Josh Bass Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 So, I have this Sennheiser G2 lav system that I have recently replaced with a Lectro set from a user on this board. I'm sure there are many G2 haters on here, as in the real world, and that's fine, but my reason was that I genuinely believe there is something wrong with, and rather than by another one or a G3, figured I'd upgrade to the real deal, used prices on some Lectro stuff only being a few hundred more than new G3. So, question now is what to do with the G2? I could simply throw it out/recycle, maybe put on ebay for parts/nonworking, but I don't want to do that 'til I"m absolutely sure it's screwed. Here's the problem-- every test I've been told about to see if it's working right. . .it's passed! The reason I gave up on it is that it used to work fine everywhere I used it (had it since '04), and last two or three times I tried to use it, would work fine when I tested it before mic'ing a speaker, when of course the Tx and Rx were right near each other, and then when it came down to the real deal, nothing but static and interference, totally unusable. This is after scanning and getting "4 channels free" or whatever. Tried using it at my house, works fine. PUt it on, walked all the way to the street with it, fine. Etc. Only likes to not work when I actually need it. Been told could be antenna on Tx going bad, but Sennheiser won't simply examine it without fixing it. . .you sends it in, you gets it fixed, you pays. So since I don't know if or where the issue is, I'm looking at potentially what I paid for the system to have it repaired. . .silly, right? I've asked folks if things have become so bad in Houston (where I live/work) in the last few years that it is just no good now 'cause of real RF problems everywhere, everyone says "not really." Before you ask, it is NOT the 700 Mhz band it's 519 to 529. Been told recently this is not a great block for Houston, but didn't know that 10 years ago (or anything about blocks, etc.), bought from local vendor, this is the one they sold me, don't know why they'd sell blocks IN Houston that were no good IN Houston. Do not have standalone frequency scanner, plan on using Lectro 211's when on site (per several sound guys I talked to who basically said "why bother with a separate one when your unit has one built in"). Unfortunately (or not!) G2 range doesn't cross over at all with block 21 Lectro set, so can't find frequency that works on Lectro and set G2 to that to see what happens. Wondering if you guys know of any tests to see where there's a problem with the G2 IF there is a problem. Like I said, used to work all the time at every location, now works none of the time at any location (except at my house). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ProSound Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Email Eric Toline He is based in South FL so it would be easy to sent it to him audioetc@bellsouth.net He does repair work and builds cables for many members here. He also has all the parts to fix G2 systems. Contact him if it is just the Antenna he can fix it easily and cost effectively. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Ah, brilliant, thanks! I will contact him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Josh, Do not blame the dealer. All blocks work in any place, it depends on what RF is in the air at any given time. Guaranteed the RF situation has drastically changed in Houston in the 10 years since you bought the G2's. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Ok, thanks. Has it EXPLODED in the last, say, 2 years though? That's when this thing started hosing me all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jason porter Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 There are a lot of factors when troubleshooting RF issues. The things that come to mind first are- Is there something in your bag desensing the receiver? (another transmitter or a recorder) Is there something on the camera causing interference (video transmitter, or even a BNC cable with a broken shield) YES, it is possible that a new DTV station came online within the past 2 years...a DTV broadcast takes up way more bandwidth than a traditional analog TV broadcast...which makes it much more difficult to find a free frequency near that DTV 'frequency' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 JB: " Sennheiser won't simply examine it without fixing it. . .you sends it in, you gets it fixed, you pay " nothing wrong with that... some repair facilities offer an estimation fee, and often will apply it towards the repairs, if you let them fix it... It may well be as simple as the antenna broken, or as complex as the RF output is fried; if you have been in this biz for 10 years, you should know a lot more about RF interference issues than you are showing... Fixing gear vs. replacing it ends up being a bit subjective, and an individual decision. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 17, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Good to know. Any ideas for additional at home tests to help narrow down problem? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 JB: " narrow down problem? " that is what the service techs do... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Constantin Posted March 17, 2014 Report Share Posted March 17, 2014 Replacing the antenna on a G2 system is very easy. You can surely do it yourself even. Also check you pilot tone and squelch settings. You shouldn't really be hearing all that static Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Ill look at pilot, i know last time i had the issue i cycled through the squelch with no change in the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LarryF Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Hi Josh, If you are getting good to very good range at home, then the basic units are working. The antennas are probably ok. A test for a broken antenna is just a good hard pull to see if the center wire is broken and only the insulation is holding it together. Don't pull so hard you rip something loose; you are just trying to see if it stretches in a funny way. Again, if you have very good range at home this isn't the problem. Next, when it fails on the set, move the receiver, by itself, 50 yards away from any piece of your equipment or equipment on the set. If it starts working, something in your gear or on the set is interfering. If it still doesn't work, then it is something within a few miles that is interfering such as a TV station or ten. If it works at home but not on the set, it has to be location. Either the set itself is a hot spot or the set location is a hot spot. Best Regards, Larry Fisher Lectrosonics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted March 18, 2014 Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Like all wireless systems, the G2/3s require due diligence in frequency selection/set up for optimum performance...especially in populated RF