Zaxcom RX-8 User manual

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User Manual
Published January 2022
Firmware Version MRX-212
RX-8
The MRX must be running software version 2.12 for the RX-8 to work

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RX-8 RECEIVER.................................................................................................................................. 3
FRONT ......................................................................................................................................................................3
SIDE PANELS .............................................................................................................................................................. 4
HOME SCREEN.................................................................................................................................. 5
MAIN MENU..................................................................................................................................... 6
NAVIGATING THE MAIN MENU .....................................................................................................................................6
EXITING THE MAIN MENU............................................................................................................................................6
FREQUENCY ADJUST....................................................................................................................................................6
Adjusting the receive frequency of the RX-8. .................................................................................................... 6
CENTER FREQUENCY ADJUST ........................................................................................................................................6
FREQUENCY SCAN.......................................................................................................................................................6
Scanning on the RX-8 ......................................................................................................................................... 7
Selecting a frequency......................................................................................................................................... 7
SET BANDWIDTH........................................................................................................................................................ 7
TRANSMITTER GAIN .................................................................................................................................................... 8
UNIT CODE ................................................................................................................................................................ 8
TEST TONE OUTPUT .................................................................................................................................................... 8
EXTENDED MENU ............................................................................................................................. 9
NAVIGATING THE EXTENDED MENU...............................................................................................................................9
EXITING THE EXTENDED MENU .....................................................................................................................................9
MODULATION SELECT..................................................................................................................................................9
SINGLE /DUAL MODE SELECT.......................................................................................................................................9
OUTPUT ROUTER......................................................................................................................................................10
DANTE MODULE ON /OFF ........................................................................................................................................11
DB25 IN-OUT MODE................................................................................................................................................11
DB25 OUTPUTS .......................................................................................................................................................11
ALLOW TRANSMITTER REMOTE SCREENS......................................................................................................................12
RS422 MODE..........................................................................................................................................................12
LED ON /OFF .........................................................................................................................................................12
ENCRYPTION CODE SET..............................................................................................................................................12
Adjusting the encryption code.........................................................................................................................12
PIN CONFIGURATION...................................................................................................................... 13
DB25 .....................................................................................................................................................................13
POWER CONNECTOR DC POWER IN /DC OUT (HIROSE-4 CONNECTOR) ...........................................................................13
SETUP CONFIGURATION ................................................................................................................. 14
ANTENNA CUTTING CHART ............................................................................................................. 15
PRODUCT SUPPORT ........................................................................................................................ 16
SPECIFICATIONS.............................................................................................................................. 17
ZAXCOM WARRANTY POLICY AND LIMITATIONS............................................................................. 19

Zaxcom RX-8 Front Panel
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RX-8 Receiver
Front
1. UHF Antenna Connectors (2) - SMA connectors.
2. Receiver Select keys (8) - Rx keys press to select a receiver. When a receiver is active a bracket will
appear around the display for that receiver.
3. Receiver Status Indicators (8)
Green - Receiver is receiving a valid signal.
Red - Receiver is not getting a valid signal.
4. OLED Displays (4)
5. INC Key - Up key used to increase the parameters of a menu item.
6. Dec Key - Down key used to decrease the parameters of a menu item.
Press and hold the DEC key to access the extended menu.
7. Menu Key - Press to advance to the next menu item.
1 2 3 4 5 / 6 7

Zaxcom RX-8 Side Panels
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Side Panels
1. Dante I/O – RJ45 - The Dante connector allows for with Power Over Ethernet support.
2. DC Power Input - Hirose 4 Pin - The operating voltage of the RX-8 is 8 to 18 DC volts. When connected to
Dante and receiving POE it is not necessary to externally power the RX-8.
3. Time code out - BNC - the RX8 will output timecode when time code is sent on Dante analog audio 4 in.
4. USB -For factory use only WARNING: DO NOT PLUG ANYTHNG INTO THE USB CONNECTOR - YOU CAN
POTENTIALLY DAMAGE THE RX-8.
5. Audio In / Out - DB25 Analog and AES audio out. Audio can be inputted to be sent via Dante.
6. RS422 - For connection to a Camera Link or IFB300 for remote transmitter control.
7. RF Outputs - SMA - The RF out is post the 35MHz filter.
8. Power Switch - Control of the 12-volt input - if power is received via POE the power switch will be overridden.
The two MRX receivers slide into the side of the RX-8. The A receiver goes to in the bottom slot away from the front
panel and the B receiver goes in the top by the front panel. The arrows on the MRX will need to point to the bottom
of the RX-8. Please note if only using 1 receiver it must go in the A slot.
MRX software must be 2.12 to run in the RX-8 / MRX software can not be updated in the RX-8
The back of the RX-8 has a 12 Volt DC output. The RX-8 will output power only when receiving Power Over Ethernet.
Power must be less than 1 amp.

