,

SIFM
SennheiserIntermodulationandFrequency Management
Instructionsfortherapidcalculationof intermodulation-free
radiofrequenciesforwirelessmicrophonesystems
,
SIFM:SennheiserIntermodulationandFrequency Management
NoLiability
Thisversionisintendedforprofessionalusersabletointerprettheinput
ofthetechnicalparametersinapertinentway.
Whencalculatingfrequencyconfigurations,usethedefaultvaluesasastarting
point.Theseofferthehighestinsensitivityto intermodulation interference.The
manufacturersandtheindividualusersrequirefrequencyconfigurationswhich
ensurereliableresultsunderawiderangeofdifferentoperatingconditions.
Sennheisercanacceptnoliabilityfortheoperationalsafetyof multi-channel
systemswhosetransmissionfrequencieshavebeencalculatedonthebasisof
thisprogramwithoutourapproval.
,
Introduction
Interferencedueto intermodulation generallyoccurswhenatleasttwotransmittersclosetothereceivingantennaproduce
verystrongsignalsinthereceiver.Thetwosignalsform intermodulation productsatnon-linearities,suchastransistorsor
othersemiconductorsinthereceiver(e.g.inthemixer).Unwantedsignalsareproducedwhichmayinterferewiththewanted
frequenciesofthesystem.
Intermodulation signalsarealsoproducedwhentwoormoretransmittersoperate incloseproximitytooneanother.Inthis
case,thetransmitternotonlytransmitsitsownsignalbutalso receivesthesignalsfromtheothertransmitters.Fromboth
signals,thetransmittergeneratesandre-transmitsmixtureproductswhichcaninterferewiththewantedfrequencies.
Forreasonsofoperationalreliability,awirelessUHFtransmissionsystemhasalimitedswitchingbandwidth(e.g.36MHz).
Thisswitchingbandwidthisdeterminedbyinputfiltersinthereceiver.Intermodulation productswithinthisrangecan
interferewiththeselectedreceivingfrequencyorwiththewholesystemandcanmakethesysteminoperable.Chopping
noiseorhissinginthebackgroundisanacousticindicationoffrequenciesinterferedwithbyIMproducts.Inprinciple,
receivingandtransmittingfrequenciesformulti-channelsystemsareplannedasfollows:
Inanexamplesystemhavingtwocarrierfrequenciesf1=800MHz andf2=801MHz,theresultingintermodulationproducts
withintheswitchingbandwidthofthereceiveraretobedetermined.
Thereareharmonicsofthefundamentalfrequenciesandsumanddifferencefrequencies.Theharmonicsdonotinterfere
sincetheyarefaroutsidethereceivingrangeandwillbeeffectivelyrejectedbytheinputfiltersinthereceiver:
2f1=2x800MHz=1600MHz
2f2=2x801MHz=1602MHz
3f1=3x800MHz=2400MHz
3f2=3x801MHz=2403MHz
,
Simplesumanddifferencefrequenciescanalsobeignoredastheyarealsofaroutsidethereceivingrangeandwillbe
effectivelyrejectedbytheinputfiltersinthereceiver:
f1+f2=800MHz+801MHz=1601MHz
f2 f1=801MHz 800MHz=1MHz
IM3=2f1 f2=1600 801=799MHz
IM3=2f2 f1=1602 800=802MHz
IM5=3f1 2f2=2400 1602=798MHz
IM5=3f2 2f1=2403 1600=803MHz
IM7=4f1 3f2=3200 2403=797MHz
IM7=4f2 3f1=3204 2400=804MHz
AmultitudeofIMproductsareproducedinmulti-channelsystems.Properfrequencyselectionthereforerequirescomputer-
aidedplanningthatcanbedoneusingSIFM.Inespeciallycriticalcases, Sennheisers ServiceDepartmentoryour
Sennheiseragentwillbepleasedtocarryoutthisplanning.
Attention!
Sennheisersystemsarenormallysuppliedwith intermodulation-freefrequencysets.However,inmostcountriesalicense
isrequiredfortheiruse.PleasecontactyourlocalSennheiseragentand/orthelicensingauthorityinyourcountryfor
information.Theexceptionisthefrequencyband863MHzto865MHzwhichislicense-freeinmostofEurope(ETSI
signatorycountries).
However,itisnotonlythenumberoffrequencycalculations,butalsothedemandontheperformanceoftheradio
microphoneequipmentusedwhichdrasticallyincreaseswithadditionalchannels.
,
Receiverintermodulation
occurs when transmitters
operate too close tothe
receiving antennas (<4m).
Transmitter intermodulation
occurs whentwoormore
transmittersoperateinclose
proximitytooneanother
(<30cm).
The strength ofthe
intermodulation signals
increases with decreasing
distances.
,
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
10 12 14 16 18 20 22 24
(Channels)
(MHz)
Largesystemsrequire alargebandwidth
The bandwidth required increases disproportionately with the number of channels.
The number of possible IM products runs into thousands.
More than 16 channels within the switching bandwidth (24 MHz 36 MHz) are rarely advisable.
,
Startpage
FromtheViewmenu,
selectSystemDesigner.
,
Click Next.
,
or
Confirm the
selected system
by clicking Next.
Changethe
systeminuse by
clicking Change
,
Clicking Change
openstheSelect
ReceiverSystem
window.
Select the
equipment used.
Adapt the parameters.
,
Only change the
parameters when the
required number of
channels cannot be
obtained.
Reducing the
distances results
inmore channels
but alsoincreases
the likelihood of
IMinterference.
,
Astep by step approach
yields agoodcompromise
between the number of
channels andoperational
safety.
Reduce the
distances toadjacent
IMproducts insteps
of25kHz.
Sequence during the search:
With 3transmitters:Reduce the intermodulation distance(3TxIM3)to0
(remove the tick).
With 2transmitters:Reduce the intermodulation distance(2TxIM3)to
100kHzmin.
Reduce the channel spacing to300kHzmin.
With evolution wireless equipment:375kHzmin.
Confirm by clicking
OK andlet the
program calculate.
,
Select the
operating mode.
,
Enter the
bandwidth.
ClickStart.
,
The number ofcalculated
channels (20)is displayed
after afew seconds.
The residualtimerequired
tocalculate allpossibilities
is alsodisplayed (5days).
This could result in1or 2
more frequencies.
Afterclicking Abort,theresultisdisplayed.
,
ClickFullfor agraphic
display ofthe result.
IMproducts
Bandlimits
Radiomicrophone
frequencies
,
Toprint the result:
FromtheFilemenu,
select Create Print Version.
,
Clicking Speichern
automaticallyopensa
wordprocessingprogram
forprinting.
TheCreateRTFFile
windowopens.
(ThisisinGerman)
Enter afile name in
the Dateinamefield.
,
Print view ofthe result
,
Done!
The
End