Sennheiser G3 and G4 SMA Antenna Mod
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- čas přidán 5. 08. 2024
- Interested in adding an SMA based antenna to your Sennheiser G3 or G4 transmitter or receiver ? Check the best way to do it, which SMA connectors are the right ones to use for the fastest, simplest and safest conversion.
Intro 0-1:00
Tools 1:00-2:30
Doing the mod:
How to open up a unit and remove the stock antenna 2:31-5:22
Which SMA connector to use 5:22-6:34
Modding the SMA connector safely to fit the case 6.43-7:16
Which Wire to use for antenna connection 7:16-8:20
Making the SMA connector and installing it 8:20-13:00
Close13:00 - Jak na to + styl
Great lil mod man.. really makes them super robust!
Terrific mod, thanks Steve.
This is fantastic, thanks so much for this very clear video. I actually have a tip for you- the little pin that holds the battery door goes in much easier if you close the door first. Best, Jeff
Mahalo from Maui, very clear overview of techniques & tools required.
thanks ! HI is great !
I look for this for a long time ago . Thanks máster. 🙏
Thanks so much for this video. It was super helpful. I just modded 6 units.
Johnathan would you link me to where you bought the connectors and antennas? I have 4 units to mod.
@@gsixx8fpv499 any link?
Awesome video thanks
This was great help and thank you. Just easily and successfully executed per these methods. One small possible update I don't see mentioned anywhere. on my G4 IEM receiver there is a small piece of black 'tape' at top of the battery section that holds the two case sections together after the four outside case screws are removed. It vexed me for a minute why the two halves would not separate as easily as I have seen here and elsewhere. A little looking and I found the tape. Probably as much a tamper indicator as actually practical as it does not easily peel, but flakes off. I simply took a sharp point x-acto knife and scored the seam and it then easily separated. I also did not have to separate the two circuit boards, it was very easy to work around the antenna solder point with them intact. The antenna length, per the frequency chart on the Remote Audio AMSNA for my A1 range (470-516 mhz) ended up noticeably longer (+/- 3/4"/2cm) then the OEM, which surprised me. And the frequency bands on the cut chart overlapped in ranges to the Sennheiser full range so I opted for the longer to start. I am no whiz with this part of thing so I welcome any advice.
thanks for some good new info on the tape ! mabye they saw this video ;). as for anntena length I'd go long for a reciever and not worry about it that much. I'd almost make a bet that for distance the longer one will work better just because its getting a tiny more bit of signal, even if its not 1/4 wave. I wouldn't expect more than a few feet difference when working at the fringe of reception. be a good test to do :)
@@thedp Thank you
Amazing！THX
Hey Steve. Funny, I'm currently working on a very similar video. I did see the other videos out there before I made my mods, but I hadn't found yours until today. Good call on the SMA CHASSIS mount adapters as the others with the pin inside can get pushed out. The other videos do not mention this at all and don't show how they secure the pin from getting pushed out when you insert an antenna. I will be redoing the ones that I already did with the Chassis mount. Thanks for the heads up and I'll be linking your video as well to my description. (btw. I stumble upon your channel because I just ordered the SLR MicroPrimes and it's been difficult finding reviews of these lenses.)
thanks. the pin should have small barbs on it that grab the plastic its pushed into. over time they may come loose, or if you don't push the pin in all the way they will slip back out.
Yeah, it kind of stays in, but I can't trust it on a professional setting. Your suggestion to use the Chassis mount is terrific.
I applied Loctite around the cable, inside the inner and back part of the connector, it was enough to secure the cable and the soldered center pin in place when the antenna is connected.
Hello do you have a link to the proper SMA connectors to buy as I am in Canada and was supplied the wrong cheap SMA connectors for this mod
Links to all the products and parts used here would be helpful
RS Stock No.:
512-0036
Mfr. Part No.:
1-1478966-0 is what you need
Seriously
Great video. To the point and clearly shown steps. Definitely gonna do this to several units. Want to hook up a shark fin. New to that but always learning and growing. Could you be so kind to give me a quick break down of what I'll need to hook up to the Sennheiser fin? Also, where do you recommend buying the new antennas after doing this mod? Much thanks!!! Subscribed!
antennas came from Trew audio nashville. you would think they would be easy to find but only one option in ebay and I didn't like it because it had a big base, but it works. You can mess with getting SMA M connectors for cables, try steel with nylon jacket, but for the time and effort to get the parts, easier to just buy the right ones even if they seem pricey for what they are, its still cheaper in the end.
