Where to practice hookup?

I am SOOO ready to start doing realtime hookup.  I have practiced and practiced, finetuned my dictionary and writing, and have researched the browsers and hookup technology required.  But save purchasing a bunch of laptops for myself, how does one get their feet wet at "hooking up?"  I need to practice hooking into other computers that have different browsers.  I need a snafoo to happen so I can learn how to troubleshoot it.  I don't want my first actual hookup to be on the job with a disgruntled client because I can't fix the problem!

I've always done a trial run at home, hooking into my desktop or an old laptop. 

With Bridge and CaseView both being free "downloads" for realtime viewing software, you can download one or the other on every available computer you can find (your desktop at home, your laptop, your parents' computers, neighbors', etc. -- ask to borrow for, oh, 30 minutes).

If you work in an office with reporters, ask to borrow their computers for a small amount of time, or have them come by and bring their computers and they can stick around and help or learn as well.

Good luck!   If you need any specific help, just holler!

"have them come by and bring their computers and they can stick around and help or learn as well"

Sarah, that is precisely what we all need to be doing!  If we can get together in small cooperative groups and teach one another our little tricks and tips, we can increase our effectiveness and the value to our clients immensely.  Attending vendor trainings and convention seminars is great, but there is so much we can be learning on our own in between times.  Thanks for the helpful suggestion.

Karen

"If we can get together in small cooperative groups and teach one another our little tricks and tips, we can increase our effectiveness and the value to our clients immensely"

I have often thought about having a reporter get together locally.  Have practice sessions, have realtime hookup sessions.  Kind of like once a month, a group of girls locally get together at someone's home, have dinner, socialize, then get to the reporter hardware and practicing together.  Maybe have specific takes on numbers or literary, things that the group as a whole agrees is a weakness in their writing.  have each of us take turns reading the practice material at various speeds and we all practice.  Also hooking up and getting each other very familiar with the technical aspects of realtiming.  I agree.  It also takes the professional, seriousness away and lowers the pressure when you're all working together in a social atmosphere coming together for the same goal.

I must be the only person on this Earth who does NOT have an extra laptop laying around.  I know they say you gotta have money to make money.  One day I'd love to have an extra laptop to take to jobs, but not right now!  Gotta get real familiar with hooking up, go on jobs, use that $$ to buy another laptop or another X7 hookup, etc.  But for now, there's not any realtime reporters I know in my area.  We all work from home.  So I don't know any other reporters from my agency, and I've already tried hooking into my desktop.  Besides, I would also need to insert the X7 wireless receiver and I just don't know anybody that I could feel comfortable asking to utilize their laptop for a bit.  Ugh.

Guess I'll have to schedule a reporter social and see about hooking into each other's laptop then!

Thanks, everyone, for your suggestion.

And that's pretty much what it takes, practice, practice, practice.  You've got to be able to troubleshoot on the spot.  I hadn't hooked up to output in realtime in a while, up until this Monday.  I've been doing it for years, so it's never a problem.  But I just could not figure out why I'm getting a bunch of gibberish on the judge's CaseView.  Couldn't figure it out for the life of me.  Well, I stepped back and went to the beginning, checking my output options in my software.  Lo and behold, I had it set to output to Bridge and not CaseView.  Duh-glas, as I call myself when I have those moments.   Getting to court/your job early helps, but it doesn't help when you don't have access to the output computer until the last minute.  That drives me mad.  I can't access the judge's computer until she gets there, boots it up, and enters her password.  If there's a problem, I've got usually a full courtroom looking at me trying to get things up and running, and I HATE that!  LOL.

The first time I hooked up for realtime was in 1995, shortly after I passed the CRR.  The firm was really on the cutting edge of technology at the time.  They sent one of their tech people over with me the first day to show me how to hook up.  I wanted him back the second day, but no such luck.  Apron strings were cut and I was on my own.  It turned out fine, though.  You just have to remember to be calm.  When you find you're having a problem, take my advice and step away for a minute, literally stepping back, and just think.  Then start from the beginning, checking your CAT software, USB/wireless adapters, cables.  Then to go the output computer.  If they want the realtime, they'll be patient and understand that sometimes that's just the way it is.

D.