Wireless Mics

By: Tony Flammia

"The right to remain silent"

......was on the cover of one of the major Audio Mags for Worship centers. I don't know if its was scare tactic but it needed to be done. This topic is very important to House of Worship buildings and anyone using wireless mics.....surprisingly most everyone I talk to still has not heard of the issue.

Ok, here is the deal.....

Imagine you’re driving around listening to your stereo and your favorite song is on…your jamming out…. Looking around to make sure no one sees you singing into your tightly clenched fist…nothing but good times! Right at the best part you hear some static and then the song gets interrupted like your coming into a stronger signal, but you know for sure you’re not too far from the station…..why is this happening?

This is what is going to begin to happen after June 12^th 2009. If you’re wireless mics are running in the freq range of 698 to 806, you will be open to interruptions from other devices in that range. This wont happen suddenly...but over a period of time.

The Story behind the story....

The FCC is advocating for Digital TV vs analog due to the fact its better, and in short, the digital signal allows the FCC to tightly fit the channels one after another. Analog had to be spaced out.

So,…the frequencies from 698 to 806 has been auctioned off to the highest bidder . Why didn’t the wireless companies bid on it? Well, all the wireless companies together couldn't cover what it sold for. Even Google was out bid! 19 Billion dollars for those coveted white spaces.

So now that these freqs belong to others....mostly telecommunication companies, they will begin to produce devices that will use those freqs to go online. So at first, when we vacate the 698 to 806 spectrum, the whitespaces will be pretty clear. You may even notice your wireless working better! But, as the devices grow in numbers they will eventually take over.

FCC comes to the rescue.....

The Fcc did however make provisions for these telecommunication devices. Before the device uses a freq it has to check a database for the area being used to see if there are registered wireless devices in use. Anyone ever register anything with the FCC? I can only speculate fees and penaltys but I can see that coming.

Final Thought......
Bottom line....if your using a mic in the 698-806 range.....get rid of it. Its not lawful to continue to use these freqs. Its not what we all wanted to hear, but....what can you do? If I paid 19 Billion for clean airways I wouldent want anyone using them.

There is Hope......
Creative Sound Solutions, LLC is offering wireless units at cost to help those who were blindsided with this event.

www.creativesoundsolution.com
239-458-3408

What is proximity effect?

Proximity effect is an increase in low frequency response when a microphone is very close to the sound source, and is an inherent characteristics of direct tonal microphones. Omnidirectional mics do not exhibit this effect and variable D mics (like the EV RE20) can limit the proximity effect.

What is the real difference in audio cable?

Much of the difference is in ruggedness and in the quality of shielding. Speaker cable should not be shielded, but all microphone and line level cables must be shielded. Some shields are less than 100%, some are braided for flexibility and others are foil for permanent installations.

The quality of the connectors, connections and raw materials determine whether the cable can be used in a harsh environment. The connector quality is important if the cable will be reconnected often or seldom.

There are visible differences in video cables, but those differences are quantifiable in specifications such as impedance, velocity, capacitance, dielectric loss, and shielding quality.The sad truth is that much esoteric cable is designed on "faith," without any real specifications or measurements of quality.

On the humorous side are dealers who offer, for an added fee, to "break in " cable for their customers. We suppose that if you are going to buy into the myth, you might as well go all the way and loosen up those sticky electrons.

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