HHA supplied a 10-way Shure UHF hand held system and an 8-way Shure PSM-700 in-ear monitoring system for stage use that was hot-swapped between the various performers, plus an additional PSM-600 in-ear shout system with three Shure UHF headset mics for the crew for the purposes of line checking. There were a further four hand held Shure UHF systems for the presenters and another 3-way hand held system for press interviews. Finally, HHA was also asked to supply a 7-way Shure battery-powered system with a UP4 mobile receiver for interviews in the rat run on behalf of a German TV station, catching the stars on their way from the stage to the dressing room.
According to HHA's Mick Shepherd: "Monitoring such a variety of transmitting sources, particularly scattered around the arena as they were, was never going to be an easy task, so, as we often do for events of this nature, we asked Freddo (John Fredericks of Technical Earth) to look after things on site for us." Freddo's task was to ensure that all of the radio equipment supplied by HHA was running in spec, and to respond strategically to any faults or potentially interfering transmissions during the broadcast. "With over 10,000 fans in the arena and a further 5 million tuning in to watch, it was important that we get this right," said Freddo. "I used an IFR 2945 Test Set in conjunction with additional audio processing equipment to monitor transmitter outputs and to ensure the spectrum was clean."
"Initial concerns regarding an unknown transmitting source turned out to be from one of the broadcast trucks, planning to run a long-range IEM system at high power, transmitting right in the middle of the rat-run," continued Freddo. "This would have all but swamped any ENG crews trying to operate in the press area. However, after some judicious negotiation, a little generosity from the PA crew resulted in the transmitter being turned off in return for the use of one of the main HHA-supplied IEM systems feeding the stage. Other than that, it was a trouble-free night. HHA make a point of maintaining their equipment to the highest possible standards, and they always deliver what they say they will deliver on time and with the minimum of fuss. It's a pleasure to work with such solidly reliable suppliers."
(Lee Baldock)
