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Lectrosonics src big range and drop out issues


bary555

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Hi People! 

 

For some time now we have a big issue with our src setup. The setup is:

 

SD 788t

Lectrosonics octopack

4x src receiver

2x hma transmitter

Some smv/smqv recievers

Betso shark fin antennas

A-band

 

From the beginning of using this setup the range is really low also we get a lot of drop outs. We tried different antenna cables, we use smartscan all the time, tried different rf gain settings,tried to move the sd788t away. The antennas have to be really close to the scene to get something usable. Still it could drop out... I get much better range and stability on my g3s... The setup was at lectrosonics service and they claim that everything is fine...

 

We are out of ideas... 

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7 hours ago, bary555 said:

Hi People! 

 

For some time now we have a big issue with our src setup. The setup is:

 

SD 788t

Lectrosonics octopack

4x src receiver

2x hma transmitter

Some smv/smqv recievers

Betso shark fin antennas

A-band

 

From the beginning of using this setup the range is really low also we get a lot of drop outs. We tried different antenna cables, we use smartscan all the time, tried different rf gain settings,tried to move the sd788t away. The antennas have to be really close to the scene to get something usable. Still it could drop out... I get much better range and stability on my g3s... The setup was at lectrosonics service and they claim that everything is fine...

 

We are out of ideas... 

What rf dist are you using?

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I’ve been having the same issue with my Src for as long as I’ve had it (since 2018). It’s back at lectro now, so I’m hoping it gets better. Same results with whips, bowties, ratio or switch diversity. 

And I mostly use smart tune and coordinate all wireless with FreqFinder. 
manual scan and tuning doesn’t help either. 

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The thoughts I have are:

 

1. The 788 was fairly well known for radiating RF - have you tried the setup with the recorder off? I realize this isn't a useable solution, but may point to part of the issue. 

2. The Betso antennas are wideband, and may be picking up strong out-of-band RF energy, which doesn't make your receivers happy. 

3. You may be in an area or on a location where there is a lot of RF energy - again, out of band, but may be affecting your system.

4. As others have asked - how are you choosing your frequencies? This can have a major effect on performance. First, any hops or IFBs should be as far away physically and frequency-wise from your talent channels as possible. 

5. Consider adding passive filters. This is becoming more necessary with the very crowded UHF spectrum and high-energy sources outside the band (Walkies in 450-470, 5G in the 600 Mhz band)

6. You don't mention the age of your units or the firmware versions - there have been many revisions to the SRc over the last 5 years. Yours may be due for a checkup by our techs. 

7. Are your receiver antennas remoted away from the bag? This can help a great deal. 

8. Someone else asked about your distro - lower quality units can have issues with strong out-of-band RF energy. 

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4 hours ago, karlw said:

The thoughts I have are:

 

1. The 788 was fairly well known for radiating RF - have you tried the setup with the recorder off? I realize this isn't a useable solution, but may point to part of the issue. 

2. The Betso antennas are wideband, and may be picking up strong out-of-band RF energy, which doesn't make your receivers happy. 

3. You may be in an area or on a location where there is a lot of RF energy - again, out of band, but may be affecting your system.

4. As others have asked - how are you choosing your frequencies? This can have a major effect on performance. First, any hops or IFBs should be as far away physically and frequency-wise from your talent channels as possible. 

5. Consider adding passive filters. This is becoming more necessary with the very crowded UHF spectrum and high-energy sources outside the band (Walkies in 450-470, 5G in the 600 Mhz band)

6. You don't mention the age of your units or the firmware versions - there have been many revisions to the SRc over the last 5 years. Yours may be due for a checkup by our techs. 

7. Are your receiver antennas remoted away from the bag? This can help a great deal. 

8. Someone else asked about your distro - lower quality units can have issues with strong out-of-band RF energy. 

1. Will try that, but the SD is separated from the receivers with cl8

2. Tried with sennhsier antennas. Which narrowband antennas would you recommend? 

3. Location doesn't matter. Everywhere it is the same. Int or ext

4. Frequencies are chosen by smartscan on every channel, followed by freqfinder check. Hops are usually away, closer to camera/video village

5. I have to try that

6. The src and transmitters are about 2 years old. Never worked Good... 

7. The antennas are usually far away

8. The distro is lectrosonics octopack. Earlier it was psc splitter. Same thing On both

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16 hours ago, bary555 said:

1. Will try that, but the SD is separated from the receivers with cl8

2. Tried with sennhsier antennas. Which narrowband antennas would you recommend? 

3. Location doesn't matter. Everywhere it is the same. Int or ext

4. Frequencies are chosen by smartscan on every channel, followed by freqfinder check. Hops are usually away, closer to camera/video village

5. I have to try that

6. The src and transmitters are about 2 years old. Never worked Good... 

7. The antennas are usually far away

8. The distro is lectrosonics octopack. Earlier it was psc splitter. Same thing On both

If they never worked well, we would have liked the chance to provide assistance! Let's get those units in for a checkup. There are probably some hardware & certainly firmware updates we can do that will likely improve the performance. Please contact our Parts & Repair dept. at 800-821-1121 or service.repair@lectrosonics.com. 

 

In terms of finding and coordinating frequencies, an app like Freq Finder will work better in multi-channel situations than just using SmartTune, which was designed for small channel-count situations like ENG. 

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Quote

 

 

I had similar problem--new units etc... awhile ago.      It took a bit to get it straightened out but now my SRCs have been rock solid for years..  Dean Slotness( who is no longer in Lectro customer service) persevered and got it done..  Very happy ever since..   

 

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  • 7 months later...

Hello, I’ve been having the same issue, got the SRC receiver with two smdwb, both B1, and I’m using a zoom f8n with a inspired solutions smart battery, and an audio root power distribution system.

 Made sure the compatibility mode was the same 

 did smart and manual tune in locations both indoors and outdoors (New Jersey suburbs, midtown New York, brooklyn and queens) 

 one channel I is giving me drop outs and a poor signal quality and the second one the quality of the signal is really poor, but no dropouts (there is some hissing in the high end every time someone talks)

 bought some new antenas (made sure they where the same block, block 22)

 

 any ideas on how to solve this? I have them back at the shop where I bought them from, but I don’t think they’ll give me any real solutions, this is the second time I’m bringing them in

 

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  • 10 months later...
  • 9 months later...
On 8/12/2021 at 7:03 PM, Stillweii said:

SrC’s and filters are a must . 
 

 

Bumping this up: I've been experiencing range issues with an SRc and an LT. I initially suspected the LT was the problem until I saw this thread -- because a SMQV on one side of the SRc was fine, but the LT always gives me issues, no matter whether in switched or ratio mode.

 

Can someone steer me towards a filter that works with the SRc? Can it insert between the receiver and a standard issue whip antenna, or would I need to get into some deeper antenna accessories?

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