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  • 3 weeks later...

The rotary dials on my modulus 3000 have poped off and vanished. Does anyone know where I can get these dials besides CIT. They want to charge me $200 dollors to replace the pots. It pains me to spend that money until I at least make an attempt to find them elsewhere.

Any help would be great

 

Thanks

 

Greg Code

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  • 1 month later...

Hello

 

I'm a new operator and I've read allot about the Modulus 3000 and it seems to me that most of you use it, and love it. But I'd like to know if anyone in the States has used any other units like the Transvideo "Titan" or a "Black Box Video" ( UK) unit and / or others? How do they work on location and is the Modulus the best unit for a Steadicam?

 

Thanks for your time

 

Kurt Warner

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Well the Modulus 300 is a very good stable unit, but here is a newer modulus due out later this year.... here is also a transmitter form Lentequip called the Canatrans 2 which I have been using for about three months and it is fantastic...it is very clean has 10 channels of uhf band to use and has scalable pwer output in incriments form 1/16 w to ! watt. and it has digital boosting and retarding ( think digital pad) very clean , 12-24V compliant.. but not in full production just yet....I have one of the few initial release versions....and it is roughly double the price of a modulus 3000.....

Bonus points include huge heat sinking for cooling and super performance at low power.

And it looks cool.

B)

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Hi,

 

I tested the titan last year and I have to admit I was a bit disapointed. The image is clear and crisp as long as both units (sender and receiver) are "seing" each other. but when the signal is lost, it just goes completly blank for a second or two..... We , as operators, have to go around these walls and objects that interfere with the Titan... On the other hand , the modulus is simple , reliable, a real workhorse. The signal can be sometimes a bit noisy but a shark fin antenna (from CIT also) will be a good investment. And the issue of sending the signal to everyone with a TV (modulus) or just to video village (sender-receiver solution adopted by Transvideo) is also to consider. On set today, everyone wants an image, the dolly pusher, the soud guy, the make up artist, the producer...The modulus for me is not an option, it is the only solution.

I also have a CineAsst sender ( www.cineasst.com ) that is a one channel sender. At half the price of a Modulus, it does a great job. Pros: Compact and does not heat up like the modulus, Great backup unit. Cons: Single channel; Sometimes (rarely) it will get some outside interference and you are stuck on that channel you first chose.

 

I would go for the modulus, no doubt about it.

 

Frederic Chamberland

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  • 2 weeks later...
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The key to a good Modulus 3000 is letting no one else touch it. Changing its channels whilst powered is bad news for the electronics, and gradually weakens its strength. This is something that many well-meaning assistants do while you are not looking, so my advice is to cover the knobs or make it clear right off the start of the day to your camera team that the unit must be powered down b4 twiddling.

 

I did a test at Lentequip with my 3000 vs. the Canatrans 2. I have been told by all video assist guys here that my Modulus is the best they've seen (compared to the rental house units). This goes back to my theory of letting no one else touch it.

 

The comparison test of the 2 xmitters showed that the modulus is within 15% of the same image quality of the Canatrans (when the Canatrans was set to 3/4 watt output - equivalent of the Modulus). We did the same test with the Canatrans at 100% power (1 watt) and only then was it slightly better than the 3000 when we walked to the furthest point of our test route (2 stories down in an old industrial building - 181 Carlaw). The flip side to this test is that the Canatrans totally overmodulated the reciever at that power setting when on the same floor.

 

In my mind, it was not worth investing double the money for an xmitter that is maybe 20% better under best case conditions. However, the test pattern generator and very good sound transmission are bonuses with the Canatrans - but something I haven't found the need for. The variable transmission power and video/audio gain settings are great too - but again, how often do you need them?

Tha Canatrans is also bigger - like a third bigger - making it harder to tuck it up in various places.

 

Lentequip's goal was to make a unit that is much more service friendly - so for a rental house that owns dozens of xmitters - that means a lot. And I can attest to Lentequip's solid service (I own their batteries and chargers). The technology inside is years ahead of Modulus - and is superior without a doubt. But if it ain't broke, I ain't fixin it.

 

This is based on my direct observations of the 2 units together, and having worked with a 3000 for 4 years, I think I can say I know it fairly well. Rental house 3000's have done very poorly under the same tests.

 

The moral is: keep a close eye on your 3000.

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Receiving units for repair at CIT, I used to see an an excellent solution on units from CHROZIEL rental depatment. Just a lucite plate, with holes drilled out to seat each selector knob, and fastened with velcro patch to the face of the box.

 

Easy, elegant, and cheap

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  • 2 weeks later...
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To clarify my post about the testing of the Canatrans 2 - I was testing a preproduction model that had not been fully fine-tuned.

 

One other thing about the modulus 3000 - I use the Ch.28-48 long metal antenna made by CIT for tricky transmission applications (ATV's, concrete bunkers, the CN Tower 2 blocks away) and it makes signal strength on the 3000 absolutely amazing. For $96, it's a great way to give you that extra punch when needed.

 

jeremy benning

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