Jaymz Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 This was mentioned in the SRC thread, but I figured it merits it's own discussion. Especially if the LT is the true replacement since there's no wideband SM in the works. SMQV Pros: Slightly Smaller, 250mw option Cons: Not wideband, Battery compartment paste can (seldomly) be an issue LT Pros: Wideband, Assignable switch, IR Port, Simpler battery compartment Cons: Slightly Larger Anyone feel free to chime in with their thoughts. One thing I can't find info on is battery life between the two. When both set at 100mw, is battery life similar? It would be brilliant if Lectro could update this page with info for the LT : http://www.lectrosonics.com/Support/component/com_fsf/Itemid,714/tag,Wireless,%20batteries,%20battery,%20life,%20SM,%20SMd,%20SMQ,%20SMV,%20SMQV/view,faq/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark kirchner Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 LT Transmitter Battery Life This information is listed in the manual, but does not tell what the power setting is (50 or 100W). Duracell Quantum: 4.75 hours Eneloop 2400 mAH NiMH: 5.5 hours Lectrosonics LT and LR Upgrade Information Lectrosonics is upgrading the battery spring and replacing the battery doors as part of the warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Audio Daddyo Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 I would guess that there is not much difference between 50mW and 100mW in terms of battery consumption. Another thing to note is if you don't like the wire clip on the LT you can replace it with a UM style clip that is a bit shorter to fit the LT. Andy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaymz Posted March 28, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 3 hours ago, mark kirchner said: LT Transmitter Battery Life Eneloop 2400 mAH NiMH: 5.5 hours That's unfortunate, seems very low. An SMQV running at 100mW will get 8.5 hours on two 2200 mAH NiMH batteries as per the link in the first post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnny Karlsson Posted March 28, 2016 Report Share Posted March 28, 2016 My personal tests with Envelop Pro 2400 mah NiMH show similar results: LT: 5.5 hours SMQV: 8+ hours Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulluysavage Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 I don't see any mention of a wide band SM not being in the works from the other thread. Am I missing something? I'm going to post that question over there. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shastapete Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 16 minutes ago, mulluysavage said: I don't see any mention of a wide band SM not being in the works from the other thread. Am I missing something? I'm going to post that question over there. Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk From SRc discussion on Facebook: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adam White Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 This morning I woke up with the question, "Hey, so why isn't there an SM wideband?" Opened the forum and it was the first post. Love this place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stillweii Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Give it 2 years Moores law Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip Perkins Posted March 29, 2016 Report Share Posted March 29, 2016 Not crazy about the idea of 5.x hrs battery life--I'm pretty spoiled by 2-battery SM series getting in the 8hr range... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
codyman Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 I'm really conflicted. On one hand, I love my SMQV's although when the RF gets tough / traveling, I wish I had more flexibility with frequencies. I'm almost tempted more to pickup the SSM's instead because at least they would be handy with tricky wardrobe yet also still be multiblock / good for bag work since 50mw would probably be fine for that most of the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAB414 Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 I hope they do decide to make the wideband SMQVs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek H Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 Wondering now if a wideband, 100mW SM (single battery) is impossible due to current drain. 2ish hours with a lithium would be pretty poor. PS when are better AA batteries coming?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAB414 Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 Does wide-bandedness make a unit more power hungry? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonG Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 I only use SMQVs, and 90% of the time I leave them at 100mW. The other 10% theyre either at 50mW or 250mW. If I could get a wideband SMQV, but was limited to 100mW max output power, I'd take it. Though it'd be great if the wideband meant 470-block 23. I like the form factor of the SMQV, I like the dual battery compartment, which allows me to power them all day off of two lithiums, and I don't care about IR because the tx has to be visible for that to be useful. The dweedle tone is more than fine for me, and the actors get a kick out of it. They're not THAT much bigger than an SMV, so I've never had size be an issue. Though if I could get everything I want listed in my above statement, I may go halfsies on SMQVs and SMVs if/when I get a Venue2, assuming they made wideband SMs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulluysavage Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 Yeah, I think wide band is going to be the thing in urban areas like here in NYC. It's the only thing I can see making it possible to operate in rf-crowded environments once the 600 spectrum goes away. My critical SM applications are sports, the client's demand it, they fit uniforms and equipment. However, these are the applications where I use 250mw too (in game player mics in baseball is one). And this is the time when freq blocks are also the most crowded. The FB post doesn't say that a 250mw L-series is impossible. Is it possible? Sent from my XT1080 using Tapatalk Obviously the SSM addresses everything but power, and unfortunately maxes out at 50mw. