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RF Interference and Teradek Bolts


jt

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Hi Mike,

Thanks for sticking your head into the lion's mouth here!

 

I'll try to find out which Bolt(s) unit we had on set.(we actually had 4 running)

 

I was having troubles with a Comtek PR-216 Option7 setup

 

The Comteks are adjustable in a range from 217 to 217 Mhz.

 

Cheers,

Brent Calkin

 

Hey Brent,

 

No problem! Let me know which model when you can. 

 

We are preparing lab tests for early next week. If we're lucky, I will have some sort of answer by then, but due to the holidays we might not have anything until early January. Either way, will keep you guys posted.

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  • 1 year later...

Mind if I wake this thread up? I've been working with a C300 outfitted with a Teradek Bolt 600 for the past 2 weeks and I'm getting very limited range and occasional RF hits with my Lectrosonics wireless (SMQV/LT with SRc&SRb) in BLK 21... Even standing 12 feet away in the same room. Scans looked clean / and I'm using a frequency coordinating app. Was anything ever rectified from Teradek as far as the 500MHz RF spill? Any tricks or ideas for me using blk 21 channels with a Bolt 600 nearby?

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Working regularly on a cable reality show where the DP rents a Bolt. It's wreaked havoc on my Lectro block 19 SRb receiver creating a scenario where a wireless hop from my bag is useless. Bottom line in my experience with a Bolt is it's either wireless video or wireless audio from / to the camera but not both at the same time.

Agree also with prior posts (even a couple years later) that cheap BNC cables that lack good shielding can spew out a crazy amount of RF also creating havoc for a wireless receiver. Most of the shooters I work with like having a color monitor up on top of their camera for reference but they also like spending as little as possible (so it seems) on BNC cables which is a lousy combination for RF hit free sound on the wireless hop.

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I experienced similar problems on a six day shoot recently. Had to run my SMQVs at 250mw (normally do 100 or even 50) the whole time and still had less range and occasional hits. Many different locations ranging from the desert to DTLA, Burbank and east side. The problems seemed to get worse when the monitors (video receivers) were in between me and the cameras, so I tried placing the cart in the opposite direction of village as much as possible.

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  Great thread!  My show uses at least four Teradeck transmitters and even with PW helicals they mess with the sound txs.  Moving the antennas to a better line of sight helps a lot, but changing freqs does not.  I'm on Lectro blocks 22 - 26 and 24 seems to be the worst one.  Luckily the Comteks @ 216 are fine.  I'm not fancy and don't use an rf scanner so I don't know what freq spray there is.

  The worst is when the cranes come out and they're on their coms.  Those coms are death!

  Dan Izen

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2 hours ago, Izen Ears said:

My show uses at least four Teradeck transmitters and even with PW helicals they mess with the sound txs. 

hi Izen, which kind of Bolt Tx do they use? No problems here with Bolt 300 Tx on the cameras so far. Bolt 300 Tx have been part of camera rental packages on all the projects I did for the last two years minimum.

I am on Lectros Block 24,25,26 and 27 and right now we got two Bolt 300 Tx 2nd gen, one attached to each of the two Alexas.  I use them also for my own Video monitoring via 2 Bolt Sidekick Rx, very convenient to grab the signal directly from the cameras, and range is OK for placing the cart one or even two doors away from the scene. 

Bolt Rx wise I can see sometimes a little RF interference with block 24 only (1 digit on the SRb, that disappears when the sidekick is turned OFF) , but I must say that one of my sidekick Rx is usually placed on the mast directly between the amplified Lectro sharkfin antennas. if there would be any significant interference from the Sidekick Rx, that would be an absolute no-go setup. 

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