ATLANTA—CP Communications, with the help of Radio Active Designs’ UV-1G wireless intercom systems, covered the whole nine yards of Super Bowl LIII events, before, during and after the big game.

CP Communications was tapped with handling wireless audio transmission for pre-and post-game events handled by NFL Network, CBS Sports and ESPN. For that, company utilized nine UV-1G base stations and 40 RAD bodypacks.

The UV-1G wireless intercom systems feature bodypacks that operate in the VHF band. With Enhanced Narrow Band technology, the UV-1G offers RF channels with a bandwidth of 25 kHz similar audio characteristics of a traditional FM system. The system also provides roaming for 600 meters.

Other features that assisted CP Communications during their week-long productions included the scene change feature, which allows each pack up to 40 talk paths and the ability to communicate with 20 wired comm channels. There is also base linking for matrix-like functionality with up to 18 inputs/24 outputs and audio routing to/from packs. Users can also change belt pack parameters, including radio frequencies, button assignment, talk paths and audio channel via software with intuitive UI.

The RAD products were a key part of CP Communications’ coverage of Super Bowl events like Super Bowl Opening NIght and post-game ceremonies and shows.

SEATTLE—NAB 2018 was a watershed year for IP technology introductions in the intercom space, with a bevy of new products showcased from various vendors. As these products have begun delivering, customers are learning the advantages of IP-based facility communications.

ENERGY EFFICIENCY AND SCALABILITY

For Guy Low, content and creative manager at RTS/Bosch, the company’s introduction of its ODIN OMNEO digital intercom matrix at the show marked a significant milestone in the company’s product line. “For our existing RTS matrix customers in the broadcast field, this is an active way to incorporate a new, more compact, more energy-efficient system, with all the technology required, into their existing infrastructure,” he said. “Energy efficiency is a key component. Scalability is very important. So there’s a lot going on inside this rack unit format here.”

Doug Heinzen, North American marketing manager for the company, noted ODIN’s “Swiss Army Knife” characteristics.

“You think of all of the cards and boards that we used to have to put into the Atom, or the Atom M chassis, are now actually all integrated on an FPGA and they’re done in software,” he said. “So you never have to open the chassis to have an additional functionality.”

Customers can start off with an initial 16 ports on the box, but through software upgrades or licensing, the number of ports can be increased up to 128 ports in a single chassis, according to Heinzen.

HIGHEST DENSITY

Clear-Com has rolled out its E-IPA high-density audio-and-intercom-over-IP connection card for the Eclipse HX digital matrix intercom family, which it claims “offers the highest density for IP connectivity for any of the major intercom manufacturers at 64 ports in a single card,” according to the Bob Boster, president of Alameda, Calif.-based company. “We actually license it at different number of ports, so you don’t necessarily have to buy it with the full 64, but 64 ports is far in excess of our competitors who are at lesser numbers than that.” Boster added that there are a number of advantages to the new product, though not all of them will all be relevant to every customer.

“For some customers, there is a simplicity in wiring infrastructure,” he said. “There’s a management advantage in terms of routing and moving around and dynamically modifying their system elements very simply. There’s a standardization advantage to being able to put in a platform where everything is all on the IP platform, and it allows them to have a sort of standardization of infrastructure, that otherwise would have been some mixture of fiber and copper, a variety of different connection types, so there’s kind of an advantage there.”

A WHOLE NEW SET OF SKILLS

Riedel has been leveraging IP for its Artist digital matrix intercom ecosystem for several years, offering integrated support for AVB, AES67, Dante, and VoIP, according to Rick Seegull, systems consulting manager for the German-based company.

“Our Bolero wireless intercom system uses antennas that are distributed over AES67 networks that can be layered atop existing IP infrastructures,” he said. “Our SmartPanels link to the Artist matrix using AES67.“Because of lower bandwidth requirements, audio is simply easier to move,” Seegull added. “And for customers that aren’t quite ready to change their entire workflows over to IP, audio is a great way to ease into the world of IP while learning new skills.”

He pointed out that the challenge of managing and maintaining IP networks requires a whole new set of skills for technicians and new levels of cooperation between technicians and their IT departments.

“IT networks are collaborative in nature, so it will be up to everyone—manufacturers, operators, engineers, and IT professionals—to work together on delivering the best results for the technical infrastructures of the future.”

IP BRINGS SCALABILITY

John Schur, president of TV Solutions Group at Telos Alliance, emphasized the importance of a simplified infrastructure with IP.

