Welcome to our Blog
(800) 267-5486

Friday, January 30, 2009

VHF vs UHF wireless - Which to buy for your needs?


Here at AmpliVox we sell both UHF and VHF wireless systems. A lot of our customers ask which is best for their setup. Here are some factors to consider when purchasing a wireless sound system and spending your dollar wisely. Factors to include are: where the systems will be used, how they will be used, and for what purpose or application. Other factors, such as whether the equipment will be used in many different cities, may also be important.

UHF wireless systems always cost more than similar VHF wireless systems. The extra cost of UHF equipment is due to the necessity of using more expensive ultra-high-frequency parts, the greater total number of parts required and the need for more expensive construction techniques. Other manufacturing costs are also higher, especially the amount of time required to adjust the equipment and verify its performance. While the cost difference between UHF and VHF equipment has been declining, it is unlikely to disappear.

If the wireless equipment will be used in different cities, VHF systems operating on the special frequencies in the 169-172 MHz range will be a good economical choice (applicable in U.S. and Canada). However, these frequencies, which are sometimes referred to as "traveling frequencies," are very popular, and are not a good choice for situations where large numbers of wireless systems are likely to be present, such as at trade shows and expositions. In such situations, frequency-agile UHF systems will be a better choice.
If the wireless equipment will be used in situations where several other wireless systems are likely to be present, UHF systems are recommended. This is because more frequencies are available, reducing the chances of interference. Such as a trade show or conference.

Wireless mic systems generally operate in several bands from 150MHz to 216MHz, which includes the VHF TV channels 7 through 13, or in the 470MHz to 806MHz UHF band (TV channels 14 through 69). TV channels 60 to 69 (746 to 806MHz) are being re-allocated, as of the date of this writing, for other applications. In addition, the band from 470 to about 516MHz is also being re-allocated for public safety applications. The demand for more spectrum usage is increasing while the available spectrum for wireless microphones is decreasing. Above the TV band is another part of the UHF spectrum from 902 to 928MHz. This upper UHF band is a "general purpose" band being used by a multitude of different applications ranging from garage door openers and amateur radio, to home-use cordless telephones. Generally speaking, the 902 to 928Mhz band is not a good choice for wireless microphone systems, especially for professional use in traveling applications. Interference is virtually guaranteed in this band. So again, it is unreasonable to assume that UHF is better by default.

Simply put, UHF systems do not hold any large technical advantage over otherwise similar VHF systems. The primary advantage of UHF operation is that there is less chance of interference because of more available frequency spectrum.

Information from: Audio Technica, Sweetwater, Wikipedia

Monday, January 26, 2009

Importance of Audience Coverage with your speakers


Have you ever been to an event where you sat in the back or on the side and couldn't hear the presentation? Or you were so far away there was a delay? These issues are easily solved with using the proper speakers set at the proper angle for complete audience coverage. We have a white paper on our website that goes into this a bit more and you can find that here, http://www.ampli.com/pdf/Amplivox_Wireless.pdf

Our SW124 Ampli-Pod Podium PA is a great exapmle of a built in solution to this problem. Project crisp, clear, rich and intelligible sound with our Omni Speakers unique 180ยบ Sound Coverage! http://www.ampli.com/SW124.htm




Close up of speakers set at an angle. These speakers are set at an angle to overlap and broadcast over 180 degree coverage.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Neodymium Speakers mean Lighter Weight PA Systems


Best Weight to Sound Output Ratio In The Industry!

In response to complaints about heavy cumbersome so called Portable sound systems, Amplivox has designed our new Digital Audio Travel Partner with weight in mind. However most smaller PA Systems sacrifice quality of sound for the lower weight, and skimp on the quality of the speakers, the power of the amplifier and the durability of the product. Amplivox has not taken this low road, but has ensured that the the Digital Audio Travel Partner has great sounding speakers, a powerful amplifier and an incredibly rugged enclosure. In fact our Digital Audio Travel Partner has the best sound output to weight ratio in the entire industry!

