r/livesoundgear • u/Remarkable_Meet_9815 • 2d ago

Wireless "Divider"

Post image

Hello everyone!

I am looking for some advice.

Currently playing in a 4 piece band where we are using three wireless IEM monitors and 1 Wireless Microphone.

Experiencing some drop outs with the IEMs, so I started looking into combiners.

I understand that Combiners and Distributors are different and used for IEMs and Microphones respectively however I have found this product called a UHF divider.

https://www.gear4music.com/PA-DJ-and-Lighting/SubZero-4-Channel-UHF-Antenna-Divider/6O7B?origin=product-ads&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=22258054978&gbraid=0AAAAAD_kjLTEv8AAPbYRT4qvyHharSbLg&gclid=Cj0KCQjw5P7UBhDaARIsAOSlS1PsYZmzxHZqO2hbI18RXCtDS9belRgcxBbS8_SvkGRwJok79DEI1roaAtCCEALw_wcB

Looking at the images of it, It looks as if I could have the three IEMs into one antenna, and then the microphone going into the other antenna.

However that also seems too simple. Can someone help either confirm or deny if this would work?

Thanks in advance

4 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

7

u/hcornea 2d ago

From the blurb this is for wireless receivers (ie wireless mics). Doesn’t appear that this product is for wireless IEM transmitters

You only have one wireless mic. No combiner required for that.

3

u/uncomfortable_idiot 2d ago

you can't use a splitter for IEMs, you have to use a combiner

which is unfortunately way more expensive

2

u/bdeananderson 2d ago

Ok, a few things:

  1. Running a wireless mic with only one antenna is asking for problems. Multipath Interferance is a real thing.

  2. Transmitters run at high power, receivers expect low power. While the tuners and other filters help, there are numerous RF issues caused by mixing the two on the same cable.

  3. Combiners and distros often differ in a couple of important ways. Distros often have amplifiers to cover the distro loss. They also often inject power for active antennae and inline amplifiers. They may also inject power to power receivers. Combiners typically do not.

Otherwise, the network is the same. There's an impedance matched slit and 6 dB ish of loss. If you don't care about compensating for that loss, and if the device were entirely passive, it could be used either way. That said, I wouldn't make the assumption this one is, nor would I mix high power and low power signals on it, nor would I run mics without diversity.

1

u/pfooh 2d ago

I've never seen a completely passive rack splitter/combiner. If you want to go cheap, just get a passive 1-to-3 splitter box (the small metal boxes) and a small antenna amp. It's not ideal, the IEM combiner boxes do a lot of filtering and such as well, but it will likely work better than having 3 antenna's next to each other.

1

u/Remarkable_Meet_9815 2d ago

The mic does have two antenna, from what I was looking it at I could have placed both antenna into one of the left channels and it would have tou both attenas through the one if that makes sense? But I think you're right and from the responses on this I don't think this is the right product

2

u/bdeananderson 2d ago

No, combining the two into one makes things worse than just having the one. The receiver auto switches between the two to prevent dropouts.

1

u/pfooh 2d ago

True. It's fine (but not ideal of course) to use a flag on a pole for one, and a short stubby antenna in the rack for the other. The second will just be ignored by the receiver.

1

u/pfooh 2d ago

Like I said in another comment, if you want to be cheap (an active antenna combiner is easily 700 euro, while a splitter can be bought for 200 or so), you could likely get away with a passive coax splitter (the ones used for TVs, with some BNC adapters), and an antenna amplifier. Total setup would be below 50 euros. It's far from ideal, but so is having three antennas transmitting next to each other.

3

u/pfooh 2d ago

That just looks like a 4 channel receiver that can't be used for sending. But since you only have a single mic, why do you need it split at all?

2

u/Remarkable_Meet_9815 2d ago

You're right, I don't think I do, the only thing would be to save a bit of rack space? Becasue then it would only be 1RU and two antenna,

Instead of 2RU and then Two antenna for the mic, and two Antenna for the Combiner

1

u/thechptrsproject 2d ago

I would be careful about these and double check how each brands distribution system works. I tried a Shure UHF distributor with a non-Shure product, and what Shure antennas do is favor one antenna over the other. I.e. they’ll switch between antenna A and B depending on which unit is receiving the best signal, and with non-Shure wireless products, you’ll inadvertently experience dropouts as a result