How to find out which frequencies are mostly used in which area? at DVinfo.net

Michael Y Wong · January 15th, 2007, 03:54 PM

Hi Guys

I'm looking to buy a Sennheiser EW 100 G2 wireless system for wedding videography:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...categoryNavig#

However, I am m unsure of exactly which one to buy, "A" frequencies , (518-554 MHz), B freqs (626-662 MHz) or C freqs (740-776 MHz)??

I live in Toronto Ontario and am having a hard time on the web finding out which frequencies are mostly open and unused, as I figure there must be one videographer in Ontario that uses this or a similar system and has the answer to my question.

Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank u in advance.

Phil Sherwood · January 15th, 2007, 06:42 PM

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...y-check_canada
is not quite what I was looking for - somewhere they have a table (at least for the US, and I thought it was for other countries as well) that shows what frequencies are in use in which area. I've seen it on the boards here recently tho. (Sometime since mid-December )

Mark Holland · January 16th, 2007, 02:00 PM

Michael,

That seems like it would be a difficult thing to pin down. With so many people (videographers, churches, bands, clubs, etc) going wireless, I can't imagine any possible way to track actual frequency usage. About the only thing that can be tracked is the frequency assignments/bands.

I'd suggest talking with other videographers in your area to see what systems are working well for them. Here, I'm using a wireless somewhere in the area of 800 MHz and can't remember the last time I had interference with it. I do however sometimes have problems if I (very rarely) use some of my older VHF mics.

Gary Gonsalves · January 16th, 2007, 03:54 PM

Michael,

I own two pairs of Sennheiser EW 100 G2's. I took a look at the chart and stayed away from the banks that are most used by the local media in my community. If they pretty much dominated A and B I went with C. Even if there was someone nearby transmitting on or close to your frequency, you have such a broad range with these units that you can simply go into another bank and find an open frequency.

It has been almost a year since I bought mine but I remember Sennheiser had a frequency chart on their site which you can enter your zip or location and they will list all of the known frequency in use. Once again, you will mostly see broadcast television and so on.

Ty Ford · January 16th, 2007, 07:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Sherwood

http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...y-check_canada
is not quite what I was looking for - somewhere they have a table (at least for the US, and I thought it was for other countries as well) that shows what frequencies are in use in which area. I've seen it on the boards here recently tho. (Sometime since mid-December )

There's one on the lectrosonics site.

Ty Ford

Phil Sherwood · January 16th, 2007, 08:51 PM

I found the link I was thinking of
http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...qfinder-ew.asp

(thanks to Timothy Harry in this thread http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=83395 and Ken for bumping it :-)

but that was only for the US, couldn't find the Canadian analog. Maybe try the site Ty suggested.

Rush Hamden · January 16th, 2007, 09:01 PM

I found this on the Location Sound page. It's for lectro, but it says it covers all of N and S America, and the frequencies themselves are given:

http://www.locationsound.ca/pdf/UHFBlocks.pdf

I just want to say that I have taken my evolution setup with me all over the world mainly for interviews and reality stuff, and I have never had a problem finding open frequencies on the A range. LIke Gary said, you have such a broad range with these units.

Jimmy McKenzie · January 16th, 2007, 09:50 PM

Hey Michael ... I've done a few Toronto weddings and quite a few here .. an hour west.
I use 2 of the Sennheiser's in the 518 band and never had any trouble. You might see some crosstalk if many other videographers were nearby such as the big garden park shoot near Lawrence and I think Bayview .... but I doubt you will use your mic for the park shoot...

Anyway, since the frequencies are so easily re-assigned with 1200 or so available you will be just fine.... best to check the equipment at the church just to be shure ... pun intended.

Michael Y Wong · January 27th, 2007, 06:25 PM

Thank you all for ur help, Jim I'm going to buy one in the 518 (A) band range.

Will be testing it out in a week (can't wait!)

Thanks again everyone!

January 15th, 2007, 03:54 PM	#1
Michael Y Wong Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada! Posts: 353	How to find out which frequencies are mostly used in which area? Hi Guys I'm looking to buy a Sennheiser EW 100 G2 wireless system for wedding videography: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...categoryNavig# However, I am m unsure of exactly which one to buy, "A" frequencies , (518-554 MHz), B freqs (626-662 MHz) or C freqs (740-776 MHz)?? I live in Toronto Ontario and am having a hard time on the web finding out which frequencies are mostly open and unused, as I figure there must be one videographer in Ontario that uses this or a similar system and has the answer to my question. Any help would be greatly appreciated, thank u in advance. __________________ dreaming hobbyist + storyteller www.michaelywong.com Last edited by Michael Y Wong; January 15th, 2007 at 06:26 PM.

