Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference

Dave Mercer · October 10th, 2014, 03:59 PM

Richard - how would one verify this is indeed the problem? Is it something repairable?

Richard Crowley · October 10th, 2014, 05:04 PM

Do the symptoms completely disappear when the transmitter and receiver are close (1m) to each other?
You can construct an experiment that completely eliminates any RF possibilities by simply having the transmitter and receiver very close to each other. THEN you can test for OTHER possibilities.

Do these two different mics work properly on OTHER transmitters? Does the transmitter work with the other receiver? Does the receiver work with the other transmitter?

You say "I also replaced the antenna in the transmitter." When? How? Did you use a proper replacement (length, etc.)? Or just a random piece of wire?

If the problem is an intermittent cable or connector or solder joint, it is easily repairable (at least IMHO).
If the transmitter or receiver has been damaged or failed and has drifted out of calibration, that will probably take a repair person with RF experience.

Paul R Johnson · October 11th, 2014, 02:43 AM

We will have to disagree Richard. Most of the cuts are very quick and could easily be the capsule losing cd, but there are a couple where the change to silence has a defined hiss-phut, where to me it sounds very much like squelch closing. Sennheisers with a dry joint on the aerial connection pad do this when the path is very short and the talent moves. I do agree it could be the power cutting, but just that little rf phut makes me wonder. Sennheisers that have been accidentally abused do this sometimes where excess pressure is applied to the rubber aerial protection moulding. It's an easy fix. If it's a dodgy mic then wiggling the cable should verify it, if it's the aerial connection, the a line of site test will identify that one.

Dave Mercer · October 16th, 2014, 10:24 PM

Well I don't have anyone around whom I can mix and match receivers/transmitters with, however when the transmitter/receiver are very close together they audio transmitted is just fine. But put the transmitter on someone's left hip, then stand on the other side of them, and faint hits begin periodically. Stand on the same side as the mic, 5 feet away, but with nothing in between and all is good.

I did try two different mic cables/heads on the transmitter and it didn't make any difference.

Greg Miller · October 16th, 2014, 11:30 PM

If you have the same problem with two different mics / cables, it seems likely to be an RF problem.

What about some other questions and suggestions that have been posted here?

When you replaced an antenna, give us the details. How did you make the connection? Was it the correct length, etc.? Tell us everything you can.

Locate the antennas as far as possible from anything that will affect RF. You don't have much choice with the transmitter (except to be sure it's the right length, and straight (not coiled or bunched). Try to get the receiver antenna away from metal, tripod, camera body, etc. Also, you should be using both antennas vertical, or both horizontal. Have you tried that? (Although that should not cause so much attenuation that the system fails at a distance of a few meters.)

You may have a transmitter with low output, or a receiver with low sensitivity, or either (or both) might have drifted off frequency. That can be roughly identified by a swap test, but really needs specialized (i.e. expensive) test gear which you will not have.

If it's not a simple antenna problem, and if you can't arrange a swap, then there's not much more you can do. It's probably time for a factory evaluation.

Dave Mercer · October 17th, 2014, 06:07 AM

I ordered the antenna from sennheiser. I soldered it myself. I'm no expert but didn't think I could mess things up (sounds like I was very naive). There are no rf experts where I live, nor shops that could do any service so I took it on myself.

Antennas are straight, not kinked. Tried facing them down and same issue. No metal on the person. Receiver mounted on the camera.

I'm not ideally located for having some of these tests done.

Thanks for your help Greg.

Greg Miller · October 17th, 2014, 07:28 AM

As long as you installed a factory antenna, which was designed for the correct frequency range, that's probably OK. The concern raised by another poster was that you might have simply installed some random-length piece of wire, and that would not have worked very well unless it was the correct length.

Electrostatic discharge (static electricity) can damage electronics, so there's a slim chance you blew out a transistor when you performed the soldering. Since the antenna is supposed to hang out of the device, I would hope that that part of the electronics is fairly well protected against ESD.

It seems that you've eliminated the mic as the culprit. It sounds as if the new antenna is probably OK. (By the way, when did this trouble start, in relation to the antenna replacement?) If you're certain that the problem gets worse with increasing distance, that certainly sounds like an RF issue.

Offhand I don't know what other troubleshooting I can suggest. There is no way for us to measure the RF output of your transmitter, or the sensitivity of the receiver, via the internet! Even a good RF shop would need the correct service literature and specs to evaluate your equipment accurately. And if there are no good RF shops near you, then, unfortunately, I think factory service is your next recourse.

Dave Mercer · October 17th, 2014, 07:58 AM

Thanks Greg. I'll let you know if I get it sorted.

Rick Reineke · October 17th, 2014, 09:57 AM

I'm sure you've tried different frequencies? In addition, some cameras emit RF spray which can compromise reception somewhat as well, so you may want to try it away from other gear to check.
Sennheiser's replacement antennas are for a specific frequency block, so an 'block A' antenna would not be recommended for your 'block B' system.

Dave Mercer · October 23rd, 2014, 10:47 AM

Problem resolved.

When I soldered the new antennae a bit of solder ended up touching one of the holes for the screws that hold down the chip board. The screw then created a ground.

With the help of a friend we removed this thin stream and re-soldered the antennae and now it's working perfectly.

I feel a bit stupid, but happy to have my mics back!

Thanks for your help all!! I now have a much better understanding of how my mics work.

October 10th, 2014, 03:59 PM	#16
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference Richard - how would one verify this is indeed the problem? Is it something repairable?

