Newbie Wireless question
Audiomixer
and post mixing for the last 20 years. I've been wanting to get into
location audio for sometime and have just started putting my package
together. I live in the New York metropolitan area and was looking for some
guidance on wireless setups. I would love nothing more than to get a few
lectro 211's but they are cost prohibitive at this point. Does anyone have a
good recommendation for a cheaper wireless setup or should I just rent until
I can afford the lectro's. Thanks in advance for your help
Gary
Eric Toline
Newbie Wireless question
Group: rec.arts.movies.production.sound Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2004, 3:22am
(EDT+4) From: Audio...@optonline.net (Audiomixer)
Hi everyone I'm new to the world of location sound. My background is
music and post mixing for the last 20 years. I've been wanting to get
into location audio for sometime and have just started putting my
package together.<<<<<<<<
No disrspect but please expain why you're giving up a career sitting
inside in a nice comfortable room to run around in all kinds of weather
with 15 pounds of stuff strapped to your chest?
I live in the New York metropolitan area and was looking for some
guidance on wireless setups. I would love nothing more than to get a few
lectro 211's but they are cost prohibitive at this point. Does anyone
have a good recommendation for a cheaper wireless setup or should I just
rent until I can afford the lectro's. Thanks in advance for your help
Gary<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Either rent or scout the consignment listings at Coffeysound.com or
Trewaudio.com. Ebay might have wireless listings also.
Eric
Ramps @ NAB: Tuesday April 20 6pm. "Firefly on Paradise" 3900 Paradise
Rd. Las Vegas.
Audiomixer
21943-407...@storefull-3251.bay.webtv.net, "Eric Toline"
<Audi...@webtv.net> wrote:
> Hi everyone I'm new to the world of location sound. My background is
> music and post mixing for the last 20 years. I've been wanting to get
> into location audio for sometime and have just started putting my
> package together.<<<<<<<<
>
> No disrspect but please expain why you're giving up a career sitting
> inside in a nice comfortable room to run around in all kinds of weather
> with 15 pounds of stuff strapped to your chest?
When you've sat on your ass from 10-16 hrs. a day for 20 years it gets old
just like anything else does. I always wanted to get into location audio and
I thought there is no time like the present.
>
> Either rent or scout the consignment listings at Coffeysound.com or
> Trewaudio.com. Ebay might have wireless listings also.
Thanks for your suggestions. I have looked at all the obvious sites but most
of the stuff is older lectro stuff. I really like the electosonics 201 and
211 radio's but I was looking for a cheaper alternative...Preferably NEW.
shooter
> Newbie Wireless question
>
> Group: rec.arts.movies.production.sound Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2004, 3:22am
> (EDT+4) From: Audio...@optonline.net (Audiomixer)
>
> Hi everyone I'm new to the world of location sound. My background is
> music and post mixing for the last 20 years. I've been wanting to get
> into location audio for sometime and have just started putting my
> package together.<<<<<<<<
>
Are you applying for one of those many lucrative jobs available at ABC?
Eric Toline
Re: Newbie Wireless question
Group: rec.arts.movies.production.sound Date: Wed, Apr 14, 2004, 12:21pm
(EDT+4) From: Audio...@optonline.net (Audiomixer)
When you've sat on your ass from 10-16 hrs. a day for 20 years it gets
old just like anything else does.<<<<<<<<<<<
Now that I can relate to. Been there, done that and have the T shirt to
prove it.
I always wanted to get into location audio and I thought there is no
time like the present.<<<<<<
That might be debateable but good luck.
Audiomixer
>>
>> Hi everyone I'm new to the world of location sound. My background is
>> music and post mixing for the last 20 years. I've been wanting to get
>> into location audio for sometime and have just started putting my
>> package together.<<<<<<<<
>>
>
> Are you applying for one of those many lucrative jobs available at ABC?
As I'm new to this newsgroup I don't quite know what you mean by this?
removeit@netvision.net.il Oleg Kaizerman
> I always wanted to get into location audio and I thought there is no
> time like the present.<<<<<<
:-)
best luck
--
Oleg Kaizerman (gebe) Hollyland
John B., Indianapolis
"older lectro stuff" (which includes 200s, 205s, & 210s which all
perform pretty much as well as a 211 and better than a 201) but you'd
like to find something as good as a 211 or 201 for a bargain price.
What am I missing here? Short of stealing a 211, your best performance
for the buck would be a used 200, 205, or 210. All three of these are
in the same performance league as the 211 but without the neat new
built-in frequency scanner. What ya gotta ask yourself is "how much is
the neat new built-in frequency scanner worth to you?" The 201 is good
bang for the buck but doesn't have as selective a front end as the
others mentioned.
