Live Sound & Production

[RoadRanger]

Hey, anyone used one of these dual mono wireless speaker links? They seem to be blowing them out these days for $300 ...

[RoadRanger]

It runs in the 863 MHz band which I guess is set aside for wireless in Europe but the old TV channel 79 here (still legal though?). MSRP was $800 and what reviews I saw on the 'net were favorable except for bitchin' about the older model which was 700 MHz and now illegal except for one channel out of the 16  .

[RoadRanger]

There are two separate antennas for the two channels on the transmitter so that proves that each channel has it's own frequency. The box was marked as the "USA" model and the units are marked as 863-865 MHz (or 861-865 depending on which marking you believe ) . I've not found anything definitive about those frequencies being legal to use? In the EU and UK that band is reserved for wireless use but here it's:
861.000 - 866.000 SMR Trunked System Business Base

Anybody here have an opinion? 

[dboomer]

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RoadRanger wrote:

It runs in the 863 MHz band which I guess is set aside for wireless in Europe but the old TV channel 79 here (still legal though?).   .

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Not in the USA.  It's also illegal to sell here.

Besides that it's probably not gonna work here  just in case you are thinking about being an outlaw

[RoadRanger]

A message I just found on the Phonic Forum from two+ years ago:

"[...] the new 863 units are legal to use in the United States. They replace the older models that do use the old 700 MHz frequency range."

https://getsatisfaction.com/phonic/topics/wm_sys4_863

It was even sold through Sears at one time according to a Google search!

I'm confused 

[Audiopile]

Ron:  Correct me if I'm not getting it (?):  The blow-out price that you're considering of some questionably usable/legal wireless speaker link @ $300 which is designed to replace a couple of approx. $30 mic cables... which said mic cables operate totally legally for the intended purpose for like 1/10th the price?  And there's some question which is the better choice? :confused:

What part of this am I not getting... and can you help me with the :confused: emotioncon?  As I'm confused all the frikken time... and I find that emotioncon most useful.

[RoadRanger]

^ LOL !

Mic cable isn't near high techy enough for a geek like me  .

[Audiopile]

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RoadRanger wrote:

^ LOL !

Mic cable isn't near high techy enough for a geek like me  .

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So what do you use to plug into the device to connect the signal... if it's not a mic-like cable?

Humm... somehow I'm not following the logic here.  :confused: again 

Hummm...

[RoadRanger]

Really short mic cables don't bother me  . With the wireless control surface I use with my mixer I've eliminated the snake so was looking to eliminating signal runs to the mains or delays when they'd be through public traffic areas (across a pathway to the bathrooms, etc).

[agedhorse]

I will take 500'-1000' of mic cable (with appropriate line drivers) over wireless any day of the week, and cheerfully.

[Audiopile]

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RoadRanger wrote:

Really short mic cables don't bother me  . With the wireless control surface I use with my mixer I've eliminated the snake so was looking to eliminating signal runs to the mains or delays when they'd be through public traffic areas (across a pathway to the bathrooms, etc).

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Ah... well that makes sense.

[dboomer]

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RoadRanger wrote:

A message I just found on the Phonic Forum from two+ years ago:

"[...] the new 863 units are legal to use in the United States. They replace the older models that do use the old 700 MHz frequency range."

https://getsatisfaction.com/phonic/topics/wm_sys4_863

It was even sold through Sears at one time according to a Google search!

I'm confused 

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This is incorrect.  UHF wireless mics in the USA may operate between 470-698 MHz.  There is an ISM band in the low 900s that you can use unlicensed and a sat link band from 944-952 you can use with a license.  The 800's have been off limits since the beginnings of cell phones

[RoadRanger]

Unlicensed low power operation is legal on most frequencies:

http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Engineering_Technology/Documents/bulletins/oet63/oet63rev.pdf

and this isn't a cell phone band - it's for mostly obsolete commercial trunked communication, the base station frequencies in particular so you don't have to worry about a passing mobile unit .