FAQ Knowledge Base

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How do I install USB drivers for use with Q5X products?
Use the provided step-by-step guide for your installation.
  Drivers install Win 10 Guide
The transmitter is not receiving instructions from the MicCommander.
When the 2.4ghz range is low it is most likely due to 2.4ghz congestion. Use the 2.4ghz scanner to look for a channel with the lowest congestion in your area. One thing to remember is if you change the transmitter 2.4ghz channel you will not be able to see or control the transmitter until you change the MicCommander 2.4ghz channel to match.
Does the transmitter need charging?
The charge light on the transmitter goes from green(full charge) to amber to red. Once red it is out of power and will have to be charged. When the light changes to a solid green it is fully charged and can be removed from the charge station.
PlayerMic is fully charged but not working.
If the green light does not blink, it is not fully charged or responding. Plug in the red reset key that came with the unit. This will reset the micro and get it back into a known state. If the status light is not blinking, then the MicCommander will not see the unit.  The status light needs to be flashing. 
The receiver shows as fully charged, but when I unplug it, it goes to 50%.
If you remove the battery for any reason it needs to be reset. This is done automatically after the first discharge/charge happens.
Should I turn off the receiver before charging it?
You do not have to turn off the receiver while charging, but if you are looking for a quick charge time, it should be turned off. Otherwise, it will be charging and using power at the same time.
Do you have a listing of Certifications for your products?
A list of our product certifications can be found here.
How long does a battery charge last?
It takes about an hour to fully charge a battery. Once charged, it can run in standby mode for weeks before fully discharging. If you fully charge the battery and put the unit in storage mode, it will be fully charged when you power it up, even months later.
Does your AD10 line of transmitters work with your receivers?
Currently, the AD10 lineup of products only works with Shure receivers such as the AD4D or AD4Q or ADX5D. We can put you in contact with a SHURE dealer to get more information.
I would like to get audio from talent. Is a PlayerMic all I need?
The PlayerMic is a great option for getting audio live from talent, but it requires a remote MicCommander to work. We have a mobile M3 as well as a network Gateway from which you can operate all the functions of the transmitter. One MicCommander will operate up to 32 transmitters at a time. In addition, if you do not have a compatible receiver you will have to purchase an M3 or Rackmount receiver as well as a mic element(lav) that is terminated to fit our transmitters.
How quick is the delivery time?
For most orders we have a 10-day turnaround time. Our prices do not include shipping. You can provide us with your courier account number, and select the delivery speed, or we can use our own couriers and add the cost to your order.
Do you stock products in Europe, Asia or only in Canada?
We produce all our units in Canada. As there are many variable options for our products, we cannot build up a large inventory of stock. Once an order is placed, we process the request and generally it is shipped out in 10 days.
Your products are so expensive, why?
We pride ourselves in having the best quality wireless microphone systems on the market. A large amount of R&D has gone into the development of these transmitters, and we are constantly doing more R&D to improve the products and research for the future. These are professional level, broadcast transmitters that are not for general public use. The durability and ruggedness they provide are strong enough for the major league teams (NHL, NBA, NFL, MLB) to use on a regular basis, and the size and ability to go in water, make them valuable to major productions around the world, especially the reality TV Shows. Mid market players also choose to use our products to enhance their performance capabilities, knowing they will cost more upfront.
Do your products ever go on sale, or clearance?
All our products are assembled once they are sold which means we have limited amounts of finished goods products on our shelves. Accordingly, we do not have old products on the shelves that need to be cleared up from time to time. We also do not have sales, the retail price on the website is the price we sell all over the world.
Do you have a dealer network, or do we buy from you direct?
The choice is up to you. We do have an extensive dealer network as you can see on our partners page of the website. You can choose to purchase from them, or from Q5X directly. In either case you will be receiving first grade products assembled to your specifications. Dealers may choose to have sales or discount products at their discretion.
Is there special pricing for large orders?
Generally, the answer is no. For certain large projects, like a reality TV show, movie, performance hall that need large numbers of transmitters, we will discuss and negotiate special pricing, but for most of our customers, the retail price is the final price you pay.
Which countries do you have certification for use in?
We have received certification for use by the USA Federal Communications Commission as well as Industry Canada and ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute) for most of our products. Accordingly, we can sell for retail use to any country that accepts one of these certifications.
Can I use my own mic elements (lavs) with your transmitters?

