RØDELink Newsshooter Kit

No, the USB input is designed for power and future firmware updates. It is compatible with any standard 5-volt USB power supply.

The RX-CAM uses dBFS (Full Scale) metering which, generally allows for a lot of head room and most healthy mic level signals will appear at one or two bars.

The TX-XLR can switch between its XLR and TRS inputs. It cannot use both at the same time.

Yes, plug in power is provided only through the TRS input.

Yes, the TX-XLR provides full 48-volt specification phantom power. Depending on the batteries you’ve chosen, activating phantom power will reduce the time of usable hours.

Lithium AA’s or NP-F batteries are the best options for use with your TX-XLR.

Lithium batteries have been tested to provide 5-9 hours with phantom power activated depending on the batteries quality. While Alkaline batteries are compatible with the TX-XLR, when phantom power is activated testing has shown a battery life of only approximately 2.5 hours.

NP-F style batteries have been tested to provide 11-16 hours of operation depending on phantom power status and headphone usage.

The RØDELink system has an operating range up to 100m (~110 yards), however as with all wireless transmission devices this operating range can be influenced by external factors.

The RØDELink system operates in the 2.4GHz frequency spectrum which is shared with common wireless transmission devices such as WiFi networks, Bluetooth devices, microwave ovens and more. The more 2.4GHz devices that are simultaneously running in the same location as your RØDELink system, the more congested this 2.4GHz frequency spectrum will be, cutting down the signal strength and overall operating range for all 2.4GHz devices. In a very busy 2.4GHz environment you may find your RØDELink system is unable to maintain its maximum operating range.

Signal travelling distance is also another possible factor. This refers to the physical distance between the Receiver (RX) and Transmitter (TX). An unobstructed line of sight between the two devices will provide the shortest possible signal travelling distance, therefore the strongest signal. If the signal needs to travel through, or around walls and other objects, this lengthens your signal travelling distance, reducing overall signal strength.

For more information on the 2.4GHz spectrum with your RØDELink system watch the video below.

Yes, RØDELink systems have been tested for use with up to 8 kits operating in the same area under optimum conditions without problem.
It is important to note that the more kits you have operating simultaneously, the more likely you are to experience a decrease in their useable range. This is also relative to the environment you are operating in and depending on the amount of 2.4Ghz devices that are active at the time of use, your useable range may be less than the optimum distance.

If a complex setup is required or you want to use multiple RØDELink systems, we strongly recommend testing your setup in the same active environment you intend to use it. This will allow you to assess the signal strength surrounding you and any range restrictions you’ll need to be aware of during operation.

When using multiple RØDELink kits you will also want to space the receivers apart for optimal performance. This only needs to be a minimum of 10-15cm and typically will only affect usage in congested RF environments as well as when larger transmitting distances are required. Always make sure that your receivers (Rx) are orientated so that the antennas are forward facing (when using the Rx-CAM this will occur naturally if the kits are mounted via the provided cold shoe mount and the display is facing the camera operator).

Take for example a small room with no people in it, you are trying to hold a conversation with someone across the room, you’ll probably need to be standing within 4-5 meters of that person for them to be able to hear you speaking at a normal level. Now, consider being in the same room but instead filled with 20 people talking at once, you’ll need to be much closer than a meter for that same person you were trying to hold a conversation with to hear you speaking at normal level, reducing the distance between you.  

Think of yourself as the transmitter, your friend the receiver, your speaking voice the signal and all the other people speaking around you to be the ‘noise’. The greater the ‘noise’ level (other signals in the 2.4Ghz spectrum), the closer the ‘transmitter’ and ‘receiver’ will need to be to successfully communicate with each other.

Of course, there is technology that can help with the background noise. Each RØDELink system transmits on two frequencies simultaneously and its series II 2.4Ghz technology is constantly searching for and hopping between the strongest frequencies to transmit on, ensuring the best possible communication between transmitter and receiver. However, understanding that the 2.4Ghz ‘noise’ will affect the range which the RØDELink systems can transmit will help ensure you allow for the best setup within your requirements.

Understanding both the environment you are operating in as well as exactly what the oppositional factors mean and how they might affect performance is key to optimising your RØDELink setup.

1. The biggest impact on performance will of course be interference from other devices in the area you intend to use your RØDELink system. Wi-Fi access points are the most common interferer in the 2.4Ghz spectrum, so a simple way of identifying how many access points are available in an area is to take a quick look at how many you can see on your smartphone. The more access points, the higher the interference potential.
2. If you have identified that you are operating in a congested 2.4Ghz environment, you’ll then want to consider how these interferers will impact the RØDELink’s performance.  As a general rule, 3 access points, being heavily used in the same area will cause the 2.4GHz frequency band to be used up and you will see a large reduction in range performance of the RØDELink system.  However, distance between the interferers and the RØDELink system can help this. For optimum RØDELink performance you should aim to keep the distance between your transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) to less than the distance between any interfering device and the transmitter or receiver.
3. Wherever possible, you will want to keep your Transmitter (Tx) and Receiver (Rx) in direct line of sight. This means that there are no objects at all between the two. Understandably the transmitter (Tx) may at times need to be hidden depending on the scenario you are using it in, however the RØDELink’s range can be further optimised by ensuring there is nothing impeding the signal transmission.
4. The orientation of the antenna in your RØDELink kit during operation will also help optimise the systems performance. The Rx-CAM will be oriented correctly if mounted via the cold shoe mount which it ships with as standard. If the shoe is not being used you should aim to have the bottom of the receiver (opposite side to the screen) pointing towards the transmitter.