Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz at DVinfo.net

Steven Digges · February 22nd, 2014, 05:38 PM

I need advice from the audio wizards in this forum to see if there is usefulness at all I can salvage from these old mics. In one of my old audio racks I have two Sure UC series wireless mic units that have been retired since their 700 MHz frequency was banded. Fortunatly the UC series is not a high end unit but none the less it is now a boat anchor. I have two receivers, two body pack transmitters and four lav mics. The mics are two Shure 185 omni, still available for $99.00 and two Shure 93 Micro omni, still available for $63.00, all four pin connectors. Plus I have two SM58 wireless handhelds.

I considered using the mics as wired lavs but that is not economical because the Shure RPM626 is an in-line preamplifier and power supply that sells for $81.00. Obviously not worth it for the cheap mics. So, is there some way I could figure out how to put an XLR connector on them in place of the four pin? If so, I can provide phantom power but what about the inline preamp, is it necessary for them to work? I have no idea how I would figure out the bare wire and pin configuration? No luck searching Google for the mic schematic.

SM58 handhelds. The mic head screws off of them and are in perfect condition. The circuit board that transmits the frequency stays in the body of the handset. Any ideas? Anyone have a broken 58 that needs a new head?

I cannot sell or even donate these mics. They are outright illegal to turn on. I am up for any ideas if there is any usefulness to be salvaged. I am a small operator that was not paying too much attention to this law when it went into effect so I missed the Shure rebate offer at the time. Yes, it pisses me off that I paid for and lost two perfectly good mic units that were suddenly deemed illegal by the FCC…ouch. Oh well, they have been sitting around here irritating me, thought I would ask for ideas?

Steve

Steve House · February 22nd, 2014, 06:45 PM

Wiring your lav capsules to XLR connectors and connecting them to phantom power will almost certainly result in a fried mic. Phantom is 48 volts while the typical lav uses around 3 to 5 volts. Bzzzaaap. One reason those XLR adapters are so pricey is they also include power supply components to reduce the voltage to appropriate levels.

Stephen Brenner · February 22nd, 2014, 07:01 PM

That frequency range may not be illegal in other countries.
Check it out and then list on ebay.

Richard Crowley · February 22nd, 2014, 07:29 PM

The 700MHz ban is only in North America. Many others with 700 MHz gear have sold it to other parts of the planet where it is perfectly legal. We have the internet now. It reaches everywhere, you know.

Don Bloom · February 22nd, 2014, 08:17 PM

Steven the 700s are only banned in the USA so sell them on Ebay in Europe but before you do I double dog dare you to turn them on here and see how fast the frequency police appear at your door. I promise I'll pay your bail. ;-)

Steven Digges · February 22nd, 2014, 10:31 PM

Don,

I have never doubted you have my back. But bail.......that is all you will pony up for? What about the 10 grand fine? You have a check for that too....Don't you?

International shipping, e-bays cut, you think I can net enough to cover the fine if I use them first?

Steve

Paul R Johnson · February 23rd, 2014, 03:43 AM

On eBay UK we get loads of US junk being sold and people buy them totally ignorant of the fact the kits's status is the same as yours - that band is not licensable. I'd prefer you to sell it on eBay US!

Most of Europe is harmonised RF wise, but a few bits of the 700 MHz spectrum are available for special event licensing on a case by case basis using tv channel allocations that are unused in specific locations but the situation here is very much like yours over there.

Plenty of people still have equipment that they didn't surrender and most are unaware it shouldn't be used. It is not 'cant' be used because with a few mW, it's very unlikely you will cause interference but may well just suffer FROM it from the new higher powered occupant!

Christopher Young · February 23rd, 2014, 05:56 AM

All 700MHz wireless gear will be illegal to use in Aussie as of 31Dec14. Australia is part of the international plan to make the 700 band available to Telco’s worldwide so that anyone travelling can use their mobiles, tablets, laptops etc without having to worry about whether their Wi-Fi kit will work.

