Upgraded Firmware Offers Improved Modes of Operation and Increases BeltStation Capacity
Clear-Com®, a global leader in mission-critical voice communication systems, is now shipping worldwide its groundbreaking Tempest®2400 digital wireless intercom with a new firmware update. This update introduces two new modes of operation — Shared Mode and Split Mode — each with appealing feature sets that will improve workflow efficiency, such as the ability to connect an unlimited number of BeltStations to a Tempest2400 BaseStation.
Building upon Tempest’s ability to connect up to 10 BaseStations within the same RF area, the new firmware update gives users the opportunity to combine three different modes of operation to accommodate most production wireless intercom requirements. For example, while the standard Normal Mode allows up to five full duplex BeltStations per BaseStation, the new Shared Mode enables an unlimited number of wireless users on a single base, with any five having the ability to talk at any given time. In Split Mode, users operate in a combination of Normal and Shared Mode.
“We are thrilled to begin shipment of this enhanced version of Tempest,” says Stephen Sanford, Product Manager at Clear-Com. “Already a breakthrough product, these upgrades bring this product family to the next level in its evolution. The Tempest system is known for its superior range and performance, even in the face of significant interference, and now we are able to open up the roadmap to the future for our customers, giving them an unprecedented amount of increased capacity on this system. And by doing so, we’re also improving the efficiency of their workflows.”
In addition to the new firmware enhancements, Tempest, now available in two- and four-channel versions, continues to offer users unprecedented access to license-free communications. Utilizing patented Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum radio technology to ensure robust, reliable communications, the Tempest system operates license-free in the 2.4 GHz band worldwide, allowing interference-free communications even in environments heavily populated by other RF devices. While Tempest operates in the same unlicensed spectrum as WiFi (802.11b/g), its unique RF design allows it to utilize the entire available spectrum over time, while using only a very narrow portion of the spectrum at any one moment. This narrow band hopping technology complements WiFi’s wideband RF signature. With today’s professional broadcast studios and arenas inherently packed with WiFi devices, Tempest’s superior technology allows the system to coexist comfortably with WiFi, providing greater range and performance for customers than competing products.
Tempest also offers users tremendous flexibility, providing the same robust RF performance in all types of production environments, indoors and outdoors. Proprietary 2xTx redundant audio transmission technology built into the Tempest system also ensures that all information broadcast via the digital wireless intercom system is sent over two different frequencies at two different times. As the frequencies are separated into two different parts of the 2.4 GHz band, the robust Tempest system ensures that at least one of the signals will pass through an interference-free area of the spectrum.
Tempest also frees up much needed UHF space. Replacing previous intercom systems with Tempest and transferring communications out of the UHF space and into the 2.4 GHz band frees up additional space for wireless devices, giving users ultimate spectrum efficiency. Further, unlike older analog UHF systems, Tempest does not require frequency coordination. This allows customers to use the system for live broadcasts in venues all over the world without the complexity and additional cost of site surveys and intermodulation calculations.
Finally, the Tempest BeltStation’s user interface operates similarly to a wired beltpack, allowing even a first-time user to quickly understand and operate one. Users do not require additional RF expertise, so even crew members unfamiliar with RF technology can use the system quickly and efficiently. Combined with the Tempest’s unique RF design and ease of use, the Tempest BeltStation adds further value to users of this system working in any location or venue around the globe.