Wisycom Overhaul Revamps Wireless

Sacramento Production Services has completed a comprehensive wireless audio refresh at Sutter Health Park, the temporary home of the Athletics (A’s) during their three‑year stint in Sacramento.

Centred on a Wisycom antenna and fibre‑based RF distribution platform, the project has reshaped day‑to‑day workflows for the venue's production team. Triggered by the arrival of Major League Baseball broadcasts and the heightened RF congestion that accompanies national media, the legacy wireless setup was replaced with a fully integrated Wisycom system focused on reliability, coverage and remote management across the site.

The deployment comprises a full suite of Wisycom RF hardware, including MAT244 RF combiners, LFA wideband antennas and ADFA active directional antennas, plus BFL‑T2 and BFL‑R2 antenna‑over‑fibre links. In all, 10 Wisycom antennas now blanket Sutter Health Park: four are run to the outfield over fibre, while six others are installed in three pairs spanning the home‑side stands, roof and concourse.

"This was game‑changing for us," said Anthony Brown, Project Manager for Sacramento Production Services. "We have wanted tools like this for years, and suddenly the technology caught up. The fact that the antennas have telemetry, remote control capabilities and built-in fiber links is excellent; it's all just there, ready to go."

Previously, the park's minor‑league‑era system strained under the demands of top‑tier broadcasts. Frequent frequency scans, dropouts and erratic RF behaviour were common, particularly in the concourse, a notoriously tough environment thanks to dense crowds and concrete pillars every 24 feet.

"When the A's came in, it very quickly became clear that the existing wireless frequencies were a pretty bad choice," added Keith Wackford, Sales and Production Manager at Sacramento Production Services. "Minor league games never had the RF congestion that major league broadcasts bring. Things looked fine in rehearsal, but come game time, everything changed."

The outfield posed the biggest hurdle. "They told us, 'We want our wireless microphones to work in the outfield,'" Wackford noted. "That;s about 460 feet from the nearest antenna. Without fiber, it would've been impossible."

After evaluating several wireless brands, Sacramento Production Services selected Wisycom for its wide bandwidth, filtering and antenna‑over‑fibre architecture. "The team at Sound Devices introduced us to the Wisycom brand," Wackford explained. "The Sound Devices design uses Wisycom antennas because the brand’s bandwidth surpasses what others are doing. Once we spoke with the team, it was a no‑brainer. Even wireless competitors recommended Wisycom. That says a lot about the product."

Advanced remote antenna control and filtering have been among the most consequential features. “With the Wisycom antennas, we were able to narrow the bandwidth and lower the noise floor,” adds Brown. “That made the system bulletproof.”

For Brian Webber, who oversaw deployment and configuration, networked control proved transformative. "The system is rock-solid all the way around the park. The coolest part is the networking. It blew my mind how easy it is to remotely manage all the antennas."

Wackford highlighted the operational benefits: "In a facility this size, remote control is a massive timesaver. It’s a four‑ or five‑minute walk to the outfield. In a football or soccer stadium, it would save thousands of steps. The production team really doesn’t have to do anything anymore; they're off addressing other concerns."

The outcome is a wireless infrastructure that runs without fuss. "We went from wireless being a problem every other day to it not being an issue at all," said Brown. "Producers and talent can move freely throughout the park, do interviews anywhere and focus on the production instead of the RF."