IFBlue VHF vs UHF Audible Differences?

[jawharp]

Hey guys,

 

I've been looking into alternatives for my lectro IFB's and comteks and I came across the IFBlue R1C receivers and thought they might be a viable option.  In terms of IFB for third/boom they would work well for my needs.  I'm wondering about the VHF ones that are down around the 216mhz that a comtek uses.  I do like the range that 216 offers.  Has anyone done a side by side with a vhf/uhf IFBlue receiver and noticed any kind of difference in how they sound?   

 

Thanks

[PMC]

I have not used IFBlue but I am kind of souring on 200 mhz band. Getting quite polluted in urban areas. See scan from yesterday. And forget about using VHF near any airport.

My old 72 mhz band units are cleaner these days.

[Derek H]

I haven’t directly compared but the sound quality should be the same regardless of frequency carrier. 
 

Keep in mind the VHF IFB T4 transmitter Lectro offers is limited to 50mW vs the usual 250mW all other T4s pump out. 
 

941 band is another option you can order IFBlues in. That band has its own considerations as well. 
 

Yeah I’m wondering when 72-76 MHz will make its comeback. Biggest issue there is the physical size of the antenna needed 

[LarryF]

The audio circuity is the same in all frequency bands (VHF, UHF, 941) with identical deviation.

I think 941 is by far the best choice as it is much less RF polluted due to no TV stations or part 15 devices operating at those frequencies. 

Best Regards,

Larry Fisher

[Derek H]

I agree with Larry. With the caveat of depending on your location there may be STL sites using the 944 band but these are point to point links and mostly wont show up on your scans unless you’re very near a transmission site or in the path of a link. I suppose potentially you could interfere with an STL receiver site but I think you’d have to be very close given the low power we use. 
 

I did have a radio station signal break through on our 944 R1a once which I assume was an STL path situation. 

[Fred Salles]

On 9/27/2025 at 11:24 PM, jawharp said:

Has anyone done a side by side with a vhf/uhf IFBlue receiver and noticed any kind of difference in how they sound?   

 

Thanks

I have. On a shoot where I had 3 IFB feeds and used both VHF and a UHF band (forgot wich one). All IFBlue rx. They are exactely the same sound wise. Absolutely no difference whatsoever. 
 

I had the feeling  that VHF band reached better through walls (tx outside rx inside) than the UHF band. But could not conduct proper test. 

Regarding the RF pollution I shot in France (Marseille, Paris), in Algeria and  in Kenya with VHF system. You do need a proper scan with TX advance to find the best frequencie(s). Once it is done the system is perfectly stable. And the range is very good even though the power is 50mW. I was told the VHF band does not require more power to be efficient (beside the fact that more is not allowed in France). 

The only notable drawback is the size of the TX antenna. Some find it too big for bag work. I don’t, nonpb to manage in the bag.