Author Topic: Wireless Headset Technology  (Read 8180 times)

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KMC

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Wireless Headset Technology
« on: Jun 05, 2009, 09:12 am »
A few folks mentioned wireless headsets as a desired gift in another thread, and just after reading that I got an email about Clearcom's CellCom ("FreeSpeak" outside the US).  The system looks amazing - essentially it is local cell phone technology combined with a wireless headset that gives unprecedented flexibility and range.  If I understand correctly, you can program the base station to have any combination of "groups" (what we use as channels now) without the limitations of your standard hard-wired system.  The technology is likely well beyond the needs of most theatres (and with a list price in the $10,000 neighorhood for the base station alone, I'd imagine well beyond the budget as well), but I'm hoping some of you folks out there on the commercial side of things have used these.

Has anyone used these or something similar?  Please share if you have, I'm quite curious.  I'll be at an A/V tradeshow in a couple of weeks and I'll try to get my hands on this and report back.
« Last Edit: Jun 05, 2009, 12:27 pm by kmc307 »
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Mac Calder

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #1 on: Jun 05, 2009, 12:15 pm »
CellCom is actually DECT technology (Cellphones residential kissing cousin). For each antenna on the system, you can link up 5 beltpacks - the standard cellcom system comes with 2 antennas - with the splitter box, you can get 8 (or 10, I cannot remember) antennas onto the system. It's a very good system, beautifully clear, and was first designed to integrate into the Clearcom matrix system, so that you could have a remote matrix station, instead of being limited to party line talking. The audio quality is beautiful - and in a corporate environment, they cannot be beaten (imagine, client headset only has access to talk to the technical director and cannot hear any other conversation, camera guys talk directly to the vision switcher, spots to the lighting director.... you can reduce what you hear in your headset to exactly what you need, and no more)

For those without the big budgets, HME make a nice little intercom - it only has 2 limitations 1) you can only have 4 beltpacks talking at once, per base station and 2) it does not use standard headset connectors. It is perfect for theatre though, and I have seen the beltpacks (which are tiny) thrown (with force) down two flights of stairs and survive... the headsets are a weak point though.

RTS and Clearcom both make an analogue wireless system. They are a better quality audio than the HME system... not as cheap though, and they are in the UHF spectrum and can interefere with radio mics. The RTS solution is also (from memory) 1 beltpack per master station, whilst Clearcoms WBS system is 4.

The benefit to all of the above systems is they can plug straight into your existing two wire systems (ClearCom, RTS, TechPro, ???)

Just some links (now that I have time):

RTS, marketed as Telex RadioCom here
Clearcom Cellcom/Freespeak DECT system here
Clearcom WBS UHF Wireless Coms here
HME's 4 channel 'cheap' solution here

Clearcom also make the Tempest range... never used them, but they opperate on 2.4GHz, which is a crowded area of the spectrum here
« Last Edit: Jun 05, 2009, 08:15 pm by Mac Calder »

KMC

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #2 on: Jun 05, 2009, 12:32 pm »
CellCom is actually DECT technology (Cellphones residential kissing cousin).

Indeed!  Not sure if DECT is a universal term or not though, I try to go easy on the technical jargon if possible, though most times I fail miserably.  ;)

They operate in nearly the same frequency range, and I know that a lot of DECT systems need to be licensed by the FCC as they potentially can encroach on cell phone traffic (not sure how much I buy that, but that's what the FCC says...).

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kiwitechgirl

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #3 on: Jun 11, 2009, 02:23 am »
One of our local crew bought himself a CellCom set - 8 beltpacks and the base station - a couple of years ago.  I used it for the first time recently and did not want to give my beltpack back at the end of the run; aside from the sheer joy of not having a cable, the audio quality was pretty much as clear as you ever get through coms, wired or not; the programmability of the different channels was brilliant (I handed over to someone else partway through the run, and to have a channel so I could talk exclusively to her while she learnt the show was an absolutel godsend) and they were very easy to use and ultra-reliable.  They definitely get the thumbs-up over any other wireless coms I've used.

