Azden 500UDR User manual

by Carl Mrozek
For many professional
videographers, it’s not
enough simply to have a
wireless mic system. Clients
expect you to have a decent UHF
system and some even expect
you to have a few of them on
hand for their projects.
Unless you are quite a busy
soundperson, it is difficult to
justify owning several top-shelf
UHF wireless systems in addi-
tion to the latest camera pack-
age with extra lenses, lighting
kits and all the accessories.
When it comes to wireless
microphone systems, as with
many other elements of your
production toolbox, “does this
gear serve my purposes and will
it give me enough bang for my
buck?” become key questions.
Azden has built a reputation on
an affirmative response to both
these concerns.
I was interested in testing a
wireless package in the compa-
ny’s performance series of UHF systems,
built around the compact 500UDR
receiver.
FEATURES
Azden’s UHF performance series of
diversity wireless microphone systems
comprises several key components,
including a portable diversity receiver
and two basic types of transmitters: a
compact bodypack transmitter that clips
onto a belt and a standalone capsule that
plugs into the base of a handheld micro-
phone. The latter can be used with any
microphones that have a standard three-
pin XLR plug, while the former comes
with a Sony omni-directional lavalier
microphone with a minifour-pin plug.
The 500UDR is a very compact,
rugged UHF diversity tuner/receiver. The
unit features a crystal-controlled,
PLL-synthesized mixer/local oscil-
lator and a diversity front-end
with twin antennas that reduces
multipath distortion and mini-
mizes dropouts. With the
500UDR, one of nine channels can
be selected from each of seven
groups of frequencies using either
a special key supplied with the
unit, a small screwdriver or blunt-
tipped pocketknife.
The 500UDR measures about
four inches square by about 1.5
inches thick and is encased in a
sturdy, black all-metal chassis,
with BNC-mount antennas. The
unit can be powered for more than
eight hours by six AA batteries,
run from a camera’s DC power
supply or a separate 12 V source.
An LED power indicator glows
bright red when fully powered
and flashes when battery level
begins to drop.
There is also a minijack for a
headset with its own volume con-
trol for monitoring transmitter
output before feeding the camera.
An adjacent LED glows bright red
if the incoming signal exceeds unity. A
separate LED glows green to indicate a
clean signal and identifies the active
antenna.
At 4x2 inches, the 41BT bodypack
transmitter is half the size of the receiv-
er. With a molded-plastic body, it is also
lighter than the all-metal 500UDR
receiver—a belt clip keeps it safe from
most hazards. The 41BT is powered by a
REPRINTED FROM JANUARY 21, 2004 WWW.TVTECHNOLOGY.COM
Copyright 2004 IMAS Publishing (USA), Inc. Reprinted with permission.
Azden’s 500UDR Wireless System
WIRELESS MIC
The author used the Azden 500UDR and associated
transmitter to capture the sound of wild deer.
Photo: Kathy Beck