For Aussie users of this forum the latest ACMA bulletin relating to wireless mics is attached.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

Don Bloom · February 23rd, 2014, 07:25 AM

Steven,
I have your back for sure. I DO have a check for the fine however I would not cash it for about 10 maybe 15 years. I just need to transfer some funds!

Paul, come on, can't we just squeeze in one more piece of junk. No one will notice. I promise!

Chris, I didn't know that about the 700s in AUS but hey, this is only February so that give someone a good 8 or 9 months to use the gear from Steven before the frequency police come.

You all know that I have a sarcastic sense of humor and it is early on a Sunday morning and I'm still downing my first cup of joe so hopefully I haven't offended anyone too badly and Chris Hurd, I apologize for using this great forum like this but sometimes the opportunity is there you just gotta go for it. I promise I'll behave for the rest of the day.

O|O
\--/

Paul R Johnson · February 23rd, 2014, 07:34 AM

Don, OK - just one more bit then - how much?

Would collecting it in person be an allowable business expense?

Les Wilson · February 23rd, 2014, 07:43 AM

If you want to donate it, I can get it into use at a non profit in Zambia, Zimbabwe or Kenya that trains nationals in various trades including media. PM me.

Christopher Young · February 23rd, 2014, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Don Bloom

Chris, I didn't know that about the 700s in AUS but hey, this is only February so that give someone a good 8 or 9 months to use the gear from Steven before the frequency police come.

You are dead right Don. We never missed out here. Soon as I knew your USA 700 kits were becoming illegal in June 2010 I kept my eyes open before and after that date on eBay and the used dealers. We picked up half a dozen Sony US Ch 66-67 B series and 68-69 A series kits for absolute bargain prices. Some kits as low as US$100-150 each. The best buy being off eBay for a mint condition kit of a Sony WRR-862B dual diversity receiver with two WRT-8B transmitters along with two ECM-88 lapel mics for just over US$1,400. That whole kit down here was worth around $10K when it was released. So far all the kits have given us sterling service for three years and I guess we still have another twelve months bargain basement wireless to go.

For what it's worth if you own Sony 'B' series wireless kits they are classified as upgradeable according to the FCCs list here:

Wireless Microphones - Manufacturers Equipment List | FCC.gov

Whether Sony will do them is another matter I guess as they would probably prefer to sell you new kit. Someone has given me details of a registered Sony wireless service centre that reckons they can upgrade B series for about $300 a kit. Will have to do the math on that vis-a-vis buying new kit.

If all that fails I’ll come out more than square on price alone with the four ECM-77 and two ECM-88 lapel mics I picked up with those kits.

In fact if anyone knows of anyone Stateside who is doing these upgrades I wouldn’t mind hearing about it.

Chris Young
CYV Productions
Sydney

Greg Miller · February 23rd, 2014, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Les Wilson

If you want to donate it, I can get it into use at a non profit in Zambia, Zimbabwe or Kenya that trains nationals in various trades including media. PM me.

Oh joy, Zambian Video scams... this will give the Nigerian EMail scams some competition...

Steven Digges · February 24th, 2014, 01:03 AM

These mics are not going on e-bay, anywhere. I don't think it is worth the hassle to go oversees for the small return. I checked out e-bay here and could not believe what I saw in the UC series:

1. Legit sellers show legal frequencies in a photo.

2. Kits with no photo or mention of frequency. How many of those do you think are 700s? Most probably.

3. Kits in 700 range with no mention of legalities.

4. This is my favorite. The big disclaimer that says they are illegal, buyer assumes risk. The law basically says they are as illegal to SELL as they are to use.

Maybe it is just me but I have not used them since expiration and have no desire to do so. Chances of getting caught are probably next to zero. Chances of catching interference is probably high. It is just not the way I roll. Oh, and the last thing I would do is sell them to some rookie here and hose them by not mentioning the small little detail. Not cool!