KMC

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #4 on: Jun 13, 2009, 12:25 pm »
Moderator note:  Split the tangent about the Infocomm trade show to a new topic, which can be found here.
Get action. Do things; be sane; don’t fritter away your time; create, act, take a place wherever you are and be somebody; get action. -T. Roosevelt

Peterskine

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #5 on: Aug 12, 2012, 03:08 am »
Clearcom also make the Tempest range... never used them, but they opperate on 2.4GHz, which is a crowded area of the spectrum

While the Tempest is in the 2.4 gHz region shared by lots of uncoordinated WiFi access points, it is NOT affected by them and has less than a 10% affect on the data delivery in WiFi.  It operates as SSFH or Spread Spectrum Frequency Hopping.  If you looked at the signal you would see the WiFi bumps and SSFH spikes popping up much higher than the WiFi.  Each of these spikes had Tempest data for a very short period of time at a much higher peak level which overrides any WiFi.

They also have a 900mHz station but only 1 base station can operate in it at a time.  The 2.4gHz system can have a maximum of 11 base stations.  Each can have 5 full duplex stations or in shared mode any number of beltpacks.  In shared mode you do hear the latency echo, though.

The power comes when you use the system in roaming mode.  you could have 20 beltpacks on 4 base stations in the theatre with the ability to have 2 bases covering the loading dock (so 5 of the 20 max could roam there) and 1 base in the Dressing room (so 5 could roam there)  Each BP can be assigned to be able to access specific base stations.

All Bases can be co-located and antennas on cat-5 distributed to each area.

I believe it is the most powerful, most versatile system out there.  Even though it is also a Clear-Com product along with CellCom, it is the better solution.

Tempest is made by Coachcom but the exclusive distributor for theatre and TV is Clear-Com.

here is an article on the roaming:  newbielink:http://tempestwireless.com/products/roaming.php [nonactive]

If you have any questions, please ask.

« Last Edit: Aug 12, 2012, 02:25 pm by Peterskine »

Mac Calder

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #6 on: Aug 12, 2012, 03:41 am »
I do quite like the Tempest system - I have rolled it out in 3 venues over the last 18 months. It is a joy to be able to sit there with a laptop and remotely re-configure beltpacks, including muting them, changing channel allocations and altering mic gain. It is a very sweet system. I disagree with it being a "better" solution - I think it fills a different market segment - if I was running a large matrix system and needed a number of people roaming around a large area - say a festival site or a race track OB - cellcom is the solution (seamless handoff between antennas, highly configurable etc) - for a theatre (most of which tend to run between 2 and 4 two-wire loops) tempest is my choice.

On the subject of coms though - Riedel is an oft-overlooked company - their wireless coms system is up there with Cellcom/Freespeak and their digital beltpacks are very nice (AES - no more interference). I have yet to experience Clearcom HelixNet - but plan on getting my paws on it some time soon - it looks rather sexy.

Peterskine

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #7 on: Aug 12, 2012, 02:35 pm »
if I was running a large matrix system and needed a number of people roaming around a large area - say a festival site or a race track OB - cellcom is the solution (seamless handoff between antennas, highly configurable etc) -

On the subject of coms though - Riedel is an oft-overlooked company - their wireless coms system is up there with Cellcom/Freespeak and their digital beltpacks are very nice (AES - no more interference). I have yet to experience Clearcom HelixNet -

Tempest also seamlessly moves between zones on the roaming configuration.  You can easily configure the exact handoff QoS point since the Beltpacks display Both the QoS of the BP and the base as you walk around.  Handoff happens when your Qos falls to a certain level AND you are in another zone programmed for that Beltpack which is better.  Really nice.

I have had issues with CellCom in the us when users have Sprint cell phones which share the band.

Riedel Acrobat runs on a band shared by in house wireless phones and if the facility has this system the Acrobat cannot be used.

The Riedel C3 AES beltpacks are great, I agree.  Here on the London 2012 opening we have 71 in use and not a bit of hum or crosstalk.

The CC Helix net has the advantage of 4 channels on a single mic cable but the limitation of 10 beltpacks per power supply output.
« Last Edit: Aug 12, 2012, 02:45 pm by Peterskine »

Mac Calder

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Re: Wireless Headset Technology
« Reply #8 on: Aug 12, 2012, 07:40 pm »
Handoff must be a fairly recent upgrade - about 18 months ago moving between base stations was a matter of manually transitioning on the beltpack. Knew they were working on it, but didn't know it had been done yet.