Zaxcom RX-8 Home Screen
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Home Screen
Audio level
Indicates the incoming audio level for each receiver, the meter extends from the left to the right. The two
vertical bars to the right are the -20dBFS and -10dBFS mark.
Transmitter’s battery level
The battery diagram displays the transmitter’s battery level. The battery type being used in the transmitter needs
to be set in the transmitters extended menu. The battery symbol will start to blink just before transmitter shuts
down.
Transmitter’s record status
•S (STOP) The transmitter is stopped.
•R (REC) The transmitter is recording.
•P (PLAY) The transmitter is playing back.
RF signal strength
This shows the radio signal strength of the corresponding transmitter. The RF signal is depicted as a staircase
pattern with the lowest step (low signal strength) on the left and building up as it progresses to the right (higher
signal strength). When more stairs are showing the stronger the signal is.
Receiving antenna
Indicates the signal is being received by antenna 1 (left antenna connector)
Indicates the signal is being received by antenna 2 (right antenna connector)
A
S
BS

Zaxcom RX-8 Main Menu
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Main Menu
Navigating the Main Menu
•Press a RECEIVER key - a bracket will appear around the active receiver.
•To enter the main menu - press and the MENU key.
•To advance to the next menu press the MENU key.
Exiting the Main Menu
•To exit the main menu at any time, press and hold the MENU key for 1.5 seconds.
Frequency Adjust
The frequency select menu is where the receive frequencies are set. These frequencies need to match the
frequencies that are set on the corresponding transmitters.
Adjusting the receive frequency of the RX-8.
•Press the desired RECEIVER key - a bracket will appear around the active receiver.
•Press the INC key and DEC key to adjust the frequency.
•In dual receive mode pressing the RECEIVER key will toggle between the A and B receiver.
The > will indicate the receiver frequency that is being adjusted.
•Please note that all frequencies need to be within the 35MHz range of the front-end filter. If the frequency is out
of range “TOO BIG” or “TOO SMALL” will flash on the screen to warn that the difference is wider than the filter
range and the frequency will need to be adjusted.
Center Frequency Adjust
This where the center frequency of the front-end filter is set. The front-end filter is 35MHz wide so frequencies
17.5MHz above and 17.5MHz below the center frequency will be the operating range of the RX-8. MRX receivers
will need to operate within the set 35MHz window. If the frequencies aren’t within this window the RF
performance will suffer. This menu is only available in the A receiver.
Frequency Scan
An RF scan is initiated from this menu. After the scan is complete a graphical display of the RF that is present will
be shown and the RX-8 will suggest clear frequencies. The frequency can be accepted by pressing the INC key.
Pressing the DEC key will skip the first chosen frequency and the RX-8 will suggest another frequency. Please note
the RX-8 can scan 30 MHz at a time.
Scanning is only available from the A receiver.
CH A > 567.4
CH B 570.0
CENTER FREQ:
550.0 MHZ
PRESS TO SCAN
540.0 TO 570.0

Zaxcom RX-8 Main Menu
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Scanning on the RX-8
•Turn off the transmitter(s).
•Press the INC key to initiate a scan.
Please note the scanning range will be set in the scan bandwidth
menu. So, for example if the scan bandwidth is set to 30MHz the RX-8 will scan 15MHz below and 15MHz
above the center frequency.
•While the RX-8 is scanning, the frequency being examined is displayed on the bottom half of the screen and
a graphic map of the RF that is found will be displayed with a vertical line extending up from the baseline.
The length of the line indicates the level or strength of the found RF at that frequency.
•Pressing the MENU key while scanning will abort the scan.
Selecting a frequency
When the scan is complete a suggested frequency will be shown, and a
vertical blinking line will be drawn on the display.
At that point:
•Press the RX1/2 RECEIVER key to select the desired receiver 1 thru 8.
Please note if single mode on the odd number receiver will be active.
•Press the INC key to accept the frequency.
•Press the DEC key to select another frequency.
The scan results are available as long as there is valid scan data, so this screen can be revisited, and different
frequencies can be chosen. Please note power cycling the RX-8 will clear the scan data.
Set Bandwidth
The scan bandwidth sets how much spectrum the RX-8 will scan below and above the center frequency. So, for
example if the scan bandwidth is set to 30MHz the RX-8 will scan 15MHz below and 15Mhz above the center
frequency. The scan bandwidth can be adjusted from 4 to 30MHz.
SCANNING 568.9
TAKE 618.2 RXA
SCAN BW: 30 MHZ
530.0 TO 560.0