I do wish I could wire the four lavs though. But as I said, they are not high quality enough to throw good money after bad. Time to let it go. Thanks for the input guys.

And Don, on top of the $10,000.00 fine. Here where I live, if you go to jail the sheriff makes you wear pink underwear. That is not on my bucket list! I am not kidding. Google Sheriff Joe, pink underwear, more hits than you can imagine. Then he feeds you green bologna sandwiches.

Steve

Paul R Johnson · February 24th, 2014, 01:33 AM

Since we became friends with Russia, Governments really don't spend any time more money policing air waves, and here in the UK the only people who get fines are pirate radio stations. In my 1400 seat theatre, many visiting professional companies tour in to us with illegal kit, frequency wise. I no longer get upset by it, and turn a blind eye. In a way, I sort of hope they get interfered with, because this, not fines, is the only thing that will get them to change.

February 22nd, 2014, 05:38 PM	#1
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz I need advice from the audio wizards in this forum to see if there is usefulness at all I can salvage from these old mics. In one of my old audio racks I have two Sure UC series wireless mic units that have been retired since their 700 MHz frequency was banded. Fortunatly the UC series is not a high end unit but none the less it is now a boat anchor. I have two receivers, two body pack transmitters and four lav mics. The mics are two Shure 185 omni, still available for $99.00 and two Shure 93 Micro omni, still available for $63.00, all four pin connectors. Plus I have two SM58 wireless handhelds. I considered using the mics as wired lavs but that is not economical because the Shure RPM626 is an in-line preamplifier and power supply that sells for $81.00. Obviously not worth it for the cheap mics. So, is there some way I could figure out how to put an XLR connector on them in place of the four pin? If so, I can provide phantom power but what about the inline preamp, is it necessary for them to work? I have no idea how I would figure out the bare wire and pin configuration? No luck searching Google for the mic schematic. SM58 handhelds. The mic head screws off of them and are in perfect condition. The circuit board that transmits the frequency stays in the body of the handset. Any ideas? Anyone have a broken 58 that needs a new head? I cannot sell or even donate these mics. They are outright illegal to turn on. I am up for any ideas if there is any usefulness to be salvaged. I am a small operator that was not paying too much attention to this law when it went into effect so I missed the Shure rebate offer at the time. Yes, it pisses me off that I paid for and lost two perfectly good mic units that were suddenly deemed illegal by the FCC…ouch. Oh well, they have been sitting around here irritating me, thought I would ask for ideas? Steve __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up!

February 22nd, 2014, 06:45 PM	#2
Steve House Inner Circle Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada Posts: 5,742	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz Wiring your lav capsules to XLR connectors and connecting them to phantom power will almost certainly result in a fried mic. Phantom is 48 volts while the typical lav uses around 3 to 5 volts. Bzzzaaap. One reason those XLR adapters are so pricey is they also include power supply components to reduce the voltage to appropriate levels. __________________ Good news, Cousins! This week's chocolate ration is 15 grams!

February 22nd, 2014, 07:01 PM	#3
Stephen Brenner Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Brownsville, OR Posts: 116	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz That frequency range may not be illegal in other countries. Check it out and then list on ebay.

February 22nd, 2014, 07:29 PM	#4
Richard Crowley Trustee Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,238	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz The 700MHz ban is only in North America. Many others with 700 MHz gear have sold it to other parts of the planet where it is perfectly legal. We have the internet now. It reaches everywhere, you know.

February 22nd, 2014, 08:17 PM	#5
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz Steven the 700s are only banned in the USA so sell them on Ebay in Europe but before you do I double dog dare you to turn them on here and see how fast the frequency police appear at your door. I promise I'll pay your bail. ;-) __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

February 22nd, 2014, 10:31 PM	#6
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz Don, I have never doubted you have my back. But bail.......that is all you will pony up for? What about the 10 grand fine? You have a check for that too....Don't you? International shipping, e-bays cut, you think I can net enough to cover the fine if I use them first? Steve __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up!

