Wireless
Solution Sweden AB was proud to be part of the recent world famous Queen’s Day
banquet hosted by the Dutch Royal Family in honour of Queen Beatrix at the
famed Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Queen Beatrix has stepped down
after her 33-year long rule so that her son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, can
be King.
W-DMX BlackBox ran Luminair and controlled GlowUp fixtures during the dinner,
which was attended by royal heads of state from 18 countries. Among the many
notables on hand were Britain\’s Prince Charles and his wife Camilla, and the
Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito and Crown Princess Masako. W-DMX for the banquet
was supplied by Keylight Design & Supply in The Netherlands.
Later that day, the Ahoy arena in Rotterdam hosted a very special concert
marking the interval between the Queen’s abdication and the new King’s
induction, featuring the Dutch national song, specially written and produced
for the King. The Song for the King was performed in the presence of the King
and Queen at the EYE Film Museum via a video link from Ahoy Rotterdam.
Ampco Flashlight relied on Wireless Solution W-DMX for signal for this very
unique event. Lighting Designer Michel Suk, together with board operator
Vincent Kops Hagedoorn and set designer Sander van der Ham, created an area of
several scenic objects throughout the building. Ampco Flashlight provided all
sound, lighting and W-DMX equipment.
Ahoy provides power rails and powerlock at catwalk level at a generous 400Amp
per quadrant, enabling the power source to be delivered exactly where it’s
needed, minimising cabling. Then the only cable to be set up would normally be
DMX cable, but with just four bridges accessible via the ends of the bridges,
that would entail using enormous runs of DMX cables.
Two challenges had to be surmounted: first, the amount of steel in the
environment from both rigging points and the building’s construction, and
secondly, the type of wireless access points provided by telecom companies
nowadays. In most venues, the 2.4GHz band can be full – and thus almost
impossible to get a full strength signal for a reliable system. Add the
possibility that telecom companies boost their system when demands increase,
and your system could be operational at setup time, yet fail when doors open.
Project Manager Michel Bisschops was sceptical in the beginning, but System
Engineer Christiaan Schutte convinced him that all these challenges could be
minimised. The W-DMX G4 technology employed by Wireless Solution gave the AF
team the perfect solution to avoid the parts of the spectrum.
All systems were set up on a G4 broadcast and the use of directional antennae
from Wireless Solution gave the AF teams a totally reliable system. Even on the
far end of the venue, a full range of bars on the indicator meant a completely
reliable set throughout the evening.
“We are always so proud to be represented on events of this scale,” said Niclas
Arvidsson, CEO of Wireless Solution, “It’s truly an honour to be specified on
something this important, and even better to deliver what we promise.”
Equipment List:
1x W-DMX G4 F-2 Dual transceiver BlackBox MK2
2x 360? 9dBi Omni dual band antenna
9x W-DMX BlackBox F-1 MK2 Transceiver
9x 35? 9dBi Directional dual band antenna
32 Clay Paky 1500HPE
18 Clay Paky Glow Up
36 High End Systems Studio Command
14 Vari*Lite VL2500
14 Vari*Lite VL500D
1x grandMA2 Light
3x Pathway Managers
2x Strong Gladiator 4kW Follow spots
Wireless
Solution Sweden is the world’s leading manufacturer of Wireless lighting
control equipment, now celebrating 225,000 units sold worldwide and over 45 OEM
partners. Hailed for its reliability and ease of use, Wireless Solution’s W-DMX
range of products is the consistent choice for top professionals in the
lighting industry and specified with perfect results in high-profile events and
installations around the world. W-DMX is also hailed as the best wireless OEM
solution. W-DMX has been used in major lighting applications including the
Marina Bay Sands In Singapore, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Coldplay, Justin Bieber,
Super Bowl and the Olympic Games.
Photo courtesy of Keylight.
