VHF Radio Mic Antenna Distribution

[richardash1981]

I want to rack up three of my S3500 radio mic receivers to save on setup time at events. They are the 'D' variant with the antenna connections being TNC on the back of the receivers, so I have a means to connect the antennas (and can't use the whips directly, because they would be inside the rack!).

What I can't find are options for an antenna distribution unit.

• The evidence on the web is that Trantec didn't do a S3500 distribution unit and instead used the S2-ADU unit from the S2 series, with a bunch of adaptors?
• The only VHF unit I can find currently sold is the TOA WD4800?
• I am better off looking for a pair of DAB-capable antenna distribution amplifier and making up converter leads to the TNC connectors, the basis that they work in much the same band?

[mackerr]

I want to rack up three of my S3500 radio mic receivers to save on setup time at events. They are the 'D' variant with the antenna connections being TNC on the back of the receivers, so I have a means to connect the antennas (and can't use the whips directly, because they would be inside the rack!).

What I can't find are options for an antenna distribution unit.

• The evidence on the web is that Trantec didn't do a S3500 distribution unit and instead used the S2-ADU unit from the S2 series, with a bunch of adaptors?
• The only VHF unit I can find currently sold is the TOA WD4800?
• I am better off looking for a pair of DAB-capable antenna distribution amplifier and making up converter leads to the TNC connectors, the basis that they work in much the same band?

 

Shure makes one for their VHF radios. http://www.shure.com/americas/products/accessories/wireless-systems/wireless-systems-antennas/ua844-plus-v You will need TNC to BNC cables to connect the mics to it.

 

Mac

[paulears]

They always shipped with the Shures, because up till the 3000/3500 series, Trantec actually made the Shure receivers, which Shure re-badged. They also made the antenna distros - so never had them in their own branding. When the new series came out they just used the Shures. I don't think they felt the need to produce a new version of the VHF one like the ADU4000, because they had a perfectly good one, in 19" front already.

[richardash1981]

They always shipped with the Shures, because up till the 3000/3500 series, Trantec actually made the Shure receivers, which Shure re-badged. They also made the antenna distros - so never had them in their own branding. When the new series came out they just used the Shures. I don't think they felt the need to produce a new version of the VHF one like the ADU4000, because they had a perfectly good one, in 19" front already.

The Shure UA844+V still manages to look almost identical to the Trantec S2 ADU but doesn't come cheap (I spent less than the price of the Shure ADU on the whole collection of S3500 radio mics)! The main reason for asking was having seen the half-width S4000 ADU (in UHF band) and wondering if there was a VHF version - but the 19" rack box is equally good, as it also eliminates the pile of 13A wall warts for power.

 

It seems BNC-TNC cables are a fact of life for any distro into these receivers (the Trantec, Shure and TOA distros all have BNC out). I think there was a batch of short TNC-TNC leads knocking around at work (they were ordered slightly shorter than required ...) so might be time for a bunch of these.

Thanks for the help.

 

[paulears]

I must admit that I had a few passive splitters with TNCs, and when I had a rack of 6 3500 receivers, I used these. They came from a UHF piece of distance measuring kit, and were less than £20 each second hand. They worked amazingly well with quite low loss in the rack. Personally, my view is that the trouble with radio mics is rarely that the strongest signal is too weak, but it's the nulls where the signal just vanishes. meters always seem to read full strength or nothing, so when I tried the passive splitters they made hardly any difference to the strong signals and nulls were still nulls. They were rated pretty flat up to 1GHz - and worked quite well on UHF too.

[richardash1981]

I must admit that I had a few passive splitters with TNCs, and when I had a rack of 6 3500 receivers, I used these. They came from a UHF piece of distance measuring kit, and were less than £20 each second hand. They worked amazingly well with quite low loss in the rack. Personally, my view is that the trouble with radio mics is rarely that the strongest signal is too weak, but it's the nulls where the signal just vanishes. meters always seem to read full strength or nothing, so when I tried the passive splitters they made hardly any difference to the strong signals and nulls were still nulls. They were rated pretty flat up to 1GHz - and worked quite well on UHF too.

That's a useful bit of real-world experience. The RF meters on the 3500s seem to bear this out - normally pegged, or drop out. I've plumped for the second hand S2 ADU, on the basis that for £30 it doesn't cost any more than I'm likely to pay for passive splitters, and you get a 4-way PSU built in. If it's no good when it arrives, then I'll head in the direction of some passives ...

[sunray]

<br />I want to rack up three of my S3500 radio mic receivers to save on setup time at events. They are the 'D' variant with the antenna connections being TNC on the back of the receivers, so I have a means to connect the antennas (and can't use the whips directly, because they would be inside the rack!).<br />What I can't find are options for an antenna distribution unit.<ul class='bbc'><li>The evidence on the web is that Trantec didn't do a S3500 distribution unit and instead used the S2-ADU unit from the S2 series, with a bunch of adaptors?</li><li>The only VHF unit I can find currently sold is the <a href='https://cpc.farnell.com/toa-electronics/wd-4800/power-antenna-distributor/dp/MP34775' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>TOA WD4800?</a></li><li>I am better off looking for a pair of DAB-capable antenna distribution amplifier and making up converter leads to the TNC connectors, the basis that they work in much the same band?</li></ul><br />

 

I have a S2 which hasn't been used for too many years if you are still looking.

[richardash1981]

<br />I want to rack up three of my S3500 radio mic receivers to save on setup time at events. They are the 'D' variant with the antenna connections being TNC on the back of the receivers, so I have a means to connect the antennas (and can't use the whips directly, because they would be inside the rack!).<br />What I can't find are options for an antenna distribution unit.<ul class='bbc'><li>The evidence on the web is that Trantec didn't do a S3500 distribution unit and instead used the S2-ADU unit from the S2 series, with a bunch of adaptors?</li><li>The only VHF unit I can find currently sold is the <a href='https://cpc.farnell.com/toa-electronics/wd-4800/power-antenna-distributor/dp/MP34775' class='bbc_url' title='External link' rel='nofollow external'>TOA WD4800?</a></li><li>I am better off looking for a pair of DAB-capable antenna distribution amplifier and making up converter leads to the TNC connectors, the basis that they work in much the same band?</li></ul><br />

 

I have a S2 which hasn't been used for too many years if you are still looking.

S2 ADU from the bay of e arrived fine, powers up (unrelated, so 20V DC was a bit of a surprise on the "15V" outputs - then I measured one of the normal wall warts ..), I am waiting on the RF adaptors and connectors to arrive from China (you wouldn't think TNC-PL259 would be that hard) to try out the RF side.

[Jivemaster]

I once used retail Antiference TV and VHF distribution amps with 175MHz licence free radio mics. Their technical people said it would work and it did. It's near enough to the VHF FM band and the DAB bands.

[richardash1981]

Just to close this up, all the parts did arrive, the S2 ADU is in the back of the rack with two shelves of receivers on the front, all the cables (just) fit between with right-angle connectors. It did it's first two jobs on Sunday as was both trouble free (once the distro end of a loose IEC was moved to a tigher socket) and a big time saver. There is plenty of RF gain in the ADU - it picks up full signal strength without any antennas connected to it ...

Thanks to all for their help.