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[Ike Zimbel]

Hi Gang,
     My "Cub" frequency counter hasn't been feeling too well lately and before I order another one, I thought I'd ask and see what everyone's using. Ideally I'd like something that gives more information than the Cub, especially when it encounters digital TX's. Here's a link https://www.optoelectronics.com/frequency-counters to the Optoelectronics site, but I'm open to any-and-all suggestions.
Primary use would be quickly verifying / identifying frequencies on ENG gear at media check-in, but I'm open to other functions like tracking down near-field transmits etc.
TIA!
Ike

[Henry Cohen]

Hi Gang,
     My "Cub" frequency counter hasn't been feeling too well lately and before I order another one, I thought I'd ask and see what everyone's using. Ideally I'd like something that gives more information than the Cub, especially when it encounters digital TX's. Here's a link https://www.optoelectronics.com/frequency-counters to the Optoelectronics site, but I'm open to any-and-all suggestions.
Primary use would be quickly verifying / identifying frequencies on ENG gear at media check-in, but I'm open to other functions like tracking down near-field transmits etc.

Whereas my go to frequency counter OEM was Optoelectronics as well, and remains so for analog counting requirements, in today's world of digital emissions their product line is rather dated. Although the Digital Scout will measure TDMA emissions such as DMR (via a fancy peak-hold function), it's not able to measure wideband digital emissions as utilized by wireless mics (and some coms, & IEMs). After some significant time looking, I've not actually found a small, portable, reliable, quick and easy FC that can accurately discern non-pulsed wideband digital emissions (if anyone knows of any viable candidates, please let me know).

So, if measuring digital mics is not needed, Opto's Digital Scout (for measuring DMR or NXDN LMR radios) gets my vote.

[Andrew Broughton]

I'm using the cheap little Surecom SF-401Plus which works fine as a quick-and-dirty "what's that walkie-talkie transmitting on". Not sure if it's high enough quality though for your needs though.


Got it 'cause Peter told me to.
https://forums.prosoundweb.com/index.php/topic,166818.msg1538627.html#msg1538627

[Jason Glass]

Hi Gang,
     My "Cub" frequency counter hasn't been feeling too well lately and before I order another one, I thought I'd ask and see what everyone's using. Ideally I'd like something that gives more information than the Cub, especially when it encounters digital TX's. Here's a link https://www.optoelectronics.com/frequency-counters to the Optoelectronics site, but I'm open to any-and-all suggestions.
Primary use would be quickly verifying / identifying frequencies on ENG gear at media check-in, but I'm open to other functions like tracking down near-field transmits etc.
TIA!
Ike

Yeah, digital AM modulations are a real challenge for handheld frequency counters.  I still find my Signal Hound connected to a small windows tablet to be my favorite method of characterizing signals at check-in.  Their spike software makes it really easy to make markers track peaks, center them, and zoom in to see what's really going on with them.  That said, I still do carry and use less expensive and simpler handheld counters for quick and dirty work.

[Tim Verhoeven]

It isn't really a frequency counter (it is also the first time for me that I heard of that type of device), but the tinySA (https://tinysa.org/) could serve the same purpose. It will show you the parameters from the highest signal that is detects. Plus it seems that it can do more then a frequency counter.

[Nathan Grater]

Yeah, digital AM modulations are a real challenge for handheld frequency counters.  I still find my Signal Hound connected to a small windows tablet to be my favorite method of characterizing signals at check-in.  Their spike software makes it really easy to make markers track peaks, center them, and zoom in to see what's really going on with them.  That said, I still do carry and use less expensive and simpler handheld counters for quick and dirty work.

What antenna do you use for your hand held setup with your SA44B? I use a Sennheiser 1031 for most of my work but it would be a little cumbersome to carry around on a tablet.

[Ike Zimbel]

Whereas my go to frequency counter OEM was Optoelectronics as well, and remains so for analog counting requirements, in today's world of digital emissions their product line is rather dated. Although the Digital Scout will measure TDMA emissions such as DMR (via a fancy peak-hold function), it's not able to measure wideband digital emissions as utilized by wireless mics (and some coms, & IEMs). After some significant time looking, I've not actually found a small, portable, reliable, quick and easy FC that can accurately discern non-pulsed wideband digital emissions (if anyone knows of any viable candidates, please let me know).

So, if measuring digital mics is not needed, Opto's Digital Scout (for measuring DMR or NXDN LMR radios) gets my vote.

Thanks for all of the replies. As it turns out, my Cub is as fine as anything that's kicked around at a lot of gigs can be...it was the charger that was having issues. A few years back I was doing RF at a three day festival in Toronto and I found myself crouched on the stage, cutting 4" of the end off the 9v adapter so I could twist the leads together and reverse the polarity to power up some guitar pedals, seconds before the band started. I felt like Meat Loaf in "Roadie" and I remember thinking "Man, it's been a loooong time since I've been in this situation! " This was a many-piece African band, with a German /Nordic sound guy (not exactly sure where he was from, nice guy...). They ended up on my radar because they had no RF , except that their BM was using an X-32, so the WiFi set-up for his iPad was deemed to be my turf. Anyway, my un-doing of that kluge finally gave up and I just had to replace the end with a new connector.

[Ike Zimbel]

Yeah, digital AM modulations are a real challenge for handheld frequency counters.  I still find my Signal Hound connected to a small windows tablet to be my favourite method of characterizing signals at check-in.  Their spike software makes it really easy to make markers track peaks, centre them, and zoom in to see what's really going on with them.  That said, I still do carry and use less expensive and simpler handheld counters for quick and dirty work.

So yesterday, I got a last minute call to go down to Massey Hall and sort out some wireless issues. I had the Cub with me and out of curiosity, I tried it with a couple of Sennheiser EM6000 TX's. I was surprised to see that it "works" to the extent that it will lock on a frequency that's somewhere in the 200 KHz wide haystack. For me that's a pretty good start as it would at least show me where to tune an SA to find the actual, programmed centre frequency (although looking at the display on the device might be just as fast...).

[Russell Ault]

{...} (although looking at the display on the device might be just as fast...).

This is something I'm curious about. I do own a (cheap!) frequency counter, but I don't think I've ever been in a situation where I felt like it was the "right" tool for the job. With almost everything wireless (other than LMRs, I guess) having some kind of a display these days, what do you typically use yours for?

Thanks!

-Russ

[Henry Cohen]

This is something I'm curious about. I do own a (cheap!) frequency counter, but I don't think I've ever been in a situation where I felt like it was the "right" tool for the job. With almost everything wireless (other than LMRs, I guess) having some kind of a display these days, what do you typically use yours for?

If doing sports, political or other events for which a lot of ENG (pro and semi-pro) folk show up, many pros still use older Lectrosonics and Sony gear without a display, or in the case of Sony, a display showing only "group and channel" numbers; not frequency. The punters tend to use the lower end Shure that also do not display frequency. And now the lower end Shure is almost all digital.

[ProSoundWeb Community]