areas. No wireless is set-it-once-and go. The G2/3 receiver's scan function would be a good place to start. However it only IDs significant RF, so for optimum RF performance, most use an external RF scanner and/or Sennheiser's on-line Frequency Finder ( http://en-us.sennheiser.com/service-...equency-finder ) or Spectrum Bridge ( http://whitespaces.spectrumbridge.co...aces/home.aspx ) to find vacant or low level RF frequencies/channels in a given area. -- A quick perusal of the Houston area indicates Sennheiser block A is pretty busy. I would try a frequency in TV channel 28 (554-560Mhz.) If that doesn't work, a different system/frequency block may be needed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 18, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2014 Thanks. I feel incredibly stupid cause i realized last night the range is greater than i thought (didnt even realize it went up to the 550s for some reason), so now im testing those higher frequencies that my lectro 211 set says are good to go (there IS some crossover between the ranges of the two systems). I thought id had a breakthrough but then was getting some nasty noise when i had the g2 hooked up to my apogee duet audio interface...apparently the CABLE from the g2 receiver is causing it cuz i can unplug the receiver and just leave the cable in and i get noise! Weird. Some other adapters i have behave same way, some dont. Need to try g2 with higher freqs on camera. Long story short : me idiot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pkautzsch Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 G2 pocket RX doesn't like phantom power. When P48 is applied accidentally, it will output a high-level noise. Was there any other difference in gear or conditions between your home testing and actual shooting, apart from different locations? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted March 19, 2014 Report Share Posted March 19, 2014 The G2/3 EK100 portable receiver is unbalanced and like most unbalanced devices, Phantom Power must be avoided. BTW, applying Phantom Power will also drain the batteries of a 302 rather quickly.. been-there-done-that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2014 I checked today, and I'm positive phantom wasn't on while I was playing around with this stuff. I'm (usually!) very careful to turn phantom off before plugging/unplugging into anything into the Duet, so that's not it. Still haven't tried it with a camera (since last time on set), which is my next step (maybe the fact that it's a computer audio interface connected by a firewire cable--actually daisy chained with several other hard drives---is part of the issue). No difference in gear condition. . .unless minor variations in room temperature could affect it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisnewton Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Interesting about that cable causing problems. I use G2s/G3s for utility links (second camera/extra feeds etc.). cabling has been my number 1 problem with these units. have troubles using some cables on the G3 that work fine with the G2. There have been several threads about this here. Eric Toline? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Eric will agree the Sennheiser supplied XLR output cable is a POS. (like the bungled ME2 mic) I made my own output cables with Canare L-2E5 mini and Neutrik XLR and TecNec locking 1/8". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 While that may be true technically, I've never had an issue with that cable before. Need to try it with an actual camera. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Bass Posted March 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2014 So, update: Tested G2 with XL2 (yes, THAT camera), seems fine. That cable makes no noise on the camcorder. . .must be some mojo with computer/firewire/something. Also tested the issue I was having that started this thread. Seems like it's fine within certain parameters, I walked around my apartment and no real issues. Walked outside and to the street, dropped out completely when I was about 40-50 ft from the receiver (receiver inside house, me outside), perhaps that's to be expected. This was set to the same frequency (i.e. something that came up "clear') as my lectro system, so shouldn't be an RF issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Anderson Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Just FYI, I believe the Sennheiser G2 transmitters use 50mw, whereas the Lectrosonics UM200 transmitters use 100mw. If you are getting different performance from each of your different systems at the same distance and frequency setting then the signal strength of the transmitters may be a factor in your wireless's ability to overcome competing RF in the background. Background RF is not necessarily constant. So, even in a fairly clear frequency, the RELATIVE strength of an intermittent spike of interference becomes higher as your own transmitter strength decreases or as your transmitter-to-receiver distance increases. Generally I try to: keep the working distance as close as I can; keep line-of-site between Tx & Rx when possible; scan for and find as clear a frequency as I can. 50mw should not be a deal-killer. In some countries that is the standard. I have not owned Sennheiser Evolution wirelesses for several years, but here in New York City I found they worked best when I could keep the working distance to a maximum of 25 feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
studiomprd Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 RA: " I believe the Sennheiser G2 transmitters use 50mw, " ah, but what do they actually use ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Toline Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 Sennheiser G2/3 tx are 30mw not 50mw. As for the RX output cables (3.5mmTRS to XLR-M) they are all wired the same, unbalanced with the tip of the 3.5mm to pin 2 of the XLR-M and pins 1 & 3 to ground of the 3.5mm. For the TX if you're not connecting a lav and using a 3.5mm TRS to an XLR-F for mixer output feed, tip to pin 2 for mic level in, 3.5mm ring to pin 2 for line level in. Ground to pins 1 & 3 in both cases. Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick Reineke Posted March 25, 2014 Report Share Posted March 25, 2014 "here in New York City I found they worked best when I could keep the working distance to a maximum of 25 feet" > 25 feet? They probably were not set-up (frequency wise) for optimum range. I can get 200' easy, even on the street in (RF hell) midtown with generally no hits. The G2/3's internal scan function is pretty much useless for populated RF environments, vacant or very low level frequency notches must be searched for manually or with an external scanner. As Eric stated, the G2/3 100 series transmitters are indeed 30mW. The 2000 series is switchable; 30, 50 or 100mW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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