Wireless Cans

[rishardamod]

Hi,

I'm interested in wireless cans. I already have a masterstation and wired cans. Is there anything out there like some sort of wireless transmitter that I attach to a belt pack and the other to the comm port so that I can get radio transmission between the selected comm port and the belt pack. This would enable the SM to move around freely. This shouldn't be too expensive since it is just the XLR type transmitters that I would need. I've emailed CANFORD already, awaiting response. Any other ideas?

 

 

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[themadhippy]

2 options either a dedicated radio cans set ( WBP251 Wireless beltpack and TECPRO RS77 I think) ,but it looks like candford dont stock them any more or a Walkie-talkie interface

[mikienorth]

Might have been a repackaged canford job (distinctive project boxes) but I've just seen a nice system through our venue involving the words DT, from a London firm doing, under three names, Pryo/FX, Comms and something else. Cant remember who though, will try and search for it now.

Sorry for the vagueness, I'm hoping someone can come to my aid on this.

 

EDITED: I've come to my own aid, I finally realise the magical properties of google. How did we ever cope when we had to do all that real research on our own?

 

try this link, it should take you to a page from Mike Weaver, showing off the DTB-2001, which I am going on about vaguely above. It seemed to work well when it was here last week, but there was only one unit in use, not the up to 100 as it is claimed it can handle.

[bruce]

We hired some wireless cans from Mike Weaver last year. Worked well.

 

Only problem was with the courier, who delivered it to George St, GLAStonbury, not George St, GLASgow..... But the hire company pulled out all the stops to sort it out, chucking a spare set into the boot of a car and driving from Coventry to Glasgow, arriving 2 hours before the show :P

 

Bruce.

[paulears]

Used some Canford digital wireless units a while back and they were dreadful - audio quality was very tiring to listen to, limited bandwidth.

 

I've got used to providing stage crew with in-ear monitor packs, and feeding the TX with the comms signal. If they need reverse comms, linking a cheap 446mhz receiver into the comms circuit works fine. Those that need to talk back, just have the annoyance of an extra unit to carry - MUCH cheaper than a full duplex system.

[scaryrobot]

I remember phoning a hire company about this a while back (either Hawthorn or Stage Electrics), they told me that nearly all wireless cans are hideously unreliable and poor quality, and they were phasing them out of their hire-stock... I don't doubt good ones are around, but whenever I've seen behind the scenes at a touring show, they're always using wired kit. The beltpacks are much more expensive too, if I remember correctly.

[mattevans]

We hired a set of radio cans from Orbital Sound and I can say that we had no problems with them at all. They worked fine, the person wearing them, the stage manager could hear perfectly everywhere on the stage and we could all hear him clearly. We could even hear him when he was running around the building after an intruder.

 

Hope this helps

 

Matt Evans

[Bryson]

I don't think I've ever seen an add-on for your beltpack as you describe - you'd have to get a transmitter and radio beltpacks.

 

We use Telex Stuff and it always seems perfectly good to me. (And we have some reasonably serious interference issues...) We run a mixed wired and wireless system, and it all seems fine.

 

And the PH88headset is the bees knees.

[sjbvision]

We have a Tecpro ws250 wireless beltpack system, I think thats what canford call it, I'll check tomorrow at work.

Its a UHF based system and it has proved it's worth. The unit was about £1200, that is for the beltpack and the base station. The beltpack either runs off 2 x AA or rechargeables, the base station will either run off the comms ring or can be powered from a transformer. We have had excellent results with the product and the hire market for it is picking up.

 

This is nothing like the old radio interface, it works!! The only problem, is finding a reason why you have to be the person with the wireless system that gig.

 

There were some teething problems with the original unit, but as we are 4miles from canford it was easy to get a replacement unit under warranty.

 

Hope this helps.

Pm me if more details needed.

[henny]

the canford system is DECT based,

[colinmonk]

Use the Digital Talkback systems ( DTB-2001 ) quite often and they are generally very good systems, have had upto 8 wireless units running at the same time with wired in units as well with no major issues at all...

 

But stock levels on these systems are very rare at the moment, and each unit comes out at approx £1300.00 each without headset!

[rishardamod]

Thanks everyone. Lots of info here. Will investigate hiring as a trial basis.

[Rob]

My experience of the DT systems has not been so good. Extremely fragile aerials and poor reliability. Admittedly our systems do not get looked after very well or maintained at all, but I don't think this is particularly different to the real world.

 

Probably fine if handled very carefully - I'd go for Motorolla's and an interface like the Tecpro AD913.

[sam.henderson]

Theres a member on here called Showcomms his comapny (http://www.showcomms.co.uk) specialises in Show Communications.

 

They might be a good source of information!

 

HTH,

 

Sam

[SceneMaster]

Hi,

 

I was asked yesterday evening after a show about a wireless cans system. This is an armature operatic society so it needs to be fairly low cost (I don’t know the budget but I can ask. Probably something ridiculously small). They want it to be 8 way. That is about all I know.

 

Before people say what about the alternatives. There is no point. We are in a venue which we don’t own or in control of which does have a wired cans system, which as far as I am concern is fine, but they want a wireless one of their own (apparently they have hired one in the past and they liked that way it worked) and PMR or similar radios are not an option.

 

Anyway has anyone got any reasonable low cost (relative to really big pro shows, obviously there is no point paying £500 for something which is poor) suggestions of systems?

 

Thanks,