How did we accomplish this task? Well there are many design features that made this sound output to weight ratio possible, but one in particular stands out as a great innovation in the industry. Amplivox Sound Systems has incorporated the latest technology with its lightweight 6"neodymium speakers. Neodymium is a rare earth metal often used in magnets, cryocoolers and welding hoods, and thankfully neodymium magnets are the strongest permanent magnets known (Read More About Neodymium Here). Neodymium magnets are very strong relative to their mass as well holding more than 1300 times their own weight (Read More about Neodymium Magnets Here). With the use of this extremely strong magnet in our speaker design the Digital Audio Travel Partner can get better sound projection with lighter weight magnets, which means less back strain and more sound. Usually the larger and heavier the magnet the better the speaker is, but with neodymium magnets we can compress all that power into a much smaller more powerful package.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Digital Audio Travel Partner Top 10 Product!


AmpliVox is pleased to announce its TOP 10 ranking for the SW915, Digital Audio Travel Partner, from American School & University Magazine in the December 2008 issue.

http://www.ampli.com/pdf/AmericanSchoolUniversity12-2008.pdf


Digital Audio System AmpliVox Sound Systems
The SW915 Digital Audio Travel Partner is a portable public-address system with remote control, built-in echo/reverb and talk over with enough power to cover audiences up to 7,500 people and rooms as big as 25,000 square feet. It includes a UHF 8-channel diversity internal wireless receiver, a CD/RW MP3 disc player with pitch control and USB input with choice of mic: handheld, headset, collar, or lapel and transmitter.
Select RSN number 159 for more information at freeproductinfo.net/asu.

Come and see for yourself why this product is so great. http://www.ampli.com/sw915.htm


http://asumag.com/Maintenance/top_10_products_2008_1208/

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Search Engines and Customers Alike Eat Up Web Crumbs



These days companies across the globe are trying all kinds of tactics to get an edge on the competition in the world wide web. Search Engine Optimization competes with Marketing strategies for design features, code volume and screen space. Whether your goal is to drive more traffic to your website, or get customers to stick around longer and buy more stuff we've found a great way to satisfy that goal.

The answer is Web Crumbs. This is a throw back to your childhood and the story of Hansel and Gretel! No Joke! As you recall from this childhood tale, Hansel and Gretel leave behind bread crumbs as they venture into the forest so that they can find their way out, but they get detained by a hungry woman in a quaint gingerbread house. Well when it comes to the web we too want to leave breadcrumbs for the customer to find their way back where they came from. The solution is web Crumbs. These great little features can be utilized in several different ways, but I want to share with you how they will help both consumer and webmaster alike.

First... Why implement this on your website, and why did we implement them on ours? Here are a few reasons...

  • Customers can find their way back to other pages with one click so that they can go on to purchase other products or find one that better suits their needs
  • Browsing gets complex! When dealing with as few as 10 products, categories need to be introduced to make it easier for the customer to find what they are looking for, and web crumbs allow the user to navigate back and forth within these categories.

Its also great for search engines because...

  • Search Engines can navigate your site and figure out what the category structure is more easily and therefore drive more customers and more importantly the right type of customers to your site.
  • The most important category pages get the most links from other pages so your not watering down your highest ranked pages down with 10's, 100's or 1000's of product pages that have the exact same relevancy to search engines.

  • Its easy (and important) to include keyword rich text in the links because they must be short and simple.

So what do web crumbs look like? There are several varieties, but here are the two most common...
Home -> Top Category -> Second Category -> Product

The Second Type generally has a more extensive listing of the site...
Matthew Ricci Gives these Recommendations for implementing web crumbs regardless of what method...

  • Incorporate breadcrumbs into online catalogs
  • Checkout catalogs
  • Have keyword-rich anchor text
  • Limit the number of crumbs to 6 or fewer (In the second example this would mean greater than 4 layers)
  • Avoid use of abbreviations
  • Capitalize the first letter of each word
  • Use full title when it is short
  • Titles must be short
See His EZine Article Here



See how our new template design and addition of web crumbs has made finding products at Amplivox Portable Sound Systems (Click to See Visit our Website) easier to find!

Click below to see our websites new design and our...
  1. Implementation of Web Crumbs
  2. Mouse over Product information which keeps things easy to find, and details easily within reach
  3. Smaller Images with Short Description so you don't have too much to read to find what your looking for and can search for products at a glance!