Colombia's Caracol TV Taps Clear-Com Tempest2400 for Broadcast Opps

Broadcaster Impressed by Tempest2400’s Ease of Use and Lack of RF Interference

Clear-Com®, a global leader in critical voice communication systems, is pleased to announce that Caracol TV, Colombia’s number-one television broadcaster, has made the Clear-Com Tempest®2400 digital wireless intercom its communications system of choice. Tempest2400’s ability to provide reliable, flexible and interference-free communications has added tremendous efficiency to the overall production workflow at Caracol TV, enabling production staff to coordinate the channel’s numerous programming offerings with greater ease.

Caracol TV’s busy production staff, which handles a heavy daily programming slate of news and game shows, sporting events and telenovelas (Spanish-language soap operas), cannot afford to lose time to resolving communication challenges. These issues arise when an intercom drops audio or experiences RF interference from other devices operating in the studio or field. That’s why the broadcaster turned to the Tempest2400, which features state-of-the-art 2xTX Transmission Voice Data Redundancy. This sends each packet of audio data twice on different frequencies and through different antennas, ensuring uninterrupted audio communications. In addition, the Tempest2400 is designed with Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (FHSS) technology, which utilizes a narrow band signal that is continually changing frequencies to cut through RF noise and interference.

“We were using a wireless intercom from a different provider, and had a lot of problems with interference,” says Caracol TV Audio Department Chief, Juan Pablo Cañizares. “When we bought the Tempest2400, I just plugged it in and it worked beautifully. It completely solved the interference problem. We liked it so much that we purchased four two-channel versions in addition to the four-channel version that we already had. Also, I like that it has multiple channels, as it allows us to designate one channel for audio, another for lighting and so forth.”

Other features of the Tempest2400 system that makes it ideal for Caracol TV include its stage announce with relay closure function and its ability to integrate seamlessly with the broadcaster’s existing wired intercom systems. The stage announce with relay closure function enables staff members to talk over the Caracol TV PA system through a Tempest2400 BeltStation. The Tempest2400 is also able to connect with the broadcaster’s wired intercom in its main studio and production truck, adding more communications capability for the production team. The Tempest2400 works well outdoors just as it does indoors, which is especially useful for Caracol TV’s broadcasts of Latin American soccer games.

“We’re proud that such a prestigious Latin American broadcaster as Caracol TV has chosen to use Clear-Com’s Tempest2400,” says Jaz Wray, Regional Sales Manager, Southwestern USA and Latin America, Clear-Com. “Tempest was specifically designed with the needs of such a broadcaster in mind.  We understand when it comes to the hectic pace of a popular broadcast network, they do not have spare time to manage RF interference issues.  Caracol TV joins a growing list of Tempest users in Colombia and we look forward to assisting the broadcaster with its professional intercom needs for many years to come.”