October 10th, 2014, 05:04 PM	#17
Richard Crowley Trustee Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 1,238	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference Do the symptoms completely disappear when the transmitter and receiver are close (1m) to each other? You can construct an experiment that completely eliminates any RF possibilities by simply having the transmitter and receiver very close to each other. THEN you can test for OTHER possibilities. Do these two different mics work properly on OTHER transmitters? Does the transmitter work with the other receiver? Does the receiver work with the other transmitter? You say "I also replaced the antenna in the transmitter." When? How? Did you use a proper replacement (length, etc.)? Or just a random piece of wire? If the problem is an intermittent cable or connector or solder joint, it is easily repairable (at least IMHO). If the transmitter or receiver has been damaged or failed and has drifted out of calibration, that will probably take a repair person with RF experience.

October 11th, 2014, 02:43 AM	#18
Paul R Johnson Inner Circle Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: Lowestoft - UK Posts: 4,045	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference We will have to disagree Richard. Most of the cuts are very quick and could easily be the capsule losing cd, but there are a couple where the change to silence has a defined hiss-phut, where to me it sounds very much like squelch closing. Sennheisers with a dry joint on the aerial connection pad do this when the path is very short and the talent moves. I do agree it could be the power cutting, but just that little rf phut makes me wonder. Sennheisers that have been accidentally abused do this sometimes where excess pressure is applied to the rubber aerial protection moulding. It's an easy fix. If it's a dodgy mic then wiggling the cable should verify it, if it's the aerial connection, the a line of site test will identify that one.

October 16th, 2014, 10:24 PM	#19
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference Well I don't have anyone around whom I can mix and match receivers/transmitters with, however when the transmitter/receiver are very close together they audio transmitted is just fine. But put the transmitter on someone's left hip, then stand on the other side of them, and faint hits begin periodically. Stand on the same side as the mic, 5 feet away, but with nothing in between and all is good. I did try two different mic cables/heads on the transmitter and it didn't make any difference.

October 16th, 2014, 11:30 PM	#20
Greg Miller Trustee Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,791	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference If you have the same problem with two different mics / cables, it seems likely to be an RF problem. What about some other questions and suggestions that have been posted here? When you replaced an antenna, give us the details. How did you make the connection? Was it the correct length, etc.? Tell us everything you can. Locate the antennas as far as possible from anything that will affect RF. You don't have much choice with the transmitter (except to be sure it's the right length, and straight (not coiled or bunched). Try to get the receiver antenna away from metal, tripod, camera body, etc. Also, you should be using both antennas vertical, or both horizontal. Have you tried that? (Although that should not cause so much attenuation that the system fails at a distance of a few meters.) You may have a transmitter with low output, or a receiver with low sensitivity, or either (or both) might have drifted off frequency. That can be roughly identified by a swap test, but really needs specialized (i.e. expensive) test gear which you will not have. If it's not a simple antenna problem, and if you can't arrange a swap, then there's not much more you can do. It's probably time for a factory evaluation.

October 17th, 2014, 06:07 AM	#21
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference I ordered the antenna from sennheiser. I soldered it myself. I'm no expert but didn't think I could mess things up (sounds like I was very naive). There are no rf experts where I live, nor shops that could do any service so I took it on myself. Antennas are straight, not kinked. Tried facing them down and same issue. No metal on the person. Receiver mounted on the camera. I'm not ideally located for having some of these tests done. Thanks for your help Greg.

October 17th, 2014, 07:28 AM	#22
Greg Miller Trustee Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Pennsylvania Posts: 1,791	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference As long as you installed a factory antenna, which was designed for the correct frequency range, that's probably OK. The concern raised by another poster was that you might have simply installed some random-length piece of wire, and that would not have worked very well unless it was the correct length. Electrostatic discharge (static electricity) can damage electronics, so there's a slim chance you blew out a transistor when you performed the soldering. Since the antenna is supposed to hang out of the device, I would hope that that part of the electronics is fairly well protected against ESD. It seems that you've eliminated the mic as the culprit. It sounds as if the new antenna is probably OK. (By the way, when did this trouble start, in relation to the antenna replacement?) If you're certain that the problem gets worse with increasing distance, that certainly sounds like an RF issue. Offhand I don't know what other troubleshooting I can suggest. There is no way for us to measure the RF output of your transmitter, or the sensitivity of the receiver, via the internet! Even a good RF shop would need the correct service literature and specs to evaluate your equipment accurately. And if there are no good RF shops near you, then, unfortunately, I think factory service is your next recourse.

October 17th, 2014, 07:58 AM	#23
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference Thanks Greg. I'll let you know if I get it sorted.

October 17th, 2014, 09:57 AM	#24
Rick Reineke Inner Circle Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: New York Posts: 2,039	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference I'm sure you've tried different frequencies? In addition, some cameras emit RF spray which can compromise reception somewhat as well, so you may want to try it away from other gear to check. Sennheiser's replacement antennas are for a specific frequency block, so an 'block A' antenna would not be recommended for your 'block B' system.

October 23rd, 2014, 10:47 AM	#25
Dave Mercer Major Player Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: Lake Atitlan, Guatemala Posts: 346	Re: Sennheiser Wireless EW100 G2 - Interference Problem resolved. When I soldered the new antennae a bit of solder ended up touching one of the holes for the screws that hold down the chip board. The screw then created a ground. With the help of a friend we removed this thin stream and re-soldered the antennae and now it's working perfectly. I feel a bit stupid, but happy to have my mics back! Thanks for your help all!! I now have a much better understanding of how my mics work.