by Carl Mrozek
F
or many professional
videographers, it’s not
enough simply to have a
wireless mic system. Clients
expect you to have a decent UHF
system and some even expect
you to have a few of them on
hand for their projects.
Unless you are quite a busy
soundperson, it is difficult to
justify owning several top-shelf
UHF wireless systems in addi-
tion to the latest camera pack-
age with extra lenses, lighting
kits and all the accessories.
When it comes to wireless
microphone systems, as with
many other elements of your
production toolbox, “does this
gear serve my purposes and will
it give me enough bang for my
buck?” become key questions.
Azden has built a reputation on
an affirmative response to both
these concerns.
I was interested in testing a
wireless package in the compa-
ny’s performance series of UHF systems,
built around the compact 500UDR
receiver.
FEATURES
Azden’s UHF performance series of
diversity wireless microphone systems
comprises several key components,
including a portable diversity receiver
and two basic types of transmitters: a
compact bodypack transmitter that clips
onto a belt and a standalone capsule that
plugs into the base of a handheld micro-
phone. The latter can be used with any
microphones that have a standard three-
pin XLR plug, while the former comes
with a Sony omni-directional lavalier
microphone with a minifour-pin plug.
The 500UDR is a very compact,
rugged UHF diversity tuner/receiver. The
unit features a crystal-controlled,
PLL-synthesized mixer/local oscil-
lator and a diversity front-end
with twin antennas that reduces
multipath distortion and mini-
mizes dropouts. With the
500UDR, one of nine channels can
be selected from each of seven
groups of frequencies using either
a special key supplied with the
unit, a small screwdriver or blunt-
tipped pocketknife.
The 500UDR measures about
four inches square by about 1.5
inches thick and is encased in a
sturdy, black all-metal chassis,
with BNC-mount antennas. The
unit can be powered for more than
eight hours by six AA batteries,
run from a camera’s DC power
supply or a separate 12 V source.
An LED power indicator glows
bright red when fully powered
and flashes when battery level
begins to drop.
There is also a minijack for a
headset with its own volume con-
trol for monitoring transmitter
output before feeding the camera.
An adjacent LED glows bright red
if the incoming signal exceeds unity. A
separate LED glows green to indicate a
clean signal and identifies the active
antenna.
At 4x2 inches, the 41BT bodypack
transmitter is half the size of the receiv-
er. With a molded-plastic body, it is also
lighter than the all-metal 500UDR
receiver—a belt clip keeps it safe from
most hazards. The 41BT is powered by a
R E P R I N T E D F R O M J A N U A R Y 2 1 , 2 0 0 4
W W W. T V T E C H N O L O G Y. C O M
Copyright 2004 IMAS Publishing (USA), Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Azden’s 500UDR Wireless System
WIRELESS MIC
The author used the Azden 500UDR and associated
transmitter to capture the sound of wild deer.
Photo: Kathy Beck
