Clear-Com Links Toledo Sports Venues With New Intercom Network

Clear-Com has delivered a new intercom system linking Toledo's Huntington Center and Fifth Third Field, enabling real-time communication between production teams at the city's two major sports venues.

The system connects the home of the Toledo Walleye hockey team with the nearby stadium used by the Toledo Mud Hens baseball team, allowing crews at both locations to communicate seamlessly when games are held simultaneously. The project was delivered by Clear-Com in partnership with CTI (Conference Technologies, Inc.) and is based around Clear-Com’s Arcadia® Central Station.

The Arcadia Central Station is installed at Huntington Center and serves as the central hub for the network, which runs over more than five miles of fibre between the two venues. The setup supports both HelixNet® digital partyline systems and FreeSpeak II® wireless beltpacks, providing full-duplex communications for production teams working across hockey and baseball events.

Jeremy Knoff, CTS, CQT, Branch Director at CTI, said the benefits of the system are most evident on busy matchdays.

"Opening day is when this system truly shines," said Knoff. "When both teams have games at the same time, crews at each venue can communicate instantly over the network instead of relying on phone calls. It’s a major step forward for efficiency and collaboration."

Both venues are equipped with multiple FreeSpeak wireless beltpacks, HelixNet panels and camera operators integrated into the intercom workflow. Redundant network switches at each site ensure continuous uptime and operational flexibility.

"The operators can simply plug into the network and go," Knoff added. "Even though the fiber run between the two stadiums spans several miles, the system’s design, with a long-haul transmitter and Clear-Com’s IP-based technology, makes it work flawlessly."

The upgrade replaces legacy intercom equipment with a scalable, IP-based system designed to expand over time. Clear-Com said the long-term ambition is to integrate the teams’ cable sports network partner into the same platform, creating a unified production environment across multiple facilities.

Vic Lombardi, North Central Regional Sales Manager at Clear-Com, said the project demonstrates the capability of the company's technology to support complex, multi-venue operations.

"The integration of Arcadia, HelixNet, and FreeSpeak gives the Toledo Walleye and Mud Hens a modern, future-proof intercom system that’s simple to operate yet capable of supporting highly complex productions," he said. "It's a perfect example of how our systems can link venues over long distances while maintaining exceptional clarity and reliability."

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