Good VHF vs Entry Level UHF wireless

[RichT]

Sorry if this has already been covered, couldn't get much form the search function.

I'm still at the stage of hiring wireless at the moment, and haven't got an enormous amount to spend.

I'm based in the UK and they're due to sell off channel 69 (standard wireless operating frequencies) next year so most wireless equipment (except brand new stuff) will be obsolete then. This means there's not much point buying second hand wireless kit (unless it can be modified).

However there is some decent (Audio Ltd, Micron) diversity VHF kit available used, for similar prices to a Sennheiser G3 kit. There isn't much Lectrosonics/Zaxcom stuff over here.

Just making sure here that the sound quality on the good VHF stuff should be better, but the range in built-up areas would be less?

I'm also eventually looking to get a professional UHF set, but might be a year or so away (will watch what goes on with digital kit). Would VHF be more useful as an emergency backup, as it may work in situations where the UHF doesn't? Or would the limited range make it less useful?

I'm also aware that VHF requires a separate license here

 

[sonidista]

Hey Rich,

my first kit was a Lectro VHF. VHF units were used on big budget features in the seventies. They sound great in my opinion. I wouldn't say that the range is lower, but you have to be careful about the frequencies, as today theres a lot of stuff interfering in VHF range, so you'd have to inform yourself on what frequencies this kit has and whether these are used in your area or where you plan to shoot. That said, I never had interference with my 190 or so MHz Lectro kit.
As I am getting UHF kits I still use the VHF for plant mics or even monitoring. You can always use an additional kit!

Apart from all that, Sennheiser G3s cover pretty large blocks so you could get one for the blocks that will still be available. That would be my advice, they are about 500 quid for the kit I should think.

Good luck
Chris

 

[Rippie]

The problem with VHF wireless is because most companies have moved onto UHF the VHF systems out there
are old technology.

Ignore the frequencies for a moment. Improvements through the years in electronics, and transmission is going to make the actual audio quality superior.

Back on the freq's, because of the older technology of the VHF units many of them only come in ONE FIXED FREQ. If you get interference on that particular freq
there is NOTHING you can do about it. You can't simply go into the menu and change it to something else.

Some sound guys working in some very heavily congested markets will still keep a few of those old VHF's around in case they literally cant find a single channel open on their UHF systems.
At that point sound quality becomes secondary to just having a workable unit.

 

[RichT]

Thanks for getting back to me- some of the units I've seen do have a handful of switchable frequencies. Looks like I'll probably have to use UHF anyway and most of the work I've got so far has been in built up areas

 

[maranfilms]

heavily congested markets will still keep a few of those old VHF's around in case they literally cant find a single channel open on their UHF systems

What market is this? I have never in my lfe had an experience with every uhf channel having interference. With that said, I would never ever ever buy a vhf over uhf system. UHF is far superior in every way. Of course were talking decent pro systems, not some chinese knockoff.

 

[Rippie]

What market is this? I have never in my lfe had an experience with every uhf channel having interference.

RF can bled into your gear pretty easy when you're around strong sources such as tv transmitters that are in the same block as your stuff.
The LA guys struggle with RF all the time. One of the reasons why zaxcom put recorders built in to their transmitters. There are just times out there when you
can't find a great channel to use.
Of course when you travel with your gear and it's not optimized for the area you're in.
I'm out of town right now and my Lectro's are getting pretty slammed where I'm at. I can still find a few channels open though, but If I was on a show with
8+ mic's and also needed to remember intermodulation issues, freq's can get pretty thin quickly.

I'm not saying sound guys are buying vhf stuff, but rather just finding uses for old vhf's they already had around.

 

[j1clark@ucsd.edu]

What market is this? I have never in my lfe had an experience with every uhf channel having interference. With that said, I would never ever ever buy a vhf over uhf system. UHF is far superior in every way. Of course were talking decent pro systems, not some chinese knockoff.

Depends on the region. New York City and LA have a lot of licensed transmitters operating in their respective regions. The 512-698 MHz band is not limited to 'just' TV broadcasts...

I live about 100 miles from Hollywood and Vine, and when I sense the spectrum from many hill tops in my area, I can 'see' most LA TV stations (whether a TV can detect/decode such signals is a different matter...), and much more crap... Then there's San Deigo... and Mexico... and last and pretty least... Santa Barbara... ok, several of those are in the VHF band... which is one of the benefits of VHF... it does go further...