@@thedp Steve, Thank you so much for this guide. Wondering if you trim antennas to length? If so, by calculation or by tuning with a device? I know some people use NanoVNA to accurately tune replacement antenna length since Trew/Remote Audio whips are stock and can be trimmed to size.
@@ArturoBandiniduccio on RX antenna length isn't that critical in actual experience. as for TX, you trim for the middle freq of the tx's range generally. its really not that critical in actual use. Its not like if you are off by 5-10% that your range goes to nothing. you have far more to worry about from things like a person's body soaking up the RF, all the other usual RF problems than if the antenna is a mm or two long or short. it doesn't matter that much in normal circumstances. if you are on the edge of getting a signal due to distance, then maybe you get another few meters with better tuning, but more RF out will work better.
thank you for the video, very helpful, have you tried modding the Sonys UWP-D series?
sorry no, never even opened one up
Great mod vid. Once you have SMA connectors can you connect to antenna distribution? Sorry, don’t know much about how that all works...
yes ! part of why I did this was to use either omni med gain or directional anntena. you still need to deal with properly splitting or DAing the RF but there are plenty of OTS solutions for that. The pain part is getting the right SMA connectors with the right pin or hole combo... hint get a couple of adapters because the wires often have the wrong ends or combos compared to everything else you have.
Do you have a recommendation for rechargeable batteries for the Senn G3 G4?
I've been getting interference and I am thinking it could be due to using 1.2 V rechargeable batteries. Thanks!
unless your batteries at running at near dead voltage levels, its very very unlikely they have anything to do with it. panasonic eneloops are the best, batteries plus house brand I used for years. pretty much stay away from no name batteries, or energizer / duracell which are generally crap. I think they are designed to work poorly so people go back to non-rechargables. interferecne means you need to scan up clean freqs, not be on freqs that intermodulate ( use the same ch's within preset groups ) , may need to separate any TX that are within 6-12" of RX
Hi Steve! With the SMA connector, can i further split them two 2 SMA, then convert to BNC and connect to my Directional Antenna A and B? Does it work that way? Or just single side antenna without splitter?
generally speaking a passive 2 way split is ok because a higher gain antenna makes up the difference. ebay has decent splitters for the freq range for reasonable. might even find one with BNC on input side, but if not then BNC->SMA adapter or change the wire out to a BNC->SMA. try to keep the wires as short as reasonable possible but don't worry about a 6" difference if a slightly longer wire will work better in your setup.
@@thedp hey, thanks for the reply and tutorial. I've ordered my parts through Taobao and installed perfectly on my G4s. Found couple SMA>BNC converters, havent got to test with my RF VENUE DFIN Antenna yet.
Hi Steve, thanks for this. I change many antennas on my G2, G3 and G4 100 and 500 Rx and Tx packs but now I want to do a SMA Mod to my EW DP. Its a little bit harder so I took 6 of them to a Sennheiser repair center to get it done but I was told after they attempted the mod the range dropped 30 to 40%. I cant imagine this. any thoughts? Mark
hi. that makes no sense outside of a couple possibilities : they really got the antennea way too short, bad antennea, bad solder joints. if anything range slightly improved. I do know a lot of people have done this mod and they've all been happy.
Thanks for your video. Does it applies for the g2 units?
I haven't had a G2 apart, but they should be about the same inside.
How i can add a directional antenna to the SMA mode . Do i need a combiner or just a splitter ? Thank you
BNC->SMA adapter. don't need anything unless you are trying to run multiple units, then you need splitter. if the split is more than 2 consider an active splitter or higher gain antena to make up for the splitter loss.
Great video. Would love to see link to where you bought the parts.
ebay. sorry no links. I had amazon aff deal but they canceled it like 30 days in just as I was really getting links into things. they were way too quick to kill aff's off who aren't instant sales.
Would you be able to link us for where to buy these parts reliably?
ebay
@@thedp Hi, it's not that easy to find it on eBay.. :/ Do you have any link please ?
