Polsen ULW-16-BT Beltpack Transmitter for the ULW-16 Wireless System

Does a surprisingly good job

I purchased a POLSEN ULW-16-BT transmitter and two POLSEN ULW-16-BR receivers to send a click track from a Tascam DR-40 to two remote cameras to help sync all the footage in post. They did an excellent job of that. I know there are other way to sync footage and I’ve tried them all. 5 cameras recording ambient sound, 2 Tascam DR-40s recording the audience, and a Tascam DR680 MKII recording track L, track R and vocals at 2 different levels all on separate channels, sending a click to all Devices really helps. Awesome 5.1 SS is the result. So, here is my review to help you choose. Mine came with no cables and no instructions. Probably because I ordered them as separate devices, not as a set. When you order a set (transmitter and receiver) it should come with a lav mic, 2 line out cables, 1x 1/8 stereo plug to XLR F and 1x 1/8 to 1/8 stereo plugs with an attenuator for 1/8 mic level inputs. You can download the instructions right from the Polsen Wireless page on B & H, that might help too. It has 16 frequencies to choose from, they are numbered 1 thru 16, but the user manual lists the actual frequencies. They range from 586.025 thru 606.750. THE RECEIVER: Before switching on the transmitter, Switch on the receiver, then just press the up or down button for 2 secs until the current number flashes, then every time it’s pressed the number will increase or decrease until you reach the desired frequency number. The RF indicator will light if there is any interference being received. There is an audio line out which should be sent to a camera or recorder.� I talked about the cables to use above. The line out level cannot be adjusted. But it’s plenty strong enough if the transmitter send is good. The on/off/adjustment knob adjusts the headphone level. I would not recommend using this as a line out, as the output must be going thru a headset amp which can’t be that great for a unit of this price. The mono sound goes to both ears when using a stereo headset. The audio line out goes to both channels when using a 1/8 stereo plug to dual XLRs. The Sennheiser line out cable kind of works but I had to use an extension headphone cable too, it fits the Sennheiser 1/8 locking plug better that going directly into the Polsen receiver. It also works with a regular 1/8 stereo plug (not locking) to a single XLR. And by the way, was silent when nothing was being transmitted. THE TRANSMITTER Has separate line in and mic in jacks. LINE IN: A 1/8 stereo plug worked perfectly from a Tascam DR-40 headphone out to the POLSEN line in. I played an intermittent tone produced from the premiere timeline, so I know it was clean there was a very slight hiss during the tone and not during the silence. I didn’t hear that hiss from a Sennheiser G3. MIC IN: I don’t have a lav mic that’s designed to works with the POLSEN. BUT I plugged in my Senn ME-2 lav using the 1/8 locking cable and it worked extremely well, It worked more reliably with a headphone extension because that 1/8 locking plug fits the extension jack a little better than directly into the POLSEN mic input jack. I tried my Shure Beta 58 a (a dynamic hand held mic) And my Audio-Technica Shotgun powered with an AA internal batt. They were fed via an XLR to a 1/8 mono plug into the mic input, both mics worked perfectly (I’m not talking about a mix, just a straight feed). It also worked using an XLR to 1/8th stereo plug too. When levels were normal the signal sounded quite clean, I did get some noise when levels where high, I’m not sure what was causing that. I turned almost everything off in the room, but still got the some noise. I tried almost the exact same setup with my Sennheiser g3 and it was silent. But for the price I think the Polsen did a good job. Worth a try if it fits your budget. Nicely made, but its all plastic and needs to be handled with respect, or I can see it breaking, especially the battery door. It looks nice mounted on the camera. That’s all I can think of right now. I hope that helps.