When both the Toledo Walleye and Toledo Mud Hens play at home on the same night, communication between their respective production teams is essential. To streamline coordination and provide reliable, real-time intercom between the two venues, Clear-Com® , in partnership with CTI (Conference Technologies, Inc.), has delivered a powerful new intercom solution in Toledo, Ohio, connecting Huntington Center (home of the Walleye) and Fifth Third Field (home of the Mud Hens).
The new system, anchored by Clear-Com’s Arcadia® Central Station, serves as the unified hub at Huntington Center, connecting over five miles of fiber to the baseball stadium. The integrated network supports both a HelixNet® digital partyline system and FreeSpeak II® wireless beltpacks, giving operators at each venue full-duplex communications whether they’re producing a hockey game or a baseball game, or both simultaneously.
“Opening day is when this system truly shines,” said Jeremy Knoff, CTS, CQT, Branch Director at CTI. “When both teams have games at the same time, crews at each venue can communicate instantly over the network instead of relying on phone calls. It’s a major step forward for efficiency and collaboration.”
Each venue is equipped with four or more FreeSpeak beltpacks, HelixNet panels, and camera operators tied directly into the intercom workflow. The two locations are linked through redundant network switches, one at each venue, providing continuous uptime and flexibility. “The operators can simply plug into the network and go,” Knoff added. “Even though the fiber run between the two stadiums spans several miles, the system’s design, with a long-haul transmitter and Clear-Com’s IP-based technology, makes it work flawlessly.”
The new system upgrade replaces legacy equipment with a scalable, IP-based communications network designed to grow. The long-term goal is to bring the teams’ cable sports network partner onto the same platform, creating a fully unified production ecosystem across all facilities.
“The integration of Arcadia, HelixNet, and FreeSpeak gives the Toledo Walleye and Mud Hens a modern, future-proof intercom system that’s simple to operate yet capable of supporting highly complex productions,” said Vic Lombardi, North Central Regional Sales Manager at Clear-Com. “It’s a perfect example of how our systems can link venues over long distances while maintaining exceptional clarity and reliability.”