We can terminate most brands of mic elements for use with our transmitters, or we can send you instructions if you have the capability to terminate them yourselves. There is a small fee for us to terminate them, plus shipping to and from our location. See our Mic Termination Services here.

Do you offer financing on your products?
We do not offer any long-term financing for our products. When you place an order, we require payment in full prior to shipping, either by credit card or wire payment.
The battery for the receiver seems to be dead / dying and won't hold charge. Do you sell spare batteries?

We recommend lithium batteries that are readily available commercially.  We caution you about purchasing discounted batteries. If you are in the USA, this is the link to the battery we currently use: https://www.megabatteries.com/item_details2.asp?id=20132

If you prefer to purchase them from us, the current cost is $40.00 each, plus shipping from Canada.

Over the last 6 months the mic has gone from spotty to not working at all. What can we do?
In this case it is probably best to have one of our technicians look at it for any possible wire damage. If you contact us at info@q5x.com with your request we will issue an RMA number and then you can send it to us for examination. Once the problem is found we will contact you for further instructions.
Do you provide a warranty on your products?
All of our products have a 1-year warranty from the date they are shipped to you. Simply contact info@q5x.com with your request and we will have one of our technicians discuss your options. Sometimes it’s a firmware update that is required and can be done online, other times the unit must be returned to us for repairs.
What other brand receivers work with your PlayerMics and do other brand transmitters work with your receiver.
This is a list of RX that work with our modes.      

Mode 3 (Lectrosonic)
UCR and SRc RX, set to compatibility mode NA7, or M7 depending on the model

Mode 4 (Shure)
UHFR RXs

Mode 5 (Sennheiser)
RX with HiDyne Plus companding

The Q5X  QR-M3 RX will work with Shure UHFR TXs.  The QR-M3 will need to be set to Mode 4 under compatibility modes.

