UK companies collaborate on cross-channel DMX link

dAFTdATA, the UK-based wireless specialist, joined with Belgium-based Luminex, UK rental company Essential Lighting and French equipment distributor Sonoss, to send the first “eDMX” wireless DMX signals across the Channel.

The signal was transmitted on 15 March between Dover and Cap Gris Nez, near Calais, a distance of 20.82 miles.

The transmission is believed to be the world’s longest ever wireless DMX signal transmission to date.

Dover’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre (Coastguard) allowed the Coastguard Station at Dover to be used as the signal reception point. This is close to the site of the first England-France radio transmission by Marconi in 1899.

Essential Lighting supplied two 7K BigLites, which were positioned on the cliffs in Dover, while Avolites Pearl lighting console was positioned on the French side. Sonoss supplied Luminex encoding gear and dAFTdATA supplied radio transmission and reception equipment.

The signal was transmitted from the Avolites Pearl to a Luminex Art-Net box to a dAFTdATA 5.4 GHz wireless transmitter.

This beamed it over the Channel to the dAFTdATA 5.4 GHz wireless receiver in Dover, then into the dAFTdATA Art-Net decoder which then fed DMX out to the two searchlights.

The exact frequency used was 5.47GHz, which was compatible with both French and UK outdoor wireless 802.11A transmissions.