Making Distinctions
The inspiration for RAD came to Stoffo and Shearing during an NAB show in the early 2000s. Both were completely underwhelmed by the readiness of the wireless industry to weather the launch of DTV, the upcoming spectrum auctions and the advent of whitespace devices. It led them to create a wireless intercom maker to provide products that would help in surviving the changes.
“Even if it becomes almost impossible to operate wireless devices on a show, you can go back to a wired wedge or a wired mic, but you must have wireless coms because everyone using them needs mobility. That was the birth of the RAD concept. We sat down, wrote out a spec, and finally went to market in 2014.”
In a 2015 ProSoundWeb podcast, Stoffo and others discussed exactly these kinds of issues, with Stoffo referencing an NBA All-Star event during which the sheer amount of RF congestion threatened to knock out the media’s Wi-Fi: “I went to the NBA and said, ‘What’s more important, media Wi-Fi or the wireless intercom?’ and they said, ‘Kill the intercom’.
He firmly believes that finding a long-term solution will fall squarely on the pro audio community, which he adds has come together in many ways, including weekly conference calls among several key manufacturers and wireless consultants. Stoffo, Henry Cohen (another principle at RAD) and many others have also provided testimony to the FCC about the negative impact on multiple industries that will result from the auctions and increasing RF congestion.
On an individual level, Stoffo stresses the need to be deeply involved in preparing the next generation of wireless techs to deal with the changing landscape; in his case, by way of seminars and classes, authoring articles and working with SynAudCon.
“Education is more important than ever,” he says. “I have no problem teaching people as much as I can. Some don’t want to share their secrets, but it hasn’t hurt me in any professional or financial capacity. In fact, anybody who’s gone through the classes I teach tells me how grateful they are. It’s good for me to know people benefit from my experience. A lot goes wrong in 36 years and I learned the hard way, so if I can prevent someone from getting premature grey hairs like mine, I’m hoping there’s some good Karma return on that.”
Although the industry has changed dramatically, Stoffo believes that what he and those who work in RF share – regardless of age and experience – is a very specific passion.
“I find it in most of the guys and gals I teach. You really have to have a passion for the fact that you are able to make something work that no one can hear, see, feel, touch or smell. It’s really an invisible science. I think most people that are into RF enjoy manipulating a technology that can’t be seen. A lot of people sort of feel like it’s voodoo, but it’s nice to be the witch doctor.”
New Frontier
Stoffo now lives in the Florida Keys, where he and his family relocated following the sale of PWS.
“I like to say I live on the islands of the Florida Keys, but was born and raised on the islands of Coney and Staten, and, growing up on Staten, I always loved the water, but I always knew I’d end up in Florida, even as a kid.”
Given that Stoffo’s career has taken him from deep underwater to the heights of the entertainment and production world, it’s fitting that his efforts at RAD actually may help open another, vaster frontier.
“We’re actually the ground, mission control wireless communications for rocket launches for Space X,” he concludes. “That’s a real cool thing to say, that we might actually be part of a mission to Mars. And to be able to say that about a company we only launched two years ago, well, that’s very gratifying.”