Frequently Asked QuestionsWe’re listening! Several times each year, RC4 exhibits as various tradeshows. We speak with hundreds of visitors and answer thousands of questions. Here are the answers to the questions most often asked.
If you have a question, please Email Us, or call toll free 1-866-258-4577.
What is the reliable range of the RC4 system?
More than the entire USITT 2005 show floor. USITT Stage Expo in Toronto took place over 126,616 square feet, and our receivers worked flawlessly over that entire area and beyond. The show floor was 266 feet wide x 476 feet long. The farthest corner, near booth 195, was 386 feet from our antenna in booth 1134. During walk-about demonstrations we took RC4 receivers beyond the show floor, upstairs into the washroom areas, and downstairs two levels without dropouts or other anomalies.Approximately 1/3 of the LDI 2005 show floor. This amounts to about the same area as described above.
During Products Showcase presentations we ask an audience member to take an RC4 receiver for a 2-minute walk (that's all the time we're usually allowed). In that time they wander 150 yards through hallways outside the presentation area and rarely experience a dropout, despite various walls and other obstructions between the transmitter and mobile receiver.
If you are working in 100,000 square feet or less, with point-to-point distances up to – and even exceeding – 300 feet, you are not going to have any range problems.
What radio frequency does the RC4 use?
What about interference with wireless mics, intercoms, etc.?
The RC4 system can be operated at 907.45Mhz, 914.81Mhz, or 921.10Mhz. The core of our rf system is spread-spectrum digital, a kind of radio that is least likely to suffer from interference. Our frequencies are part of a band reserved by the FCC and Industry Canada for low-power digital data applications, and are intentionally separate from the crowded 2.4Ghz band used by 802.11 networking, Bluetooth, and various wireless DMX systems.
When we demonstrate the RC4 at tradeshows, our system operates along side every other wireless product available to you. Wireless mics, intercoms, etc., are all on display. If a problem were going to arise, this is where it would be – and there are no problems. Not only does the RC4 system function flawlessly, we do not cause problems for any other exhibitors.
Directly above the Metro Toronto Convention Centre is the CN Tower. The donut-shaped radome on the bottom of the CN Tower SkyPod is the communications hub for virtually every tv and radio station in the region, along with dispatch and repeater stations for numerous fleet operations. Despite close proximity to literally millions of watts of rf output over a wide range of frequencies, the RC4 system performed flawlessly at USITT Stage Expo 2005. We are not affected by 2-way radios, taxicab dispatch systems, or any other common radio technologies.
Operating anywhere in North America, you are not going to have problems with interference using the RC4 system.
Does the RC4 have ethernet ports? Is it an ACN device?
We do not yet provide ACN support, and we have not provided an RJ-45 connector for DMX over CAT-5. Our electronics currently meet DMX-512/1990 (4uSec), and are DMX-512A ready, via standard 5-pin XLR connections. In the future we will be adding Remote Device Management functions (RDM) using Enhanced DMX as outlined in American National Standard E1.11 - 2004.
If there is enough demand from the marketplace, we will add connectors for DMX over CAT-5 in a future circuit-board revision. Please let us know if we should be making this a priority.
How new is the RC4? If I buy this will I be the guinea pig?
We've been designing wireless dimming since 1991 and have provided systems to Disney, Cirque du Soleil, and many others. RC4 systems have been shipping since January 2004. Prior to that, we were shipping RC3 systems since 1993. This is proven, rock-solid equipment that has been running in the field for far longer than any competing systems.
It's our advertising and marketing that is new, not our expertise.
How much does the RC4 Wireless Dimming System cost?
Current pricing is posted on our PayPal Purchase page.
Once you've made your initial investment in the transmitter, it's very affordable to build your system over time by adding receiver-dimmers as you need them, choosing from the growing selection of models available.
Educational purchasers are eligible for additional discounts, negotiable at time of purchase.
If you have a question, Email Us, or call toll free 1-866-258-4577.
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