“Where traditional intercoms have used a matrix, where you have point-to-point cabling from the matrix to each individual device in the system, there are tremendous savings in an IP-based system because, just like a computer network, you run Ethernet cabling from routers and switchers,” he said. “Almost an infinite number of devices can be attached to the network without having to run additional cabling.”

Schur says the Telos’ Infinity system is scalable for similar reasons.

“For the IP infrastructure, you’re able to plug in almost any number of belt packs and panels to your network,” he said. “In our case, we’re supporting open standards, so an IP-based intercom can use AES67. That allows the intercom to seamlessly interface with other devices.

“We make a VX telephony system and so you can interface your telephone system to your intercom system with no additional hardware,” Schur added. “Everything’s on the network, and it’s a matter of making those connections in software.”

INCREASED FLEXIBILITY

Gordon Kapes, president of Studio Technologies said that its platform offers the benefits of using the Dante protocol over standard Ethernet networks.

This Dante Audio-over-Ethernet Technology “is a major strength, eliminating the need for a separate proprietary wiring scheme,” Kapes said. “This can save cost on the initial implementation, adding yet another application to the Ethernet network resources that are now so ubiquitous to all facilities. Long-term benefits of utilizing Dante is that it allows for simple moving, adding, or rearranging of the physical intercom resources. “For users, I think the biggest benefit is flexibility and having the ability to utilize products from a variety of vendors to achieve the desired system performance,” he added. “It’s quite simple: Let’s say that the core of the intercom system is provided by one vendor. This would be good as there would be consistent user interfaces, control, etc.; but then functions such as interconnecting the usual signal sources, and sending signals to other normal destinations, would be trivial.”

WIRELESS WORKAROUND

In addition to the IP revolution, wireless intercom vendors in particular, are dealing with changes in RF spectrum availability.

“The biggest challenge for wireless users is realizing how quickly the 600 MHz auction is impacting business,” said James Stoffo, CTO of Radio Active Designs in East Rutherford, N.J. “T-Mobile is rapidly deploying the channels they purchased. They are not only staying on schedule but are ahead in some areas. Many industry professionals have already opted out of operating in the 600MHz band, just to avoid any possible pitfalls.”

RAD manufactures the UV- 1G wireless intercom system that features the company’s proprietary Enhanced Narrow Band technology, according to Stoffo.

“UV-1G is a unique modulation scheme that is 10 times more spectrally efficient than the current FM technology on the market,” he said. “This proprietary approach is a form of Amplitude Modulation, and it makes the transmitter’s occupied bandwidth—a critical figure in wireless frequency coordination—more predictable. RAD made sure that setup was quick and intuitive, he added.

[Read: TV Technology's 2018 Guide to Intercoms]

“One person can set up a pair of antennas for a limitless number of belt-packs in no time,” he said. “The hardware interface and software app are simple to use, making it a breeze to change parameters of the pack including radio frequencies, assignments and audio routing. Users can move from studio to studio and quickly change parameters to fit their needs.”

PLUG AND PLAY

Eartec makes wireless headset systems that originally were developed for high school football coaching, markets that have guided the company’s product development, according to company President John Hooper.

“These people, whatever they get, it has to come out of a box and work,” he said. “They’re not going to read instructions, they’ve got to be able to put the batteries in and turn the thing on, and it better work.” For the full duplex communication industry, we’re supplying a set that’s very simple to use and therefore very cost effective,” Hooper added. “We’re just getting ready to introduce a set where you can get eight people all talking, without a base station. This set is designed to work in theaters and TV studios.”

There will be lots to watch in the next few years for intercom systems as IP standards firm up.

BURBANK, CA–Bexel an NEP Broadcast Services Company, says it has completed a “major purchase” of audio and RF intercom inventory and plans to invest over $1.5m on new audio technology this year.

“We are excited about this investment, which not only increases our rental inventory, but also supports the latest wide-band technology, offering our customers more flexibility to meet the demands of the limited spectrum,” said Tom Dickinson, vice president of technology for, Bexel.

