Wireless Microphone Usage

in a Crowded Spectrum
Kevin Peckham
In just one short hour you’ll get…
• A review of wireless technical concepts
• Welcome to 2016 UHF Spectrum Auction
• Work smarter with RF survival plans
• Some new technology to help you
Perspective – Why Wireless Mics?
• How many cables involved with wired mic to mixer?
– One XLR cable
• Now, how many when using WIRELESS mic?
– Mic to belt pack, and another for receiver to mixer.
– That would be two. More if you consider antennas.
• So, this isn’t about eliminating cables and connectors.
Wireless is actually a lot of bother
• Batteries to deal with
• Frequencies to deal with
• Antennas to deal with
• Restriction of microphone choices
• Weird sounds sometimes happen
We put up with all that in order to be
physically unencumbered and mobile.
• Speakers can be more physically dynamic
• And safer. You’re not tripping folks
• Vital to theater, broadcast and movie
production, wherever we can’t run a cable.
 But wireless sounds
better than wired, right?
Our audio expectations are
defined by the performance
of wired microphones.
That’s actually an ambitious target.
We have to apply a lot of technology
to overcome obstacles to get us as
close as possible.
Basic RF concepts – Noise Floor
We live in an increasingly saturated RF world.
Two-way radios, broadcast, navigation, cellular
WiFi, garage openers, toys, video signage, IEMs,
computers, wireless intercom, listening assistance,
video walls, drone cams, security, digital signage.
We have to deal with it. It’s going to get worse.
Overcoming the noise floor
In FM, it comes down to S/N ratio
Maximize signal, and minimize noise.

To do this, it helps to identify the noise and

understand your RF environment
Example:
RF noise related to video walls
• Very broad spectrum noise with spikes
• Near field – issue as you get close to it, but
your talent may be standing in front of one
• 15-20 dB higher at lower UHF than at 1 GHz
• Varies with technology type and manufacturer
FM Concepts
Frequency Modulation of Carrier frequencies.
Carrier is constantly shifting around a center freq.
in proportion to a modulating signal (audio)
Deviation is the swing +/- around center freq.
Multiple mics need freq. space
300 kHz to > 1 Mhz generally sufficient.
Receiver selectivity is critical for closer spacing.
BUT, it gets worse as you add more mics.
The Dreaded…Intermodulation!
• Transmitters in close proximity interact as
well as transmitters & receivers
• New signals pop up from sums and diffs.,
creating multiple signals
• Gets complex fast with multiple mics
Multiple mics close together gets difficult
• Channel selection is critical
• Follow manufacturer supplied tables
• Don’t mix systems from different
manufacturers
• Try to keep transmitters separated
Receivers will be confused by…
• RF noise, lighting, PCs, video, digital stuff
• Near wireless mics and IM products
• Consumer RF devices
• Strong signals from afar (TV stations)
• Intermittent sources (mobile radios)
Two signals on same frequency?
• In FM, strongest signal wins.
• Only takes a few dB to win.
• Your receiver will lock on, or capture the
strong one and ignore the weaker one.
Can’t we just use more powerful mics?

