SAVE OUR SOUND UK issues call to action:

[Rob_Beech]

So I've bought another license as I plan to change things fairly early on wherever I can.

 

If I were to want to buy say. 16 300 series G3, which band do I buy, looking at the variants, none of them match, the Band G overlaps very slightly, but not properly.

 

Band B of the 3000 and 5000 series seems to cover it, but band B on the evolution stuff is a smaller space.

[simonwest]

I've emailed our Bassetlaw MP today..........

 

fingers crossed as he likes his tip clips and so forth when he does his meets in the local school with a large auditorium

[cedd]

If I were to want to buy say. 16 300 series G3, which band do I buy, looking at the variants, none of them match, the Band G overlaps very slightly, but not properly.

I have a feeling they've not brought one out yet - having been waiting (like we were) for some concrete answers. I too am possibly in the same position as you (though I've also just bought my first house! Not much money now!) in that now we've had a decision, having been waiting for so long, I really could do with getting some now.

 

Are the operational differences between the 100's and 300's in the G3 range still just optional extras and extra functionality? I know there are slight differences in terms of the control socket on the back for connecting to a net1 box. Other than that and the quality of metering, I can't see a lot in it.

 

I emailed Zaxcom the other day. It looks like their Ch38 verison is also ready, albeit a lot more money than the sennheiser. Everythng audio are the UK sellers if you're interested. roughly 22k for 8 channels.

 

I'm now waiting to see what Audio Technica and AKG turn out, with pricing, before I make a decision. To be honest, I think Sennheiser is the way forward for me.

[AndyL]

So I've bought another license as I plan to change things fairly early on wherever I can.

 

If I were to want to buy say. 16 300 series G3, which band do I buy, looking at the variants, none of them match, the Band G overlaps very slightly, but not properly.

 

Big subject so here goes.

 

Range Gw in the 2000 series is the only off-the-shelf option that covers ch 38 right now. As you say G3 range G does cover just 2MHz of ch.38, so not really much good. There will be a G3 version to cover channel 38, 39, 40 and more available "soon". In the mean time buying G3 Range E (823MHz to 865MHz) is still the best option for most people and then get it converted to the 'new' range later on.

 

Band B of the 3000 and 5000 series seems to cover it, but band B on the evolution stuff is a smaller space.

 

Not quite the way it looks, things work quite differently with the 3000 and 5000 series. In most 3000 and 5000 series devices the Frequency Range does not indicate the tuning range to the end user. Most 3000 and 5000 components have a tuning 'window' of 36 or 24MHz depending on the exact device, the exception being the EM 3732 receiver which has a 90MHz tuning window. For devices such as the SK 3063 pocket transmitter there are a number of hardware variants with what appear to be quite large frequency ranges. But the actual useable tuning range of an SK 3063 is only 24MHz. The customer specifies the 24MHz range they want it to cover, in fact in the SK 3063 they specify the 16 spot frequencies within a 24MHz range, and we ship the devices tuned and programmed to those frequencies. The different 'build' ranges enable us to offer them on any UHF TV channel, no gaps. Which is how certain big rental companies and some fixed site operations have been using chs.38, 36 and other obscure channels for many years.

 

G3 range B tune from 626MHz to 668MHz, i.e. from the top half of ch. 40 to 3/4 of the way up ch.45. Very useful for fixed site installations on a coordinated licence, but of limited use on a shared mobile licence really.

 

I have a feeling they've not brought one out yet - having been waiting (like we were) for some concrete answers. I too am possibly in the same position as you (though I've also just bought my first house! Not much money now!) in that now we've had a decision, having been waiting for so long, I really could do with getting some now.

 

Congrats on getting a foot on the property ladder/snake!

Yes the 'uncertainty' did have it's part to play. That plus the lead times in developing products means that the decisions on what frequencies were going in to G3 were being taken a long time before we were told that channel 69 was going, never mind ch 38 being the replacement. Plus ch. 38 is a UK only phenomenon right now. So as I said above, there will be a G3 version to cover channel 38, 39, 40 and more available "soon".

 

Are the operational differences between the 100's and 300's in the G3 range still just optional extras and extra functionality? I know there are slight differences in terms of the control socket on the back for connecting to a net1 box. Other than that and the quality of metering, I can't see a lot in it.

 

No NET 1 needed with G3, just the WSM software. But there is no ethernet port on 100 series G3, only 300 G3 and 500 G3, so you can't have remote monitoring/control of the 100 series G3. There also some small performance differences betwen the 100 series and the other two. And you have to buy the rack mount separately for the 100 series.

