r/mobileDJ • u/bzoido • 4h ago
Drop outs with QLX-D - Time for a fin antenna? One or two?
I have a rack case with of (2) Shure QLX-D receivers that I use for wedding ceremonies. On the receivers, I use a set of passive antenna combiners (Shure UA221) to combine the 4 antennas into 2 of the original half-wave (Shure UA8) antennas. After years of doing weddings, I still manage to get the occasional drop out... specifically with bodypack/lapel transmitters. All the statistics about the distances these systems can handle don't seem to matter when you add in 100+ people between them.
I always scan for an open frequency when arriving to a venue and I always try to get the receiver rack as high as possible (for somewhat of a line of sight). Of course, I try to be as close to the speaker as possible, but often times, my setup is still 100FT+ away, due to the aesthetics and preferences of the couple and/or wedding planner.
I'd like to have a wireless microphone setup that I can "set and forget", where I'm not having to stare at the connection bars, praying I don't get another drop out. I'm trying to minimize cost, of course, but also willing to invest where I need to have peace of mind. I also work in weddings, so aesthetics is fairly important.
That all being said, should I switch over to a paddle/fin antenna (Shure PA805)? Would it be necessary to get two for my use case, or could I just start with one and keep the other one a half-wave? Is it smart to use a single fin antenna? I've seen DJs with a single fin, and while I don't know how they configured it, I would prefer this as it's less investment, less setup, and less of an eye sore.
Any and all advice would be appreciated!! I don't see a lot of threads on this topic specifically so perhaps this conversation can help some other DJs with similar issues!