@@Sky3RN go to ebay, type in "sma female mount" and maybe10 down, 10 for $7. www.ebay.com/itm/124187488101?hash=item1cea26af65:g:SQMAAOSwEiNgPapP
🌞 Is that antenna and procedure also good for the G2 version?
should be as they are mostly identical inside
Where did you get the antenna from?
good question. you would think ebay for simple cheap SMA antenna but not the case. in the end I got them from Trew Audio nashville.
How do I get an already cut sma connector so I can simply solder it into my g3 and g4 mics. I am in Uganda and don't have all the tools and don't wanna mess using a file to grind down on the connector. I would be glad to buy the connectors from someone who's already ground them down to fit into my receivers and transmitters. I need about 8 pairs. Thanks lots for the help.
sorry no idea. its really not hard or super precise to do.
Hellow dear. How to make antenna? And from what? Or You use assembled antenna? Thank's
I bought the antennas from TrewAudio.com. its possible to make them with SMA connector + steel spring wire or stiff cable if you are willing to mess around.
Hello, the video is very interesting. I wanted to know, can antennas be made with coaxial cable?
no. the shield would block the signal from the antenna - center, and these connectors aren't designed to flip the signal around. technically you could use the shield itself but that could cause other problems although senn does use the mic cable shield as second antenna for its diversity design.
@@thedp I understand. So if I wanted to make an antenna for this type of system, what material would I have to use?
@@sebashidalgo9320 some folks have found wound (stainless ?) steel wire with insulation of a gauge that would fit the SMA's. I suppose a gtr string with shirnk wrap could also work. looking for more of a spring steel wire. IMO, after also looking around it was a a very limited results search that took a lot of time to not really find what I wanted, or if I did it was a 250' or 1000' spool making the ideal material not economically feasable. in the end it was cheaper to get a dozen premade antennas. surprisingly last time I looked on ebay I only found one SMA correct connector right length antenna. bought it but it had large base which wasn't ideal for for tx. maybe if you look now there might be a cheap option, but in the end, unless you are talking about making a 100+ antennas its cheaper, simpler, easier to just get a few premade ones for $25 or so ea.
Hi Steve, nice and detailed video. Could you by any chance link your chassis mount connectors you used?
thanks. ebay "SMA chassis mount" and went with US based seller that had 10 pack. used them all up. buying single pieces 2 will buy you 10 in bulk packs.
What if the constant screwing on off of the antenna creates an elongated hole where you mounted the SMA
it won't. really it won't. the reason it won't is because the SMA connector is tight and not moving around at all.
@@thedp czcams.com/video/fI7bMmSYJSA/video.html
I had this done for my boss, who provides my equipment and it is much worse than before. What could be the issue? :/
Hi. hard to repair somethng via remote, but 3 guesses : bad mod due to cold solder joint, shorted connection, bad antenna
after i do that kind of modification on my g4 unit, can o use it with a combiner and shark fin antena ?
yes ! any external setup will work
@@thedp and the increase you said on the 10% is just with changing the small antenna ?
@@ManOfDecay yes a small improvement.
Does anyone know who can do this for my G3 receivers located in the Uk or anyone selling any modded ones ?
I sold off a couple last year that were used in the video actually.
hi guys, I want to buy all the parts you use can you gave me the link, thanks
sorry no. for a while I had affiliate status with a vendor or two but gone. just search ebay, they are easy to find.
Would you do this mod for others for a rate?
maybe. if it was several units I could consider it. not sure whats a reasonable rate and making it worth while
@@thedp $80 a pop?
@@jamieandrei hmmm. contact me offline.
Hello Steve, this is something I'd want to do for my G3 units but finding the right SMA connector is important. I found this one on eBay that resembles the one you have. What do you think? Here's the link: www.ebay.com/itm/1-x-SMA-Female-Bulkhead-Solder-panel-mount-straight-RF-Connector-Adapter-One-USA/131084902680?hash=item1e8544e118:g:IncAAOxy4XNSTBpf
Also, the whip antenna is something I can purchase from B&H if I tell them what frequency band I need? Thanks.
Hi - that SMA looks right. antennas all come long, trim to length. Trew Audio for antennas. Support small biz !
@@thedp Thanks Steve for your quick reply, be safe, be well.
Can we talk sir
sure