The object of my geekboy fancy is a device called WAVECOM, Sr. (short for "Wireless Audio Video Everywhere COMmunicator"), a transmitter and receiver combo that uses the 2.4 GHz FM band to deliver stereo audio and video images up to 300 feet away. You can use this system to send audio and/or video from a VCR, cable box, laser disc or DVD player, camcorder, CCD camera, stereo receiver, CD or cassette deck, or computer to another TV, VCR, stereo or powered speakers.

The set-up of WAVECOM is fairly straightforward. As with a lot of consumer electronics, the owner's manual leaves much to be desired. I don't know why these companies don't hire good writers and graphic artists. The poor instructions and small, confusing illustrations make the installation process look at lot more intimidating than it actually is. You basically hook up the transmitter to your a/v source with a set of RCA cables provided and plug the unit in. On the receiving end, you do the same. You then orient the small "squarial" antenna (radiospeak for a square antenna) on both units until you find the orientation that gives you the best reception. There are also four bands on each unit that can be used to improve reception, and in case you have more than one pair of WAVECOMs. I'm amazed at how good the reception is. During the evening, when I do most of my channel surfing in the Lab, there's little-to-no interference. During the day, there are some problems, at least in my area. I've had problems with a number of radio devices in my home. I live in Arlington, Virginia--spook central--blocks away from The Pentagon, the CIA's Langley headquarters, the Secret Service HQ and several military bases. I don't even wanna know what kind of cloak and dagger weirdness is bouncing through the local ether. Even closer to home, our microwave oven scrambles the WAVECOM signal very badly ("Pam, stop heating up cups of coffee, I'm trying to watch Dr. Katz!"). The WAVECOM, Sr. is an improvement over the still-available (and cheaper) WAVECOM, Jr., which uses the more interference-plagued 900 MHz AM band. The interference level on the Sr. model is acceptable, but more interference would be a problem.

Another great feature of WAVECOM, Sr. is its infrared (IR) Extender Mouse. Contrary to how it sounds, it's not a mouse in the computer sense. It's a mouse-shaped IR transmitter that allows you to use the remote control from the source device (e.g. your VCR) and operate it on the remote receiver. For instance: to change the channels on my VCR downstairs from the PC TV upstairs, I simply point the remote control at the upstairs WAVECOM receiver. The receiver has a UHF antenna on it that converts the infrared signal into a radio signal, and sends it to the downstairs WAVECOM transmitter. There, it's converted back to IR and flashed on the Extender Mouse which is placed in front of the VCR's IR sensor. The channels advance. My son and I were really tickled by this little hack. The way I need to orient the receiver on my PC, the IR sensor on the front is turned away from me, aimed at a filing cabinet. To change the channels, I point the remote at the filing cabinet and the IR signal bounces off of it and into the sensor. This is a fun trick you can do to impress your friends. The next time you're watching TV, shoot the remote beam over your shoulder, to the wall in back of you. The IR beam will bounce off the wall and change the channel on the TV in front of you. It's fun to see where you can aim it and still have it work.

WAVECOM, Sr. comes with one transmitter, one receiver, two DC power adapters, two RCA a/v cable sets (w/ audio right and left and video), the IR extender mouse, a cable coax A/B switch (to switch between WAVECOM and cable reception), one length of coax cable and mounting tape for securing the IR mouse. RF-Link also sells a mini-CCD camera that you can use with the WAVECOM in case you want to use it as a security system. If you have picture-in-picture (PIP) capability on your TV, you can use such a CCD camera or a camcorder to create a monitoring/security system (that can easily be reconfigured for other uses). Spy on your neighbors' comings and goings while you veg out in front of the tube!

I can't wait to try out the WAVECOM unit with our powered speakers in the yard next summer. I hope the neighbors like listening to Godflesh while they cookout.

- Gareth Branwyn [9/30/97]