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Using a Zaxcom RX200 instead of an ERX as IFB receiver


JWL

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Hello,

Im a Director on a reality show and was wandering if a RX200 could be used as a more powerful IFB receiver for directors instead of the ERX zaxnet receivers we have been using up until now? We are really struggling to hear whats going on once you are more than 10 feet away.

 

The transmitters we have been using have been the ZFR300's which have been great at recording everything but not at monitoring from the side of the scene. We were thinking of upgrading to the TRXLA2's so that we can monitor over the uhf band and hopefully get more range.

 

I know the RX200 does not have a headphone out but could an adapter cable be made so that we can plug in to them?

And if so, Does the RX200 have the ability to save certain frequencies in a user group style to what the lectors can so that we can jump between the frequencies of the other talent on the show?

 

Thank you in advance for your help.

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Yes thats right they are different pieces of gear. Correct.

Could the rx200 be used as a fib receiver with an adapter cable so a pair of headphones can be plugged in to monitor? when monitoring a TRXLA2 please?

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There are several issues involved here.  First, if the IFB output of the ZFR is anything like the TRX transmitters (and I'm guessing it is since they share circuit similarities) then it has a very low output power which would only reach the ten feet, or so, that you mentioned.  To use the ERXs properly, you need an appropriate IFB transmitter, such as an IFB100 or IFB200, or the built-in Zaxnet in a Nomad. 

To adapt a line output into a headphone output has several issues, including sufficient power (line outs are typically voltage circuits, not power circuits) and a proper volume control.  It isn't just a matter of a different cable.

If you're doing professional level work, then it pays to have the right tools for the right jobs and trained professionals operating them.

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21 minutes ago, JWL said:

Yes thats right they are different pieces of gear. Correct.

Could the rx200 be used as a fib receiver with an adapter cable so a pair of headphones can be plugged in to monitor? when monitoring a TRXLA2 please?

Different pieces of gear meaning that both don't serve the same purpose... The RX 200 is not an IFB reciever...

Also both the TRX2.5 and the ZFR are not IFB Transmitters. They do have a very low power IFB Transmitter hence the 10 feet of range your getting

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1 hour ago, John Blankenship said:

There are several issues involved here.  First, if the IFB output of the ZFR is anything like the TRX transmitters (and I'm guessing it is since they share circuit similarities) then it has a very low output power which would only reach the ten feet, or so, that you mentioned.  To use the ERXs properly, you need an appropriate IFB transmitter, such as an IFB100 or IFB200, or the built-in Zaxnet in a Nomad. 

To adapt a line output into a headphone output has several issues, including sufficient power (line outs are typically voltage circuits, not power circuits) and a proper volume control.  It isn't just a matter of a different cable.

If you're doing professional level work, then it pays to have the right tools for the right jobs and trained professionals operating them.

Thanks John, Very helpful. 

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It seems the problem you are having is not the receiver, but the transmitter.  The Zaxnet on ZFR/TRX systems is very limited in it's range, and should not be relied upon for primary audio monitoring.  It's most useful for confidence monitoring, like when micing a person up to check the quality while you are standing next to them.  That's why traditionally the talent is recorded using transmitters sent to a mixer, then rebroadcast from there using a dedicated transmitter for listening.

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13 minutes ago, Wandering Ear said:

It seems the problem you are having is not the receiver, but the transmitter.  The Zaxnet on ZFR/TRX systems is very limited in it's range, and should not be relied upon for primary audio monitoring.  It's most useful for confidence monitoring, like when micing a person up to check the quality while you are standing next to them.  That's why traditionally the talent is recorded using transmitters sent to a mixer, then rebroadcast from there using a dedicated transmitter for listening.

Thanks, very true.

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To answer your question about user groups, none of the Zaxcom receivers currently have the ability to preset user group frequencies. 

Without knowing the parameters of your show, I have to agree with others in that you would be better off hiring a dedicated location soundie. There are ways you could work around the limitations, but none that I can think of are overly elegant. 

 

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26 minutes ago, Nate C said:

To answer your question about user groups, none of the Zaxcom receivers currently have the ability to preset user group frequencies. 

Without knowing the parameters of your show, I have to agree with others in that you would be better off hiring a dedicated location soundie. There are ways you could work around the limitations, but none that I can think of are overly elegant. 

 

Thanks. I have been advising the EP's to hire a Mixer for a while now but unfortunately they are happy with putting all of the 24 talent on a ZFR300 recorder each and hope that the directors pick up on any lav placement problems before each scene. This makes it extra frustrating for us directors as with the ERX's we only have such a small range and sometimes have to actually rub the erx over where there ZRX's are placed to get any audio and check that they are rolling.

I hope this is not the way of the future for reality television. I really hope not.

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34 minutes ago, JWL said:

 

I hope this is not the way of the future for reality television. I really hope not.

Jeremy, by agreeing in the first place to try this method and persevering with it has all but cemented the practice into the now and future of the genre. All you can hope is for a catastrophic failure of the practice to get your producers to think again.

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30 minutes ago, JWL said:

Thanks. I have been advising the EP's to hire a Mixer for a while now but unfortunately they are happy with putting all of the 24 talent on a ZFR300 recorder each and hope that the directors pick up on any lav placement problems before each scene. This makes it extra frustrating for us directors as with the ERX's we only have such a small range and sometimes have to actually rub the erx over where there ZRX's are placed to get any audio and check that they are rolling.

I hope this is not the way of the future for reality television. I really hope not.

The units were not designed to have a quality control mode - it was never an intended feature. This was a bonus. Howy was able to manipulate the software to allow the Zaxnet receiver to go into transmit mode and send audio. 

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2 hours ago, Jack Norflus said:

The units were not designed to have a quality control mode - it was never an intended feature. This was a bonus. Howy was able to manipulate the software to allow the Zaxnet receiver to go into transmit mode and send audio. 

Thanks Jack, good to know, cheers.

 

 

3 hours ago, Malcolm Cromie said:

Jeremy, by agreeing in the first place to try this method and persevering with it has all but cemented the practice into the now and future of the genre. All you can hope is for a catastrophic failure of the practice to get your producers to think again.

I have been telling them to hire a mixer, a lot. Like i said.

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