INDIANAPOLIS: Professional Wireless Systems (PWS), a Masque Sound Company, managed RF interference issues and related equipment handling during Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium, which took place in Indianapolis, Feb. 5.
Faced with the clutter of several hundred frequencies in use at the showdown between the New York Giants and New England Patriots, the PWS team employed an arsenal of state-of-the-art gear to make sure the National Anthem, “America the Beautiful,” and half-time extravaganza featuring Madonna all went off without a hitch.
ATK Audiotek subcontracted PWS for the game for the 14th consecutive year. PWS began their work four months prior to the big game, selecting frequencies and submitting them for approval to the Game Day Coordinators (GDC). Tasked with managing frequency coordination, microphones and IEMs for the entertainment segments, Eskew and his team created a flexible frequency plan that would be able to cover the tunable range of the diverse systems, as each performer has preferences and endorsement deals that dictate which make and model wireless systems will be used.“The artist and industry relations folks like Nick Wood at Shure and Tim Moore at Sennheiser bent over backwards to support their artists and equipment,” says Eskew.
What’s more, serving as the overall point of contact for frequency management for ATK, the PWS team worked directly with the GDC’s throughout the event. “The Super Bowl is a much more compressed and busy event. Working closely, in this case, on an 8x12 platform on the side of the field, we managed 110 frequencies.Next to us were coach intercoms, the NBC stage, NFL Films, NFL Network, Westwood One Radio and many other users,” says Eskew.
Shure supplied PWS with its new Axient Wireless Management Network. In addition, UHF-Rs and PSM-1000 series IEMs and 2000 and 3000 series gear from Sennheiser were provided by ATK Audiotek. PWS also premiered its Domed Helical Antenna on the field for the first time since its launch in late 2011.
