Been looking around for the last few weeks at the various wireless options which are priced significantly below the RodeLink, there are a surprisingly large number of them!! :-o

Unfortunately many of these ones are no good, but on the upside it appears wireless has taken great strides forward (all 5 of these wireless sets mentioned are only roughly a year old or less on the market), and I've narrowed it down to four which are cheaper than the RodeLink yet look appealing from what I can gather (here they are listed from cheapest to priciest):

Boya BY-WM6 vs Azden PRO-XD vs Saramonic UwMic10 vs Audio-Technica ATW-1701L

Boya BY-WM6

Is the cheapest of the four by far at only US$140 with free shipping. It uses the 584 MHz-608 MHz frequency range. Includes an XLR output cable. Runs on two AA batteries with a claimed run time of 8hrs. Comes with a portable case for the set. RX has a headphone jack.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/For-Boya-BY-WM6-Lavalier-Wireless-Microphone-System-For-ENG-EFP-Canon-Sony-DSLR-/282001404702

Azden PRO-XD

Second cheapest of the three at US$199 with free shipping. Uses 2.4GHz wireless. Uses an internal battery (can't swap it out.... hmmm... a downside! But on the upside, it is the slimmest of the four, which is a bonus for a wireless system). Battery life is meant to be an impressive 16hrs (with a 3hr recharge time). Has a headphone jack on the RX. Internal batteries are rechargeable over USB (can see this being useful for bag use, to keep all the RX units charged up from a USB power pack. However careful battery management during the shoot will be needed with the TX units)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Azden-PRO-XD-2-4-GHz-Digital-Wireless-Lavalier-System-/171940834701 http://www.4kshooters.net/2015/11/11/azden-pro-xd-new-budget-digital-wireless-microphone-system/ http://cheesycam.com/azden-pro-xd-2-4-ghz-wireless-lavalier-microphone-system-just-199/ http://www.learnlightandsound.com/blog/2015/10/26/good-budget-wireless-lavalier-azden-pro-xd

Saramonic UwMic10

If you squint they look almost the same as the Sony UWP-D11 sets! (it even has an XLR TX option like Sony does with the Sony UWP-D16. Which I am really looking forward to using on the boom pole, to get rid of the cable)

But the Saramonic UwMic10 costs half the amount of a Sony UWP-D11. As it is US$270 plus taxes/shipping to NZ (which does then significantly increase its cost, unfortunately). http://www.saramonicusa.com/products/saramonic-uwmic10-digital-uhf-wireless-lavalier-microphone-system-with-bodypack-tx-and-portable-rx http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2016/02/28/saramonic-uwmic10-dual-body-pack-2-channel-receiver-now-out/ http://www.dslrfilmnoob.com/2016/02/15/saramonic-uwmic10-dual-channel-uhf-wireless-system-review/ https://lensvid.com/gear/saramonic-uwmic10-uhf-wireless-lav-review/

The Saramonic is I think the system I'd like to go for, but once the final cost is worked out it ends up pushing up uncomfortable close to the RodeLink to really truly be a "cheaper option than a RodeLink" by a significant margin. Plus it is such a new item to the market that none of Adorama/B&H/Amazon.com are selling it, maybe I should revisit this item in a couple of months time and see if this has changed.

Audio-Technica ATW-1701L

Cheapest price now is $330.79: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1060929-REG/audio_technica_atw_1701_l_system_10_digtal_wireless.html

But it was merely US$220 at Adorama only a month ago: http://dealnews.com/Audio-Technica-Camera-Mount-Microphone-System-for-220-free-shipping/1618268.html

I think that the current prices for the ATW-1701L are just a little too high right now, as it puts it too close in price to a RodeLink, so not much savings there. But if ever see it at that sale price then I'll buy one (two even!) in a heartbeat! http://soundandpicture.com/2014/12/audio-technica-system-10-camera-mount-wireless-review/

Well, I think this now is complete survey of the "good options" which are cheaper than a RodeLink. I've surely left out a few other possibly interesting options, and feel free to point out anything important I've left out, but what I'm left wondering now... is which of these four should I pull the trigger on and buy? Open to any thoughts on my options!

I'm not wanting to buy a Zoom I don't think and I would like price to be reasonable and the ability to get to lavs into one system if possible.

Thanks in advance, Matt

The sound check (by ear) was very good in the configurations that did not use the Sennheissers. The Sennheissers introduced their typical noise. When pre amps from the Sony PCM-M10 recorder, or the sennheissers are used, set the camera level to one click above off. The Sony M10 has cleaner sound than many larger and more expensive recorders, and is 1/4 the size. The best sound recorded to the camera was obtained by going through the M10. Having 3.5mm connectors makes it a bit more fragile. I suggest using all right angle connectors.

I found that the lavs with power supplies directly connected through the Azden Cam-3 mixer was clean enough for speech, although it does depend on the pre amps of the camera you are using which typically has some noise on the floor. I used Countryman B6's. They are one of my favorite lavs. The sound quality is excellent and they are so small I can push them through button holes. That way they are virtually invisible, and I do not have to contend with clothing ruffling. I advocate not using transmitters whenever possible such as sit down interviews. If you are fortunate to have Lectros wireless, then there is no noise issue.

What is very cool is using the mixer connected directly to the camera. The entire sound kit fits in a pocket. The miniature boom mic is a "Que Audio DSLR-Video Microphone Kit"

I did a bit more testing and it looks like some noise is being introduced by the lav power supplies. The unit itself only supplies power and has a passive volume control. My guess is that it is the 4 meter cable which is probably low quality. I will shorten the cables and report back.

I tested the mic power supplies and found almost no difference with them in, or out. I am concluding that they are not a significant noise contributer, although I still think think the cables are not very good, and i will replace them with higher quality. The cases snap open and it looks like an easy fix.