jason porter Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 I often get snickered at, being an audio geek, from my fellow set mates (well, I AM the smartest person on set!) When I pulled out the RF Explorer, people rolled their eyes and said it was a useless toy ("why don't you just scan with your 411s?") Today, I was playing with my useless toy when all of a sudden I started getting broadband noise across the spectrum on my RF Explorer (300-900mhz)...which I happened to have turned on. I called a "cut" and hardwired to camera (was running a Zax hop) and finished the interview. When we were "down", I started problem solving and immediately found that if I unplugged the BNC feeding the monitor, the stray RF went away...plugged it in, there it is again. Tried a new BNC, problem solved. Top pic is 'Before', bottom is 'After' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Hirtenstein Posted May 31, 2013 Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 hell yeah dude I love the RF explorer. it really helped me to learn more about the RF spectrum and what kinds of things produce interference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted May 31, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2013 Yes, it really helps explain to the camera dept some of our issues as well, especially when you can see the 3rd order intermod pop up as you turn on devices. hell yeah dude I love the RF explorer. it really helped me to learn more about the RF spectrum and what kinds of things produce interference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daniel Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Want to buy 1, how easy to use are they? I read on the website that it can be easily damaged, (even) when unpowered - what bits and pieces did you get with it? eg. SMA dummy load, band pass filter etc. many thanks, dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted June 3, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Very easy to use, I have had mine sitting next to a 100mw transmitter and it hasn't damaged anything. The only accessories included are the antenna(s) Want to buy 1, how easy to use are they? I read on the website that it can be easily damaged, (even) when unpowered - what bits and pieces did you get with it? eg. SMA dummy load, band pass filter etc. many thanks, dan. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindrop Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 I've put mine through airport security scanners both carry on and check in a few times and it still works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JonG Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Brought mine on three months of national travel and it was helpful in showing my producer why some areas weren't RF friendly and why I had to work with limited range. It also helped me coordinate frequencies with our RC guy, and I've been able to do the same with ACs that don't know the frequency of their wireless follow focus. I think it's a great tool and makes us look very professional in the process! Lol This is a scan of Key West. Yikes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwil Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 I bought one last year and it worked well for a few months but eventually stopped measuring RF. I tried to be as careful as possible to not overload the sensitive 'front end' but I think I may have blown it - can't be sure. I am thinking of getting another one with some attentuators or filters because when it was working it was really useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindrop Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 I bought one last year and it worked well for a few months but eventually stopped measuring RF. I tried to be as careful as possible to not overload the sensitive 'front end' but I think I may have blown it - can't be sure. I am thinking of getting another one with some attentuators or filters because when it was working it was really useful. When mine stopped working it was because some soldered legs on a chip became unsoldered. An issue which affected some and has now been rectified I believe. Anyway a delicate few minutes with a small soldering iron brought mine back to life. Might help with yours perhaps? pdf instructions attached RFExplorer_Issue_RFEP1202B.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Hayter Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 I got mine from Cool Components in the UK. It stopped working more than a year later. I I got in touch with CC who told me to send it in. A week later it was returned in perfect working order. Insert smiley here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwil Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Thank you Simon and Pindrop. I'll investigate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwil Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Pindrop, having read the symptoms at the beginning of the PDF it sounds exactly like what has happened to mine. Out with the soldering iron - maybe tommorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pindrop Posted June 3, 2013 Report Share Posted June 3, 2013 Pindrop, having read the symptoms at the beginning of the PDF it sounds exactly like what has happened to mine. Out with the soldering iron - maybe tommorrow. Do take care though, I found it slightly risky as it was smaller scale than I was expecting and right at the limit of my slightly too large soldering iron combined with my somewhat shaky soldering skill. I had to be very careful, but it did work and has continued to work fine since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwil Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 I'll get my friend Phil to have a look at it - much more qualified. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cory Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 Which model are y'all using? There seem to be a bunch and I'm a little confused on the differences... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 " There seem to be a bunch and I'm a little confused on the differences... " pretty clear if you check the manufacturer's web site. one basic unit, several optional modules. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Blankenship Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 It's mostly about what frequencies you want to cover. There are also plugin modules to allow the unit to cover an additional band. Spend a little time getting acquainted with the specs of each and it'll become a lot clearer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max Hirtenstein Posted June 4, 2013 Report Share Posted June 4, 2013 here's a pro tip for you RF explorer users: Lectro scanners are measured from -47 dBm at the top to -107 dBm at the bottom. set your RF explorer the same to get parity with your receiver scanners. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soundwil Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Do take care though, I found it slightly risky as it was smaller scale than I was expecting and right at the limit of my slightly too large soldering iron combined with my somewhat shaky soldering skill. I had to be very careful, but it did work and has continued to work fine since. Dusted down the soldering iron, did as per instructions - carefully - and voila, back to RF scanning. Pindrop I owe you a pint. Thank you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
audio911 Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 I have one and tried to calibrate it with the software offered online. Never been able to get it exactly right... Steve Wytas www.audio911.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Smith Posted June 5, 2013 Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 Jason: Was the camera a C300 by any chance? --Scott SNIP>>> Today, I was playing with my useless toy when all of a sudden I started getting broadband noise across the spectrum on my RF Explorer (300-900mhz)...which I happened to have turned on. I called a "cut" and hardwired to camera (was running a Zax hop) and finished the interview. When we were "down", I started problem solving and immediately found that if I unplugged the BNC feeding the monitor, the stray RF went away...plugged it in, there it is again. Tried a new BNC, problem solved. Top pic is 'Before', bottom is 'After' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted June 5, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2013 F800, the offending cable was plugged into the SDI 1 output. Jason: Was the camera a C300 by any chance? --Scott Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Smith Posted June 6, 2013 Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 Interesting. I have heard of similar situations with a few different cameras. Good stuff to know. I wonder if part of the problem may be due to the SDI outputs not being at the sam gound potential as the rest of the connections on the camera, which is what seems to be the case with the C300. --S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Armin Siegwarth Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 I have scanned a c300 recently and had rf spill from the 2 cables that go to the Monitor xlr Unit SDI Video cable was Fine but power cable from tv Logic wfm 056 Monitor to v-mount battery also emmits some rf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TomBoisseau Posted June 7, 2013 Report Share Posted June 7, 2013 I'm on a show now and am trying to get the "waterfall" mode to work with the pc software, but all I get is a black display. What do I need to do to make it work? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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