting in washed-out over-exposed images. Video transmitters required substantial battery packs and consumed far more power than audio transmitters due to bandwidth requirements.

Cameras are now being made much smaller and smarter and can now handle far more diverse lighting conditions. Also modern CCD chips do not require fast lenses which make them suitable for pinhole lenses or fiber optic systems.

With the introduction of miniature microwave video transmitters it is no longer necessary to have video transmitting systems pumping out enough energy to fry your kidneys. These modern devices will run all day off a small rechargeable battery pack. The output from these miniature rigs is almost broadcast quality.

One of the problems that one encounters when trying to video cards is getting the camera high enough to determine rank and suit. If the angle is too shallow (camera at waist height) it is easy enough to determine the value but all the suits look the same. Also if the angle is too shallow all the spots look black. One solution is to have the cameras fitted into specially made bags that place the lens high off the table when sitting on a girl’s lap. Another way is to have the camera around the neck or otherwise mounted higher up the body and have the lens looking through broad-weave material.

See these sub-miniature rigs in action

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