Some of our competitors have been making a lot of noise about the level of real-time, personal support they offer. Here at Shure, an announcement like that wouldn't be news or advertising copy. We've been offering one-on-one customer service since 1933.

This strong foundation was built by Sidney N. Shure, the company's founder. According to Michael Pettersen, who directs the Applications Engineering Group at Shure, "His philosophy was that you do good for society. You don't lie to customers...ever. And building long-term trust is more important than getting the sale."


Lucky for us that the Apps spotlight for this issue shines on Tim Vear, Senior Applications Engineer. Not only can he tell you the relative length of various wavelengths (some are thirty feet long) and explain the audio definition of "spurious rejection" (more about that later), he wrote, along with many others since then, the first Shure book on church audio systems.

How long have you been with Shure, Tim, and what brought you here?
I've been at Shure for 25 years. How is this possible? I must have started when I was five years old.

I was always interested in science and music. This resulted in the dual career path of studying engineering and playing in rock and roll bands. It turned out that those two interests are not mutually exclusive.


I was able to pursue both all the way through grad school in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering at the University of Illinois in Champaign. I also managed to complete a minor in Electrical Engineering, mostly driven by my interest in audio electronics and acoustics. Basically, I needed to learn how to repair all of the band gear. I was ultimately less interested in the rocket scientist role than in the audio engineering role and the latter also fit better with my musical side.

When I finally decided to leave Champaign, Shure was the company that seemed to be the most promising place to pursue my interests in a useful way. This has actually turned out to be true and you could probably say that, essentially, my hobbies became my career!

Let's talk about the Applications Engineering Group for a minute. Each of you has a specialty in terms of audio smarts, right?
Today, I'd say that my area of specialization is radio technology. When I arrived at Shure, I was most interested in microphone technology since that was the company's forte.

Early on, I was acting as a technical trainer for our sales reps, dealers, and customers as well. Fortunately, I seem to have a knack for making technically complex subjects fairly understandable to most of these groups (See "Spurious Response Rejection" at the end of this article for proof) and I started to do more on the presentation and writing side. That's when I became an Applications Engineer.

When Shure started out on the wireless path I just grew into that area along with the company. My engineering background allowed me to quickly get up to speed on the technology and I have really enjoyed trying to keep up with all of the changes in this area.

Though it's been challenging for Shure and for me personally it has been very rewarding to be able to contribute to the understanding of this technology for all of our various constituents.

Still playing?
I do still play regularly with my band "Captain Rat and the Blind Rivets" as the "alleged" guitarist. The band has been together for nearly 30 years. Again — how is this possible? I must have started this band shortly after I was born — and we've played all over the US (and even the Caribbean) but mostly in central Illinois.

I have participated in the annual holiday show since I started here and, more recently, the annual summer bash as well. Shure is very supportive of the musical pursuits of its associates and it has been terrific to work here both as an engineer and as a musician.

This issue of Shure Notes, as you know, is about the Armageddon that didn't really happen in the world after DTV. Applications Engineering must have had hundreds of calls from churches about their wireless concerns. Have a good one to share?
Here's one we get pretty frequently:

Q: Now that the DTV transition is over, do I still need to be concerned about my wireless systems if they seem to be working OK?

A: In the immortal words of Syn-Aud-Con guru Pat Brown, "It depends!" In the short term, if things are fine now, they will probably continue that way, at least for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately, allocation of the RF spectrum in the US is always changing.

For now, some TV stations still have not settled on their final, final, final DTV assignment! It is likely that this may continue for at least another year in some cases. If you suddenly experience dropouts on certain systems or observe unexpected RF indications on some receivers that may be a sign of a new arrival on a particular TV channel. Check the Shure Wireless Frequency Finder to get the latest info for your location.

For the future, there are several proposals before the FCC that may further crowd the spectrum available for wireless microphones. These proposals include allowing unlicensed devices into the spectrum, allowing additional licensed services into the spectrum, and even selling off more of the broadcast spectrum for other purposes. Shure monitors and comments on these proposals and continues to work closely with the FCC and other parties to insure that the interests of the wireless microphone community are adequately considered. Check the Shure Press Room to keep abreast of important spectrum developments

If you have not done a baseline frequency compatibility check during or immediately following the DTV transition, it would be beneficial to do one now. With that information at hand you will be able to respond effectively to changes in the current RF landscape and be able to plan for future changes as well.



Have a question? Need to connect with the Shure Applications Engineering Group?
Call them at 847 600 8440, e-mail or visit the FAQ section of the Shure website.