Why do I have a low RF range?
  1. Have you selected a clear frequency?   With the TX off, set the QR-M3 to your selected frequency, look at the QR-M3 are you seeing any readings on the RF bars?   Ideally there should be nothing showing, but if the bar bounces to -95 dB that should be OK.
  2. Is the TX output power set to 50mw or 100mw? (Should be 100 mw)
  3. Is the Squelch set to -90 or -95?
  4. Double check that the TX is set to the exact frequency as the RX.
How to find a clear frequency.
Use the Shure frequency finder,
https://www.shure.com/en-US/support/tools/frequency-finder
Type in your address select Axient Digital.
TX does not connect or communicate with H2/H1
The first thing to check is that the status light is flashing every 1.5 seconds and that the unit is fully charged.  The other silly thing to check is that the 2.4 ghz antenna is on the correct SSMA connector.   The antennas are marked on the back of the unit.  You may want to swap one if the 2.4ghz antenna from a working unit just to make sure the antenna is not broken.
Second, add the serial number to the MicCommander, if it is not already listed.  Select the TX #.  On the TX page make sure the TX does not have a linkID set.   On the upper part of the screen check to make sure the padlock Icon is open.  If the icon  is closed then it is locked and the TX will only respond if the link ID of the MicCommander matches the link ID in the  TX. User manual will show how to reset link ID.
If the padlock is open  and the green status light is flashing, then we will need to check the other 2.4ghz channels to make sure the TX is on the same.2.4ghz channel as the MicCommander.    Normally we leave the 2.4ghz channel set to 25, but any of the channels will work but we have found 25 to be the best in North America anyway.  On the MicCommander set the 2.4gh channel to 26.  Scan for TXs, see if your problem unit shows up.  If not, then. Try 24 and repeat the scan.  Work your way down the channels until you find the missing TX.  You will need to change the 2.4ghz channel of the TX before you set the MicCommander back to 25.
I am not getting any audio into/out of my camera using a M2/M3
  • Double check that the TX and RX are on the exact same frequency
  • Set Squelch to -90 dB or -95 dB
  • Set the Audio output level to +10 dB, or higher just to make sure we are getting a output level, if this is set to -20 dB, the audio will be muted.
  • On the M2/3, set the Mic/Line to correct setting for your camera?
  • Do you have the companding mode set to Mode 2 on both the TX and the RX?
  • Check the TX on the MicCommander to make sure that the Mic is not muted at the TX.
  • Double check that the Microphone is properly connected to the TX.  On PlayerMics it is a push pull connector and if it is not locked in the audio connection may not be mated, AquaMic the connector needs to be fingertight.
  • With the TX off, is your selected channel clear, do you have any activity on the RF bars?
  • With the TX on do you have full RF bars
  • Do you have action on the AF bars (Audio)?
  • Can you hear audio on the headphone monitor on the top of the M2/3?
  • Is the camera setup to select the input you are using?
  • On the Camera make sure to use Mic/Line the same as the M2/3, do not use the MIC48V setting. If the Mic/Line setting does not match the M2/3 then the level may be way to low.
  • Can you adjust the audio level on the camera?
  • Can you monitor it on camera headphone output?
How do I set the gain structure for the PlayerMic system?
  1. Set Mic gain of the TX to 50 – 60 % to start, this may be needed to be adjusted up and down as required, if the Player is clipping when yelling you may need to lower Mic gain, if the player is hard to hear you may need to bring the gain up.
  2. Set the Mic/Line level switch to match the camera input (mic/line on the camera), if this does not match the levels will be terrible.
  3. Start with the gain of the M3 at 0 dB
  4. Start with the Camera gain at 0 dB if it has a gain control
  5. Test the system to see if you need more gain. It is important to set the gain into the camera so the camera does not clip. I would add gain at the M3, and only add gain at the Camera if needed.
  6. We have found that some DSLR cameras have a different impedance on the Mic input and a adapter is needed to interface with the QR-M3. Below I have listed some different options.
    One option is to try a TA3 to 3.5mm TRS cable.
    Remote Audio Unbalanced Adapter Cable TA3F to 3.5mm CASENSK100TL (bhphotovideo.com)
    Specific Sony units:

    • Sony XLR-K2M Adapter Kit and Microphone
    • Sony XLR-K3M Adapter Kit and Microphone

    Most other DSLR units:

    • Saramonic SR-PAX1
    • Marantz Professional PMD602A 2-Channel DSLR Audio Interface
What waterproof mics do you recommend for the AquaMic?
  • DPA 6060/61 or any of the “new core”. These will clear instantly once the mic element has left the water’ surface.
  • Q5X version of the Shure DuraPlex these mics are IP-57 rated.
  • Voice Technology has 3 versions of the VT-500 that have a IP-57 rating, VT-500 water, VT-500 action and VT-500X (extreme).
  • Countryman B3 with a water proof cap, or the EMW.
How do I find available channels?

This is the link to the Shure frequency finder tool.  Enter your address, and select Axient Digital (uses the same band as the QT-5100).  IT will then give you a list of available and not available channels, there is a button to change to frequency instead of channel.  We recommend using the frequency version.  This is vey helpful for finding the general frequency block to use.

https://www.shure.com/en-US/support/tools/frequency-finder

How do I turn the pilot tone off to use my compatible receiver?

For Lectrosonic UCR and SRc receivers:

  1. Turn off the pilot tone.
  2. Set the receiver compatibility mode to M7 (411a requires Audio Board v6.0 and firmware that enables mode 7).
  3. Set the QT-5100 transmitter to Mode 3.

For Shure UR5 receivers:

  1. Under Squelch setting, Select HIGHNO TK, this turns the Squelch to a high setting and turns off the Tone Key. (Pilot Tone).