[Read: NEP, Bexel Support NCAA Tournament Production]

Bexel has invested heavily in RF microphone systems, primarily from Sennheiser, Lectrosonics and Shure. The new systems comply with new FCC spectrum requirements and provide increased flexibility with wide-band capable systems. The investment includes Sennheiser EM 3732-II high-end RF receivers, SKM 5200/5212-II world class RF transmitters, Lectrosonics DRM encrypted receiver modules for digitally encrypted secure audio plus SMWB transmitter and Venue frames and DUET MTR IFB transmitters. Shure includes ADX1 and ACX2FD dual transmitters plus AD4QUS 4 channel receivers.

The company has also purchased advanced RF intercom systems comprising of Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II, Radio Active Designs RAD UV-1G and Pliant Technologies Crewcom wireless intercom systems. These technologies provide unique and different approaches to the RF spectrum that enable a variety of solutions to meet the demands of this new, complex frequency space, as well as complying with the new FCC guidelines.

In addition, Bexel is increasing its investment in their custom Sideline Audio/Video Cart, a plug-and-play solution for streamlining the acquisition of audio and video feeds on the field. The self-contained, mobile cart is designed to be set-up within minutes on the sideline or the end-zone of a sports field. It is equipped with single-mode fiber, SMPTE hybrid and copper cables, and hydra cable assemblies, and it enables MADI audio and wireless audio and video transmissions. 

With the company’s latest investment, the carts have been upgraded to include Shure Axient or Sennheiser RF microphones, Radio Active Designs (RAD) or Clear-Com RF intercom systems, Sennheiser shotgun microphones and Klover Mik-26 Parabolic microphones. This solution is is fully customizable to each client’s specifications.

LOS ANGELES—At the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona, Spain, at the end of February, T-Mobile announced that it plans to build out its 5G services in 30 major U.S. cities this year, including New York, Los Angeles, Dallas and Las Vegas. While the “Un-carrier” — as the company likes to refer to itself — was not specific about what frequency spectrum those services will use, wireless microphone, in-ear and communications equipment users are already on notice that they may have to vacate the 600 MHz band sooner than the FCC’s post-incentive auction TV station repack schedule would suggest.

T-Mobile acquired 31 MHz of the 600 MHz spectrum licenses made available by the FCC’s Incentive Auction, which ended in April 2017, spending nearly $8 billion. The carrier sought the spectrum because it allows it to “cover every single American with low-band spectrum, which travels twice as far and is four times better in buildings than mid-band spectrum.”

The company has built out its new 600 MHz services quickly, lighting up its first site, in Cheyenne, Wy., in August 2017. By the end of 2017 the carrier had expanded its coverage in what is known in the telecom industry as Band 71 into 26 more U.S. counties.

T-MOBILE OUT IN FRONT

T-Mobile kicked off 2018 with an announcement that its 600 MHz services had been extended to 586 cities and towns in 28 states. The carrier also announced during MWC that it has expanded into 90 more towns and cities across 26 states, including major population centers such as San Jose, Calif., Jacksonville, Fla., Seattle. Louisville, Ky. and Tucson and Mesa, Ariz.

T-Mobile was not alone in acquiring 600 MHz spectrum in the auction, of course, but thus far it is the only carrier to deploy new low-band spectrum services. While the carrier’s initial focus was on building out its Band 71 infrastructure for rural populations, affecting relatively few broadcasters, professional audio companies and other operators, its more recent announcements — and actions — have now put wireless mic users in urban areas on notice.

The carrier’s swift rollout of Band 71 services has put wireless audio equipment operators in “phase zero” of the TV station frequency repack. That term was coined by Karl Voss, Lead Frequency Coordinator for the NFL, for those impacted ahead of the FCC’s planned 10-phase repack schedule.

The potential impact on wireless mic users should not be underestimated. Licensed and unlicensed wireless audio equipment operators must vacate frequency spectrum in the 600 MHz band as soon as any of the new licensees announce an intention to begin using it, whether for testing or full-time services.

The situation is complicated by the fact that Band 71 uplink and downlink spectrum is in 5 MHz blocks to either side of the duplex gap, so does not conveniently line up with 6 MHz-wide TV channels. Per 47 U.S. Code § 503, the FCC may impose a fine of "$10,000 per violation or per day of a continuing violation and $75,000 per any single act or failure to act" on anyone who continues to operate in the relevant spectrum.

According to James Stoffo, founder of wireless comms provider Radio Active Designs, “I’ve done my last show using equipment that operates above 608 MHz, except for the 653-663 MHz duplex gap. If there are no DTV stations in the duplex gap, then we can be assured that those frequencies will remain clean for wireless system usage, as long as the special restrictions for that band are met, until we get a better sense for the RF out of band emissions by the adjacent LTE downlink and uplink.”

