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[Keith Broughton]

So I get a call from a fellow audio tech concerning an RF problem with a Sennheiser G3 500 rack that I built.
He is doing a scan and the are no...none...not a single...channels "available" Says the RF meter shows 1/3 deflection.
Very odd but he disconnects the antenna distibution and run 1 receiver on it's own to check that the distro isn't faulty.
Same issue.
I check the DTV transmitters in the city but they just can't be causing that much of a problem.
"There is some kind of broad band RF "transmitter" that is causing this." I tell him.
After continuing to trouble shoot, he calls back.
Apparently "it was working a half hour ago" so he considered what had changed.
Laptop had been added to the tech location. Unplugged the PSU and RF was clear.
So, just another reminder that those %$#$ computer PSUs can be a problem!
BTW...he bought an RF Explorer the next day

[Michael Grimaila]

So I get a call from a fellow audio tech concerning an RF problem with a Sennheiser G3 500 rack that I built.
He is doing a scan and the are no...none...not a single...channels "available" Says the RF meter shows 1/3 deflection.
Very odd but he disconnects the antenna distibution and run 1 receiver on it's own to check that the distro isn't faulty.
Same issue.
I check the DTV transmitters in the city but they just can't be causing that much of a problem.
"There is some kind of broad band RF "transmitter" that is causing this." I tell him.
After continuing to trouble shoot, he calls back.
Apparently "it was working a half hour ago" so he considered what had changed.
Laptop had been added to the tech location. Unplugged the PSU and RF was clear.
So, just another reminder that those %$#$ computer PSUs can be a problem!
BTW...he bought an RF Explorer the next day

Thanks for the information !

I have seen some of the cheaper power supplies emit noise, but nothing this severe....

I have some Sennheiser G3's IEM and Mics/Instrument Receivers and will pay special attention to this from now on.

Thanks,

Michael

[Phil Hornung]

Had a similar issue once with a Focusrite Octopre. It was brand new. It's not just things from best-buy that you have to watch out for.

[Josh Hana]

I've really been considering getting a handheld RF Explorer analyzer now that I'm getting into busy season here. Is the cheaper ISM model sufficient for wrangling these sorts of RF issues or should I get a more wideband model like the 3g?

[Phil Hornung]

I personally have the ISM Combo, which has a UHF and a 2.4Ghz board in it. It's really depends for you what type of RF gear you use regularly. The RF explorer is a decent and handy thing to keep in your bag. I also have a more "real" many times more expensive scanner. There is definitely a performance difference. There's also definitely a difference in portability. I use the explorer more often than I use the good one because it's always in my bag. But if my job on a show is "RF tech", I'm bringing the good one. Or both maybe

I have never (yet) found myself wanting my RF explorer to have more spectrum capability than it currently has. But there are things like clearcom's CellCom in the world that it wouldn't be able to help with. All things to keep in mind.

[ProSoundWeb Community]