Lectrosonics Long Ranger IV User Manual
Long Ranger 4
Portable Wireless Sound System
INSTRUCTION MANUAL
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Rio Rancho, NM, USA
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Long Ranger 4
Contents
General Technical Description ..............................................................................................................................................................3
Rechargeable Batteries and External Power Sources ........................................................................................................................3
Controls and Functions .........................................................................................................................................................................4
Control Panel ........................................................................................................................................................................................4
Front Panel............................................................................................................................................................................................5
System Setup.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Initial Equipment Adjustments.............................................................................................................................................................. 6
M175 Controls and Functions ...............................................................................................................................................................8
MIC JACK .............................................................................................................................................................................................8
POWER ON/OFF.................................................................................................................................................................................. 8
BATTERY INDICATOR LAMP...............................................................................................................................................................8
MIC LEVEL ADJUST ............................................................................................................................................................................8
AUDIO SWITCH....................................................................................................................................................................................8
M175 Battery Replacement.................................................................................................................................................................... 8
H187 Controls and Functions................................................................................................................................................................8
POWER ON/OFF.................................................................................................................................................................................. 9
BATTERY POWER LED .......................................................................................................................................................................9
LEVEL CONTROL ................................................................................................................................................................................9
H187 Battery Replacement ..................................................................................................................................................................10
Using Additional Speakers ..................................................................................................................................................................10
Adding a Second Wireless Channel to your Long Ranger ...............................................................................................................11
Initial Adjustments to the Add-On Receiver System.........................................................................................................................12
Special Note to Dual Channel Users...................................................................................................................................................12
Multiple Long Ranger Systems ...........................................................................................................................................................13
Microphone Choices ............................................................................................................................................................................14
Accessories and Replacement Parts..................................................................................................................................................15
Troubleshooting....................................................................................................................................................................................16
Symptom Possible Cause.......................................................................................................................................................................16
Service and Repair ...............................................................................................................................................................................17
Returning Units for Repair......................................................................................................................................................................17
LECTROSONICS, INC. 2
General Technical Description
Portable Wireless Sound System
The standard Long Ranger Portable Wireless Sound
System consists of a combination wireless receiver/amplifier/speaker with a rechargeable battery pack, a beltpack or plug-on transmitter and a microphone. Optional
microphones, extension speakers and add-on equipment for a second wireless channel are available.
The Long Ranger features a VHF wireless microphone
system with a transmitter-to-receiver operating range of
up to 750 feet. The receiver is designed for high selectivity to prevent interference from other transmitted radio
signals. The system is designed and constructed for
rigorous portable use with the antenna integrated into
the horn speaker to eliminate damage.
The Long Ranger will operate from 8 to 12 hours
from the “on-board” rechargeable battery pack before
recharging is necessary. The actual operating time is
dependent upon the type of usage... intermittent or continuous. The unit can also be operated from an external
12 Volt DC source or an AC wall outlet.
The amplifier produces 33 Watts, RMS, into the 8 Ohm
horn speaker. The sound output will cover an area the
size of a football field under average outdoor conditions.
Several Long Rangers can be easily connected together to provide even greater area coverage.
Rechargeable Batteries and External Power Sources
The built-in battery pack in the Long Ranger is charged
by plugging the DCR15/2AU charger into the jack
labeled DCR15/2AU CHARGER on the control panel.
Connect the charger into a standard 110 or 220 Volt AC
outlet. (The DCR15/2AU charger can be operated from
110/220V, 50/60Hz.) The green lamp beneath the jack
will light as long as the batteries are charging. When
the batteries are almost completely charged the green
charging light will go out. You may leave the charger
plugged in after the green light has gone out with no
danger of damage to the system. In fact, we recommend charging the system whenever it is not in use,
then the system will always be “ready to go.”
The DCR15/2AU charger can charge the batteries in as
little as 2 1/2 hours. If the unit is completely run down, it
may require as much as 6 hours to fully charge the batteries. Leave the charger plugged in at least until the
green lamp below the CHARGER jack goes out.
(NOTE: In the case of severely discharged batteries
(this can happen if the Long Ranger has been left on
constantly for several months), it may be necessary to
charge the unit for a much longer time. Up to 10 days
charge time is not uncommon in these circumstances.)
