Reading up a bit more, I think I found the issue I was having with my Donners. Unfortunately, I don't think it's an issue I can fix. Since they operate in the 2.4GHz range, that poses an inherent problem. Every god damn thing under the sun uses the same band, Bluetooth, WiFi, mircowave ovens... Given that my Halloween setup is in the middle of a neighborhood, it's pretty clear why these would drop queues. It also makes sense why some people have great luck with these and others don't. It largely depends on what is going on around you as it pertains to RF pollution.
I would still like to go wireless but I nearly passed out when I saw the cost of the 900MHz DMX systems (very few available). Does anyone have any recommendations?
I'm curious how hard it would be to build a 900MHz transmitter and a couple receivers. DigiKey has 900MHz transmitter kits available for projects...
If you're the smartest person in the room, then you're in the wrong room.