January 16th, 2007, 03:54 PM	#4
Gary Gonsalves Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Port St. Lucie, Florida Posts: 56	Michael, I own two pairs of Sennheiser EW 100 G2's. I took a look at the chart and stayed away from the banks that are most used by the local media in my community. If they pretty much dominated A and B I went with C. Even if there was someone nearby transmitting on or close to your frequency, you have such a broad range with these units that you can simply go into another bank and find an open frequency. It has been almost a year since I bought mine but I remember Sennheiser had a frequency chart on their site which you can enter your zip or location and they will list all of the known frequency in use. Once again, you will mostly see broadcast television and so on. __________________ Currently using Panasonic AG AC160 Cameras. Editing with a custom built suite by http://www.videohardware.com running the latest Adobe Suite with Matrox. Last edited by Gary Gonsalves; January 16th, 2007 at 07:38 PM.

January 16th, 2007, 09:01 PM	#7
Rush Hamden Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Burbank, California Posts: 122	I found this on the Location Sound page. It's for lectro, but it says it covers all of N and S America, and the frequencies themselves are given: http://www.locationsound.ca/pdf/UHFBlocks.pdf I just want to say that I have taken my evolution setup with me all over the world mainly for interviews and reality stuff, and I have never had a problem finding open frequencies on the A range. LIke Gary said, you have such a broad range with these units. __________________ Want to get more from your hard-earned gear? Digital Cinema Filmmaking Course 24 hours of educational video on 16 DVDs, focused on filmmaking savvy, examples, demonstrations, and tips. Learn Scriptwriting, Formatting, Editing, Camera Operation, Lighting, Exposure, Audio, and Directing.

January 27th, 2007, 06:25 PM	#9
Michael Y Wong Major Player Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Toronto Ontario Canada! Posts: 353	Thank you all for ur help, Jim I'm going to buy one in the 518 (A) band range. Will be testing it out in a week (can't wait!) Thanks again everyone! __________________ dreaming hobbyist + storyteller www.michaelywong.com

January 15th, 2007, 06:42 PM	#2
Phil Sherwood New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 24	http://www.sennheiser.com/sennheiser...y-check_canada is not quite what I was looking for - somewhere they have a table (at least for the US, and I thought it was for other countries as well) that shows what frequencies are in use in which area. I've seen it on the boards here recently tho. (Sometime since mid-December )

January 16th, 2007, 02:00 PM	#3
Mark Holland Major Player Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Central North Carolina (Raleigh, Durham, & surrounding areas) Posts: 301	Michael, That seems like it would be a difficult thing to pin down. With so many people (videographers, churches, bands, clubs, etc) going wireless, I can't imagine any possible way to track actual frequency usage. About the only thing that can be tracked is the frequency assignments/bands. I'd suggest talking with other videographers in your area to see what systems are working well for them. Here, I'm using a wireless somewhere in the area of 800 MHz and can't remember the last time I had interference with it. I do however sometimes have problems if I (very rarely) use some of my older VHF mics.

January 16th, 2007, 08:51 PM	#6
Phil Sherwood New Boot Join Date: Oct 2006 Location: Fort Worth, TX Posts: 24	I found the link I was thinking of http://www.sennheiserusa.com/newsite...qfinder-ew.asp (thanks to Timothy Harry in this thread http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=83395 and Ken for bumping it :-) but that was only for the US, couldn't find the Canadian analog. Maybe try the site Ty suggested.

January 16th, 2007, 09:50 PM	#8
Jimmy McKenzie Major Player Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Waterloo Ontario Posts: 721	Hey Michael ... I've done a few Toronto weddings and quite a few here .. an hour west. I use 2 of the Sennheiser's in the 518 band and never had any trouble. You might see some crosstalk if many other videographers were nearby such as the big garden park shoot near Lawrence and I think Bayview .... but I doubt you will use your mic for the park shoot... Anyway, since the frequencies are so easily re-assigned with 1200 or so available you will be just fine.... best to check the equipment at the church just to be shure ... pun intended.