The DCR15/2A charger is capable of charging the batteries and running the Long Ranger in normal operation
at the same time. The time required to fully recharge
that batteries will be longer if the unit is being used
while charging the battery pack.
CAUTION : USE ONLY THE SUPPLIED
DCR15/2A CHARGER. DO NOT USE THE
OLDER CH40 CHARGER IN THE NEW LONG
RANGER 4. THE CH40 WILL NOT CHARGE THE
BATTERIES IN THE LONG RANGER 4 AND WILL
BE DAMAGED IF USED.
The Long Ranger can be operated from an external 12
Volt DC source such as an automobile battery or, most
commonly, from the cigarette lighter receptacle in your
vehicle. To use an external power source it must be
connected into the 12V DC POWER INPUT jack on the
Long Ranger front panel.
CAUTION: Make sure you comply with the polarity
markings on the jack. The correct plug for making
the co nnection is a Radio Shack 274-1567 size K
coaxial DC power plug. Radio Shack also stocks
cigarette lighter plugs (with built-in fuse) and cords
to construct a suitable assembly
Rio Rancho, NM 3
Long Ranger 4
Controls and Functions
Control Panel
Wireless Microphone Volume
Turns unit power on and off and also functions as the
volume control for the internal wireless receiver.
POWER A red LED that lights when unit power is on.
RF
A green LED that lights when the companion transmitter is turned on and there is sufficient signal for good
system operation. Internal circuits monitor both signal
level and interference levels and decide if the transmitted signal is strong and “clean” enough for satisfactory
operation. If not, the green RF LED will go out and the
receiver will mute the audio (“squelch”), turning off the
sound output. This action is automatic and requires no
user adjustment.
Mod Level
The red and green MOD LEVEL LEDs continuously indicate the modulation level (audio level) of the received
signal from the transmitter and are used when making
initial adjustments to the transmitter.
MIC
This connector is a standard 1/4” phone jack and is
used for plugging in the cord from a low impedance
dynamic microphone.
Line
This mini jack is used for connecting high level, high impedance outputs from tape decks or other amplifiers. It
also may be used for connecting the “earphone” output
from portable cassette players.
Auxiliary Input Volume
Adjusts the volume of the MIC and LINE inputs.
Aux In/Out
An RCA phono jack that functions both as a line level
input and line level output. This “omnibus” jack is
primarily used for interconnecting several Long Rangers together for simultaneous operation. This jack can
also be used with a tape deck to either record from or
play back into the Long Ranger. When used with a tape
deck or other audio source, the sound output level must
be controlled by the volume control on the tape deck
since there is no volume control on the Long Ranger for
the AUX IN/OUT jack. When an external device is connected to this jack, the loudness of the Long Ranger will
usually be reduced.
DCR15/2AU Charger
A special jack used for connecting the charger when
charging the battery pack. The green LED located
under the jack lights when the batteries are charging.
This LED automatically goes out when the batteries are
almost fully charged.
Figure 1 - Long Ranger 4 Control Panel
12V DC Output
A special jack used to supply power to the Add-On
receiver when that option is installed.
LECTROSONICS, INC. 4
Front Panel
12V DC
EXT POWER
12V DC Ext Power
A special jack used to connect an external 12 Volt DC
source to the unit to substitute for the “on-board” battery pack. It is most commonly used for connecting the
Long Ranger to a vehicle cigarette lighter or 12V DC
auxiliary receptacle. When an external power source
is connected to this jack, the on-board battery pack is
automatically disconnected.
Portable Wireless Sound System
CAUTION: Make sure you comply with the polarity
markings on the jack. The correct plug for making
the connection is a Radio Shack 274-1567 size K
coaxial DC power plug. Radio Shack also stocks
cigarette lighter plugs (with built-in fuse) and cords
to construct a suitable assembly
External 8 Ohm Speakers
Two jacks which are used to connect external 8 ohm
loudspeakers such as the Lectrosonics H300 re-entrant
horn. This jack can also be used to power other brands
of loudspeakers, but be sure that the speaker has a
rated impedance of 8 ohms. The left-hand jack disconnects the built-in horn when the plug is inserted. The
right-hand jack will operate the internal horn along with
the external speaker. The efficiency of different makes
and models of speakers varies significantly. Even
though two different speakers are both rated at 8 ohms,
their loudness could be quite a bit different. The other
specification to compare when considering the use of
another speaker is the efficiency rating. The horn built
into the Long Ranger is rated at 107 dB SPL (sound
pressure level) at one meter with a one watt input.
