NAB 2017: Alteros’s New GTX Series Wireless Mic System Bypasses Congested RF Spectrum
Alteros (C2622), an Audio-Technica company, will introduce the GTX Series ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless microphone system, a game-changing professional-broadcast solution that offers immunity to regulatory changes in radio-frequency spectrum, bandwidth loss, and channel crowding. The Alteros GTX Series fully digital 6.5 GHz system provides reliable, interference-free performance and license-free operation, supporting up to 24 simultaneous, high-quality, low-latency (< 3ms), uncompanded 48-kHz/24-bit audio channels in any indoor or outdoor broadcast environment.
Alteros’s GTX Series ultra-wideband wireless microphone system: (from top) GTX32 transceiver, GTX3224 rack-mount control unit, and GTX24 bodypack transmitter
The product of seven years of dedicated research and development, during which it underwent real-world testing in conjunction with major broadcasters and wireless audio professionals, the GTX Series system offers several significant benefits. It operates far beyond the UHF and VHF television bands; requires no frequency coordination, license, database registration, or STA; and does not cause interference or create intermodulation products. The system is ideal for studio-to-studio operation since it emits less intentional radiation than the typical PC and will not interfere with surrounding signals.
The GTX Series system launches with three key components: the GTX3224 control unit, GTX24 bodypack transmitter and GTX32 transceiver. No additional filters, combiners, or distribution amplifiers are required.
The GTX3224 simultaneously supports up to 24 channels, an additional 24 channels of talkback audio, and eight group-assignment channels in just 3RU. The unit features MADI, Dante, and AES67 digital outputs that are all available simultaneously and allow seamless integration with IP-based infrastructures. A single-mode fiber output supports long-distance runs. The 7-in. front-panel touchscreen provides access to system settings, monitoring tools, performance reports, and other controls.
Up to 32 GTX32 transceivers may be deployed, connecting to the GTX3224 over standard shielded Cat 5 cable, which is operational to 1,000 ft. The GTX Series system’s powerful management software maximizes operational efficiency, enabling users to set up and confirm operation of 32 transceivers and 24 transmitters in only a few hours.
The GTX24 bodypack transmitter may be purchased on its own without a microphone or configured with one of two Audio-Technica subminiature omnidirectional condenser lavalier microphones: the AT899cL4 or the AT899cL4SW, the latter equipped with an in-line talkback switch. The GTX24’s talkback function allows talent to easily speak to production staff, eliminating the need for a separate wired talkback box, or it can be used as a momentary “cough switch.”
Broadcast-friendly features of the GTX3224 control unit include two separate and fully redundant AC power supplies and the ability to synchronize directly to the house clock, with failover to an accurate internal clock. The front-panel GUI offers a real-time battery gauge that displays the remaining operational time for each transmitter and additionally allows user to set custom battery-level alerts. The unit may be remotely monitored and controlled from a PC or computer network and offers a timestamped event logger tool that can track and record the performance of every GTX32 and GTX24 for up to one month.