standard 9 V battery, the life of which
can be extended by frequent use of the
standby switch.
A Sony ECM-44 omni-directional lav
is supplied with the 41BT. The input vol-
ume control dial is hidden inside a tiny,
half-moon hole on the upper side panel
and requires a supplied tool to adjust.
The 41XT mic adapter/transmitter is
a smooth-edged rectangular block, near-
ly four inches long, with a female XLR
jack protruding at one end that trans-
forms low-impedance mics into wireless
mics. As with the body pack, it features
63 user-selectable channels, with LED
indicators for peaking and a power
on/off switch.
There is also a volume
control dial to attenuate
and boost input audio
levels as needed. The
41XT also supplies phan-
tom power to condenser
mics and is powered by a
single 9 V battery.
IN USE
I used the Azden 500
series wireless system
with both the 41BT bodypack transmitter
and the 41XT microphone adapter/trans-
mitter in two different situations. I used
the bodypack in a typical indoor/outdoor
setting while covering a wedding at a
banquet hall, where there were other RF
devices in use.
I also used it to record ambient audio
outdoors at considerably greater dis-
tances to grab audio for video shot with
a telephoto lens. In some of these out-
door situations, extraneous noise levels
ruled out using a camera-mounted shot-
gun microphone.
At the wedding, I used the 41BT with
the Sony lav with a JVC JY-HD10, HDV-
format camcorder to record critical audio
including the vows, receiving line, photo
session, cake cutting and after-dinner
socializing.
The vows posed the greatest chal-
lenge, as I had to shoot from a position
nearly 100 feet away from the bride and
groom, at best through a forest of heads
and at worst through a dense crowd
between the wired couple and myself.
Nevertheless, I generally got relatively
dropout-free reception, which was
cleanest when I had the clearest line-of-
sight transmission path from the wired
groom to the 500UDR on the camera.
The worst reception occurred when the
guests crowded around the newlyweds
as they walked down the aisle after the
ceremony. But, as I had a shotgun mike
plugged into Channel 1 at all times, the
occasional dropouts didn’t mar the final
audio track.
I experienced only sporadic dropouts
the rest of the wedding day, as I stayed
fairly close to the wired groom and
worked to keep a fairly clear line-of-sight
angle on him at all times. Naturally, there
were times when people obstructed him
and the transmitter momentarily, before I
could reposition myself for a clean shot
and to preempt dropouts. All things con-
sidered, dropouts were few and far
between throughout the wedding.
I used the 41XT module outdoors
under different circumstances to capture
ambient audio under conditions where a
shotgun or other camera-mounted
microphone would pick up undesirable
extraneous sounds. When shooting at
full telephoto, the distance was too great
to record subtle sounds like the crunch-
ing of leaves or the grunt of a deer, even
with a highly sensitive shotgun mic.
With the 41XT, I was able to record
the subtle chattering of mallard ducks
and their dabbling in the water for weeds
from nearly a football field away, even in
a light drizzle. I got only sporadic
dropouts at the furthest distance, more
than 200 feet away, when the ducks were
down a short embankment and behind a
wall of boulders from the camera and
receiver. By moving closer to the 41XT
and reducing the obstruction by the
boulders, the dropouts ceased.
The most impressive thing was being
able to virtually eliminate the drone of a
nearby expressway with the 41XT partly
by reducing the input vol-
ume somewhat, then plac-
ing it on the ground,
behind a hefty log facing
away from the highway.
The result was that I was
able to get fairly clean,
useable detailed audio
which would have been
imbued with highway
noise had I used a camera-
mounted shotgun mic.
In another situation, barely one-quar-
ter mile upriver from one of America’s
busiest border crossings (clogged with
two lanes of irritated drivers caught in
the middle of a Code Orange
customs/security crackdown), I was able
to obtain virtually dropout-free ambient
audio of water rumbling over rocks inter-
mingled with the occasional cry of a her-
ring gull or honk of a goose—while more
than a football field away! Moreover, the
audio quality was clear and crisp, perfect
for ambient audio.
The only dropouts occurred when I
blocked the line-of-sight to the trans-
mitter, adjusting the lens in front of the
camera.
I was equally impressed by the range of
subtle, detailed sounds picked up with an
older-style Electro-Voice lav transmitted
via the 41XT when placed on the ground
amidst a herd of grazing white-tailed
deer. I could clearly hear the crunch of
hooves on icy snow, heavy breathing and
even the unmistakable clacking of antler
against antler as two bucks sparred in the
thickening dusk. All came through loud
and clear, even when more than 100 yards
Copyright 2004 IMAS Publishing (USA), Inc. Reprinted with permission. Reprinted from TV Technology
I was impressed with its range
and quality under challenging conditions,
including being stepped on by deer
a couple of times!
Application
EFP and ENG
Key Features
Diversity reception; 63 channels; UHF
Price
$480 (500UDR); $200 (41BT);
$280 (41XT)
Contact
Azden
516-328-7500
www.azden.com
FAST FACTS

away. Moreover, using the 41XT with an
older, semi-directional lav virtually
excluded unwanted noise from a busy
suburban road less than a few hundred
yards beyond.
SUMMARY
After testing Azden’s economical
500UDR wireless microphone system in
a variety of situations, I was impressed
with its range and quality under chal-
lenging conditions—including the 41XT
module being stepped on by deer a cou-
ple of times! The latter could be con-
strued as an apt abuse test for news
applications.
While relatively inexpensive, the lav
supplied with the 500UDR package
(Sony’s ECM-44) passed muster in terms
of basic sound quality, clarity and wide
response range. Without a doubt, even
better quality could be achieved with this
system by substituting any number of
current higher-end microphones.
Transmission and reception quality
was good-to-excellent, with dropouts
occurring in situations where obstruc-
tions abounded—especially at distances
of 100 yards or more. Nevertheless, I got
good dropout performance with clear
ambient audio at more than 125 yards at
times. This makes the Azden 500UDR a
good choice for specialty applications
like wildlife, scenics and stock shots, as
well as less challenging situations with
talent or interviews, especially when at
closer quarters and without barriers in
the transmission path.
The all-metal 500UDR receiver and
41XT transmitter both have the rugged-
ness my applications require. Even the
41BT body pack is sufficiently durable if
used and holstered as intended. The vol-
ume level adjuster for the latter could be
more accessible and user-friendly, as
could the channel-selection dials for all
units.
In short, the 500UDR wireless mic
system delivers plenty of bang for the
buck in terms of performance and dura-
bility, making it suitable for a range of
professional applications from ENG to
special events, sports and wildlife pho-
tography. Moreover, it comes at a price
that could enable independent videogra-
phers pressed to have multiple UHF
wireless systems on hand for a given job
to actually own them, rather than having
to rent them. ■
Carl Mrozek operates Eagle Eye Media
based in Buffalo, N.Y., specializing in
wildlife and other outdoor subjects. His
work appears regularly on the Discovery
Channel, CBS, PBS and other networks.
Contact him at [email protected].
Copyright 2004 IMAS Publishing (USA), Inc. Reprinted with permission. Reprinted from TV Technology