This week I found a GREAt video that will help the Audio Successful Stagehands with their RF coordination. But really this is great info for ALL Stagehands.

The KEY to making 6 Figures as a stagehand requires that you know all departments so that you can jump in where needed or to be able to offer advice if others are having problems. This Webinar will provide you that sort of skill set.

If you don’t have time for the whole video there is a Summary of the Video along with timestamp notes below.

^{AI Summary Of the Video}
Causes and effects of RF interference

• 📡 Radio frequency interference (RFI) is everything unintended other than your single frequency, some of which are man-made.

• 🎤 As long as we can keep our signal above more than 20 DB above that noise floor, we're likely to never have a Dropout right.

• 📶 Once a signal is above the noise floor by about 20 DB CNR, the radio develops something called capture effect and locks to that signal, making the rest of the interference invisible.

• 📡 Intentional radiators like T-Mobile 5G cell phones can interfere with microphone frequencies, creating extra sidebands and adding to the noise floor.

• 📡 Antennas interfere with each other when they're close together, so it's important to keep them three wavelengths apart to avoid interference.

• 🔊 The level of signal transmitted with iems is hundreds or a thousand times stronger than with wireless microphones, causing interference and requiring specialized equipment for reamplification.

Strategies for combating RF interference

• 📶 The days of getting good results from guessing are behind us, measuring is the way to know the true level of RF interference.

• 🔍 Moving the antenna closer to the transmitter can significantly improve signal strength relative to the noise floor, making a difference of 12 dB.

• 🎤 The fewer wireless mics you have, the easier it is for the Performance Tools to work effectively, making it a simple and user-friendly tool for frequency coordination.

• 🛡️ Blocking out-of-band interference is crucial in combating RF interference.

• 📶 The noise floor can be significantly reduced, making it much easier to manage RF interference.

• 00:00 RF interference is caused by natural and man-made sources, and combating it requires having a microphone signal at least 20 dB stronger than the noise floor, measured accurately to prevent dropouts.

  • The discussion is about radio frequency interference and how it affects wireless microphones.

  • Natural conditions like lightning and electricity cause RF interference, as well as cosmic background radiation and unintentional radiators from electrical devices.

  • RF interference is caused by various devices emitting radio frequencies, and the key to combat it is to have more power than the interfering devices.

  • The goal is to have the microphone signal at least 20 dB stronger than the noise floor to prevent interference and dropouts.

  • Measure the noise floor to accurately combat RF interference, as guessing is no longer reliable.

  • Signal above noise floor by 20 DB CNR creates capture effect, directional antennas pick up less noise than omnidirectional antennas.

• 08:46 Focused antennas are more effective than omnidirectional antennas for combating RF interference, and moving antennas closer to the source improves signal strength and signal to noise ratio.

  • Omnidirectional antennas are rarely the right choice for combating RF interference, and focused antennas are more effective in most cases.

  • Moving your antennas closer to the source results in a stronger signal and better signal to noise ratio, while increasing the distance decreases the signal strength and dynamic range.

  • Moving the antenna closer to the transmitter can significantly improve signal strength relative to the noise floor, and using 100% shielded coax is important for combating RF interference.

• 12:11 Invest in good quality cables and use frequency coordination software to combat RF interference, and utilize RF Venue's Performance Tools for easy frequency coordination for wireless microphones.

  • Coax cables with double shield are effective in preventing electromagnetic interference for runs under 100 feet.

  • Use a bigger, stiffer, and more expensive wire like build 913f or LMR 400 for distances over 100 feet to combat RF interference.

  • Invest in good quality cables to minimize interference and use frequency coordination software to optimize for intentional radiators.

  • Use the Performance Tools on the RF Venue website to easily coordinate frequencies for wireless microphones without the need for measurements.

• 16:53 Eliminating small sources of interference and using band pass filters can improve signal quality and reduce the need for expensive equipment.

  • Eliminating small sources of interference can improve signal quality and reduce the need for expensive equipment.

  • Radios produce interference, and increasing power levels creates more interference, so it's important to use the lowest amount of power necessary to minimize interference.

  • Antennas interfere with each other when close together, so it's important to keep them three wavelengths apart to avoid magnetic field interference.

  • Keep antennas at least six feet apart to minimize interference, and block out-of-band interference to combat RF interference.

  • Block interference by using band pass filters to prevent unwanted frequencies from entering your receiver.

  • The noise floor is significantly reduced after addressing RF interference, making it much easier to manage.

• 23:35 Investing in RF filters for antennas can protect multiple microphones from interference, use the best wiring for digital and analog systems, and performance is worse in all metal buildings due to increased multipath and reflections.

  • Investing in a pair of RF filters for your antennas can protect all of your microphones from interference, making it a reasonable solution for systems with multiple microphones.

  • Use the best wiring for both digital and analog systems, as digital wireless mics transmit more energy and are more susceptible to interference.

  • Digital and analog radios are the same as far as antennas are concerned, using 100% shielded coax is the best solution, and performance is worse in all metal buildings due to increased multipath and reflections.

  • Wireless microphones in a metal environment are more difficult, and any radio can affect another radio regardless of whether it is analog or digital.

• 28:11 Use specialized amplifiers and frequency coordination programs to combat RF interference and find the best frequencies for each spot to minimize interference.

  • The problem with using in-ear monitors is that the signal transmitted is much stronger than with wireless microphones, so it requires greatly attenuating the signal going into the optics and using specialized, more powerful amplifiers to reamplify it on the other side.

  • Professionals have used IAS forever, but there are also free programs like Audio Technica's Wireless System Manager and Sennheiser's program, which may require entering more information.

  • Build a library of tools to combat RF interference, use frequency coordination with the RF Explorer Pro, and consider the new Spectrum analyzer for better performance.

  • To combat RF interference, use a frequency coordination program to input the types and quantities of microphones and scan the area for accurate calculations.

  • Find the best frequencies for each spot to minimize interference, and encrypting transmitters in the same zone may have some small benefit depending on how they are designed.

  • Small improvements in RF interference may not make much difference, so it's best to plan as if there is none.

• 35:33 RF interference can vary due to different types of interferers in the spectrum, but can be avoided by scanning and avoiding certain frequencies, and harmonic distortion is generated in equipment with amplifiers.

  • RF interference can vary between 500 MHz and 900 MHz bands due to different types of interferers in the spectrum, such as television stations in the 500s and cordless telephones in the 900s.

  • RF interference can be caused by TV transmitters in certain frequency blocks, but can be avoided by scanning and avoiding those frequencies.

  • Harmonics are created in everything, including combiners, and the amount of distortion depends on the design of the specific model.

  • Different frequencies can cause different levels of interference, so it's difficult to generalize, but overall, the speaker is not particularly worried about it.

  • Harmonic distortion is generated in equipment with amplifiers, and it becomes more noticeable at higher frequencies, but is imperceptible until it reaches a certain threshold.

• 41:03 Attendees have minimal RF interference, thanks for joining and look out for the next webinar.