Shure ULX J1 band unusable in Chicago area?

D

Daniel Postilnik

Junior
Jan 14, 2011
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San Francisco, CA
This one really made me feel like a newb.

I sent in a rack of four ULXP wireless combo kits and an antenna distro for repair when I was noticing significant decreases in operating range. The call I got from one of their service techs really surprised me. He said that the J1 band was very likely to be interfered with by various TV stations emitting strong signals, and without a dedicated RF scanner, I would not be able to reliably find a free channel.

It seems a bit disingenuous for Shure to tell me now that the J1 band is unusable, but still display a robust list of recommended frequencies for use on the J1 band in the Chicago area in their online frequency finder.

My only (read: cost-possible) option now it seems is to sell these to someone in another area and go hunting for another great deal on ULX combo kits.

What do you guys think about this? Thanks.
 
Re: Shure ULX J1 band unusable in Chicago area?

Have you been using them without issue until recently?

Did they identify an issue with the antenna?

If yes to both, I'd not worry about it. Their own online frequency finder shows that the J1 band is the most robust ULX product in the Chicago area. I'm not sure why you need a frequency finder when they recommend 17 different frequencies in the J1 band, which is certainly enough to cover your 4 units. I'm guessing there are thousands of ULX systems being used in the greater Chicago area. Sounds like the tech either doesn't know what he's talking about or is trying to make an excuse for the poor performance you are experiencing.

Ask him, if not the J1 then what band would he recommend? Then when he tells you one of the other 2 bands ask how he came to that conclusion since the alternatives only show 10 recommended open frequencies versus the 17 on the J1.
 
Re: Shure ULX J1 band unusable in Chicago area?

I think much would depend on where, exactly, in Chicagoland one is working.

Even in relatively uncongested areas like my city it can be a challenge to get more than a dozen channels in a single band, depending of what side of town (or downtown) you're at.
 
Re: Shure ULX J1 band unusable in Chicago area?

Not disingenuous, just a limited attempt at a starting point. The Shure website returns only full power TV stations within 70 miles. These results however omit low power TV transmitters, translators, and high power transmitters beyond 70 miles away. That's why:

1) The Shure tech called you to advise you of the real world situation in your area (rather nice of him actually), and;

2) You should be conferring with the FCC Media Bureau database which lists everything within a user selected radius. Here's just a quick lookup for the Chicago market. Notice all the low power stations (LD) and translators (DT & DX).

Chicago - FCC Media Bureau Database.JPG

Also, note Shure's disclaimer on the results page:
"NOTE: This Frequency Finder tool should be used as a guideline and planning tool. Recommended frequencies are calculated by avoiding conflicts with local television broadcast - the primary source of interference to wireless microphone systems. It cannot predict every possible source of local interference that can affect a wireless audio system. Using the Frequency Finder tool does not guarantee freedom from interference. Other local sources of interference (such as low power TV stations) may be present and can adversely affect the performance of the wireless system."
 
Re: Shure ULX J1 band unusable in Chicago area?

J1 *is* a lot tighter than it used to be here in Chicagoland. Basically a couple more channels have come online in the past few years.

One thing to bear in mind is that the RF meters on the ULX receivers are very sensitive on the bottom of the scale (lowest LED), so you can generally have that lit without much worry about performance.
 
Re: Shure ULX J1 band unusable in Chicago area?

Henry Cohen said:
You should be conferring with the FCC Media Bureau database which lists everything within a user selected radius. Here's just a quick lookup for the Chicago market. Notice all the low power stations (LD) and translators (DT & DX).
Click to expand...

Henry, thanks for this additional info. I'm a bit confused about how to use the table you attached to avoid using wireless channels that will suffer from interference from these TV stations. On your table, I see channel numbers - how does this correspond to frequencies on the wireless device?

Thanks.
 
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