Hundreds help test Telex trio
the receiver, regardless of the distance. While we were unable to determine the cause of the noise, when we switched the transmitter and receiver to another chan nel the noise disappeared — an obvious advantage to the three-channel unit.
The mics
W
by Bob Lindquist
e couldn't have asked for a bet ter day or place. Clear skies, sunshine, no humidity, numer ous high radio/TV towers nearby, and acres of open ball field... perfect condi tions for testing wireless mics. What we hadn't expected, however, was that our test would draw a crowd. No sooner had we set up the official Mobile Beat equipment test truck, we found ourselves in the midst of a thousand spectators leading a parade, complete with marching band and honor guard. An impressive line-up of local dig nitaries, including a city councilman (the mayor couldn't make it), were on hand to help put these mics through the mill.
Boys in the band Telex has been in the audio products busi ness for over 60 years. As a manufacturer of wireless products, they have over 15 years under their belt. All Telex products are designed and built in the United States. For this report, Telex submitted three uniquely different wireless systems from their broad line: the FMR-450H, FMR150H, and the Pro-Star. The two FMR series units were supplied with handheld mics and lavaliers with body packs. The ProStar came with just a handheld. The purpose of our test was to see what kind of range we could obtain with these wireless wonders before breakup, interfer ence, or distortion, and to evaluate the quality of sound at various distances.
Testing one, two One of the most common problems with wireless mics is interference. As wireless 54
Mobile Beat August/September 1995
mics operate in the same broadcast bands as television stations, TV audio can, and does, cause occasional problems. So hav ing a TV tower close by was essential to a credible wireless mic test. First up was the single-channel FMR450H. This was the only one of the three to operate in UHF frequency ranges. The advantage of this is that the UHF range is far less cluttered than VHP (just like TV). As a result, we encountered no interfer ence problems whatsoever with this unit. The sound was crisp, clean, and clear up to, and exceeding, the 1,000-foot line-ofsite range as specified by the manufacturer. Next out of the box was the three-chan nel FMR-150H. Again, with the receiver directly in line of sight with the transmit ter, the "connection" was clean and clear to 1,000 feet and beyond. To raise the bar, we lowered the re ceiver to a point were the signal had to pass over, under, or through a row of cars and a maze of humans. There was a no ticeable decrease in range, but signal strength at 1,000 feet was still far and away quite acceptable. We did encounter a bit of noise when passing directly in front of
Both systems used cardioid mics which really seemed to reach right out and grab what ever sound was within 12 to 18 inches. While this assured that any user was on mic, it increased the size of the feedback zone. Since we were using the mics as part of a PA setup to cover a ball field, keeping the user out of the feedback zone was a bit challenging. Overall, we found the quality of sound very good for both systems. They seemed almost totally immune to "popping" and wind rejection was also acceptable even without a sock. One important note: Some professional equipment, such as the Telex FMR series mics, is designed only with balanced (XLR) outputs. If you are not aware of this and don't road test your gear in advance, you may find yourself without the proper hookup cables. The FMR-150H retails for $950, the FMR-450H sells for $1,499.
Now the star of the show... If you don't need a mic with 1,000-foot range, yet want to go wireless at a budget price, we found the Telex ProStar to be an exceptional DJ/KJ wireless value. It is dual diversity (two-channel), lightweight, and an impressive performer. It won't give you a 1,000-foot broadcast range, but does handle distances up to 500 feet without breakup, even with a lot of obstacles. Its performance should more than suffice in any banquet hall situation, where the sig nal can reflect off the walls and ceiling. The ProStar starts at $510, with a headset option for an additional $70. For more information, contact: Telex Communications, Inc. 9600AldrichAve.S., Minneapolis, MN 55420.
Author shown testing the range of the FMR-150 .The truck is just visible at the base of the tree line in the enclosed circle.