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RF Explorer


Jeff Wexler

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i have one coming next week on loan ... from what other users have told me this works better than the on board lectro scans... front end damage is a legitimate concern because that's what this lacks, however with some add on filters & terminators you can help protect it, gotham for example offers an "adapter pack" ... i'm going to try it in some sporting arenas next week for kicks

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i have one coming next week on loan ... from what other users have told me this works better than the on board lectro scans... front end damage is a legitimate concern because that's what this lacks, however with some add on filters & terminators you can help protect it, gotham for example offers an "adapter pack" ... i'm going to try it in some sporting arenas next week for kicks

For one protection, take the antenna(s) off when not in use or when near really strong RF fields.

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Mine arrived in time for use on an away shoot.

Absolutely amazing.

I cut down a Location Sound aerial to work in the centre frequency of my 8 Lectros

Pinpoints all the TV stations around so you can dodge them.

A priceless must have!!!!!!!!!!!

Put one under your pillow now

mike

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  • 2 months later...

i must say after using it over the course of 2 weeks through some nba & nhl play offs i'm not happy with this thing at all ...

the thing did leave a bad taste in my mouth before i even got to use it because i am a mac user & the software written for mac requires 10.7 osx (i had 10.6) so i thought for $40 i'd upgrade so i could use this device's software .... well i didn't read all the fine print & upgrading to 10.7 blew out all my power pc programs, so no excel, word, so on for me ... until i paid the $110 to upgrade to office 2011

so after all the trouble to get this things software on my computer i realize that the computer screen is only a mirror image of the tiny window of the spectrum on the hand held display ... i can understand not having the entire spectrum viewable on such a small hand held device, however i would like tot think that's why you would hook this up to a computer ... not so

the other annoying thing is the device only lets you view a small section of the spectrum at a time, you cannot even view an entire "block" on the screen at the same time so you have to constantly go back to the menu to re set parameters, which is time consuming when in a time sensitive situation

the hand held device & computer screen would also stop scanning after about 60-90 seconds, which i heard was to be fixed in a firmware update ...

also there is no demodulation to hear what you are seeing on the spectrum, another thing i had hoped may have come on the computer side of the interface but did not ... i understand this can be a costly added feature, but i want a deal like everyone else

then there's the necessary but slightly hidden cost of adapters to protect the head end so the unit doesn't self district around high powered rf...

so at a $129 for the unit + $159 for the adapters and case + the $110 i had to spend to use the software & $40 for osx, i'm almost at half the price of a TTI which is the real deal ...

all in all if you're ready to go to support the software $300 isn't bad for a toy, which may improve over time with updates at no added costs, this thing does work, i just find it awkward to use and i'd rather take time & save money together for something better

in the mean time i got the freq finder app on my iPhone that i've used on a couple events to great success , that is certainly worth the money, i'm much happier with the way that performs compared to the rf explorer

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I'm happy with mine (considering the price tag), but then I never saw the need to spend all that extra money.

I don't understand the phrase, "...you cannot even view an entire "block" on the screen at the same time..." as the unit displays any range up to 100mHz at a time and a Lectrosonics block is only 25.5mHz wide, while the widest Zaxcom block is 36mHz.

Maybe my greater satisfaction comes from not expecting a $129 unit to be the equal of the traditionally-priced $3,000 to $5,000 units.

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I'm happy with mine (considering the price tag), but then I never saw the need to spend all that extra money.

I don't understand the phrase, "...you cannot even view an entire "block" on the screen at the same time..." as the unit displays any range up to 100mHz at a time and a Lectrosonics block is only 25.5mHz wide, while the widest Zaxcom block is 36mHz.

Maybe my greater satisfaction comes from not expecting a $129 unit to be the equal of the traditionally-priced $3,000 to $5,000 units.

sorry i meant to more specifically say it's awkward to view a large area of the spectrum on the small screen an pin point every step without the multiple menu moves... maybe i guess that;s the reason for the computer ... i guess i can't expect a $300 package to work as good as some of the others on the market for around $1000 ... however i expected it to at least scan more than 90 seconds at a time ... if this company stays alive maybe in time this little box will see some improvements....

all in all i'm very happy with the $30 spent on the freq finder app, i feel my pennies were better spent there for now, and the way freq finder links with the lector rm app is a happy bonus

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ive not been going in to the menu on mine anymore. since i managed to set the displayed bandwidth to 30MHz, i just press the left and right buttons to shift the displayed spectrum up or down 6MHz, up and down buttons change the rf level range. did take a bit of time to get to the 30MHz bandwidth though.

given that a lot of the rf we are likely to be seeing now are digital transmissions, is a demodulator much use? i use mine to see what the rf noise floor is like where i am and if there are any competing signals i should keep clear of.

