For the company's 17th consecutive Super Bowl, PWS once again partnered with ATK Audiotek and Versacom for the big game. Recognising that preparation is extremely important to ensure interference-free RF management on game day, PWS project manager Jason Eskew and his team began their work almost five months prior to the game. "I did a site survey at the Superdome in October and submitted our frequencies in November for approval," says Eskew. "When doing so, I had to be sure to pick equipment that covers multiple manufacturers' frequency ranges. Each performer has his or her equipment of choice, along with endorsement deals that require us to use a specific wireless system, so we needed to be able to easily adapt to this, along with any changes the scheduled performers might make on site."
This year, Grammy Award-winning recording artist Jennifer Hudson was a late addition to the line-up, joining 26 students from Sandy Hook Elementary School in singing America the Beautiful during the Super Bowl XLVII pre-game show. "Thanks to the flexible plan I designed and the excellent bench skills of John Garrido, the team was able to accommodate her needs without any problems," says Eskew. "The people over at Shure and Sennheiser once again did a good job providing the gear that supports the performers."
In order to provide an interference-free show and ensure all wireless activities went off as planned, PWS utilized the Shure Axient Wireless, UHF-Rs and PSM-1000 series IEMs. In addition, the team employed 3732 receivers with 5200 transmitters, as well as a range of wireless gear from Sennheiser. An added benefit of the Axient system was its ability, in the body pack diversity mode, to provide automatic fail-over protection for the referees' microphones. Versacom provided a mixture of wireless intercoms, including HME PRO850 and BTR800s from Telex, for the event.
PWS utilised its Domed Helical Antenna on the field. Constructed from rugged polycarbonate, PWS' Domed Helical is designed to hold up to considerable abuse on the road. A combination of Domed Helicals and original PWS Helicals were used for all of the ATK wireless systems on the field.
In addition, PWS' crew of Eskew, John Garrido and Brooks Schroeder were onsite to keep the high volume of RF signal usage in check and to ensure frequencies maintained solid signals. They were also available to troubleshoot any potential issues. "When faced with the clutter of several hundred frequencies in use, it is our job to stay on top of it and be ready with backup frequencies and equipment," adds Eskew. "This year's Super Bowl was bigger than ever and the crew at PWS once again did an incredible job making sure that the pre-game festivities, including the National Anthem, America the Beautiful and the incredible half-time show featuring Beyoncé, went off without any fumbles, even with the power outage.
"Thanks to our uninterruptible power supply (UPS), we were able to maintain power for the referee mics, which was still important at that time even though play was halted, until the rest of the power was restored within the Superdome."
(Jim Evans)
