Headset radio mic supplier for Education

[Robin D]

The school I volunteer at are dead set on buying a rack of 8 or so radio mics ahead of a show next month and have asked me for recommendations for model and potential suppliers. I've used various models of both Trantec and Sennheiser in the past but what is the current perceived wisdom, and who is likely to come up with the goods in the available time please? Particularly concerned about robustness and availability of spares.

 

I've argued that hiring continues to be the better option but ..... :-(

 

We are in East Suffolk.

[cedd]

I’ve found the Trantec S5’s very robust in school hires. Does the school have a 3D printer? If so I have a full set of files for my own design replacement battery doors and some boots that slot over the end to prevent accidental battery door opening - the only real weakness with them.

CPC sell them so very straightforward to get next day delivery on them. They won’t be the cheapest compared to doing an actual package deal with a smaller specialist supplier, but sometimes in schools lack of faff wins.

Then if you ever need service or repair I’d strongly suggest talking to Mike at MLEC. They’re very good and very reasonable on price.

[Robin D]

Many thanks Cedd. Already aware of MLEC as have had to order emergency spares to repair hire kit.

 

No 3D printer here, but I may have access to one elsewhere.

[Simon Lewis]

The school I volunteer at are dead set on buying a rack of 8 or so radio mics

 

I'm pretty sure you will know this, but are the school aware they'll need a suitable licence if they buy their own systems?

[Robin D]

I've told them but don't know the cost off hand.

[paulears]

If you're in our part of the world, then the local dealer to get you out of trouble is Viking in Norwich, but for the mics themselves, I too suggest CPC, who the school almost certainly has an account with. The quaint way education works means that hiring is often just impossible. Viking like Shure systems, while I like Sennheiser. The Trantecs are quite nice, but I stopped buying from them after the 4000 series faded away. The Line 6's work well on 2.4, but the battery compartment lids seem very troublesome - mine held in place with gaffer when a bit of extra force closing them snapped off the little catch.

 

 

One thing that will be forgotten is power supplies and antenna distribution - with more than a few, it's really important to not have zillions of antennas poking out.

[Stuart91]

antenna distribution - with more than a few, it's really important to not have zillions of antennas poking out.

 

I heard someone refer to this as "a forest of twigs". Range and pickup quality can be quite seriously impaired compared to proper distribution.

 

 

The other thing budget-wise is to make sure you have an ongoing allocation for replacement headsets. They will break, no matter how careful people try to be with them. Sometimes it's possible to re-terminate the connectors but often the broken mics are a write-off.

 

You don't want to find yourself in the position, a few years down the line, where the school have to approve an emergency £300+ spend to get the radio systems serviceable for an upcoming show.

Edited February 3, 2020 by Stuart91

[Simon Lewis]

I've told them but don't know the cost off hand.

 

£135 gets you shared access to Channel 38 (606-613MHz), the duplex gap (823 - 832MHz) and the 1.8GHz band (1785 – 1805 MHz) for two years.

A co-ordinated licence for 8 radios in one TV block, indoors at a fixed site is £168 per year.

Ideally, you'd need to sort out the frequency co-ordination and licencing stuff ahead of purchase, so that you buy units in the correct frequency band. Not every manufacturer has a model that works in the 1.8GHz band.

 

It's not unusual for niceties such as licences to be forgotten once the units are bought, though....

This does mildly annoy those who do pay for their licence....!

Edited February 3, 2020 by Simon Lewis

[Robin D]

Many thanks all. Will try to remember to update the thread once decisions have been made.

[natjones]

We've been very impressed with Sennheiser's D1 mics at our venue over the last year. They use digital rather than radio frequencies, and the transmitter and receiver are paired, so no pesky licence issues. Unless there are a lot of walls in the way between, they're pretty damn smooth. Some reviews mentioned latency when there are a lot of wifi routers nearby, but it's so minor that it wouldn't be noticeable for your applications. The belt packs are also nice and light compared to the older radio mics. We went straight to Sennheiser, and they do pretty tasty education discounts, I think.

[kgallen]

https://www.blue-room.org.uk/index.php?showtopic=74177&view=findpost&p=579347

 

Consistent at least, Nat!

[natjones]

https://www.blue-roo...ndpost&p=579347

 

Consistent at least, Nat!

 

Well, when someone asks the same question that's been asked before... copy & paste

[timsabre]

They use digital rather than radio frequencies, and the transmitter and receiver are paired, so no pesky licence issues.

If you are going to keep repeating it, I think we should point out that this statement is not really accurate, the reason they do not need a licence is they use the licence free shared 2.4GHz band, with all the potential pitfalls this has of shared RF frequencies.

 

[abbotsmike]

They use digital rather than radio frequencies, and the transmitter and receiver are paired, so no pesky licence issues.

If you are going to keep repeating it, I think we should point out that this statement is not really accurate, the reason they do not need a licence is they use the licence free shared 2.4GHz band, with all the potential pitfalls this has of shared RF frequencies.

 

 

Yeah I keep seeing this comment and forgetting to respond! All wireless frequencies are "radio" frequencies. Whether the devices transmitting and receiving on a given frequency band are analog or digital is largely irrelevant to whether or not they need licensing.

 

Radio mics using the 2.4ghz "wifi" band have their place, however they often don't co-exist in a friendly manner with nearby wifi networks.

[timsabre]

All wireless frequencies are "radio" frequencies.

I think she meant that the different radio mic "channels" are digitally encoded channels rather than using different radio frequencies as with standard radio mics. Which is true enough.