Installer Frank Wilt of Washington Entertainment Technologies haschosen Sabine’s SWM7000 2.4GHz wireless systems for thethree-story, Washington, D.C.-based Coyote Ugly Saloon, comprising fivedual-channel wireless microphone systems with 10 handheldtransmitters.
The Coyote Ugly bartenders use the handheld wireless mics to performfor the crowd while serving drinks. Wilt mounted the battery-chargingmic clips to the bar for easy access for the performers.
“We would need two additional equipment racks on each floor forfeedback control and digital signal processing, and a 6-channel mixerto get the same functionality that we get with the SWM7000s,” saidWilt. “The SWM7000 is tremendously flexible. Each of the three CoyoteUgly floors has different acoustics and performer dynamics—someof the bartenders are soft-spoken, some belt it out—and theSabine wireless allows us to quickly tailor each transmitter to itslocation and user.” Wilt color-coded the transmitters according to eachmic’s DSP settings, allowing the “Coyotes” to easilyspot and grab a mic tailored to their needs.
All five Sabine receivers are located in a single equipment rack onthe third floor. “The receiver front panel controls are easy tounderstand and use,” Wilt said. “The remote-controlsoftware gives me even more power and allows me to copy settings fromone receiver to any number of other receivers.
“With the Sabine units, I can monitor battery telemetry,compressor/limiter action and signal strength in real time for each ofthe 10 mics and then make adjustments right there on the spot,” Wiltcontinued.
Wilt relied on Sabine’s antenna accessories to ensure quality signalwithin the three-story reinforced concrete building. “On thethird floor, I get great reception with the standard coaxial dipoleantennas front-mounted on the receiver. For the first and secondfloors, I have Sabine’s external antennas flush-mounted to thesecond-floor ceiling and feeding the signal to the remaining fourreceivers using a Sabine antenna distribution amplifier.
“The Sabine wireless makes setting up in an unfriendly-RFenvironment much easier. Coyote Ugly is adjacent to a massivecondominium filled with Wi-Fi networks and several construction areaswith radio-equipped heavy machinery operating in the UHF band. I usedthe software’s built-in RF Scanner to spot potential RFinterference. The scanner differentiates between Sabine transmittersand outside interference. I can set a threshold to block the use ofchannels that might be interfered with.”
For more information on the Sabine gear used, visit www.sabine.com. Formore information on Washington Entertainment Technologies, visit www.entertainment-technologies.com. For moreinformation on Coyote Ugly, visit www.coyoteuglysaloon.com/washington/index.html.
