Do you often feel embarrassed for signal dropouts during important events, whether it's a wedding ceremony, or a stage performance? There are many factors that might cause signal cutoffs, or wireless instability, including frequency selection, RF signal congestion, interference, antenna placement, etc. To resolve the dropouts and obtain smooth sound performance, one will need to go through many trials and errors. We will post another article to discuss signal dropouts comprehensively and offer useful troubleshooting suggestions. In this article, we are going to introduce one of the most effective solutions — active antenna distribution system.

What is Active Antenna Distribution System

An active antenna distribution system is a device that allows multiple wireless microphone systems (usually more than two) to use a single set of paddles and compensates for the signal loss resulting from the multiple splits. 

When using multiple closely-spaced antennas, you might easily face the issues of cross-polarization fades, inter-modulation distortion, or signal disturbance from nearby metal or wet objects. However, using an antenna distribution system can help avoid these as possible. The built-in gain adjustment of the distribution system can amplify the incoming signals to stretch wireless performance with extended steady coverage. 

Furthermore, the directional antenna paddles can be placed wherever you like, and such a flexible antenna placement can help search for the best spot for desired signal pickup and transmission. Thus, the antenna distribution system plays a crucial role in delivering interference-free effective sound performance in harsh RF environments. 

Why the PAS-225X

The newly launched PAS-225X antenna distribution system bundle from Phenyx Pro provides an extraordinary solution for building a rack workflow with multiple wireless microphone systems in mid-to-large venues. It consists of a UHF active antenna splitter (PAS-225), two directional antenna paddles (PAS-82), and necessary cables to complete your setup. The PAS-225, a 4-way active antenna splitter, features a pair of cascade ports, four pairs of RF output ports and four 12V power output ports. The PAS-82 directional antenna paddles with log-periodic dipole array (LPDA) have up to 8dBi forward amplified gain.

Let’s dive into its advantages in practice.

Wide UHF band compatibility. The PAS-225 receiver operates in the 400 - 950MHz UHF band. Its antenna paddles can successfully pick up audio signals from cordless mics of whether analog or digital modulation wireless receiver within the corresponding band. Its wide compatibility enables people to use it with their existing wireless systems conveniently.

Amplified gain. Each directional antenna has an informative LCD screen for gain adjustment (up to 8 dBi, 16 settings). The log-periodic antennas feature a built-in amplifier gain setting for each antenna to make up for cable loss, which can increase the operating range more sensitively by maximizing the desired audio signals. You can select the proper gain level depending on your operating environment to achieve ideal wireless performance.

Better coverage. It minimizes signal loss and interference from overloading antennas in quantity and space by integrating multichannel signals to a pair of antenna paddles, and then respectively and orderly allocates each signal to its receiver. Thus, people can obtain increased coverage of 160ft and more reliable wireless performance with the PAS-225X bundle.

Manageable cabling. The receiver provides four 12V DC outlets to power the wireless microphone system, reducing the need for multiple wall outlets, power strips, and wall warts. It also has four pairs of RF outputs for 8 wireless microphone channels to keep the number of antenna extension cables to a minimum when stacking receivers on the rack. Hence, the entire setup is organized with manageable cabling. 

All-in-one package. The PAS-225X comes with twelve 21in BNC cables, two 9.5ft cables and four DC power cords for convenient and flexible connection with wireless microphone systems. The free aluminium alloy carrying case better protects your gear during touring.

• 1 x PAS-225 active antenna splitter 
• 2 x PAS-82 directional antenna paddles 
• 4 x DC power cords 
• 10 x 21in BNC cables 
• 2 x 9.5ft BNC cables
• 1 x Power adapter
• 1 x User manual
• 1 x Carrying case

Conclusion

As the wireless world becomes more and more crowded, an antenna distribution system has become an essential accessory to accomplish optimal performance for wireless microphone systems, especially when using more than two systems simultaneously. Give the PAS-225X a try and get better coverage for your current setup.

Author

Jocelyn