Check this specification on the speaker you are considering. A speaker with a lower “dB’ number will not be as
loud as the horn built into the Long Ranger.
Figure 2 - Long Ranger 4 Front Panel
Rio Rancho, NM 5
Long Ranger 4
System Setup
This section includes some basic rules that will ensure 5)
trouble-free operation of your Long Ranger system:
1) Make sure the transmitter battery is good or new. 6)
2) Charge up the battery pack in the Long Ranger fully
before you use the system. Charge until the green 7)
charging lamp underneath the CHARGER jack on
the Long Ranger control panel goes out.
3) Set up the system so that the Long Ranger is as far
from large metal surfaces as possible. Metal surfaces under the unit (such as pickup truck cabs or
a car top) are generally no problem but large metal
surfaces alongside the Long Ranger may interfere 8)
with wireless reception.
4) If you have more than one transmitter on the same
frequency, turn on only one transmitter at a time.
You cannot use two transmitters at the same time
with a single Long Ranger. You will need to “alternate” back and forth between the transmitters.
Failure to do so will result in an obnoxious whining
sound from the system, and the audio will probably
not be understandable. “Add-on” wireless mic systems are available separately to permit operation
of two transmitters simultaneously through a single
Long Ranger.
Use the minimum volume that will enable everyone
to hear. It doesn’t have to be loud to be heard.
Always turn the power off before connecting or
disconnecting external speakers.
The Long Ranger should be elevated for best
coverage. The unit should ideally be at least 2
feet higher than the audience. For example, with
an audience standing on flat ground, the number
of people that can hear clearly will double if you
raise the unit from 5 feet above the ground to 7 feet
above the ground.
During actual operation the Long Ranger should
be located at least 20 feet away from the person
using the microphone and aimed so that the sound
from the speaker is directed toward the audience
and away from the microphone. This will reduce
feedback problems. Feedback is a squealing sound
coming from the speaker when the volume is too
high or the microphone is too close to the Long
Ranger. Feedback is generally much more of a
problem when using lavalier (lapel) type microphones. The headset models are recommended
for use with the Long Ranger system since they
place the microphone pickup much closer to
your mouth, which increases the volume of the
Long Ranger before feedback occurs.
Initial Equipment Adjustments
This section covers the initial adjustments to the 7)
transmitter and Long Ranger that must be made before
the system is placed into operation. The step-by-step
procedures are listed in the order in which they should
be performed:
1) Turn Long Ranger power on - The POWER lamp
lights.
2) Rotate both volume controls counter-clockwise to
their minimum settings.
3) Position yourself behind the Long Ranger so that
the sound from the speaker will be directed away
from the microphone.
4) Plug your microphone into the transmitter. Make
sure the connector is screwed in snugly.
5) Turn the transmitter power on and verify that the red
lamp on it lights. If the lamp is very dim or does not
light, replace the battery.
6) Observe that the green RF lamp on the Long Ranger control panel is lighted. This verifies that the unit
is receiving a usable signal from the transmitter.
8)
a)
Position the microphone on yourself (or other user)
in the location it will be during actual operation.
If you are using the single-band or dual-band
headset microphone, turn the white knob on the
headset fully clockwise (maximum). The HM162
over-ear microphone should be positioned so that
the pickup element is just to the left of the mouth,
so that breath pops do not strike the capsule. Lavalier microphones should be positioned high on the
chest or collar, as close to the mouth as possible
to minimize the possibility of feedback. A handheld
microphone with the H175DC plug-on transmitter
should be kept at a consistent distance from the
mouth during setup and use.
A small screwdriver is supplied with belt-back transmitters to adjust the audio gain of the transmitter to
match your microphone and your voice. The plugon transmitter has a small knob for adjusting gain.
The adjustment is made while observing the MOD
LEVEL lamps on the Long Ranger control panel:
Speak at the voice level you will be using during
actual operation.
LECTROSONICS, INC. 6
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