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Microwave video from steadi?


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Hi all, anybody know anything about wireless transmission via a microwave link from the steadi op. (with mobile camera flying) to the broadcast truck?  Lemme know.  Cheers, Layton.

 

The Modulus3000 is pretty much the standard. Will set you back about $2,100 or so, pushes something like 700mw. Unfortunately, they're not legal for use in the US, unless by a Federal Agency with a waiver from the FCC.

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Guest sebastian matthias

hey nchop (what´s your real name,or is that asian !

yes they do microwavetransmission now especially for broadcast.

i myself don´t know too much about it.im not doing much telly.

i think the used it for example on the nordic skiing worlchampionships in austria this year as well as at some formula1 shoots and soccer games.

there are some operators who should know more about it.i think guido lux

(you probably find his e-mail on this forum)from germany would be the man to ask.also raphael mueller.

i remember an article about it in the german "kameremann"-magazine.

guido + raphael were also filming from snow-mobiles,so that wouldn´t work with cables and a modulus definitely wouldn´t give live broadcast quality.

the antennas i remember from the pictures looked like a massive dildo

fixed on top of the camera :D

 

so,not much i coud tell you about it

 

all the best

 

sebastian

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Here in the UK, G-Cam and D-Cam and other Radio Cameras are standard, the BBC have their own Digital Radio Camera which they use. Also popular are D-Cam 'Clip On' units which attach to the back of cameras on the V-lock.

 

Much better than dragging triax around behind you.

 

Oh, and if you're looking for a standard video link, Marell manufacture a good one. ( www.marell.co.uk )

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Hi all,

 

I hear the new D-cam system doesn't even have an antenna worth mentioning any more, it's just a little bump on the side of the cam. I've worked handheld with one of the older ones (dildo-style). Transmission is great: about one mile in open air, flawless... Antenna is disturbing though

Visit www.d-cam.co.uk even has some pictures

 

Gook luck,

 

Sven

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I used a unit similar to the D-Cam at the 2000 Super Bowl in Atlanta. While it was delightful to be cable-free finally, there was a feature of the white domed antenna that was a bit disconcerting, and did directly affect the shot.

 

The white dome covers the antenna itself, and the antenna spins on a large flat gear ring. ( Some are apparently rubber belt driven ). As the Steadicam Op moves around, the antenna is incessantly " locating " the catch dish and keeping itself on line with that dish as best as it can.

 

The net effect is that you have this small thing that has some weight to it, turning around and back again as you move and turn your body. The unit I worked with had a bit of a jerky motion to it- enough so, so that if I did turn my body 180 degrees quickly, the shot took a slight jarring effect for a second because the antenna was autolocation and rotating very quickly around on its base within the white dome.

 

If you face this set-up, try out different camera backs. Some may "autolocate" a lot more smoothly than others. Unlike hand-held, this shifting of the antenna can indeed sometimes affect your shot in a negative manner.

 

Peter Abraham

New York

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There's a company here in the US that also has these units. I used one of these digital ones for 5 days, and the only complaint is how quickly they went thru batteries.

 

The digital unit I used did not have the "tracking" device.

 

www.totalrf.com

 

Chip Monk

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Yeah, I've used theirs too. The Lithium Battery belts fail incredibly fast- you have to have spare belts hidden around the place in case you start to run low during a live event. How long ago did you use their stuff? Perhaps they've solved some of those issues?

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Yeah, I've used theirs too. The Lithium Battery belts fail incredibly fast- you have to have spare belts hidden around the place in case you start to run low during a live event.  How long ago did you use their stuff? Perhaps they've solved some of those issues?

 

This was last September (2004). I think the camera had the smaller IDX V-Lock Batteries. But we only had 4 batteries for 2 cameras, so I had to share with the handheld. And we were in the Bahamas, so no chance of getting more. It would have killed my sled batteries too quickly to just use 1 battery for both.

 

Great Tech, though. No Camera problems, except when I got too far away from the recievers, which was quite a distance.

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Yeah, I've used theirs too. The Lithium Battery belts fail incredibly fast- you have to have spare belts hidden around the place in case you start to run low during a live event.  How long ago did you use their stuff? Perhaps they've solved some of those issues?

 

This was last September (2004). I think the camera had the smaller IDX V-Lock Batteries. But we only had 4 batteries for 2 cameras, so I had to share with the handheld. And we were in the Bahamas, so no chance of getting more. It would have killed my sled batteries too quickly to just use 1 battery for both.

 

Great Tech, though. No Camera problems, except when I got too far away from the recievers, which was quite a distance.

:) Hey thanks all, I'll check into all of your suggestions! I love the forum. Peter, not only did your tally light work flawlessly on the awards show I steadied but even the talent on stage loved it because it was so bright they knew exactly when to play to the steadicam cam! Thanks loads! I'll recommend it highly to anyone! Brent, the CBC is sending out a pitch and catch system for the Queen's visit the middle of next month, but I'll give your guy a call to get some answers. Thanks again all, a pleasure hearing from all of you. Cheers, Layton.

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Hi all, anybody know anything about wireless transmission via a microwave link from the steadi op. (with mobile camera flying) to the broadcast truck?  Lemme know.  Cheers, Layton.

 

Link Research (www.linkres.co.uk) has a great wireless system. Two components to their system. One is a video send system, Pal or NTSC, component or composite. This can be used as a stand alone system or you can used it with their camera control unit. The camera control unit will dock with just about any camera that can use a Sony BVV-5 record deck.

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