The biggest difference I've found between the 200 and the 205 (they look
the same with the same controls and displays) is that the 200 pulls more
current (200=400ma and the 205=260ma). Real-world-performance-wise,
it's hard to tell any difference among the 200, 205 & 210.
My .02
John B.
Audiomixer
I don't know where you got the idea I was excluding the 200,201,210's when I
said older. I was referring to the proliferation of 185's and 190's on the
market. New York is a tough market for RF so I'm looking for something that
is frequency agile and can be diverse in this area. Also I don't want a
power hog like the 200's. It seems like I hit a nerve of yours for some
reason. I was asking a simple question and seeking advice, but it seems
you'd rather belittle someone than help them. NICE ATTITUDE. I was simply
trying to find out if there is a more reasonable solution than the electros
that will work in this area. I know the electrosonics are great (as I stated
before) so if you don't want to help don't reply.
On 4/14/04 12:50 PM, in article 407d6c48$0$4552$39ce...@news.twtelecom.net,
shooter
>
> As I'm new to this newsgroup I don't quite know what you mean by this?
Last week there was a discussion regarding ABC's recent desire to go
to a one man band instead of two person crews. Guess which one of the
crew gets the axe. Gallows humor. I guess you had to be there.
Regarding John B from Indy's post. I thought he was right on and I did
not get any sense of hostility. I was thinking the same things he
mentioned. I bought used 210's because that's as far as I could push
the wallet. Below the price of the 200 series, you're not going to get
anything diversity and freq agile and quality.
Jay Hartigan
> before) so if you don't want to help don't reply.
Dear Mr. Newbie,
The wireless manufacturer's name is Lectrosonics.
JH
John B., Indianapolis
You asked for my help and I took the time to offer that help and your
response is that I'm belittling you. That was certainly not my intent.
You say you want something as good as the current Lectros but you did
state that you didn't want to buy any of that "older lectro stuff." I
think you should make it clear what "that older lectro stuff" means. I
responded to what you said. If that's not what you meant then you
should clearify yourself rather than cop an attitude.
John B.
Thom Shafer
I would rent until you can afford your A list selection (especially if you
are in NY). Under buying...in the end....is just a waste of money. There
is no option below Lectrosonics in my opinion.
However, I would not consider the Lectro 190 as an 'avoid system'. It is
one of the most robust...quality systems that Lectrosonics has ever
released. I still use 12 year old 190's as my camera link with zero fear of
failure. If they're clean when I fire up I don't bother to check up on
them.....I know they will work.
Yes it is a single channel system. We are too often consumed by this notion
that we must have multiple frequencies. My 411's and 205's are more of a
headache than my 190's. The single channel systems are crystaled as slot
frequency systems. Meaning that they are geared toward sliding in-between
the broadcast frequencies of standard NTSC broadcast stations.
For a real world example here is a list of cities that I have shot in the
last couple of months with 190's in channel 29 and 30 as camera links.
(slots)
Manhattan
The Bronx
Jersey City
New Haven, CT
Sioux City, IA
Kansas City, MO
Philadelphia, PA
Pittsburgh, PA
Cleveland, OH
Lansing, MI
Columbus, OH
Erie, PA
This is just in the last two months. Next week I will be in Charlotte, NC
followed by Louisville, KY for the Derby with no fear of failure of my
190's. (I've been to both and keep quite the log)
I'm not suggesting that you run out and buy a pile of 190's. What I am
suggesting is that if you find a deal on some used 190's that fit your
market they will serve you well, augmenting your rental cost until you can
afford the systems you want.
Lectrosonics is very good at turning sytems around. If I remember correctly
the base cost for a tune up at Lectro is $132.00. The #1 problem I have is
with the battery compartment springs in the transmitters. They get streched
out and week. A real drag!
Thom Shafer
http://www.televisionsound.com
"Audiomixer" <Audio...@optonline.net> wrote in message
news:BCA226AE.6E49%Audio...@optonline.net...
Audiomixer
Thanks for your help. This is the kind of insight I was looking for.
On 4/15/04 10:12 PM, in article oiHfc.1823$2e6.1501@lakeread01, "Thom
Larry Fisher
The weak springs were due to us receiving and using .009'' stainless
steel sheet instead of .010" sheet. One wouldn't think that a
thousandth of an inch would make much difference but bending forces
are proportional to the CUBE of the thickness. The thinner material
had only 70% of the stiffness of the correct material. The people
receiving the sheet didn't notice the 1 thousandth discrepancy and we
ended up with battery contacts that slowly collapsed. The correct
contacts are available at no charge and are fairly easy to put in.
While we were at it, we also increased the bend radius of all the
contacts in all our models so the bending action and stress would be
distributed over a broader area of the contact.
In a pinch, you can open the 190 and gently bend the contacts out.
