Newbie with an A1 wireless problem!
 

Greetings all, I just picked up my A1 from BH photo. I am studying hard and trying not to bug you all, but I can't figure this out. I have a Sennheiser ME66/K6 shotgun running into ch1. The XLR is turned on, and this works fine. I have the phantom power turned on. I also purchased a Sennheiser Evolution 100 ENG G2 wirelss combo system for ch2. I have the +48V phantom power turned off for ch2. I have the ch1 ch2 switched on. I have the lin/mic switch set to mic. I am not picking up any signal from my wireless.

The receiver is registering the audio signal and here's a big clue: it works when I plug the jack into my Sony TRV900 mic jack. So that is why I posted this here instead of "Now Hear This", because it appears to be XHA1 or XHA1 operator (surely the latter) problem. What am I doing wrong here?

Thanks in advance,

Ray Lindsay

You should put it on ch 1 only, if you have it on ch 1 and ch 2, it will take ch1 input only on distribute it to ch 2.

Khoi is right. This is why it's not working. Turn this switch off -- it should be set to the "Ch.1 only" position, not "Ch.1/Ch.2" -- hope this helps,

I KNEW the following would be true!

1. It was a simple fix.

2. It was something I was doing wrong.

3. You guys would figure it out in a second.

Thanks for your quick and accurate assessment. The problem is fixed!

It's sort of counter-intuitive. Took me awhile to figure that one out too. I also got that G2 wireless, and it is amazingly good for the money. I leave the receiver mounted on the hotshoe all the time, so my only setup involves micing the talent.

And speaking of micing the talent with a lav...
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

gosh, now I feel like a huge idiot! I read this post, but yet I still have issues with my set up! Mine will be exactly the same.

Here is my current situation. I don't yet have the ME66 (it is on it's way). So, I have my G2 wireless set up to my camera right now, trying to get used to it. I the "AF OUT" set up on my camera and wired into the XLR Channel 2 port.

I am wearing the other unit with the Mic.

It seems I have tried every setting possible on the camera and it doesn't register sound on my camera. I even used headphones thinking I had it set up wrong. I get nothing, but my wireless set shows sound coming in via the bars.

I have the +48V switch on for channel 2, so that is not the problem. What am I doing wrong?

Dear Derrick,

As I understand your post, you have a Sennheiser Wireless G2 receiver plugged into Channel 2 of the XH A1.

And you have +48 Volt Phantom turned on for Channel 2.

Your Sennheiser G2 receiver does not require +48 Volt (or any other voltage) phantom power.

Turn off the phantom power before plugging in the G2.

It is unlikely, but having the phantom power on may have damaged your G2 output circuitry.

It is much more likely that you have a switch in the wrong position.

As Chris said in the above post: "set the switch to the "Ch.1 only" position, not "Ch.1/Ch.2" , otherwise the Channel 2 input will not be active.

Are you certain that you have the XLR inputs selected?

The last one is the most likely--there've been several people who missed the part in the manual about going into the menu to switch to the XLRs.

I never went into the menu and chose XLR as my option. I didn't read that part in the manual and I didn't think it said that!

OK, so if my wireless mic has it's own power source (2 AA batteries), I don't need to switch the +48V on?

Just switch it on when I get my new shotgun mic (ME66)?

Can someone walk me through the menu setting?

Page 48 of the XH-A1 Instruction Manual covers it in detail.
To enable (or disable) the XLR inputs:
When in a record mode (paused)
Press MENU.
Select Audio Setup.
Select XLR Input.
Set it to ON (or OFF).
Close menu.

Note that page 47 covers the various setup options available..

Thanks Don! I now see that in the manual. I must overlooked the menu piece.

One further question. Can I leave the batteries out of the receiver that hooks to the camera and run it off the camera battery by switching the +48V button to on? Or, is it better to just use the two AA batteries? Do I have to use the menu every time or will it always stay on XLR when I switch it over?

I am also guessing then that if I use AA batteries, I should have the +48V switch to off!

Oh and the last piece. When I get my new shotgun mic, obviously it will use phantom power, so I know to use the +48V switch to on for that XLR input. Is there a different setting I have to chose in the menu to use both? Also, what do the switches above need to be set at (xlr mic att / Line Mic / Ch1 or CH1 CH2).

Thanks guys so much. This camera is new to me and wireless mics are really something new!

Dear Derrick,

You must have the +48V Phantom Power OFF when using a Sennheiser G2 wireless receiver!

This is not a substitute for the AA batteries, it is solely for powering a +48V Phantom Powered microphone.

You risk destroying your G2 receiver!

(Sennheiser seems to have some circuitry which prevents damage when people make mistakes such as leaving Phantom Power on accidentally. I do not know if the circuitry will protect it for a short time, or forever.)

I hope this is clear.

The manual is your friend. It's helpful to download the pdf. Then you can simply type in XLR and go right to what you're looking for.

Thanks Dan! I will make sure I have that switched off (I only tried it for about 5 minutes yesterday, then turned it all off when I couldn't figure it out).

Can someone answer the question on having to turn to the menu every time I turn my camera on or off? Or does the setting stay in place?

as well as this question:
Oh and the last piece. When I get my new shotgun mic, obviously it will use phantom power, so I know to use the +48V switch to on for that XLR input. Is there a different setting I have to chose in the menu to use both Ch1 and Ch2 XLR? Also, what do the switches above need to be set at (xlr mic att / Line Mic / Ch1 or CH1 CH2).

Once you've set the camera for XLR in the menu it will stay there. No need to do it again unless you want to use the built-in camera mic.