Signal transmission for the 61ft x 40ft billboard is via W-DMX and entails the deployment of an IP65-rated W-DMX receiver and directional antenna system. These devices are used in conjunction with an ETC Sensor rack, ETC Congo Console and an Alcorn McBride Show Control Unit. Equipment used to illuminate the billboard includes 18 Articulight Spectacolor 600 LEDs, six Martin Architectural Exterior 600 projectors, 48 Permlight ENBS LED Floods and three Rope Lights, among many other fixtures.
The W-DMX installation required a lengthy period of preparation and programming, including the location of an offsite programming post with line of sight to the billboard, some 0.8km away.
“As soon as we had the directional antenna properly aimed toward the other end, the two ends immediately synced up and we had rock solid DMX,” said Kevin Moore, vice-president and owner of Fisher Theatrical. “We put a Lil’ DMXter DMX analyser on the receiving end and ran the link through its paces. Everything was totally rock solid. No dropped frames of DMX, very low jitter. No errors. It was as good or better than a hardwired run of cable.”
“Even being as far away as they were, there were no communication issues with the W-DMX,” Fisher Theatrical president/owner Kacey Fisher told II.
Niclas Arvidsson, founder of Wireless Solution Sweden AB, told II: “Fisher Theatrical did an amazing job to prepare for this project. They did extensive research and testing to be sure the wireless signal would be dependable in the Times Square environment, and it was great for W-DMX to be chosen as the most reliable solution.”
PIC CREDIT: Kacey Fisher