This will hold for some months. Duracell batteries are a touch shorter
and Eveready's are a bit longer so the Eveready's will work a little
better in a 190 if the contacts have taken a set.
Larry Fisher
Lectrosonics
On Fri, 16 Apr 2004 03:44:22 GMT, Audiomixer
<Audio...@optonline.net> wrote:
>Thom,
>Thanks for your help. This is the kind of insight I was looking for.
>
>
>On 4/15/04 10:12 PM, in article oiHfc.1823$2e6.1501@lakeread01, "Thom
>Shafer" <productionsoun...@cox.net> wrote:
>
>> Hi Gary
>>
[snip]
>> the base cost for a tune up at Lectro is $132.00. The #1 problem I have is
>> with the battery compartment springs in the transmitters. They get streched
>> out and week. A real drag!
>>
>> Thom Shafer
[snip]
Thom Shafer
Thanks for taking the time to share that info. It is always appreciated.
Thom Shafer
http://www.televisionsound.com
"Larry Fisher" <larry...@despammed.com> wrote in message
news:83tv70pgjod4sqi3a...@4ax.com...
shooter
> > that we must have multiple frequencies. My 411's and 205's are more of a
> > headache than my 190's. The single channel systems are crystaled as slot
> > frequency systems. Meaning that they are geared toward sliding in-between
> > the broadcast frequencies of standard NTSC broadcast stations.
My experience is much less extensive, but I have shot within 25 miles
of an analog TV on the same freq as my 195D's. No problem whatsoever.
I find more problems with my 201 than my 195D's. Basically, I've never
had a problem with my 195D's in the 6 years I've had them and I have
travelled across the country with them. I was at a major airport and
couldn't get a clean freq with the 201. Switched to the 195D and no
problem at all.
Thom Shafer
The only time you will have a problem is if you are working around a
'digital' station broadcasting on the same frequency.
That is the beauty of slot frequencies. How close you are to the station is
irrelevant because you are using the bit of their broadcast spectrum that
they are not transmitting on. Sliding in-between their picture, color and
sound. These channels tend to be clear because they are allocated to the TV
broadcasters.
I have believed for a long time that single channel systems lock on to their
frequencies better than the multi channel systems do. With a single channel
it either works or it doesn't. With a multi channel I find that I must
perform a more extensive test to be assured that the freq.'s are going to
work for me. That also means that all the wires not only work by themselves
but collectively as a group.
I used to spread my wires out all across the spectrum and resisted lumping
them into one block. These days I have committed to block 27 for my bag and
I wish that I would have maintained my policy of separation. With a 5
channel multi system you can pretty much find some freq.'s that work but if
you are limited to just 1 of those channels being clear than it can get
quite crowded trying to bring up 4 or 5 wires without generating a whole
plethora of combining rf nightmares.
Just babbling a bit....I like my wires spread out across the spectrum.
Thom Shafer
http://www.televisionsound.com
"shooter" <sho...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:a0d6f1bb.0404...@posting.google.com...
Brad Harper
multi-coupler. I am still using four 195Ds on channel 34 and are able to use
them in every part of Texas I have worked. I would like to have some 411s
but so far it ain't broke.
Brad Harper
Thom Shafer
what so ever.
Thom Shafer
http://www.televisionsound.com
"Brad Harper" <bradh...@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:QU%fc.157882$JO3.95296@attbi_s04...
Philip Perkins
allocation charts re: digital TV for the area you will be working in.
If you are working in NYC, LA, SF or Phila, you should really think
twice about using older technology. In my experience even the best
systems can have problems in these RF heavy environments, and there
are very few open channels. In a city you will find that sometimes
supposedly open channels will have squatters using them--delivery,
security, construction, whatever, for the same reason you are--they
are unlicensed and there is no other place to go.
Philip Perkins CAS
Thom Shafer
I stated I was operating with slots in channel 29 and 30 in New York. I
rechecked my rf log and found that I was utilizing channel's 29 and 36, not
channel 30.
Thom Shafer
http://www.televisionsound.com
"Thom Shafer" <productionsound(removetoreply)@cox.net> wrote in message
news:oiHfc.1823$2e6.1501@lakeread01...
Audiomixer
<productionsoun...@cox.net> wrote:
> Gary
>
> I stated I was operating with slots in channel 29 and 30 in New York. I
> rechecked my rf log and found that I was utilizing channel's 29 and 36, not
> channel 30.
>
> Thom Shafer
> http://www.televisionsound.com
>
> "Thom Shafer" <productionsound(removetoreply)@cox.net> wrote in message
> news:oiHfc.1823$2e6.1501@lakeread01...
Thanks Again Thom,
I actually sold off some equipment and have enough to get a couple of 211's
... I can't wait
Gary