Rangitoto College in Auckland, New Zealand, recently upgraded the audio design of its 1,500-seat auditorium to improve the room’s sound quality and to also address new spectrum changes in New Zealand. It chose to install the Shure ULX-D Digital wireless system to meet the needs of the space.
The upgrade was prompted by the fact that as of March 11, 2015, wireless microphones using frequencies outside of the 502-606 MHz or 622-698 MHz range were no longer permitted by New Zealand laws.
The project was handled by Halogen Audio, an integrated A/V solutions company. Rick Senekal of Halogen Audio, talked about the challenges faced: “Rangitoto’s auditorium is located at the highest point of the country’s north shore, which causes an onslaught of RF warfare. Our new audio design required a wireless microphone system that made it easy to find a clean frequency, for flawless sound amplification, and also abided by new spectrum rulings in New Zealand. Rangitoto had systems operating between 700 and 800 MHz, but worked with us to promptly find a solution within legal regulations. We opted to install Shure ULX-D Digital Wireless Systems.â€
The ULXD4Q Quad Channel Receivers connects with the school’s centralized hardware processor, delivering multi-channel audio over Ethernet. It also has the ability to fit 17 active transmitters in one 6 MHz TV channel and rechargeable power management with metering of battery levels.
The ULXD4Q recivers, which also offer a Dante digital networking feature, operate four channels of audio in a single rack unit and complete Rangitoto’s audio upgrade which also included the integration of loudspeakers, subwoofers and a system amplifier for flexible control and professional sound reinforcement. All equipment is now operated from the school’s centralized processor and managed using touchscreen controllers over IP.