EAW Microwedge, Audix OM7, Ultimate XLR Cable Tester, Pro Audio: Ultimate XLR Cable Tester

The Rat Sniffer is a single ended XLR male cable tester that utilizes phantom power.
The Rat Sender is a test source.

Also available in other package sets. Please see related products for more info.

RAT SNIFFER & SENDER INFO

Designed by Rat Sound to deal with the "real world" of pro audio, the Rat Sniffer cable tester is a amazingly simple and reliable tester with many unique features. Testing snake lines and cables with the ends located at a distance from each other is now simple and easy and you can do it without running extra cables just to test. The ability to test snake lines using phantom power as a test source allows you to troubleshoot an entire snake system in minutes. The barrel design is extremely reliable and eliminates the problem many testers have of internal solder joints failing. The simple 3 LED readout indicates every possible short, open or cross wire in XLR cables. If the tester reads "green" the cable will work!

A key feature of the "patent pending" design is its ability to detect a short between pin 2 and 3 while utilizing phantom power as the test source along with the ability to test for every other possible fault that would cause the mic to lose signal. This means that when experiencing a "bad line", troubleshooting complexity and time can be greatly reduced by using phantom power and the sniffer. Many people are familiar with dealing with a bad line during line check or set change "hey the house engineer says line 7 is down, try another mic, check one two, radio the engineer and ask if it works, nope still bad, try swapping the mic cable, radio the engineer and see if it works and so on and so on. The Rat Sniffer gives the stage tech the ability to trouble shoot without feedback from the console operator. Instantly know whether it is the mic or the line. Have the engineer supply console phantom power to the bad line. Plug in the sniffer where the mic was, "green lights" means the mic is bad, any other combination means it is the cabling. Plug the sniffer into the stage box, "green lights" means the snake line is good, mic cable is bad. What normally would take 10, 15 precious minutes or more can be accomplished in a minute or so. The Rat Sniffer is a simple, inexpensive, reliable, compact tool that can save valuable time with accurate results.

The Send Unit - "Sender"

Powered by a 12 volt "car alarm" battery - included!

Extremely long battery life. Months to years on a single battery!

On/Off switch allows storing the Send and Receive units plugged into each other

No battery drain if unit is left on while not plugged in

Will not harm microphones or electronics if in inadvertently plugged into a cable with a mic or console attached to the other end

Rat Sniffer logo up error codes.
(right click and select 'save picture as' to download picture)

INSTRUCTIONS:

There are two basic ways to use the Rat Sniffer.

1) Using the sniffer and sender together you would attach them to a mic cable, the sniffer on one end and sender on the other. Turn on the sender and if the three LED's on the Sniffer illuminate green, the mic cable is good. Any other combo is a fault condition that can be decoded with the included card.

Note: you can attach the sniffer directly to the sender to test them. Also, if the sender is not attached to anything, the battery will not drain so you can leave it on.

2) You can use the sniffer without the sender if you have a console that supplies phantom power. In which case you would use the console as the "sender" and turn on phantom power, plug a mic cable in to that channel and plug the sniffer onto the other end of the mic cable.

Comments and Press

Barry Rudolph Review for Music Connection Los Angeles - February 2004

Pro Sound News Press Release

Audio Control Press Release

Yup, I got the sniffer/sender set a couple of weeks ago. - Personally, if I am trouble shooting, and don't get 3 green, the cable gets a knot tied in the end, and a new cable is run. Repairs are for the shop, not the gig. If I didn't have more than enough cable for the job at hand, maybe I would look at it differently. In my new "normal use" layout, the sender stays in the tool box at the board with the (now laminated) ID card, and I "built" a belt-holder for the sniffer. I have a hundred or so mini-mag lights. (well not really, but that's what the wife believes) Take one of the standard "holsters" and jam a bit of Styrofoam or something in the bottom, so the sniffer stands about 1/2 above the edge. Voila. At first I placed the sniffer/sender in the holster, but was always knocking the switch on. - Chris

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