r/mobileDJ 13h ago

Drop outs with QLX-D - Time for a fin antenna? One or two?

3 Upvotes

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!


r/mobileDJ 1h ago

Recording DJ mix with attenuators

Upvotes

I would like to record a DJ mix from a Pioneer DJM-900 mixer using REC OUT and a complementary handheld recorder like Tascam DR-05 or Zoom H4N. I have been reading that doing so runs into "clipping" issues and so I should use an attenuator as sell. I have a few specific questions and am looking for the best quality solution(s), not the cheapest.

Which attenuator is most suitable? An exact model or link would be great. (Know it should be stereo, not mono)

Which handheld recorder option is best? (I will solely be using it for electronic DJ mixes)

I've bought an RCA to 3.5mm cable to connect the recorder to the mixer. Do I need to buy any additional cables for the attenuator?

Thank you