“We want to be thechoice for audio professionals seeking the very best wireless intercoms to rent – period.” Said John Christie, Broadcast and Wireless Specialist at RP Dynamics in Toronto. “That’s why we now offer the new, vastly superior Clear-Com FreeSpeak II (FSII) wireless intercom to our rental clients. We’re the first equipment house in Canada to do so.”
Founded by Roland Danner in 1997, Toronto’s RP Dynamics Inc. is one of Canada’s premier audio-video integrators, installers and equipment rental houses. It serves the broadcast, house of worship, corporate/event, theatrical and TV production markets with cutting-edge systems not found at other equipment rental houses – such as the FreeSpeak II.
“Traditional digital wireless intercom systems have been hindered by lower quality audio, higher latency and decreased range, in comparison to their older analog counterparts,” said Christie. “FreeSpeak II checks all the boxes, and then some, by conquering extremely difficult coverage areas, delivering full audio bandwidth quality, user customization, and selectivity.”
The Clear-Com FreeSpeak II wireless intercom system operates in multiple license-free bands (1.9GHz DECT and 2.4GHz ISM). Whether used as a standalone base station wireless system or integrated within Eclipse HX matrices, the FreeSpeak II Active Antenna system provides beltpack wearers with five software-assignable channels; plus cellular-like roaming thanks to its use of distributed antennas to provide complete venue coverage.
Speaking of coverage, the FSII can expand its range by connecting more antennas at the system’s coverage edge. The range can be expanded by kilometers through the use of fibre optic connectors. Additionally, this intercom system can be extended over vast distances via landline; by connecting attached Eclipse-HX digital matrices to Internet-connected LANs, or directly to the Web.
Thanks to its advanced technology, the FreeSpeak II delivers clean, clear two-way communications using multiple antenna distribution over standard CAT Cables up to 3,000 feet. “Any event with four or more channels of typical 2-wire intercom quickly becomes an unruly mess of hiss and ground loop buzzes,” Christie noted. “The FreeSpeak II/Eclipse eliminates all of that instantly and adds a significant degree of control to the flow of information. More people can talk to each other directly without interrupting other show operations. Digital matrix systems improve the efficiency and reliability of your operators by reducing communications to only what they really need to hear.”
That’s not all: “The FreeSpeak II doesn’t suffer from the typical wireless intercom limitations of four beltpacks per main station,” said Christie. “With the FSII base station, you can have 20 beltpacks operating in full duplex at the same time. “Connect the FSII to a Clear-Com Eclipse HX Delta digital matrix, and that number rises to 50 beltpacks per plug-in EQUE card.”
By connecting the FSII to the Eclipse-HX digital matrix, the intercom system can generate an unlimited number of unique job ‘roles’ that can be personalized for each user. “This allows for lower numbers of required beltpacks by letting crews share the physical hardware, without giving up flexibility in intercom channel counts,” Christie noted.
Whether connected to an Eclipse-HX or standing on its own, the FreeSpeak II wireless intercom provides users with “a significantly larger dynamic audio range than any other digital wireless intercom product on the market,” said Christie. “The FSII beltpacks also deliver an unparalleled 18 hour battery life per charge. No other system comes close.” He added that the FSII beltpacks are extremely rugged and ergonomically well-designed, with the display and four channel buttons on the upper face where they are visible while worn. Meanwhile, the FSII base station comes with a very intuitive user interface, “so end users in the field can easily make changes on the fly.”
Although only offered by RP Dynamics for a few months, the company’s FSII systems have proven to be hot commodities. They have already been rented by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), TIFF Bell Lightbox Theatre, the National Ballet School of Canada, Absolute Video Theatre, Stagevision Inc., the Canadian National Cheer & Dance Championships, and Woodbine Entertainment (Woodbine Racetrack); just to mention a few.
“Our rental customers’ response to the FreeSpeak II has been outstanding,” said Christie. “Ease of use, reliability, range, flexibility, and run-time are all key words used by these clients to describe working with the FreeSpeak II.”
The bottom line: RP Dynamics is delighted to be the flag-bearer for the Clear-Com FreeSpeak II wireless intercom system, and the pioneer in offering this premium intercom to Canadian rental customers.
“Not since HME released their Pro850 in 2004 – now known as the ClearCom’s Pro850 — have we seen a wireless product like the FSII that meets the ever-expanding needs of modern productions,” concluded John Christie. “It provides to intercom communications what Wi-Fi provides to the Internet – the capability to travel seamlessly throughout a facility and constantly remain connected.”
RP Dynamics, Inc.
3615 Laird Road Unit 8
Mississauga, Ontario
Canada L5L 5Z8
(905) 569-1119
