uhf radio mics

[raymond.faccini]

We are about to change our radio mics,what we require is four new uhf radio mics,does anybody have any veiws on what make etc to buy.is it possible to get four mics on one unit and do you have any idea of price

[Ynot]

What's YOUR budget?

What do you expect to use them for?

How big is the venue?

How often do you intend to be using them?

Do you need hand-held, lapel, face mount, over-ear, full headset mics?

 

You ARE aware of the impending move from CH69 to CH38, yes? And have been looking at the appropriate options which mean your mics aren't going to be useless/illegal after 2012...?

 

just a few questions before anyone can give a realistic reply.

[djmatthill]

Hi..

 

 

If you are looking for a budget all-in-one solution then have a look at these :

 

Linky

 

Seem very cheap and a trusted cheap American brand - The Soundlab of the US maybe ?? ** laughs out loud **

 

 

And only £224 for 4 UHF mics and receiver in a 1U system.

 

 

Matt

[Lamplighter]

These are most unlikely to be useable on this side of the Atlantic as they will not be on UK or European Wireless Microphone frequencies.

Brian

[Bobbsy]

Unless there's a UK version that you haven't linked to, those mics are aimed at the US market. They operate on American frequencies which would be illegal in the UK without expensive and limiting fixed site licences. The VocoPro site lists blocks of frequencies between 741 and 767MHz; Channel 38 here in the UK is 607.25 to 613.25 MHz.

 

Beyond that, the original poster doesn't list his budget, doesn't specify if he wants hand held or lav-style mics and doesn't describe his application. It's certainly premature to dive in and recommend bargain basement American mics before you have the details.

 

Finally, by no stretch of the imagination would I describe VocoPro as a "trusted" American brand. Cheap, yes--but for trusted look at the same brand names as we know here.

 

Bob

[djmatthill]

Oh I know its not brilliant stuff but I have many american friends who run Karaoke Nights that use Vocopro , Its cheap and cheerful I know ... Thats why I compared it to Soundlab....** laughs out loud **.

 

Vocopro have been around for many years too......

[david.elsbury]

Of course, we have no idea where the OP is- UK, US, or elsewhere.

 

Perhaps he can fill in his profile fully?

[paulears]

The OP made no mention of cheap and cheerful. Sorry - but recommending any make in the bargain bucket department is difficult. If the question was I have little money, and want 4 microphones that function, on a good day, with the wind behind them, miles from any other user, and sound quality isn't an issue - then cheap kit might be sensible - but even then, I wouldn't use it.

 

If you do the maths on these systems, around £20 is the price point of the actual microphone element - and we all know what a £20 mic sounds like!

 

Even if these system were on the channel 70 band, then once everyone starts trying to fit into that band, it gets busy and unreliable. It's not good now - last night I was scanning to find the frequency of an in ear monitor, and was amazed how many radio systems I found - most on very odd channels, where people had tuned to get a clear channel. Once digital signals fill the band up, these will all suddenly be trying to find empty slots. Decent kit with well designed receivers can cope better, the cheap designs concentrate on simple receiver designs, and filtering and narrow band operation is very low on their priority list.

[Bobbsy]

...and, in any case, if you're the sound operator, cheap very rarely equates to a cheerful gig.

 

Bob

[dboomer]

Purchasing new UHF wireless is very confusing ... especially since ALL the rules don't yet seem to be in place. If you only expect to use them for a year or two it's not as difficult as if you plan to use them for say 10 years.

First you need to see what bands are available for the location(s) you plan to use them in. This gets trickier if you plan to cross borders. In this case you will need to determine block that can accommodate your anticipated needs.

 

Do you want to pay a license fee? That will likely (but not always) give you a better chance of finding open frequencies.

 

Or you can explore alternative systems such as ISM digital systems or Infrared types that are immune to the problems listed above.

 

 

Don Boomer

Line6, inc.

[paulfurze]

Whilst on the subject of radio transmitters can I just ask a quickie please?

 

I've £250 to spend on a radio system for a guitar (in the UK).

Both Sure and AKG seem to do systems that I could go for but I understand that the rules (law) is changing at some point in the future (2012 ?)

What am I looking for? and would you suggest Sure, AKG or something else?

(sorry to the OP for jumping in but I beleive its better to add to a thread than start a new one.)

Thanks.

[Bobbsy]

Of the two, I'd probably go with Shure. However, also have a look at equivalent systems by Sennheiser and Trantec. All three are good and I'd just go with the one that suits you best in terms of price and features.

