Audio Issue - Sennheiser EW100G2 Wirelss Lav

[Craig Seeman]

Using a Sennheiser EW100G2 wireless lav I get an occasional static build and then the audio cuts out.

I've only had this with the lav and not the hand held base so I think the issue is transmitter rather than the receiver.

It's fairly infrequent, never happens more than once during a shoot regardless of duration and often not at all.

It sounds as if it were some sort of rf interference causing the squelch to kill the audio. It then recuperates without further issue.

I always scan for clear channels before a shoot and this never happens with the hand held base transmitter.

Is there a technical issue with the wireless lav? Is it more sensitive to rf interference than the base? Something else?

I'm attaching a wmv 18 seconds so you can hear the issue from start to finish.

[Jeffery Magat]

Originally Posted by Craig Seeman

Using a Sennheiser EW100G2 wireless lav I get an occasional static build and then the audio cuts out.

I've only had this with the lav and not the hand held base so I think the issue is transmitter rather than the receiver.

It's fairly infrequent, never happens more than once during a shoot regardless of duration and often not at all.

It sounds as if it were some sort of rf interference causing the squelch to kill the audio. It then recuperates without further issue.

I always scan for clear channels before a shoot and this never happens with the hand held base transmitter.

Is there a technical issue with the wireless lav? Is it more sensitive to rf interference than the base? Something else?

I'm attaching a wmv 18 seconds so you can hear the issue from start to finish.

I've actually had this problem once or twice on a shoot I was doing in DC. It was an outdoor shoot, and I really wasn't sure what was going on whether it was distance from the transmitter issue or what, but moving closer and changing to a different frequency helped.

How are you mounting the transmitter onto the speaker? Are you following the tips like in the manual? Antenna not touching skin, lav wire not crossing the antenna, etc.? Have you tried using the same frequency as the handheld at the time?

[Craig Seeman]

I was about 10-15 feet from the speaker. It was the only wireless mic in use.
The transmitter was located in a coat pocket. Of course a frequency can appear clean at the start of a shoot and then develop a problem when some other person nearby starts using something that can hit the frequency.

The odd thing is that this only happens when using the lav and not the hand held mic base. Just a coincidence.

[Seth Bloombaum]

The supplied hot-shoe mount for the receiver will position it horizontally on the camera. It needs to be vertical for best performance - this really makes a difference!

[Craig Seeman]

Interesting but I've never had this issue with the hand held base and the receiver is positioned the same way (horizontally). Coincidence . . . or?

Originally Posted by Seth Bloombaum

The supplied hot-shoe mount for the receiver will position it horizontally on the camera. It needs to be vertical for best performance - this really makes a difference!

[Andy Schocken]

the only time i've heard that, the mic plug was not seated properly in the transmitter input.

[Craig Seeman]

But you'd think it would happen more often than once on a given shoot. Also note how the noise level builds rather than sudden as if it were tied to movement. The cut to silence seems very much like the squelch circuit turning on because it no longer sees the transmitter.

Originally Posted by Andy Schocken

the only time i've heard that, the mic plug was not seated properly in the transmitter input.

[Andy Schocken]

but what i heard on that clip was exactly the same. i can remember hearing it in the field initially, figuring it was some kind of interference, then when i heard it a second time, i checked connections, and the cable wasn't locked in. after that, no problems.

[Andy Schocken]

i just went back and found the clip i was referring to, and the static does not drop out cleanly like yours does. sounds like a different issue.

[Craig Seeman]

For my clip, it sounds like squelch kicking in so the receiver is "hearing" the problem and at least "thinks" is losing the RF from the transmitter . . . my guess.

Originally Posted by Andy Schocken

i just went back and found the clip i was referring to, and the static does not drop out cleanly like yours does. sounds like a different issue.

[Seth Bloombaum]

Well, that sure sounds like a classic RF dropout.

I've heard two things, one that both antennae should be in a vertical position, and that both should be in the same orientation.

You can also adjust the squelch one notch back.

[Craig Seeman]

Today I had a corporate shoot that lasted 8 hours with the featured speaker on my wireless lav the entire time (changed batteries once). I had no issue at all (except for his habit of clicking his pen next to the lav) and it was in a situation where I thought an RF was likely . . . hotel business conference room in which every other room in the floor was also in use.

Did my usual setup, scanned to make sure I had a clear channel and placed the transmitter in his jacket inner pocket and mounted the receiver on the camera shoe.