What is a good professional machine to get?

any one that doesn't have paper...had all different ones, like a car, just depends on what bells and whistles you want to pay for...doesn't matter if you're going to be a close caption reporter or not, with realtime these days paper is a waste of trees and space in the house!

Answered by amhbabe08 {81}
7/8/2010 3:20:57 PM

[0 Votes]

Well i just really need to find one that doesn't stack or shadow that much. I am having a hard time reading my notes for school because of the stacking! We have to have paper at our school and i dont know much about the professional machines so i thought I'd ask what kind would best suit me. thanks!

What kind of machine do you have now? Have you tried adjusting the spacing? I'm vaguely remembering some issue like this, and I know you can adjust it. It's either with the depth stroke or the platen. - jeanese 7/8/2010 11:00:11 PM | Flag

Also, how close are you to graduating? A lot of reporters are selling their machines now who recently got the Diamante. There's always several Stentura 8000LX, etc., on eBay. Search word Stenograph. And someone's selling their Mira 3 right now on www.courtreporterconnect.com in the classified listings for $3,000. But I have heard of stacking probs w/ that writer. Also, what software will you have as a professional? May sway your writer choice... - jeanese 7/8/2010 11:03:08 PM | Flag

Right now I have the Stentura Protégé. I have the spacing all the way up too. It wont go any further. I have also tried the depth stroke and the platen. I was think about getting it cleaned and adjusted somwhere, but once again I don't know where to go. I am currently on 180 q&a 180jc 200 lit. I know I can pass them easy if it wasnt for my test anxiety. Do you have any suggestions on that? It's really making me struggle right now. I want to use the CaseCatalyst software. I am not a Eclipse fan at all. I have heard that the Stentura 8000LX stacks a lot too. Any opinion will help. Thank you! - amhbabe08 7/9/2010 10:39:09 AM | Flag

There's two places in California that I know of, but I don't know where you're located. L.A. Stenotype Service Ken Goodwin (626) 813-0019 And Steno Doctor (714) 937-5457 I had my 8000LX shimmed with Ken and it stacked some after that, but nothing that I can't fix by changing the way I write it or defining - Heck, it's squished some good outlines together...lol! I just go with it! I'd much rather have the shorter stroke and would like to have it even shorter, which is why I read your question - I may be in the market for a new machine myself, although I know I could probably work the rest of my days on the Stentura I have - so it's a toss up! You still have a little ways to go... maybe go to a few conventions and try hands-on some machines. What do you think about the LightSpeed? The Diamante? The Gemini? I'm not a great person to be answering this b/c I just use my machine to write. I never look at its screen and I am constantly erasing all the files on it. So you're doing the right thing by asking around. Just keep asking. As far as the test jitters, it's very long ago for me to remember. Surfing around on the blogs may help you reading what other people are doing. I know you have to squash those ansious feelings in whatever way you can, especially if you feel they're holding you back. Tell yourself it's not a test. Re-program your reaction to the word test. Get angry that the jitters are messing up your test! Do whatever it takes. Do a little introspection. No one can take the test for you, right? This is a self-paced and self-based program. So the answer is in YOU and how you pass that test, any test. Find the solution. Make the word *test* your new best friend! - jeanese 7/9/2010 2:47:13 PM | Flag

Thanks girl! Every little bit helps! It is just stressful..I'm ready to be done with school and I know how much more I have to do! I am only 20 and dont want to be 30 when I graduate lol Thank you for all your help! One more question lol Do you know where you can get more briefs? I have Brief Encounters book and I'v been to NCRA website and was just wondering if there was another website to go to that you know of? I have made up plenty of briefs but always could use more! Thanks! - amhbabe08 7/9/2010 4:43:25 PM | Flag

A million questions would not be too many... I love to help where I can. Do I have more briefs? lol! Funny you ask. Go to this site www.courtreporterconnect.com Join. Then join Brief Club! It's a group I started several years ago on another site and got transferred to this new site. In the group you can ask for briefs from fellow members. We are constantly tweaking and improving our strokes. You'll love it! You can also go to Marla Sharp's page on that same site and let her know you want to be included on her email list where she'll send you series of brief families. You can pick and choose from her suggestions and adopt the ones you want. Soon you'll be on brief overload! There's also what I call a Brief Machine on the site where you can scroll through the entries and search for a phrase. It has a boat-load of entries to study. I like the group a little better than the *rolodex* per se, but whatever gets ya' writing shorter and faster... See you there! - jeanese 7/9/2010 4:58:29 PM | Flag

Thank you soo much!! - amhbabe08 7/9/2010 6:43:47 PM | Flag

Answered by amhbabe08 {81}
7/9/2010 10:43:11 AM

[0 Votes]

Also do you use a paper writer or paperless? That's another thing I'm not sure what's best. Thanks!

Paperless!!!! And never going back........ - Kendra-SCOPIST/REPORTER 7/9/2010 2:21:22 PM | Flag

Definitely paperless for when you go pro...saves money, saves trees, saves from interrupting the atty so you can change your paper, saves those little bits of left over paper that we'd try to tape together...lol! And saves that horrifying mountaint that starts draping itself under the table when one kink goes awry! All those reasons are why I quit using paper. Just didn't load it one day before the depo and never looked back! Love it! - jeanese 7/9/2010 2:58:00 PM | Flag

Answered by MichelleMcLaughlin {235}
7/10/2010 12:28:10 AM

[0 Votes]

http://www.stenograph.com/marcom/video/diamante/512x388/diamante_web2.html

Stenograph offers the Diamante paperless writer or the Fusion, which uses paper but can go into paperless mode with the simple push of a button.

The TrueStroke technology of the Diamante is truly revolutionary! Here's a link to a short video on the Diamante:

Your local Stenograph rep is always glad to provide an in-person demonstration of both machines. This way you can put your hands on them and decide what works for you!

Answered by gdwarner {1174}
http://www.cheapandsleazy.net
7/10/2010 1:48:46 AM

[0 Votes]

Hello ....

As you might guess, there are a lot of writers out there these days: The Diamante, the Passport, the LightSpeed, the Gemini, the Stentura Fusion, the ProCAT Stylus and ProCAT Flash.

If you are not sure whether you're going to be working somewhere where paper is required, then either the Stylus or the Fusion would be good.

The Diamante is a new one. I hear great things from very satisfied customers ... but I also hear unkind things from less-than-satisfied customers.

The Passport is also new. Like the Diamante, the Passport has its fans, and its detractors -- but the Passport and the Diamante seem to be the two leading writers out there these days.

I highly recommend getting your local Stenograph rep and your local Eclipse rep to come to your school (though your home might be better; send the kids out to spend the day with some relatives!) and do a demo of both writers, if you can arrange it. Bring your laptop. Have the rep show you how to connect your laptop to his/her writer. Write on the writer with your CAT of choice doing the translation.

Pay attention to how hard/easy it was to get the writer to talk to your CAT software.

Get the rep to show you how to adjust the keys (preferably after you have written on it for quite a while).

The Passport is touted for having the vowel keys set on a different level than that of a regular steno machine. Can you tell? Does the Diamante feel the same?

How easy is it to load a dictionary on the writer? Have the rep show you -- again, using your CAT software and dictionary (you should probably know how to export your dictionary as an .rtf file, of course).

Well. Lots of stuff to look for when you are testing one of these new gadgets! If you can, try them all -- but keep as many of these things in mind as possible.

Good luck! Looks like you're going to have some fun in the not-too-distant.

Forgot to mention briefs! Try Briefpedia.com ... and the Brief Machine over at StenoLife.com. - gdwarner 7/10/2010 1:52:10 AM | Flag