 

As for the licensing regulations, it's not all that complicated.

 

If the gear is on UHF Channel 70, that is legal now and will continue to be legal after 2012. The only slight drawback might be that these frequencies are already a bit crowded (you can only squeeze four usable channels onto the frequencies available) and this might get worse after 2012. However, you have no issues with licences or licensing.

 

UHF channel 69 is presently easy to get a licence for (a "UK Shared" licence) but this will go away after 2012 so it's likely not a good idea to buy one of these systems now. Also, if you only want to use one radio system, you may not want to spend the money on a licence that is good for up to 14 channels.

 

UHF channel 38 will become the new UK Shared licensed frequencies after 2012 and can already be used in many areas unless there's a TV station on that channel in the area. If you have/want to have more radio mics etc. in the future, then this is probably the way to go--but the same comments about buying a licence apply.

 

Bob

[Peter F]

I would definitely take a look at the products of the man above you.

 

The Line 6 range of wireless is part of a new generation of wireless products that are operating in the 2.4GHz frequency. This makes them free from licensing issues.

 

Line 6 Wireless products

 

The G50 set looks particularly interesting. If it does what it says on the tin then £300 retail seems like a very good deal indeed.

 

I am curious about the performance of these units in a busy 2.4GHz wireless environment. Perhaps Don can give us some insight into this?

I'm thinking, venue wireless network, touring wireless network, sound wireless network, lampies wireless network, vidiots with a couple of 2.4GHz camera links, perhaps in a city centre with a dozen wifi hotspots visible, not to mention all the residential routers that you can see.

 

How does this range of digital wireless cope with a busy environment that is, most likely, destined to get busier?

 

Cheers,

 

Peter

[dboomer]

I am curious about the performance of these units in a busy 2.4GHz wireless environment. Perhaps Don can give us some insight into this?

I'm thinking, venue wireless network, touring wireless network, sound wireless network, lampies wireless network, vidiots with a couple of 2.4GHz camera links, perhaps in a city centre with a dozen wifi hotspots visible, not to mention all the residential routers that you can see.

 

How does this range of digital wireless cope with a busy environment that is, most likely, destined to get busier?

 

LIne 6 has a process we call PDP. It uses a FHSS scheme derived from military anti-jamming technology combined with an encoded signal. Interference simply doesn't bother our ability to make audio. Our digital system is smart. It knows what to listen for and it discards everything else. Just like when you play a CD you are likely to get hundreds or thousands of dropped data bits, you never hear it as audio dropouts. Or when in a wifi cafe you get your email but you don't get anyone else's nor do they get bits and pieces of yours.

 

Long and short of it is our system doesn't care whether there is a clear channel or not. As far as I know it is the only wireless mic system that works this way. Everything else needs to find a clear channel to operate on. XD-V does not need a clear channel and clear channels keep getting harder and harder to find and will likely get even more difficult in the future.

[raymond.faccini]

What's YOUR budget? £200/£300

What do you expect to use them for? Variety type shows

How big is the venue? Variouse [Village hall type]

How often do you intend to be using them? weekly

Do you need hand-held, lapel, face mount, over-ear, full headset mics? Hand held or on stand

 

You ARE aware of the impending move from CH69 to CH38, yes? And have been looking at the appropriate options which mean your mics aren't going to be useless/illegal after 2012...?

 

just a few questions before anyone can give a realistic reply.

 

A concurrent post has been automatically merged from this point on.

 

The OP made no mention of cheap and cheerful. Sorry - but recommending any make in the bargain bucket department is difficult. If the question was I have little money, and want 4 microphones that function, on a good day, with the wind behind them, miles from any other user, and sound quality isn't an issue - then cheap kit might be sensible - but even then, I wouldn't use it.

 

If you do the maths on these systems, around £20 is the price point of the actual microphone element - and we all know what a £20 mic sounds like!

 

Even if these system were on the channel 70 band, then once everyone starts trying to fit into that band, it gets busy and unreliable. It's not good now - last night I was scanning to find the frequency of an in ear monitor, and was amazed how many radio systems I found - most on very odd channels, where people had tuned to get a clear channel. Once digital signals fill the band up, these will all suddenly be trying to find empty slots. Decent kit with well designed receivers can cope better, the cheap designs concentrate on simple receiver designs, and filtering and narrow band operation is very low on their priority list.

we are looking to spend around £200/£300