Shure M1 band discontinued?!

D

Daniel Postilnik

Junior
Jan 14, 2011
304
1
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37
San Francisco, CA
Hey all,

My company has ULX systems in the M1 band installed at 35 locations. Shure has just told our dealer that the M1 band is discontinued, and I'm reading that they're getting rid of their entire range in the 600MHz band. What are people supposed to do?
 
Re: Shure M1 band discontinued?!

My guess is that Shure is getting ahead of the latest upcoming FCC Sell-off of bandwidth frequencies. By Discontinuing Frequencies that might be taken away (the whole 600 MHz Band of J and L band Mic's), they will have less stock left over that they are stuck with when this whole thing is said and done. I heard that after the Last FCC sell-off (of the 700 MHz band), that they did some modifications for some companies (replaced the frequency chip on the inside of the units), but you would have to call them and try to work it out. Our company is set to loose about 1000 channels of Wireless when this whole thing goes down. I would advise that you contact Shure and see if you can get they to modify your existing gear over the next year, so that you can continue using your gear without having to buy newer gear. Just a guess.
 
Re: Shure M1 band discontinued?!

TJ Cornish said:
http://www.geartechs.com/index.php/News/shure-to-discontinue-600mhz-wireless-systems.html
Click to expand...

Yes, I'm clued in to this now.

What's upsetting is that Shure didn't really announce it in a meaningful way - our dealer wasn't notified until it was already too late. Obviously this wouldn't affect most consumers, but in my case I have 35 locations on the M1 band and transmitters have to be replaced fairly frequently due to abuse and poor maintenance in a fitness club setting (try as we might to prevent that). Now we have to double down on maintenance and eventually swallow the ~$4k pill of switching over to QLXD.
 
Re: Shure M1 band discontinued?!

Daniel Postilnik said:
Yes, I'm clued in to this now.

What's upsetting is that Shure didn't really announce it in a meaningful way - our dealer wasn't notified until it was already too late. Obviously this wouldn't affect most consumers, but in my case I have 35 locations on the M1 band and transmitters have to be replaced fairly frequently due to abuse and poor maintenance in a fitness club setting (try as we might to prevent that). Now we have to double down on maintenance and eventually swallow the ~$4k pill of switching over to QLXD.
Click to expand...
Yep, it's no fun. :(
 
Re: Shure M1 band discontinued?!

Hi Daniel,
Not to jack your thread, but I've got 30-ish ULX systems in the M1 range with a mix of handhelds and body packs. I'd love to find the right place to move them as I'm moving into ULX-D and QLXD. Any interest in used systems?

Best,
David
 
Re: Shure M1 band discontinued?!

Daniel Postilnik said:
Yes, I'm clued in to this now.

What's upsetting is that Shure didn't really announce it in a meaningful way - our dealer wasn't notified until it was already too late. Obviously this wouldn't affect most consumers, but in my case I have 35 locations on the M1 band and transmitters have to be replaced fairly frequently due to abuse and poor maintenance in a fitness club setting (try as we might to prevent that). Now we have to double down on maintenance and eventually swallow the ~$4k pill of switching over to QLXD.
Click to expand...

Yea just took the plunge into 6) channels of qlxd beta 58 systems and 2) antenna distros ..... Yea swallowing that pill , ... That hurt ! But they are excellent systems so far , great quality, great sound quality , and will let you know how rf performance is after a few more gigs..... Antenna distros are not installed in these pics obviously ....
 

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Re: Shure M1 band discontinued?!

Nick Andrews said:
Yea just took the plunge into 6) channels of qlxd beta 58 systems and 2) antenna distros ..... Yea swallowing that pill , ... That hurt ! But they are excellent systems so far , great quality, great sound quality , and will let you know how rf performance is after a few more gigs..... Antenna distros are not installed in these pics obviously ....
Click to expand...

I can comment on the RF reliability of what's included in a single channel SM58 transmitter receiver combo: In comparison to the previous LX-88-II system, it's fantastic. Before, I couldn't get more than half of the stage to stay in coverage. Now, I can close the metal paneled wall rack with antennas inside, and walk about 200 feet away in a room across a hall, and still have reception. Through 3 layers of cinderblock and a metal panel... I'd say that's pretty good, eh?

I also am enjoying the SBX rechargable solution from Shure. Over 10 hours of battery life that recharges conveniently is a godsend. I don't even have to pay attention anymore during the light use that the pair gets.
 
Re: Shure M1 band discontinued?!

Daniel Postilnik said:
...but in my case I have 35 locations on the M1 band and transmitters have to be replaced fairly frequently due to abuse and poor maintenance....
Click to expand...

I would think that Shure will continue to service those units for years to come. They have a good track record with regard to that.

I would also like to re-iterate for those who didn't read the linked article above; We have over 3 years before any of the 600Mhz band stuff would become "illegal" if the auction does indeed yield a sizable reallocation. And, based on how things went back with the 700Mhz band, we may have quite some time after the reallocation during which the auction "winners" tool up to turn on their new freaqs. That should be enough time for any business to recoup costs on a recent capital expenditure. I'm not sure about other organizations that may have higher hopes for equipment longevity.

Lastly, it is my understanding that there may be some significant "comfort bands" allocated in the new frequency layout that would allow some 600Mhz mics to continue to function even after an FCC redo. Whether these work with M1, I don't know.
 
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