Zaxcom RX-8 Main Menu
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Transmitter Gain
This menu will only appear when allow transmitter remote is turned on in the extended menu.
•Pressing the INC key will remotely increase the gain of the transmitter being received.
•Pressing the DEC key will remotely decrease the gain of the transmitter being received
•When the gain is being adjusted “+++” will appear when the gain is being increased and
“- - - -“ will appear when the gain is being decreased. The gain value of the transmitter will be shown.
•If the receiver is in dual mode press the RX key to select the desired receiver.
Unit Code
This menu will only appear when allow transmitter remote is turned on in the extended menu.
This is where the unit code is set. The unit code needs to match the unit code of the transmitter that the MRX
is receiving. Pressing the RX key will toggle between receivers.
Please note the group code is set on the ZaxNet sending device either a camera link or IFB.
Test Tone Output
From the tone menu a 1K test tone can be enabled. This is used to set levels and check routing.
Pressing the INC and DEC key will cycle through the different tone settings.
•OFF - No tone is being outputted.
•-20dBFS -Tone is simultaneously sent to all 4 outputs at -20dBFS.
•+0dBFS -Simultaneously sends tone to all 4 channels at 0dBFS (full scale).
TX A18
GAIN
RXA > UNIT : 1
RXB UNIT : 2
TONE:
OFF

Zaxcom RX-8 Extended Menu
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Extended Menu
Navigating the Extended Menu
•Press the RECEIVER key for the desired receiver please note the receiver must be in the home screen.
•Press and hold the DEC key for 1.5 seconds to enter the extended menu.
•When in the extended menu, press the MENU key to advance to the next menu.
Exiting the Extended Menu
•To exit the extended menu - press and hold the MENU key then press the INC key.
Modulation Select
Modulation is simply the way a transmitter “modulates”, or sends, its signal to the RX8. This setting needs to
match the modulation mode that the corresponding transmitter is set to - if the two setting do not match the
RX8 will not be able to receive and decode the signal from the transmitter. Please note If the modulation is
changed the RX-8 will need to be rebooted. Mono / XR / stereo, or ZHD96 can be selected.
Single / Dual Mode Select
•SINGLE - Configures two of the four MRX receivers to operate as a single receiver. In single mode the MRX can
receive audio from one transmitter. This mode offers true diversity and will give better transmission reliability.
When in single mode only one frequency can be tuned for each receiver pair.
•DUAL - Configures two of the four MRX receivers to operate as two independent receivers. In dual mode the
MRX can receive audio from two transmitters. In dual mode there are two separate frequencies that are tuned
for each receiver pair.
RX MODE:
SINGLE
RX FORMAT:
MONO XR OR STEREO

Zaxcom RX-8 Extended Menu
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Output Router
This menu is where the routing to the DB25 connector takes place. This menu is only in the A side of the receiver
but will control both the A and B sides of the receiver. Please note that after changing modes it is necessary to
reboot the RX-8.
•Mode 0 AES MONO - Each receiver side (A, B) will receive signal from two mono transmitters. AES audio will
be outputted for each side. When possible, Mode 0 should be used.
•Mode 1 AES STEREO-MONO - The (A)receiver side will receive signal from 1 stereo transmitter and the (B)
receiver side will receive signal from two mono transmitters.
AES audio will be outputted for each side.
•Mode 2 AES STEREO - Each receiver side (A, B) will receive signal from one stereo transmitter.
AES audio will be outputted on each side.
•Mode 3 ANALOG MONO - Each receiver side (A, B) will receive signal from two mono transmitters.
Analog audio will be outputted on each side.
•Mode 4 ANALOG STEREO - Each receiver side (A, B) will receive signal from one stereo transmitter.
Analog audio will be outputted for each side.
•Mode 5 ANALOG STEREO-MONO - The (A) receiver side will receive 1 stereo transmitter and the (B) receiver
side will receive two mono transmitters.
Analog audio will be outputted on each side.
•Mode 6 ANALOG AES, MONO – Each receiver (A, B) side will receive signal from a single mono
transmitter. The audio will be outputted as both a digital and an analog signal simultaneously.
ROUTER MODE: 0
AES MONO-MONO