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[David Kaiser]

I Have a AT 4000 C bodypack system mounted in the third space of a six space SKB rack. The antenna are front mounted. Distance from transmitter to receiver is less than 25 feet. Bodypack is using cardioid lav and whip antenna. I was getting terrible performance. Receiver would show signal on both A and B, while battery gage, receiver name and audio gage would completeley dissappear. The transmitter was on low power. The person with the bodypack on his belt was standing in front of a piano, and the rack was slightly behind a pillar. There was a clear line of sight from transmitter and receiver antenna.

This is twice in two years that this unit has misbehaved in this room. Signal fine one second, gone the next.

I have used this unit in several other recording situations and never had a dropout. This is the only room  I have problems in. Frequency is currently 543.500, I think.

I am going to try scanning for a different frequency tonight.

[Daniel Nickleski]

If having an issue with wireless first thing you should do is try changing the channel. I'm sure that will work for you.

[Steve Milner]

I have one client for whom I use 4 AT4000 units on the same stage all over the D.C. area with no trouble at all in some very hostile environments.
My setup procedure:
  -Power Up FOH
  -Start my 15-minute battery chargers to top off my RF AA's.
  -Start the SCAN on my RF rack.
 This takes maybe 3 minutes or so to complete and I'm back to setting up. This also lets me watch the receivers during setup on the channels that the scan has selected; in D.C. a clean frequency can become unusable over the course of a few hours. I will usually do another scan sometime before the show starts just to be extra safe.

Scan first... Complain later!  
 

[David Kaiser]

I went to 545.500 and the problems didn't quite disappear until the guy stood up to speak. Then I had no problems at all. I need to read the manual and become familiar with the scanning procedure.

[Cameron Stuckey]

I had a similar problem with a situation very close yours as well.  

Check that the antenna is fully twisted into the threads.  There is a rubber o-ring that is at the "hilt" of the whip antenna that seems to encourage disconnection with some friction. (body rotation)

However, you said that the RF meters were constant while AF meter dropped so I don't think that antenna worries are your problem.

[Garrick Schuster]

I've used the AT 4000 at 75' and had no problems with RF.

It would be worth checking the element connection to the body pack.  If you are getting AF dropouts the element would seem to me to be the problem, but that you only have problems in one particular space is odd.