Kaltman Creations launches the RF-Compass, an automated antenna tracker system for wireless microphones and IEM equipment. Kristin Kaltman says, “Equipping your directional antennas with the ability to pan and rotate to track your performers’ movements just makes sense; it eliminates the ‘wireless risk’ without eliminating your wireless altogether. It is as close to hard wired as wireless can get!”
More details from Kaltman Creations (www.kaltmancreationsllc.com):
Kaltman Creations launches the RF-Compass, one of the world’s first automated antenna tracker systems for wireless microphones and IEM equipment. This new addition to Kaltman Creations’ Invisible Waves brand brings cutting edge automation technology into the pro audio wireless arena, with an automated antenna tracking system that will improve the links between your wireless transmitters and receivers. In 2011 Kaltman Creations LLC introduced the CPAntenna. The RF-Compass antenna tracking system takes that consistent link one step further by always keeping your antenna pointed directly at your wireless transmitter, regardless of where the performer may move.
Kristin Kaltman says, “The RF-Compass was the natural next step for our Invisible Waves product line. Typical paddle antennas and helical antennas have a beam pattern of 60-120 degrees, which seems like good coverage until your performer moves outside of the antenna’s ‘line of sight.’ This causes signal gain to decrease pretty dramatically, exposing you to potential interference and drop outs that can seriously compromise your wireless production quality. Equipping your directional antennas with the ability to pan and rotate to track your performers’ movements just makes sense; it eliminates the ‘wireless risk’ without eliminating your wireless altogether. It is as close to hard wired as wireless can get!”
The RF-Compass system consists of two parts: the RF-Compass servo-controlled automatic panning device and a 5.8GHz multi-channel miniature transmitter called the RF-Beacon. The RF-Beacon includes a belt pack mounting clip, but it is also small enough to simply be carried in a performer’s pocket, clipped onto a belt, or sewn into a costume. With your performer carrying the Beacon, the servo unit is able to bi-angulate the signal and pans around to follow the transmission source. Your UHF antenna is mounted on top allowing it to also rotate to follow the movement of the performer and its own wireless transmitter.
The RF-Compass Servo Unit mounts to any standard microphone stand, and is compatible with any paddle or flat-panel directional antenna (including the Invisible Waves CPAntenna). The Servo Unit is able to rotate up to 360 degrees, and will precisely track the location of the RF-Beacon transmitter within an operating distance of more than 250 feet. Each RF-Compass unit and directional antenna is dedicated to one specific performer, but up to 40 RF-Compass units may be used simultaneously without interference. For A/B diversity, two Servo Units may share the same Beacon channel.
The RF-Compass System will ship in February 2017.