 

Apart from that the biggest differences are between the 300 G3 and 500 G3. The 300 G3 series has features like a big programmable mute switch on the hand held's and an optional programmable remote mute switch on the pocket packs - and yes, they can be programmed to disabled when you don't want the 'talent(!)' to use them, but for certain types of use (e.g. house of worship) they are very handy features. And you get MKE 2 microphones in the 500 series lav. systems rather than ME 2. There are actually lots of detail differences. But of course you can mix and match the transmitters and receivers from all three G3 series (and 2000 series) 'cos they are all available separately and they will all work together (only provided the frequency ranges match though!)

 

Here endeth the massive sales speech. Thanks for listening! ;)

[paulears]

A while ago, my MP - a whip, explained why he couldn't sign Early Day Motions, but did promise to write to the Minister concerned. He has had a reply, which is copied below. I realise they get lots of requests from their constituents, but they do communicate on our behalf. It is interesting the Minister refers to already knowing about the campaign, which can only be good.

 

http://www.earsmedia.co.uk/bobblizzard2.jpg

[Ellis]

Apparently my MP cannot sign the motion because he is a Minister!

I'm told he has written to the secretary of state for Culture Media and Sport. So I espect a similar letter soon.

[cedd]

Trantec have announced that their S5.3 and S5.5 ranges will be available in Ch38 in the first quarter of 2010 (source - Trantec homepage).

 

Thought it might be of interest.

 

My MP has replied, he's already signed it! Somebody else local must have beaten me to it.

[Rob_Beech]

Well the rest need to get a move on then don't they. There are people waiting to purchase

[cedd]

An interesting point with regard the trantecs - the major selling point of the more expensive 5.5 over the 5.3 is the larger RF bandwidth, (35Mhz Vs 11Mhz ). The point being you can get double the number of systems operating simultaneously (with the correct licensing of course!).

 

With channel 38, there is very little point in having that - it's a little island on its' own, ok so 39 is available in some places until DSO, but the 38 market is very narrow, so it begs the question of what the point is in spending the extra? Ok, so the 5.5 has low cut and high cut switches, and the computer monitoring allows configuration via pc, rather tan just viewing the existing setup, but other than that, there's not a lot of gain for the extra money that I can see.

That battery life on one AA is very tempting! And if the price point stays the same as the existig 5.3's out there then Sennheiser have got a lot of work to do in order to compete in my eyes.

[dbuckley]

For those interested in across-the-pond action - 700MHz wireless mic users are being (to quote The Reg) "evicted"

 

Link to reg article and to the FCC announcement.

[AndyL]

For those interested in across-the-pond action - 700MHz wireless mic users are being (to quote The Reg) "evicted"

 

Link to reg article and to the FCC announcement.

 

The BIG difference being that across-the-pond the legal status was very different in the first place, i.e. most users, and I really mean 99.9% of UHF wireless users, had no licences because there was no legal mechanism in place to allow them to get one. Whilst the licensed user was TV broadcasting there was a sort of 'understanding' by the broadcasters of the (illegal) sharing of UHF TV spectrum by wireless mic users. Now that 700MHz spectrum has new owners and they understandably want all the unlicenced users off their expensive new turf.

 

Over here we do have a licencing system and people can and do use it, so the use of wireless microphones in the UHF spectrum in the UK has a legal footing.

 

I will accept that in practice the difference may seem quite subtle at times.

[pscandrett]

For what it's worth, it looks like the CofE have woken up to the issue too, now:

 

http://www.cofe.anglican.org/news/pr1010.html

[timtheenchanteruk]

Trantec have announced that their S5.3 and S5.5 ranges will be available in Ch38 in the first quarter of 2010 (source - Trantec homepage).

 

Thought it might be of interest.

 

My MP has replied, he's already signed it! Somebody else local must have beaten me to it.

 

yep, probably me, did it back in December.

[paulears]

The campaign has featured heavily on other forums too, and on those that have a multi-national membership, comment from the US has been mainly quaint amusement - with UK people explaining how unpleasant the problem is likely to be. Suddenly, they all seem very indignant. Their FCC have simply decided the way to manage their bit of 700MHz spectrum where lots of users kind of 'squat in' is to do similar to us. Flog it to the comms market, and just make it illegal to operate, sell or manufacture kit for this band after the summer this year. It's made a bit more difficult by the fact that the squeezing into the gaps between TV transmitters was not very formal - people just did it, and it sort of ran itself. Suddenly it becomes illegal. At least we've had plenty of notice and time to at least complain officially.

[sparkyweb]

We've had replies from 2 MP's down here is Sussex that have signed the EDM