With all of the changes that the 600 MHz band has been going through with the FCC Auction, I have been doing a lot of RF Coordination over the last month or so. Because it is such a misunderstood area, I thought I would make a video from start to finish of how I coordinate wireless using the RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer, Touchstone Pro Spectrum Software, and Shure Wireless Workbench 6.

1. Wireless Workbench Software
2. Shure Wireless Sm58
3. Shure Workbench Download
4. Shure Wireless Workbench Manual
5. Wireless Workbench 6 Download
6. Shure Wireless Microphone Systems

Shure Wireless Workbench Software. Wireless Workbench ® (WWB) is free device management, coordination, and monitoring software that helps RF coordinators, touring, broadcast, theater and house of worship audio professionals manage everything from pre-show planning to frequency coordination, live channel monitoring, and post-performance analysis.

• Editor’s Note: For the uninitiated, Wireless Workbench 6 (WWB6) is designed to offer total control of networked Shure wireless systems to provide an interface to manage every facet.
• Download Scan Viewer for macOS 10.9 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. ‎This application quickly displays REScanData + SHURE Wireless Workbench 6 scan data files. Scan Viewer can:. Display multiple scan data sets. Zoom into the scan data set & navigate easily. Change the color of a scan data set. Calculate a combined plot of.
• Wireless Workbench 6 from Shure is designed to manage every facet of wireless system performance, from pre-show planning to live channel monitoring.
• Start Wireless Workbench software and use Inventory view to see devices connected to the network. Find the IP address from one of the devices on the network and see if you can ping it from the computer running Wireless Workbench. From a WINDOWS/MAC command prompt, type ‘ping IPADDRESS’ of the device (e.g. 'ping 192.168.1.100').

If you want to go directly to the YouTube Video, click here!

RF Explorer Spectrum Analyzer

I have written about this before with my post about Inexpensive RF Spectrum Analyzers, and the RF Explorer still is one of my favorite simple spectrum analyzers that you can find. Easily found on Amazon there are a few models that I recommend:

This is the base model, costs $139 and has a workable range from 240 MHz to 960 MHz which covers the main set of frequencies that popular wireless microphone systems and wireless in-ear monitor systems use.

This is the upgraded model for $269 and has a workable range from 15 MHz to 2.7 GHz. This covers all of the usable RF spectrum for our wireless products from VHF, UHF, 900 MHz and WiFi.

The RF Spectrum Analyzer

Just like an RTA for Audio, the spectrum analyzer for RF does just that, it is an RTA for radio frequencies instead of audio.

We are able to visually see what wireless frequencies are being used by television stations, wireless microphones, wireless in-ear transmitters, or other wireless products. Using this equipment is vital to making an informed decision as to where to put your wireless channels for your church, venue, or band.

Touchstone Pro

Touchstone Pro is an RF Spectrum Analyzer Software which works with RF Explorer as well as the RTL-SDR dongle which you can get for less than $30.

This program can scan the bandwidth that you want and then you can export a file which can import directly into Shure Wireless Workbench which we will use to coordinate the wireless. There are a lot of other features to this program like monitoring frequencies that you specify, however, my main use of this program is to export a trace into Shure Wireless Workbench 6.

This program is available for both Mac OS X & Windows. (at the time of this post, it is $49)

Shure Wireless Workbench 6

This is the main program that I do all of my RF coordination in. With the RF Explorer analyzer and Touchstone Pro, I am able to export the trace as a .csv and import that into Shure Wireless Workbench 6 as a scan file. I can then make informed decisions as to where to place my microphones.

Now Shure Wireless Workbench 6 (WWB6 from here on out) is a FREE program that you can get directly from Shure HERE. There is a version for both Mac OS X and Windows. The great thing about the program is that it not only has wireless information for mostly all of Shure’s products, but it also has Sennheiser and Lectrosonics products. If you don’t see one of your products, you can create a product and input the RF datapoints to have WWB6 integrate that as well.

RF Coordination from Start to Finish

Okay, here it is! The full RF Coordination for a church from start to finish and where I typically do the scans.

Now, I do need to point out that RF Coordination is so much more than just setting frequencies, you do need to make sure all of the infrastructure of the equipment is set up correctly, gain’s are set correctly at powered antennae, connections are wired correctly, correct antennae are used in the system. But half the battle is setting where your channels are located because even with the infrastructure set up correctly, if you place your wireless in the wrong spot, it just plain won’t work!

As we travel through the grace period with the FCC auction of the 600 MHz spectrum, I will make sure to keep posting about RF, and please if there is something I can answer about RF, post below!

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Wireless Workbench Software

Version 6.14.0

***** Update — February 10, 2021 *****

Version 6.14.0.186 is now available.

Shure Wireless Sm58

Improvements:

• Fixed an issue where certain date/time settings on a computer would invalidate scan file importing.
• Fixed an issue where the application was waiting for internet connection in order to import frequency list of spectrum scan data from AXT600 or P10T.
• Fixed an issue where some legacy TTi PSA2701 scan files would sometimes fail to import due to extra or missing characters.

If you have version 6.14.0.182 installed (as indicated on the splash screen during launch and on the About screen), please visit the WWB product page on Shure.com to download the latest version.