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordonmoore1 Posted March 30, 2016 Report Share Posted March 30, 2016 To clarify the problem with 250mW for a wide band design. In the narrow band 25.6Mhz bandwidth transmitters, we used a component called a circulator isolator. It's a clever little device consisting of a precisely charged magnet hovering over a stripline (an impedance changing strip of circuit trace) on a tiny circuit board with a few other basic components. It acts kind of like a steering diode but for RF and helps prevent intermods between close transmitters and antenna slap. Any RF picked up by the transmitter antenna that enters via that antenna gets routed to ground and away from internal oscillators and other RF components. Helpful for controlling intermods at lower powers, it becomes essential at the higher RF output. The mathematics and physics behind this deceptively simple device are quite complex, hence we are the only wireless mic manufacturers we know of who uses them in our transmitters. They allow closer spacing of freqs and all the other hallmarks of RF performance to which we aspire. Unfortunately, in that size and frequency range, their pass band is limited to under 30MHz at best. We cannot use them in a wide band transmitter. So the wideband transmitters are limited to the lower power levels by using a different internal architecture. That's why we don't make a wide band 250mW transmitter. It's not about current drain, its about preventing intermods and antenna slap. Naturally, we have our eyes peeled for any technological advances that can help us do high power wide band. But right now, it is not available. Now, a 100mW wide band SM format? - certainly doable. We are waiting for a clarification from the FCC about a new rule before moving forward. If it swings one way, we can pull the trigger, if it swings the other then we will have to take a different tack that will take longer. So, don't hold your breath (you will turn purple - although the Senator in purple might look good!) . In the meantime, the wideband receivers are fully compatible with the narrow band transmitters - it ain't perfect but it is workable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aural Fixation Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Any plans for a wide band R1a? Dare we dream that it be fully wide and not broken up into chunks? I figure the tech is there and it'd really open up a lot of possibilities. All of our Tx already have the IFB function, why not let the Rx play with them all?That coupled with the auto tuning feature and suddenly that's the only choice for production monitoring. Am I right? sometimes we need multiple IFB feeds or need to add one on the fly. This would give a lot more flexibility which is one of my main concerns in purchasing gear. While you're at it, might as well switch to AA since those will be the last of my 9V gear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonG Posted March 31, 2016 Report Share Posted March 31, 2016 Thanks Gordon for the clarification. I inderstood that it was a matter of physical dimensions from reading some of your previous posts. Hopefully this explanation will tide people over until there are further developments, in technology or in updates on your end. The ability to work at 250mW has saved my behind on many occasions. One show I did could not have happened had I not been using SMQVs specifically, because of the power variability, form factor, and the dual AA batteries. So it is unfortunate that this technology can't be used in a wideband setting with high output power. Another reason to hang onto the old SMQVs, and not exchange them for newer ones. However, given those limitations, I still think that I'd spring for a handful of 100mW wideband SMQVs to work alongside the older ones if that's the best we can do, and I'm sure others will agree with me on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hobbiesodd Posted April 13, 2017 Report Share Posted April 13, 2017 I'm considering adding a couple of LTs to my quiver. My SMVs are great, but I'd love some wide-band versatility. Does anyone here use them reguarly? I'd appreciate some real world feedback from reality-docu mixers. Thanks! Cheers, Evan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
manuelchk Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 So LT or SMQV? Still want to know any opinion of people using the LT units.Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trey LaCroix Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 9 hours ago, manuelchk said: So LT or SMQV? Still want to know any opinion of people using the LT units. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk I love my two LTs. Battery life is a little less than an SMQV but it's still usually gets me to lunch. Love that it's wideband, Find the menu easy to navigate quickly. Sometimes size is an issue on tight fitting wardrobe, but other than that I'm pretty happy with them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berniebeaudry Posted May 11, 2017 Report Share Posted May 11, 2017 I have four LT/LRs. I really like them! I usually run them at 50mw and don't have any range issues. I'm running through a PSC sm multi with two homemade coaxial dipoles that I clip to my harness. I love the infrared syncing and the menus are super easy to navigate. I went from four 211s to for LRs in my bag and saved a lot of weight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BAB414 Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 The LT has performed very well for me RF-wise. It is a little too chunky for my taste in form factor which is my only really gripe about it. I did have one fall off of an actor (probably my fault) without my knowledge. When we ran the subsequent take, I had no signal from him. I went over and he had set the pack back on his belt, but the battery door I guess had come slightly open when it fell so while the batteries were still in there (loosely), they weren't powering the Tx. Everything ended up being OK but I don't believe that could have happened with the SMQv. I think when the LT first came out, there was some speculative talk about a 100mW wideband SMQv. I don't know if something like that is in development but if it was, I'd probably buy 4-6 of them. I rarely use the 250mW setting and I think Lectro said 250 mW wouldn't be possible with the widebands which is fine with me. I just desperately don't want to buy the SSM's because I don't want to invest in new lavs with different connectors (though the new threaded B6s look interesting) and of course, they run on those cell phone batteries. If this hypothetical wideband SMQv isn't announced in the next 12 months or so, I guess I'll bite the bullet and get maybe 2 SSMs just to have more wideband transmitters that aren't LT's. Of course it's nice to be able to hide them too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edward chick Posted May 12, 2017 Report Share Posted May 12, 2017 I like my LTs. I agree with BAB414 that they are a little clunky body wise. I will probably be getting more once I see how the FCC Spectrum madness shakes out here in Detroit area. As for 100mw vs the 250mw on the smqvs.. I do work sports jobs where the higher output option comes in handy, especially in an RF heavy environment like a football or hockey game. Range seems to be good on the LT. The LR series receiver is definitely much lighter than 411. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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