Transmitter power maxes at 50mW by

law for unlicensed wireless mics, that’s
1/20th watt.
Why so small?
Secondary services must not create
interference to primary services, yet they
must cope with whatever interference they
encounter from primary services.
Concept – Effect of path distance
• RF signals spread out and diminish rapidly over
distance in an inverse-square relationship.
• This translates to 6dB loss per doubling of
distance. 6 dB down = ¼ of original strength.
“I’ll just find a quiet,
empty frequency”
Where do wireless mics fit in?
• VHF 49, 54-72, 76-88, 169-172, 174-216 MHz
• UHF TV 470-698 MHz (used to extend to 806MHz)
• 902 - 928 MHz
• 1.92 - 1.93 GHz DECT shared with cordless phones
• 2.4 - 2.5 GHz WiFi band
VHF Considerations
• Greater distances and wall penetration
• Long wavelengths. 6 to18 feet
• Longer antenna, larger device – clunky
• Higher noise floor
• Lower loss in antenna cables
UHF Considerations
• Shorter (1/3 VHF size) antenna
• Compact devices
• Widest freq. band – 228 MHz
• Shorter range and walls block UHF more
• More loss over coax cable run
900 MHz considerations
• Even shorter antenna lengths
• Five or less simultaneous users
• Less crowded at the moment
• Cable losses are greater
2.4 GHz
• Tiny antenna and device sizes
• Heavily utilized by Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and
consumer devices and expanding fast
• No high power users in this range
• Low manufacturing cost
2016 UHF Spectrum Auction – as of 4/29
• F.C.C. announced the 1st round target
• The top126 MHz of UHF TV band to be
cleared for auction. 566-698 MHz.
• UHF TV (and wireless) band will shrink
drastically to 470-566 MHz, 96 MHz total.
 2016 2010
Auction Sale
It gets worse. Repacking
• All remaining TV stations will squeeze into
low UHF and VHF bands.
• We don’t yet know how many stations we
are talking about, but it will be a tight fit.
Potential Impact to Wireless Mics
• Much of what you use now will be off limits.
• Timetable for w-mics to vacate is still fuzzy.
• UHF is definitely going to be crowded space.
• VHF likely to become tighter as well.
Wireless Mic Survival Planning
Use best gear available
• Best selectivity and filtering
• Widest tuning range
• Smart freq. scan selection features
• Stick to major manufacturers who support
you with info, upgrade plans, and tech help
Frequency Coordination
• “Database administrators for unlicensed
wireless microphones”
• Also apps in the iPhone store
• Manufacturer resources can help too
http://www.shure.com/americas/support/tools/wir
eless-frequency-finder
Utilize Best Practices
• Minimize distances wherever possible
• Use wired mics where you can
• Keep wireless transmitters separated
• Don’t mix manufacturers in same room
• Follow the freq. tables for multi-mic use
• Fresh batteries
Frequency Agility
• Phase out use of older and fixed freq. units
• Newer digital mics minimize IM issues
• Use the freq. scan tools in newer mics
• Make friends with local S.B.E.
• Learn where congestion is coming from
 Geo-location databases can help

• https://www.google.com/get/spectrumdatabase/
• http://keybridgeglobal.com
• http://whitespaces.spectrumbridge.com/whitespaces/home.a
spx
Smart Antenna Use is Critical
• Position for optimum unimpeded path
• Use walls to block sources of interference
• Bodies attenuate signals too
• Minimize nearby sources of noise
• Make effective use of diversity reception
Pre-amplifiers and Active Antennas
• Think S/R. Don’t amplify a noisy source
• Saturated/overloaded receivers are worse
• Preamps to make up downstream cable
loss is fine
RF Filters
• Narrowband filters can suppress known fixed
frequency problem sources
• Use filters ahead of any amplification
• Get some help from RF specialists, broadcast
engineer or Ham radio operators.
Directional (high gain) Antennas
• Aim primary lobe toward your signal and
null towards source of interference
• Be aware of antenna cable attenuation
and use best low loss 50 ohm cable.
• Don’t use old coaxial cable!
Cable loss increases as freq. increases
New Technology Should Help Too
• Manufacturers have been busy cooking up
clever ways to make wireless work better
in crowded spectrum.
• We’ll look at a couple of recent examples
and more coming soon.
Audio Technica System 10 PRO
Remote RF receiver modules

2.4 GHz system with option to

remote the first stages of the
receiver and connect with Cat5
instead of coax.
Three methods of diversity
• Frequency Diversity – transmitting on two
frequencies at the same time.
• Time Diversity – transmits digital packets
offset very slightly in time to allow recovery.
• Space Diversity – not just at receiving end,
but also at the transmitters.
New Mics in VHF from Shure
Shure has just introduced a
VHF versions in their ULX-D
and QLX-D systems, along with
VHF versions of passive and
active antennas and distribution.
Sennheiser Speechline
1.9 GHz DECT band
Optimized for speech
Auto freq. management
Seamlessly switches to
free channel in event of
interference.
New High Performance Capsules
• New Shure KSM8 Dualdyne
capsule with controlled
proximity. UHF-R, ULX-D,
Axient, QLX-D and as a head.
• DPA d:facto™ Linear Vocal
Microphone supercardioid
capsule. RPW174
New Countryman A3 Podium Mic
• Active vibration isolation
• Handling noise rejection
• Advanced pop rejection
• Selectable patterns
Stay informed, use your RF partners
• Attend the seminars the major manufacturers
are doing around the U.S.
• Subscribe to the major manufacturer blogs
Blog.shure.com, Blog,rfvenue.com
• Call us at Full Compass. We’ll help you all we can.
Recommended Reading
• “Selection and operation of Wireless Microphone
Systems” from Shure
• “Three Essential Concepts in Wireless Audio”
RF Venue
https://www.fcc.gov/general/wireless-microphones-0