Pliant has provided equipment and support for the event for the past five years. “This year was the first time three separate CrewCom systems, using both the 900MHz and 2.4GHz frequency bands, were all synched using one primary Control Unit (CU),” says Gary Rosen, Vice President of Global Sales, Pliant Technologies. “We were indoors, outdoors, at the water feature and on stages at many different locations in and around the stadium. Using multiple independent systems that were synchronized for RF coordination worked extremely well together for the entire event.”

In all, CP Communications and AY Productions utilized approximately 80 CrewCom Radio Packs (RP), 45 Radio Transceivers (RT), 12 Control Units (CU) and a large variety of both 8-Port Copper Hubs and 8-Port Fiber Hubs. The three separate systems were used for the two main broadcast networks’ pre-game shows with the largest configuration used for the NBC pre-game show.

“The entire pre-game broadcast was a huge success and the CrewCom system was an important aspect of that,” says Max Muehlen, Lead RF Technician, AY Productions. “We broadcasted remotely for a week prior to the big game from various locations with much success. The antenna system was extremely versatile, as we stationed four linked CUs that let us operate consistently while minimizing moving parts on the field. I was also able to access the CrewWare software from the field to make changes on the fly. Pliant’s Gary Rosen and Art Gonzales were amazing onsite; they were there to support AY Productions the entire time.”

In addition to AY Productions’ set up, CP Communications relied on the CrewCom solution for the big game’s network broadcast and pre-game show coverage. “I worked with Pliant to configure the systems and coordinate the antennas in terms of placement and hopping patterns. This was important so that the three systems worked together instead of conflicting,” says Brian Ready, Account Executive & Systems Engineer at CP Communications. “My pre-game system served as the primary sync source. We used the 900MHz band as well as the 2.4GHz devices allowing coordination of hopping patterns and timing synchronization. CrewCom was the right system for this application because it is flexible and scalable. The CP Communications team had many areas to cover and needed to be able to roam between different areas, and CrewCom allowed us to do that. No other system is able to operate seamlessly in both the 900MHz and 2.4GHz bands at this scale, which was incredible. CrewCom did a fantastic job.”

CrewCom is an innovative, professional wireless system featuring excellent 7KHz voice quality with 4-conference or 2-conference full-duplex Radio Packs that can select from up to 64 different conferences for each user, and a host of user-friendly features. It is available in two frequency bands (900MHz and 2.4GHz). Unlike a matrix-based architecture, CrewCom is based on a decentralized network platform. CrewCom wireless products easily put dependable RF coverage where needed, all while employing a consistent user interface throughout the system.