Lectro 100 Series

timapter

timapter

Veteran
My lectro 100 series units arrived the other day, and I've been using them on this reality show Im on at the moment. I havent had them for long, but these are my initial thoughts for anyone that is interested to hear.


Firstly, Im very happy with the LM transmitter/UCR100 combo. What I like is that I'll be able to upgrade to 401 receivers without changing Tx units when I want to, and then upgrade the Tx's when I can. That kind of future proofing impresses me greatly.

Secondly, my initial impressions of the M152 lav are pretty favourable - its the best "stock standard" lav on the market, although of course it doesnt compare to cos or b6 standards of quality or convenience. but I really like that the thing is USABLE and not a throw away like on some other systems.

Third, when comparing this system to the G2 (a very important comparison), I think there is a lot to be said for how QUIET these units are. Their self noise is VERY low, and this is great because in quiet evironments (like studio), I often find the G2 is a bit noisy. Of course, the G2 is MUCH more user friendly and intuitive. but here in SA where every single frequency i tried was clear, many of these features arent lost on me, and the fact that the units have less to go wrong counts in their favour.

Fourth, the range i experienced on my first walk test was VERY good - around 100 meters before drop outs.

Fifth, DAMN these things are small!! The LM feels a bit smaller than the G2 tx, although I dont think it is much - I just think the design is better because there is no extensive user interface to fit in (this is good or bad depending on your preference).

Sixth, the quality is to my ears superior to that of the G2 series. Perhaps not drastically better, but it truly is a noticable improvement, and one that had me smiling today.

Seventh, and this is a negative - the suckers use 9v batteries. Damn thats stupid. I cant understand why they couldnt use AA, but Im not engineer and Im sure there is a reason. It still bugs me though.



Anway, so far, Im very happy with this system, and am looking forward to many hours of work with it these next few weeks!

Tim
 
ExileOnTheMainStreet said:
you can buy li-ion rechargebles 9v batteries
Click to expand...

Have you had good experiences with Li-Ion 9V?
All the ones I know of are 8.4V nominal, whereas the NiMH you can get 9.6V nominal. Some older type wireless receivers/transmitters didn't like the low voltage of rechargeables, so I was wondering how the Li-Ion rechargeable 9V batteries were holding up in this application.

Hmm, I should just get some and try them out myself! :)
 
what does it matter - the regullar alkaline go down to 6 v under load until the internal dc to dc converter stop working , the li-ion dont change they voltage under load so are the ni- mh - what interesting you is the actual capacity of thees batteries , the li ion are 7.2( actual under load) multiply 500ma equal to 3.6 wat
the 9.6 ni-mh are 8.4 (actual under load ) multiply maximum 250ma - about 2 wat - so tell me what would last more
its the stupidest thing not to use the li-ion - for what it lust and what it cost
 
Yeah, I did some calculations also, and you are right about the capacity being excellent!
Will buy now...

Good stuff.
 
Here is the link being tossed around RAMPS: http://www.nimhbattery.com/index.htm

I have no experience with the rechargable 9v but plan to buy some in the near future (Comteks and old Lectros still use 9v).

Glad to hear you are happy with your purchase. Lectros are nothing if not great quality pro gear....just don't lose that custom screwdriver :) I keep misplacing mine.

The G2 are good for their price point but the Lectro 100's still have em beat. Just not by enough to justify the price difference for most people.

Stuff I have done post on that was recorded with the G2 is always quite noisy but acceptable for broadcast. The issue gets to be if you have several G2 opened on the same channel.

Enjoy your new purchase :thumbup:
 
forgot to mention the li-ion are much better in cold weather and loos much less capacity then ni mh - not to mention they weight less
 
tim- hope your reality show is still going well, haven't seen an update for a while on your "what would you do" thread.


oleg- about my microns... all the dead 9V batts come out at 8.6V.. can I still get good use out of the Li-ion's? or will the TX not work for long?
 
You mentioned the LM transmitters... but in the opening post you said UCR100... you got the ucr100 and not the LM correct? I bought a Lectro 100 set with the LM transmitters and they are only 50mw... which is better then the G2 30mw... but not enough better. The LM 50mw transmitter is good if you're on a system which can take advantage of the digital guide signal (or whatever you call it... it's not true digital, but the point of the LM is for it to work on one of the digital sets)... but I didn't find the extra performance of the 50mw transmitters to be worth the price over the G2.

Even with the 50mw there is a consistent performance advantage, but I found it to be slight... with the 100mw it's a big advantage for range and reliability.
 
the ucr100 is the receiver matt... and the standard 100 series at the moment is the LM (hybrid digi) Tx, with the older UCR100 (analog) Rx.

Today I used the 100's extensively and the range was KILLER. Im talking further than my walk test, sometimes up to what I would guess was approaching 200m (heard these results not while filming, but just opening up channels to see where people were). I was amazed. But like i said, SA doesnt have much air traffic, and I was in quite an open environment without many wireless "no no" areas. So 50mw is certainly not a problem for my application.

The LM Tx is a digital hybrid, but can emulate compandors, so its compatible with every Lectro tunable receiver ever. And thats what I like - Im planning to go from the 100 Rx's to 401s, and then I'll be able to save some cash and stick with the LM's until I want to eventually change those out, too.

Scooby - I havent posted in that thread because I was worried that continually bouncing it to the top of the board might piss some people off. If anyone was enjoying reading it ocassionally, I'd be happy to keep posting in it, I have a lot of interesting stories and things I've learnt to share - let me know if you guys think I should continue with that thread.

Oleg - Thanks, I already have some NIMH rechargables Im using for now, but Im gonna look into the Li-Ion's.

Tim
 
ScoobySounds said:
tim- hope your reality show is still going well, haven't seen an update for a while on your "what would you do" thread.


oleg- about my microns... all the dead 9V batts come out at 8.6V.. can I still get good use out of the Li-ion's? or will the TX not work for long?
Click to expand...
the battery recovers it self and the voltage go up - you not mesure the voltage without load - check the voltage during working or with load 2 w resistor
 
MattinSTL said:
You mentioned the LM transmitters... but in the opening post you said UCR100... you got the ucr100 and not the LM correct? I bought a Lectro 100 set with the LM transmitters and they are only 50mw... which is better then the G2 30mw... but not enough better. The LM 50mw transmitter is good if you're on a system which can take advantage of the digital guide signal (or whatever you call it... it's not true digital, but the point of the LM is for it to work on one of the digital sets)... but I didn't find the extra performance of the 50mw transmitters to be worth the price over the G2.

Even with the 50mw there is a consistent performance advantage, but I found it to be slight... with the 100mw it's a big advantage for range and reliability.
Click to expand...
the lm transmiters stayed as better then 50mw - actually they are more 70mw , the actual rf power quit depends on the block you use
the difference between the 30 and 50 is about 30% in the range and the 70 about 50%, of course it can be different in the real world with rf pollution and the serface you work
 
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