At first glance the new Tecpro Wireless system looks almost exactly the same as the existing hard-wired Tecpro system. This is no doubt as a result of the familiar, robust extruded aluminium cases Canford’s and Tecpro products are so often contained within. However, those sturdy little boxes conceal the latest in DECT technology permitting over 100 wireless beltpacks to be used in the same physical area and at a distance of up to 300 metres from a base station. The digital radio link provides full-duplex communications unlike the more commonplace ‘Walkie-Talkie’ type systems.
The Beltpack unit WBP251 comes in one of the aforementioned aluminium cases with re-chargeable batteries and a built in ‘intelligent’ charger circuit. This circuit has been optimised for the NiMH type although for convenience normal AA types can be used. The controls consist of a combined on/off and volume control, a ‘Call’ button and a latching PTT mic switch. There is an LED for signalling whilst other LEDs inform of the presence of a service (comms available) and also of the battery state. Existing standard Tecpro headsets can be used with the new system and plug into a male 4-pin XLR socket, positioned on the underside of the unit.
The base station unit, the WBS261 uses a male or female 3-pin XLR to connect directly to the Tecpro ring circuit driving its power directly from the intercom power supply. Each base station and beltpack pair (WS250) is sold with a unique identification code. No frequency setting is required on the units as they automatically search and allocate the best frequency/time slot combination transparently and inaudibly. The operating frequency is well over 1.8 GHz making certain that other equipment operating in the same areas such as in-ear monitoring or radio mics will not suffer interference. The base station can be configured to operate in a 4-wire mode permitting autonomous duplex communication via a built in line in/line out 4-pin XLR connector. This provides compatibility with a wide range of professional intercom systems and requires an optional 24v power supply. The WS250 consists of 1 base station, 1 beltpack, 1 beltpack mains charger, 1beltpack antenna, 2 base station antennae, and 2 AA rechargeable NiMH batteries.
(Ruth Rossington)
