Wireless Video Systems

Here is how this works in practice. Wireless video on Australian shoots runs almost universally on Teradek Bolt 6 LT (3G/HD-SDI), Bolt 6 1500 (HD/3G/12G-SDI), and Bolt 4K LT (12G-SDI up to 4K60) — the Vitec-owned Hollywood-built RF chain that's the industry standard worldwide. Vaxis Storm and Hollyland Mars Pro fill the budget slot on lower-tier shoots and commercials.

Cameraquip, Lemac, Panavision Australia, and Filmplus all stock paired Teradek transmitter-receiver kits with calibrated SmallHD or TVLogic monitor pairings.

Here is the short of it. Bolt 6 operates in licence-exempt 5 GHz ISM under ACMA Class Licence — no short-term apparatus licence needed. But planning against other 5 GHz traffic (production wireless mics in 2.4 GHz Lectrosonics IEMs sit adjacent, plus venue Wi-Fi at Disney Studios Australia and Village Roadshow Gold Coast stages) is key. We run Bolt Manager range scans before each shoot, locking specific channels per camera-RX pair to prevent multi-camera crossover.

Australian shooting environments impose specific RF challenges. Sydney CBD and Melbourne CBD pack 5 GHz range heavily with public Wi-Fi, building HVAC controls, and consumer drone telemetry — venue scans before each setup are required.

Here is the breakdown. Coastal builds on Sydney Harbour, Bondi, and the Gold Coast experience signal degradation off salt-laden air and harbour reflection multipath. We deploy directional patch antennas (Yagi or panel) on production cars and DIT carts to extend usable range to 600-1500ft. Outback Pilbara and Red Centre work runs unobstructed and pushes Bolt 6 1500 to 5,000ft+ with antenna arrays.

Here is what that looks like on the ground. Heritage features Mad Max: Fury Road, Aquaman + Lost Kingdom, Thor: Ragnarok, Elvis (Mandy Walker ACS ASC), and Furiosa all carried Teradek-centred wireless video chains. Cross-border NZ kit ships in three Qantas hours from Auckland. LA cross-border via Australian Border Force ATA carnet in 14-hour direct freight.