Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1530210
Winter 2025 – LOCAL695.COM 45 comms system. Dante is already integrated into my cart and I use Lectrosonics DSQD receivers. I wanted to build a Dante deploy mini-cart housing the DSQD's to work close to the set to eliminate long antenna cable runs and antenna gain. The goal was to pad down the powered/filtered Lectrosonics ALP690 antennas to -6 Db and run the DBSM TX at 25 MW to mitigate RF noise. The deploy cart was an easy build since I already owned most of the equipment. I just needed a custom cage with a patch bay that I could drop on my PSC Euro cart. The cage lives on the Euro cart, powered by the Eurostar LiFe DC power distribution. I had Ron Meyer at PSC to modify one DC output to 6A which powers the cage. Inside the cage, a PSC Triple Play II BDS distro powers three DSQD's, a Comtek BST- 75, a Lectrosonics SMV 944 band TX, Cisco Business 250 series managed Gigabit Switch, and Lectrosonics DNTBOB88. The Dante cage can easily be remoted and powered by a PSC pelican LiFe, or plugged into AC if needed. I already owned a Lectrosonics DNTBOB88 Analog to Dante box that wasn't getting much use, and I thought it would be slick to build the DNTBOB88 into the cage. The BOB has up to 8 Dante I/O. This workflow came in clutch on Matlock (more on this later). Matlock is set in New York City but primarily shot on stages at Paramount Studios. We go on location roughly one day per episode. The Jacobson Moore Law firm set where Madeline Matlock works, is built up to the fire lanes on the stage and divided by clear glass walls separating the rooms. After a couple days filming, I learned very quickly there's just no place on set to hide without having to move after most setups. The Dante cart simplified this. I found my spots on stage that were out of the shot and deployed the Dante cart up to three hundred feet away. Running the CAT5e cable on the outside of the set ensured it would never be in the shot. I also added the Accsoon Cineview SE 2.4/5.8 MHz wireless video system eliminating the need to be tethered to the Non Record Video Assist cart. Next came the moment to shine! We were on location at a park, doubling as New York's famous Central Park. It was an easy day on the call sheet, just a couple scenes near the water. I positioned my cart on a hill overlooking the set avoiding a flight of stairs. The scene was an actor seated on a park bench on the phone. "Easy," I thought to myself. Seconds before we rolled, the first AD asked, "Do you have earwigs? The Director would like to read off-camera dialog from video village." I responded, "No problem!" My current recorder, the Aaton Cantar X3 equipped with Dante+ and auxiliary options, made this a breeze. I assigned the Director's Lav ISO (Dante input 16) to Sub Group 2 (S2). I assigned S2 to the Dante Output BOB4 at the deployed Dante cart for the earwig base station transmitter. Lastly, I assigned S2 to the top Slider 9 on the X3 for level control. The last hurdle was range. The Director was at video village, a good two hundred fifty feet away from the actor. I was behind the Director about fifty feet. The Dante cart was three hundred feet from me. I used 100-foot XLR out of patchbay (BOB4) to get the earwig base station close to the actor. It worked great! Having the flexibility of eight assignable Dante outputs works great for playback or VOG. I haven't used the BOB Dante inputs, but they would be slick if the Director wants to hear video playback in his Comteks/IFB, as an example. GMRS radio comms With the limited UHF RF spectrum availability for talent wireless, I wanted to avoid using those coveted frequencies for comms. Lower end FRS (Family Radio Service) radios are an option yielding mediocre results. I needed better range, fully programmable and an SMA antenna radio. GMRS (Global Mobile Radio Service) checked all the boxes. I settled on the BAOFENG UV-82C dual band radio. This model is FCC compliant operating in the 462/467 MHz and VHF 136-164 MHz frequency bands. An FCC GMRS license was required, which will cost $35 for ten years and the license was easy after navigating the archaic FCC website. The UV-82C is programmed with Chirp software and proprietary USB programming cable. Two booms in action Ben Wienert and Jonathan Hong double booming.