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ive not been going in to the menu on mine anymore. since i managed to set the displayed bandwidth to 30MHz, i just press the left and right buttons to shift the displayed spectrum up or down 6MHz, up and down buttons change the rf level range. did take a bit of time to get to the 30MHz bandwidth though.

given that a lot of the rf we are likely to be seeing now are digital transmissions, is a demodulator much use? i use mine to see what the rf noise floor is like where i am and if there are any competing signals i should keep clear of.

good effort setting the display, i probably should've played with the unit i had more, however when it always stopped continuously scanning after 90 seconds i became more disenchanted with the unit, perhaps a while down the road the bugs will get worked out

i mostly work large events with multiple tv network coverage, sometimes with or without rf coordination, i'm just a sucker for having that demodulation to be able to hear who is out there that should & shouldn't be

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  • 1 month later...

Hello everybody,

I just received my Rf Explorer Combo (240-960 MHz + Wifi module) and while playing with the windows client,

I found out that with particular settings, the span can go up to 720MHz (!!!) (full 240 - 960 MHZ with 6.429MHz Sweep step).

That's an amazing function, which probably is a left-out bug, but I wouldn't want to lose it now!

Did anybody else notice that?

rfexplorersc.jpg

rfexplorerclientdata201.png

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I just ordered mine a few days ago... What I really am hoping for is that add-on that lowers the low frequency floor... I want to see whether my 216 Comteks will be bothered at a given location.

The comments of the other postings here... I would love the idea of a demodulator too, but with digital transmissions being our biggest problem, I just see myself using this as a more-accurate version of the Lectro 411 radio noise floor scanner - Tell me where the garbage is so I can tune around it, and that will be plenty of functionality for me.

If you are working big events where there are multiple TV broadcasters, and NOT any wireless coordination... I think you should be able to get SOMEBODY to spring for the rental of a "real" spectrum scanner, don't you? An event like the Democrat's convention or the Republican convention are going to be wireless nightmares, that would be my worst-case situation to try and run a Lectro TX in... Without coordination or a good scanner... You might as well just be scanning by eye and ear.

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http://micro.arocholl.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=84:an-update-on-rf-explorer-wsub3g&catid=3:newsflash&Itemid=50

There's the update page about the new module... It WILL be an available upgrade for the standard unit, and for a very reasonable $140. The new module also comes with built-in protections against up to a full watt of signal.

For my use of just looking to see what the RF noise spectrum looks like before I power my TXs up... That is a VERY good deal and I have no problem with the minor limitations of their tech.

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Just two antennas, there is only space internally for one upgrade module. That was why I wasn't interested in the wifi version - it is the same as the sub-1G version, just with the add-on slot already occupied. The new super-wide-band module will answer both our desires for comtek scanning, and if you needed some more precise measuring above that band, the original version's more precise scanning is still available.

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Thanks! Offhand the ability to scan for Comteks is a selling point on its own. I'm usually ok with Comteks, but I always wonder if there is something better available. I feel like there is enough rogue RF that internet databases of known issues are not showing me the whole picture.

I usually carry a few 411s on tech scouts (if there is one I am invited to), but this would be a lot nicer.

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...

I don't know if it shipped yet, but has anyone been using the add-on module that will scan down to Comtek 216 range? I know it was expected over the Summer, but I have not seen anyone mention actually using one.

Pretty sure they keep selling out before anyone on here gets their hands on one...

The all-in-one unit (15Mhz-2.7Ghz) is IN STOCK RIGHT NOW. http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/rf-explorer-3g-combo-p-1266.html?cPath=174

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RFEM WSUB3G Module is out!

... and already sold out, at least the first batch of 50pcs on 20% sale.

I guess more will be available from distributors soon.

I was just informed yesterday that our 3G Combo units shipped from China this week. I cannot say exactly when we will have them until they clear customs but, we should have them within the next week or so. I have a dozen on order and only a few are committed so, if you want one, we will have them available. You know the number...

Thanks

Sj

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