old Lectrosonics or new Saramonic - what to buy?

Richard Crowley said:
You have EXACTLY the same risk with ANY wireless system.
Whether you are using a $99 Saramonic 150 MHz VHF with 30-year old technology or the latest digital kit from Lectro or Zaxcom.

Which is why we never use wireless if we can possibly use a hard-wired solution.

For that matter, the modern 2.4GHz systems use 21st century technology that maximizes your chances of finding a usable channel. And typically they have already selected a "backup" channel for instant fallback in case anything happens to the primary channel.
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Yes, if you read the fine print on the Rødes, this is exactly what they do and the channel switching transition is seamless. I used mine on the floor of the 2017 RSA Tradeshow, which is a corporate security and firewall convention up at Moscone Center. I am sure there was a lot of 2.4GHz usage going on all around us with hundreds of booths and lots of wireless activity. We did not experience a single hit, glitch, or noise blast in seven hours of shooting. That proved the new technology to me that day. Not saying it's bulletproof, just easier to deal with and so far, more reliable than my UHF systems that I own. I am with Richard, I avoid wireless as much as I can but there certain scenarios when they are the only way.
 
well thats good to know. i have a lectro set that hasnt let me down yet (though admittedly doesnt get used super often) but if it becomes unusable (block 21) I will look into this new stuff.
 
I wonder how the 2.4GHz would do in Manhattan. So far, I've never heard a wireless system perform flawlessly in that kind of environment.
 
I used a 1.9 GHz Sennheiser AVX digital lav system in Manhattan last fall with no issues.
We just got a bulletin from Shure today discontinuing RF mics in the 568-698 MHz range. 614-698 has been auctioned off so far. 39 month transition phase for reallocating TV channels and moving to cellular network service. After that other devices will not be allowed in that spectrum.
 
NorBro said:
I wonder how the 2.4GHz would do in Manhattan. So far, I've never heard a wireless system perform flawlessly in that kind of environment.
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I've now used four Rode RodeLink 2.4GHz wireless kits simultaneously for a corporate training session in lower Manhattan that ran for two days (8 hours each day). The wireless kits performed flawlessly. So did my two Sennheiser G3 kits (Band G).

I have zero reservations about recommending the RodeLink kits. If they survived two solid days in the World Financial Center without a hiccup, they'll work anywhere.
 
Razz16mm said:
I used a 1.9 GHz Sennheiser AVX digital lav system in Manhattan last fall with no issues.
We just got a bulletin from Shure today discontinuing RF mics in the 568-698 MHz range. 614-698 has been auctioned off so far. 39 month transition phase for reallocating TV channels and moving to cellular network service. After that other devices will not be allowed in that spectrum.
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Deja Vu from 2010, same thing that happened with my 700 MHz Lectro and AT100 wireless systems. They sit in my garage now, unused and unloved although I did use them on a shoot in London two years ago. It's sad that a government entity can just instantly outlaw using thousands of dollars of your equipment.
 
Josh Bass said:
well, to be fair, I know quite a few people still using those illegal block systems without problems...
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I tried, they were completely unrelaible and unusable, would work for a while, then the local HD Broadcaster would bury the signal, would come and go.
 
puredrifting said:
I tried, they were completely unrelaible and unusable, would work for a while, then the local HD Broadcaster would bury the signal, would come and go.
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It depends on where you are, geographically. I'm not advocating using illegal wireless, but as is the case with any wireless, if you are in an RF heavy environment, you can get squashed. Out where I live, I'll do a frequency scan on my Lectros and G3's and there is nothing because I'm out in the country with cows for neighbors. But then again, it also depends on what frequency range you are using. All of my systems are in the upper 400mHz range through the fives, so I'm out of that HD tv broadcast range.
 
Its a shame because I have the old AT100 series in the 700MHz block, they were really good, solid, dependable and I used them for years with great success. All of a sudden, they are close to useless, at least in the States. I sometimes shoot in rural, small town areas, I did for "Miracles from Heaven" for Sony in Burleson, Texas but that is very near Ft. Worth, we had a sound mixer on that one anyway so I didn't try mine and I shot with on "Heaven is for Real", also for Sony, out in Imperial, Nebraska, I was successful using them out there because Imperial is a long way from anything. But I typically shoot in New York, Miami, San Francisco, they are useless in places like that. Even my newer 500MHz and 600MHz stuff has issues in those places, that's why I bought the Rødes.
 
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