February 23rd, 2014, 03:43 AM	#7
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz On eBay UK we get loads of US junk being sold and people buy them totally ignorant of the fact the kits's status is the same as yours - that band is not licensable. I'd prefer you to sell it on eBay US! Most of Europe is harmonised RF wise, but a few bits of the 700 MHz spectrum are available for special event licensing on a case by case basis using tv channel allocations that are unused in specific locations but the situation here is very much like yours over there. Plenty of people still have equipment that they didn't surrender and most are unaware it shouldn't be used. It is not 'cant' be used because with a few mW, it's very unlikely you will cause interference but may well just suffer FROM it from the new higher powered occupant!

February 23rd, 2014, 07:25 AM	#9
Don Bloom Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Chicago, IL Posts: 6,609	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz Steven, I have your back for sure. I DO have a check for the fine however I would not cash it for about 10 maybe 15 years. I just need to transfer some funds! Paul, come on, can't we just squeeze in one more piece of junk. No one will notice. I promise! Chris, I didn't know that about the 700s in AUS but hey, this is only February so that give someone a good 8 or 9 months to use the gear from Steven before the frequency police come. You all know that I have a sarcastic sense of humor and it is early on a Sunday morning and I'm still downing my first cup of joe so hopefully I haven't offended anyone too badly and Chris Hurd, I apologize for using this great forum like this but sometimes the opportunity is there you just gotta go for it. I promise I'll behave for the rest of the day. O\|O \--/ __________________ What do I know? I'm just a video-O-grafer. Don

February 23rd, 2014, 07:34 AM	#10
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz Don, OK - just one more bit then - how much? Would collecting it in person be an allowable business expense?

February 23rd, 2014, 07:43 AM	#11
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz If you want to donate it, I can get it into use at a non profit in Zambia, Zimbabwe or Kenya that trains nationals in various trades including media. PM me.

February 24th, 2014, 01:03 AM	#14
Steven Digges Trustee Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Phoenix, AZ Posts: 1,828	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz These mics are not going on e-bay, anywhere. I don't think it is worth the hassle to go oversees for the small return. I checked out e-bay here and could not believe what I saw in the UC series: 1. Legit sellers show legal frequencies in a photo. 2. Kits with no photo or mention of frequency. How many of those do you think are 700s? Most probably. 3. Kits in 700 range with no mention of legalities. 4. This is my favorite. The big disclaimer that says they are illegal, buyer assumes risk. The law basically says they are as illegal to SELL as they are to use. Maybe it is just me but I have not used them since expiration and have no desire to do so. Chances of getting caught are probably next to zero. Chances of catching interference is probably high. It is just not the way I roll. Oh, and the last thing I would do is sell them to some rookie here and hose them by not mentioning the small little detail. Not cool! I do wish I could wire the four lavs though. But as I said, they are not high quality enough to throw good money after bad. Time to let it go. Thanks for the input guys. And Don, on top of the $10,000.00 fine. Here where I live, if you go to jail the sheriff makes you wear pink underwear. That is not on my bucket list! I am not kidding. Google Sheriff Joe, pink underwear, more hits than you can imagine. Then he feeds you green bologna sandwiches. Steve __________________ www.CorporateShow.com Been at this so long I'm rounding my years of experience down...not up!

February 24th, 2014, 01:33 AM	#15
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Re: Shure Boat Anchors / illegal MHz Since we became friends with Russia, Governments really don't spend any time more money policing air waves, and here in the UK the only people who get fines are pirate radio stations. In my 1400 seat theatre, many visiting professional companies tour in to us with illegal kit, frequency wise. I no longer get upset by it, and turn a blind eye. In a way, I sort of hope they get interfered with, because this, not fines, is the only thing that will get them to change.