*****

New Features

• Added support for creating up to twelve custom Compatibility Profiles for any Equipment Profile.
  • Create from a new profile from scratch or duplicate an existing profile. Modify filter and spacing parameters. Export profiles to share with your team. Deploy frequencies to online or offline equipment in the inventory, even when they use custom Compatibility Profiles.
  • Improved Equipment Profile dialog with graphical user interface.
  • Coordination Workspace (CWS) files created in previous versions of the application are automatically converted upon import but must be saved using this version so that conversion is not required again.
• Added support to import third-party scan files generated by TTi, RF Explorer, and WinRadio scanners, and Sennheiser receivers.
  • Additional support for multi-sweep scan files from RF Explorer.
  • Continued support for importing scan data in .CSV and .TXT files where the data consists of frequency (decimal notation in MHz) and amplitude (decimal notation in dBm), separated by a comma.

New Device and Frequency Band Support

• Added support for viewing Q5X transmitter side-channel data in Axient Digital channel strips.
• Added support for new Shure frequency bands:
  • BLX G18 | 470.000 – 494.000 MHz
  • BLX L27 | 674.000 – 698.000 MHz
  • SVX G21 | 480.000 MHz – 492.000 MHz
  • SVX G22 | 492.000 – 504.000 MHz
  • SVX L21 | 630.000 – 642.000 MHz
  • SVX L22 | 642.000 – 654.000 MHz
  • SVX L24 | 666.000 – 678.000 MHz
  • SVX L25 | 686.000 – 698.000 MHz

Coordination

• Updated the offline TV channel database for the following countries:
  • Australia – now includes VHF data
  • Hungary – post-700 MHz clearance
  • Germany – updated effective radiated power (ERP)
  • United States – post-600 MHz transition
• Fixed an issue where changes to the AXT600 Spectrum Manager scan settings were not affecting the device.
• Fixed an issue where the Effective Bandwidth Filter plot overlay was not updating after a custom Equipment Profile was edited and the frequency was removed and re-added to the Coordination Workspace (CWS).
• Fixed an issue where the Select All/Deselect All control in the Scan Sources table was being applied to all possible scan sources, even if the list was filtered using the search bar.
• Fixed an issue where the Coordination Workspace (CWS) plot was sometimes visually squashed after navigating to away from the Frequency Coordination tab, changing the size of the application window, and then returning to the Frequency Coordination tab.

Timeline

• Updated the default Timeline filename to include the date and time it was started instead of the time it was stopped.
• Fixed an issue so that Timeline files that are recovered after a crash now include the Timeline view name in the filename.
• Fixed an issue where Mini-Timeline widgets cannot be added to monitor views in certain scenarios.

General

Shure Workbench Download

• Supported on macOS 11.0 Big Sur. (Please note that support for Apple computers with M1 chips are not yet supported).
• Improved user interface for AD610 and AXT610 ShowLink access point properties panels.
• Improved user interface for AXT600 Spectrum Manager properties panels.
• Fixed an issue where the application sometimes crashed in the background when attempting to change an IP address while the application was already trying to close.
• Fixed an issue where devices on separate subnets of a network configured for multicast traffic would be discovered inconsistently. It is also recommended to use the Remote Device Connection feature to manage cross-subnet communication.
• Fixed an issue where the link icon for ShowLink-capable transmitters is sometimes not visible in the corresponding receiver’s properties panel.
• Fixed an issue where scans can be started or stopped when the application is in Monitor Only Mode.
• Fixed an issue where ShowLink status was not presented in monitor widgets in certain scenarios.
• Fixed an issue where the Settings Conflict dialog was not triggered for Axient Digital and Axient receivers at the time a Show File was loaded if the receiver was simultaneously experiencing interference.
• Fixed various minor user interface issues to improve text visibility.

Known Issues

Shure Wireless Workbench Manual

• ULX-D receivers running firmware version 2.0.28 or earlier may trigger a Settings Conflict when rediscovered after updating their firmware to version 2.1 or later. There is no issue with the device—there was simply a new property added in version 2.1. To dismiss the alert, resolve the Settings Conflict by selecting the properties you wish to keep.
• The Timeline System Event “Active Transmitter Online” for ULXD6/8 transmitters does not always include Transmitter Device ID in the event description.
• Mac computers with i5 processors running Timeline may experience an application crash after an indeterminate period of time. A resolution is being investigated.
• SLX and ULX frequencies in Master List mode cannot be manually entered in the Coordination Workspace. They can, however, be coordinated and analyzed.

Wireless Workbench 6 Download

Notes

Shure Wireless Microphone Systems

• To operate Wireless Workbench successfully, you must run it as an administrator. This includes when updating from within the application using version 6.13.1 or prior. Consult your IT department if you have questions about enabling administrator permissions on your computer.
• Opening show files created with older versions of Wireless Workbench may result in the Settings Conflicts dialog opening once the file has loaded. This is due to newly supported hardware parameters that have been introduced with updated firmware versions. To maintain all settings from the show file, select 'Keep all settings from: Wireless Workbench.'
• Alerts logged when devices first come online may list device parameters and their values as they are being discovered even though the parameter values themselves have not changed.