rich

you need the amplification at the antenna end. the idea is to add enough amplification to compensate for the loss of your cable run. if you have the amp at the antenna, your signal to noise should be roughly the same (assuming the amplification is adding minimal noise) as if you have the receivers connected to the antennas with no gain and a short cable run. if you have the amp at the receiver end, you are then amplifying the signal back up to where it should be before the cable loss, but you are also increasing the noise floor which is now much closer to the signal because of the loss of the coax cable. basically, if you have the amp at the receiver end of your coax cable, you are sacrificing your signal to noise ratio. many antennas with built in amps (wisy LFA, Audio wireless) also have filtering that is before the amp, so that any unwanted signals are not amplified which can cause additional intermod problems, and in theory, should give better results that amplified antennas without filtering.

for 2 core, i like the mogami 3031. it will allow you to get 4 wires into a DB-15, or 2 into a TA5. ive not found (or looked that hard) for a starquad that is thinner than the 4.8mm offerings from mogami or canare that is as flexible or sturdy.

the 8 series have limiters on all the analogue and digital inputs. it was the 6 series that only had limiters on the analogue inputs. the 833 only has 1 AES input as standard. using either the XL-AES accessory to give you 4 more pairs, or an SL2 for your slot in receivers, and 2 AES pairs. there is gain on every input. including the returns.

the 4 zone can be modified fairly easily to run on 12v. the mains supply inside it takes your AC input and outputs 12v. but it is only practical if you are able to use a rack based system. a more portable option is the Audio Wireless 2 zone distro https://www.audiowireless.co.uk/online-store/AW-Diversity-Antenna-Combiner-and-Distribution-Module-DADM224-2C-IN-STOCK-p456601672 i use two of these on my cart rig. (one for main antennas, and one to feed my crew comms)

the part number for the Lemo collet nut driver is DCL.91.516.5TK it cost me £40 when i got it, but on digging out the receipt, that was 12 years ago, so it may cost a fair bit more now. i made a tool for the redding connectors. i had something close, and widened the space between the prongs with a dremel cutting tool. you could do the same with a suitable flat bladed screwdriver and a saw and file i imagine. not for the redding connectors, but Lemo have a load of technical info on their site https://www.lemo.com/int_en/solutions/originals/b-indoor-keyed/fvb-00-303-nlae13.html

yes yes yes. i use a similar connector (probably the same to be honest, but i dont get them from Redding) it has a proper cable clamp making it much easier to assemble, and means its much less critical with the diameter of the cable (i have seen sooooo many Lemo crimp connectors that fail because someone has used the correct crimp tool which means that the crimped part doesnt really grip the cable. mostly COS11s)

the main reason i got the SL2 was, that if you put some batteries on the base of your 8 series recorder, you are able to swap your main batteries without your receivers and anything connected to the two Hirose connectors on the SL2 powering down. losing a lot of cabling is also an advantage, as well as gaining a few more AES inputs. and keeping the inputs on the side free in case you need them for something else. im not convinced that the RF distribution is as good as my Audio Wireless boxes, but its better than what was in the SL6. and less whips in your bag is a good thing. even if you are just swapping a whip on each receiver for a whip on each side of the SL2.

i got some countryman EMWs years ago as i needed something waterproof, but didnt want to spend the money on a B3 or B6. i may have read somewhere that it used the same capsule as a TRAM, but couldnt tell you where i read that, and it would hve been over 10 years ago, so be very sceptical of that info without anyone else to back it up. but, its a good sounding mic, and i ended up using them later in a scene where one actor was getting covered in blood, and everyone else was wearing a DPA 4061. the EMW matched very well, which surprised me at the time. and certainly makes them worth keeping as a more disposable / stunt mic. and worth adding as another choice for your options

i had been using a PSC tip on my Loon for many years, and it would always move slightly with a mic attached. on reading this thread this week, i took the tip out of my VDB pole and put it in my Loon. it is much better than the PSC tip, but there is still a little movement of the tip.

when fitting the mic, make sure the front of it is no further forward than the black ring where the ends are fitted so that you have enough air space around the mic for the windshield to be effective. take the fur off when transporting the mic. ive always stored my fur inside out, and have no issues with the hairs matting. and whilst i havent used my rycote stuff in over 5 years, it did have at least 10 years of use and is still in very good condition.

the EW-DP receiver has a headphone out.

i use Ultimate Ears earphones when im mixing. when i had my 788 / CL9 setup, if i ran the headphone out of the 788 into the CL9, and then plugged my earphones into the CL9, i would get a lot of hiss. but plugging straight into the 788 was fine. i think it was to do with the headphone amp in the CL9 not liking low impedence headphones so much

dont use the boost feature. it adds 30dB of gain. but. (at least on the last time i used one many years ago) it doesnt remember that you have activated the boost function, so will need to be re-done EVERY time you power up the mic. which if your mic is in a blimp suspension is a real pain. if you are able to keep your signal chain digital, then there shouldnt be a penalty adding the gain back in at your recorder. also, i generally found i was using 22-28dB of gain when i was using my SCMIT, so 30dB was too much anyway.

yeah. i got one almost 2 years ago now i like it. much nicer display than the rf explorer. and a little more intuitive to use. it forgets your last used settings before you switch it off. but you can save presets for the frequency ranges / settings you want to look at. certainly a useful bit of kit to see what else is going on rf wise around you. and much better than the scan display on most receivers available these days.

theP-11XBP wont be able to charge a battery in there. phantom power doesnt supply enough current to do much more than power a mic - around 4ma. i charge my NiMh batteries at 300ma. the battery in the barrel is there if what you are plugging the mic into cannot supply phantom power. and if you are using rechargeable batteries, put fresh ones in every day, rather than live with the anxiety that the battery will die whilst you are using it. it has been many many many years since i used a hard wired lav, especially one with the in line XLR adapter, and based on that i dont imagine many others have used them either. if you want to know how long the battery lasts, thats easy enough to test for yourself. my money is on a week.