Denver, CO (April 15, 2014)—Throughout the 2013-2014 NFL season, Jeremy Wecker, audio visual services manager at Sports Authority Field at Mile High, faced a number of challenges when providing sound for the Denver Broncos’ home games. From severe weather conditions and a chaotic RF environment, to a lack of success with previously installed wireless systems, numerous issues forced Wecker and his team to revert to using wired microphones for everyone except the referees.
In search of a solution, Wecker tapped Mark Graham, audio consultant at Wrightson, Johnson, Haddon & Williams, Inc. (WJHW) and Dave Potts, field systems engineer at Parsons Technologies. “They’ve got a severe RF nightmare at that stadium,” Potts said.
Potts and Graham introduced Wecker to the Shure Axient Wireless Management Systems as a solution, and after using Axient’s Spectrum Management feature, Wecker knew that he needed to have the system on his rig full-time. “The fact that I can input a list of frequencies approved by the game day RF coordinator and it can manage itself, change frequencies when it needs to, and constantly have a backup channel ready is exactly why I chose Axient,” he said.
Additionally, by incorporating Axient’s ShowLink Remote Control feature, Wecker can remotely manage and make changes to microphone transmitter and receiver settings without leaving the control booth. “Being able to keep an eye on the status and health of the rechargeable batteries in each mic has been a huge improvement,” he stated. “The rechargeable accessories themselves also present a big advantage—we’ve completely eliminated the need to run out and buy fresh batteries mid-game. In just one season, we’ve already seen substantial cost savings.”
Shure
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