Sure Shot To Roll Out 40-Ft. Combo Satellite/Production Unit

Sure Shot Transmissions will add to its fleet this summer with the addition of the Cynthia Lee, and the new production unit does more than just expand the fleet. It also brings a new form factor: the 40-ft.-long trailer has a 20-ft. expanding side, will be able to accommodate up to 20 people, and is wired for up to eight cameras.

“What’s different is, it’s a straight trailer rather than a straight truck,” says Denny Kunce, president of Sure Shot Transmissions. “We needed a truck that could fit more people in the truck for sports like football and also have tape and video operations.”

A Grass Valley Karrera midmarket production switcher with four mix effects is at the center of the unit, providing an interface that Kunce says is familiar to the freelance pool.

Other equipment includes Grass Valley cameras, Chyron graphics, two six-channel EVS XT3 replay servers, and Angenieus lenses.

“I believe the quality of the lenses is as good as others in the market, and the service is impeccable,” says Kunce. “The only drawback is, the biggest lens is 72 times [zoom].”

Like all Sure Shot units. Cynthia Lee will integrate satellite transmission capabilities when hits the road in August.

“We’ve established that the concept of the combo unit does work, and satellite can be very competitive price-wise with fiber,” he explains. “And our customer base is broadening.”

One improvement on the transmission side is that the antenna configuration allows the dish to rotate a full 360 degrees, making it much easier to find a parking position that can send a signal to the satellite.

“We reconfigured the hub-mounted antenna on the amplifier to solve that problem,” says Kunce. “It’s a home-run truck for regional shows.”

He notes that the truck is not designed to compete with 53-ft. production units on the largest shows but is intended to handle events that need only four to eight cameras.

“The big trucks are tied up; they aren’t in the market for ad hoc use,” he adds.

Sure Shot is already taking bookings for the truck, which will be available for use on Sept. 1.