Useful Information

Wireless Microphone

Wireless Microphone Information

ADA Laws & Assistive Listening Systems

Wireless Microphone

When choosing a wireless microphone for either rental or purchase, it is important to spend some time gathering background information. Careful planning can help ensure optimum performance from your equipment.

First you must consider the specific purpose for which the microphone will be used and determine the type of transmitter needed. Do you need a lavalier/clip on style and if so does it need to be hidden in a costume? Do you need an omni-directional or uni-directional element? Or do you need a hand-held style transmitter?

Next, determine your budget. How much can you realistically afford to spend on a wireless microphone system? Whether renting or purchasing, be wary of a “good deal” that often is anything but good. With wireless microphones, you often do get exactly what you pay for, so be prepared to spend an amount worthy of the end product you want people to hear. If you live in an area with several television stations and an increased potential for RF interference, then consider one of the slightly more expensive “frequency agile” systems which are now available in both VHF and UHF frequencies.

Finally, remember to make sure that the microphone you are buying or renting is on a frequency that will work for you. Before calling in for a price, it is important to have a list of local television channels, as well as the frequencies of other wireless microphones, intercoms, etc. that you will be using. And remember to exercise good judgment when reading advertising data. Just because a wireless system is available on ten different frequencies doesn’t mean those are ten compatible frequencies. (Refer to the frequency chart below)

In summary, remember that wireless microphones are an electronic tool and must be treated as such. As with any tool, the more experience one has in using it, the better the result. However, as with any other piece of electronic equipment, wireless microphones can and will fail at some point. Just as cellular phones, pagers, and other electronic devices cut out from time to time, so will a wireless microphone. Always remember to check out the wireless system prior to its actual use, conducting a full rehearsal if possible. Use a fresh alkaline battery for the performance, never using rechargeable batteries. And by all means, have a wired back-up waiting in the wings or on the pulpit.

Wireless Microphone Information

Important Tips to Remember:

• Do not use a wireless microphone on a frequency of a local TV channel.
• All frequencies within a TV channel group are typically compatible with each other if that TV channel is vacant in your area.
• Adjacent TV channel frequencies are typically not compatible.
• Only one or two traveling frequencies should be used along with TV channel groups.

Further information on this topic may be obtained by contacting www.transmitter.com or www.sbe67.org

ADA Laws & Assistive Listening Systems

Statistics show that at least 10% of our population, covering all age groups, experience some level of hearing loss. Unfortunately, this number is increasing. The Americans with Disabilities Act now requires public meeting facilities to provide an assistive listening system for the hearing impaired. While religious organizations, including houses of worship, are exempt from this requirement, the exemption doesn’t negate the need for this type of system. Recognizing this need, churches have in large part been quick to respond and many already offer this type of device.

Exactly what is an assistive listening system for the hearing impaired and what is required? In a nutshell, the law requires that a system enabling people to hear better be made available to a minimum of 4% of the seating capacity of a space, but in all cases a minimum of four individual receivers must be provided in spaces which seat fifty or more. Further, this system must be accessible to all patrons who need it, free of charge, regardless of their seating choice within the space.

Thanks to much research and development, wireless assistive listening systems are now both affordable and easy to install, offering two basic types – FM and Infrared. For many spaces the FM style is the most cost effective as it can be easily purchased and set up by the end-user. The transmitter simply takes a line feed from either your existing sound mixer or from a dedicated microphone set up for this purpose. An infrared system may provide better quality audio, but will probably require a more involved installation by an experienced technician.

For more information, feel free to contact A V Pro and we will be glad to help you choose the type of system that is right for you. We offer several different types of systems, including some of the more popular ones from Williams Sound.