Q & A: BlackBerry’s Interference
Q: We’ve been having problems with interference from BlackBerrys with our wireless mics. Is there any solution for this, other than asking for them to be turned off?
Q: We’ve been having problems with interference from BlackBerrys with our wireless mics. Is there any solution for this, other than asking for them to be turned off?
— Martin Coulton, senior technician, ITA Inc., Cincinnati
A: BlackBerrys operate on a tri-band system at 850/1,800/1,900 MHz. If you’re using a UHF system operating in the 800 MHz band, this explains the interference problem. First, you may want to try relocating the receivers away from the source of interference, and locate them where the wireless microphone transmitters are much closer to the receivers than the BlackBerrys are. Another solution would be to switch to a wireless system that employs a tone squelch system, which only responds to a side tone generated by the associated transmitter. For example, Peavey ProComm wireless mics have transmitters that generate a pilot tone. If that tone isn’t present, the receiver won’t recognize that any signal is present, which prevents arbitrary interference. There are also some VHF wireless systems that operate in the 200 MHz band —far below BlackBerry operating frequencies.
–Rich Prescott, certification engineer, Peavey Electronics, Meridian, MS
