Audio equipment manufacturer Wisycom supports TV Skyline's audio production at the iconic ADAC 24-Hour Race, contributing to the race's overall sonic success.
In the heart of Germany, the ADAC 24-Hour Race at Nürburgring, one of the world's most legendary racing events, attracted around 300,000 spectators this year. With a race track reaching almost 22 kilometers long and nearly 300 meters in elevation change, the event posed significant logistical and RF challenges for TV Skyline, a leading German broadcast provider supporting high-profile productions across Europe and beyond.
To tackle these challenges, TV Skyline turned to Wisycom, a trusted partner with whom they have a long-standing relationship. The Wisycom system, including MFL fiber links, MRK980 receivers, MTK952 transmitters, MTH400 handhelds, MPR30 IEM belt packs, RPU500 portable transmitters, MCR42 and MCR54 camera receivers, and utilizing Wisycom's unique ISO frequency technology, proved to be the backbone of the very technically demanding production.
The race's environment was particularly hostile to wireless systems, with unpredictable weather, dense crowds, and a tight race environment presenting significant RF and operational hurdles. To address these difficulties, Wisycom’s fiber-based RF system allowed TV Skyline to connect multiple antennas over long distances, effectively creating one large RF zone. This avoided the inefficiency of deploying individual receivers at many locations around the track.
Moreover, Wisycom’s technology managed the notoriously hostile wireless conditions resiliently, providing necessary headroom to handle interference and spectrum unpredictability. The TV Skyline team employed meticulous planning using tools like Google Maps for antenna placement and adapted swiftly to daily changes in broadcast requirements and the RF environment, highlighting the system’s versatility and robustness.
Regarding compatibility, although many competing teams used disparate and sometimes unregulated RF gear, Wisycom’s system proved flexible and robust enough to operate effectively alongside other brands’ equipment without requiring a coordinated RF spectrum, which does not exist officially at the event.
Stefan Thenmayer, Head of Audio at TV Skyline and A1 for the race, praises Wisycom's robust build, stating that it can run without noticeable failure even with small mistakes. Each of the two camera presenters had a sound technician who mixed their respective presenter and guest microphones on location and sent it to the OB van via RPU500.
Wisycom's equipment handled the challenging Nürburgring environment with resilience and headroom, despite the presence of unregulated RF gear from amateur teams. The user interface of Wisycom's system is more advanced than some competing systems, offering more control for complex shows. Additionally, Wisycom offers unique compatibility with handhelds, IEMs, and receivers, as well as analog transmitters from other brands.
In summary, Wisycom's system excelled by using fiber-based RF technology to handle the ADAC 24-Hour Race’s logistical and technical challenges, including a complex and congested wireless environment, and showed strong multi-brand compatibility, making it the ideal solution in one of the world’s most demanding live broadcast settings.
- The Wisycom system, inclusive of MFL fiber links, MRK980 receivers, MTK952 transmitters, MTH400 handhelds, MPR30 IEM belt packs, RPU500 portable transmitters, MCR42 and MCR54 camera receivers, and employing Wisycom's unique ISO frequency technology, was the backbone of the technically demanding ADAC 24-Hour Race production.
- Amidst the challenging Nürburgring environment, characterized by unpredictable weather, dense crowds, and a tight race environment, Wisycom’s technology proved resilient in managing the notoriously hostile wireless conditions, providing the necessary headroom to handle interference and spectrum unpredictability.
- Wisycom's equipment, such as the RPU500, was utilized by each of the two camera presenters at the ADAC 24-Hour Race, with sound technicians mixing their respective presenter and guest microphones on location and transmitting the audio to the OB van.
- In environments where competitors might use disparate and unregulated RF gear, Wisycom’s system demonstrated flexibility and robustness, operating effectively alongside other brands’ equipment without requiring a coordinated RF spectrum.