If T-Mobile wants to fire up services in an area it can, provided the company sends advance notification to protected users — but wireless mic operators are considered secondary users and are not protected. Happily, the company is bending over backwards to be a good spectrum neighbor, but it can only do so much.

At the DTV Audio Group’s Spectrum Workshop at the SVG Summit in New York in December, Dan Wilson, senior manager spectrum engineering for T-Mobile, encouraged wireless mic operators to visit the carrier’s dedicated website, where it posts updates to the list of new Band 71 sites. The carrier has been notifying its “significant email distribution list” of wireless mic users whenever it updates that list, said Wilson, who is encouraging those not on the list to contact the company. T-Mobile is also working with the SBE and NFL frequency coordinators and, less successfully, with tech companies such as Microsoft and Google and the white space database companies, he reported.

AHEAD OF THE FCC TIMETABLE

Tests conducted by T-Mobile have revealed several scenarios in which the carrier’s equipment and wireless mics can interfere with each other, Wilson reported. In the uplink spectrum, the wireless mic will cause interference to the T-Mobile base station. In a venue, a wireless handset could cause interference to a wireless microphone receiver.

In the downlink spectrum, wireless mic interference directly into handsets is a concern, he said. The downlink base station into the wireless receiver is also a concern.

Each downlink receiver is 40W plus the antenna gain, he noted. Anyone doing frequency scans will immediately see T-Mobile’s downlink, which is active 24/7, he said, but handset use will depend on customers in the venue.

Wireless mic operators should not assume that the TV station repack will follow the FCC’s timetable, said Wilson. “We are working with stations to move them earlier than the 10-phase plan.”

T-Mobile previously announced that it had partnered with Fox Television Stations to assist in repacking its 600 MHz spectrum. The carrier has also partnered with PBS and America’s Public Television Stations (APTS) to assist rural translators in the move to new airwaves, clearing the spectrum for its Band 71 services.

As part of the Fox agreement, WWOR-TV in New Jersey will repack in early 2018, more than one year sooner than the originally scheduled FCC deadline of August 2019. According to Wilson, T-Mobile won licenses to 622–632 MHz in the downlink spectrum (663-673 MHz in the uplink block) in the New York metro area and will begin services in Manhattan in Q3 2018 after assisting WWOR to relocate.

Wireless audio equipment operators in New York City will be affected if they are using those uplink block frequencies but will initially not see a lot of uplink activity since there are currently only two 600 MHz handsets on the market, he said. However, Wilson added, T-Mobile plans to launch more than a dozen new 600 MHz-capable smartphones in 2018.

In short, wireless mic users can’t rely on the FCC’s projected 39-month transition plan to replace affected equipment with gear compliant with the new rules. The bottom line? Start budgeting for replacement equipment and begin replacing that equipment now.

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.—A new firmware meant for the UV-1G wireless intercom is now available from Radio Active Designs that will boost users’ audio routing capabilities.

One of the new features for the firmware is Scene Change, which enables every belt pack to communicate with multiple departments during an event or can be used to create a mix of communications channels specific to the user’s needs. With Scene Change, belt packs can roam between studios, theaters and buildings using multiple antenna zones to communicate with multiple base stations in multiple areas. All belt packs may switch to preset parameters with a push of a button.

The firmware update is compatible with all Windows, Apple and Linux-based operating systems. Also, software adds a side tone on all four channels.

The firmware is available for download for free on RAD’s website.

LINCOLN, NEB. – Radio Active Designs has unveiled its new TX-8 wireless system antenna combiner. Able to be used on the transmit side of the UV-1G as well as with any UHF in-ear monitoring system, the TX-8 allows the connection of up to eight UHF transmitters to one antenna. Active-linear design reduces intermodulation products to low levels to minimize interference while providing compatibility with all forms of modulation and a variety of digital forms, including FSK and MIMO.

TX-8

Individual channel indicators on the TX-8 front panel show RF activity and amplifier faults. It also has an antenna fault indicator warning of excessive antenna VSWR. Output power is selectable to 50, 100 and 250 mW, independent of input power level. In addition, the system incorporates RF power regulation for constant, pre-determined IEM and RF PL devices.

The TX-8 is housed in a steel 1RU package with a built-in power supply and has an intelligent rear-panel layout that simplifies system connections and reduces installation time.