So a comment on
@chouston 's post, and then an update on my previous post.
If I remember correctly, the Comstar
system uses to channels with up to 4 units per
channel, and those channels can be run separate or conferenced.
Each
headset is numbered, and they are programmed to work on
channel 1 or 2, so when the
system is set up (usually at the factory), it is decided how many headsets on on each
channel, and there is no easy way to change it, or
switch between channels like with a ClearCom/Portacom wired
system with the A/B
switch.
So you can run 2 crews, but with a 6
channel, I think it will come from the factory as 3 and 3. My 8
unit is 4 and 4.
Now for my update.
So on Bill's suggestion I talked to James, and then later with others.
I sent the entire set back, they repaired the faulty ones and redid the ones that hadn't failed yet (they had a known bad batch), replaced missing ear pads and mic windfoams, and returned them in like-new condition, with no cost to me except for shipping. The original set had come with 4 single-ears and 4 dual-ears, but I don't like the duals for most of the crew, so I asked them to swap it out so I ended up with only 2 dual ears, the rest single ears, and one
beltpack style. They had used ones in
stock, and swapped me out no problem! I had to
purchase a new
headset for the
beltpack was my only cost. No guarantees they can do this again, but they happened to have equivalent units available, and my units are babied and don't look used.
I talked to their tech folks about my complaint about the
base station defaulting to 2
channel instead of Conference, and they said depending on the exact chip used, it might be switchable.
So I sent the
base station also, and it came back set to Conference on power-up, switchable to 2
channel!
I am adding a live broadcast ministry, and when we get it going with a wired Portacom
system through the cameras, I will
send the
base station back again and have them add the converter option that lets me
plug the Portacom
system into the Comstar
system.
My other complaints about the mic
mute tone being the same for
mute and unmute, and the large clunky aspect, and the battery being hard to deal with still hold true, though they said they would look at making the
mute tone different in a future version.
One thing I noticed on some of the swapped out sets they returned was a small foam rubber "dot" in the battery tray, which would help pop the batter back out.
Anyway, they aren't ClearCom quality, but they did an excellent job of Customer Service, and minus the annoyances, they seem good!