Concepts & signal flow
RF coordination basics help
The RF coordination basics questions live-event techs bring to Ask Roadie most (also called frequency coordination, intermod, RF, RF scan). Pick your symptom, or describe your own in plain words, and get the likeliest fix first, with the manual page when there is one.
Common RF coordination basics questions
What techs run into most, and what's usually behind it. The step-by-step fix for your exact topic is in Ask Roadie.
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How do I coordinate wireless mics and IEMs together without them killing each other?
Short answer: IEM transmitters run continuously at higher power than a mic bodypack, so their carriers and IM products must be in the same coordination or they will land on a mic frequency.
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My coordination looks clean on paper but I still get hits — what physical/RF-gain factors am I missing?
Short answer: Intermod can be generated in the receiver front end by strong local signals regardless of a clean plan, and multipath nulls/obstructions are physical, not spectral.
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What are compatibility groups / banks and why should I use the ones in the software?
Short answer: Factory groups are precomputed to be mutually IM-compatible, so staying inside one group avoids hand-calculating products.
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What exactly is a third-order intermod product and how do I avoid it?
Short answer: IM3 products land close to the carriers and inside the passband, so a receiver cannot filter them out — they read as interference/dropouts.
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What is WMAS and does it change how I coordinate?
Short answer: Broadband multiplexing packs channels more efficiently, so a single coordinated block replaces many individually-coordinated carriers, easing intermod planning in high-density RF environments while coexisting with legacy narrowband systems.
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What US frequencies are actually legal for wireless mics in 2026?
Short answer: Spectrum was repacked when 600 MHz was sold to carriers; operating there now is illegal and will get stepped on by LTE/5G.
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