MONTGOMERY, Ala.—Alabama Public Television (APT) is at work on a complete RF upgrade to its terrestrial TV network with the assistance of Technical Services Group (TSG) in Baton Rouge, La., to position itself for ATSC 3.0 service.

“We don’t know when [APT will launch 3.0 service], but we will hit the ground running once our NextGen TV plans come to fruition,” said Windell Wood, APT director of engineering.

TSG will install GatesAir Maxiva VAXTE air-cooled VHF transmitters at two stations and a Dielectric TFI top-mounted UHF antenna at another. Deployments are expected to begin in the fall, TSG said.

The new transmitters will replace legacy Harris Platinum VHF transmitters at WBIQ-DT in Birmingham, Ala., and WDIQ-DT in Dozier, Ala. Maxiva XTE exciters will be integrated into the units for quick conversion to 3.0. The VAXTE for WBIQ was specified to support an approved power increase for ATSC 1.0 and future 3.0 coverage improvements, raising WBIQ’s ERP from 3kW to 3.4kW, it said.

TSG CEO Bo Hoover worked closely with the GatesAir engineering team to specify the VAXTE design for WBIQ’s power increase, which required proper alignment with a previously installed Dielectric antenna.

“The FCC locks WBIQ into a lower power level to avoid interference with Channel 9, which makes indoor reception a challenge,” said Hoover. “Through the approved power increase and an elliptically polarized antenna, we were able to specify a system that improves ground coverage for both ATSC standards.”

WDIQ will continue transmitting at 30kW. Both statins broadcast on VHF Channel 10, it said.

WIIQ-DT, which serves Meridian, Miss., will replace its decades-old antenna transmitting on Channel 19 with a new Dielectric antenna. The new antenna will add substantial vertical polarization to improve indoor reception of both 1.0 and NextGen TV services, it said.

Dielectric’s Future Fill technology is built into the antenna. It will allow WIIQ to support ATSC 3.0 services through a simple increase to the antenna’s null fill, smoothing out the antenna for uniform NextGen TV coverage, it said.

TSG is providing initial system design and specification services and will decommission existing systems. It also is procuring equipment and will test, commission and proof the systems, said Hoover.

The final RF system upgrades follow TSG’s buildout of APT's new statewide 3.0-ready microwave distribution system and transmission system upgrades at several RF sites. Following these final RF upgrades, APT’s entire nine-station network will be capable of delivering NextGen TV content, TSG said.

“TSG’s exceptional work on our microwave system enable[s] the IP system architecture required for ATSC 3.0, and all nine of our stations will soon have antennas with approximately 30 percent vertical polarization. That, along with new high-efficiency transmitters, will provide a robust and reliable ATSC 3.0 capable transmission network for our stations well into the future,” said Wood.

All nine stations will use GatesAir transmitters and Dielectric antennas once installations are finalized.

“We only have seven field engineers throughout the state to take care of nine TV transmitters and 30 microwave sites, among other responsibilities,” said Wood. 

“GatesAir Maxiva UHF and VHF transmitters are very similar in construct with modular designs and common parts that make maintenance easy. There are no surprises for our engineers from site to site. And Dielectric’s antennas are very well-built and engineered. We have had other antennas burn up in the field that required emergency replacement work. That doesn’t happen with Dielectric.”

Wood is currently exploring the addition of a 10th TV station on the network, which would be APT’s first low-band VHF station on the network.

More information is available on the GatesAir, Dielectric and TSG websites.

BATON ROUGE, La.—Alabama Public Television (APT) is getting an update to its stations for ATSC 3.0 transmission, selecting Technical Services Group (TSG) and Vislink to handle the statewide project. 

The upgrade, which is billed at $2.8 million, covers 30 locations with bi-directional, high-speed IP components from Vislink that will enable support for ATSC 3.0 transmission on Alabama’s microwave distribution system. The current system has been in place since 2010 and is only capable of supporting ATSC 1.0.

APT’s network uses nine transmitters and 21 repeaters for its statewide coverage. The master signal originates from the network operations center at APT’s Birmingham station, WBIQ. To achieve bi-directional connectivity and full redundancy across the entire network, TSG says that it will install 120 of Vislink’s IPLink 3.0 transceivers, four at each site.

Vislink’s digital video microwave system will enable APT to transition from traditional ASI transport to an IP-centric system architecture. The new system also will have Simple Network Management Protocols (SNMP), which will monitor and manage the overall health of the APT Network, per Vislink.

Work on the project is expected to begin in early summer, with the goal of completing it by the end of the year. APT believes that with the built-in redundancy, it should be able to minimize or avoid signal disruption during the upgrade.

PLUS: ATSC 3.0 Deployments: Where and When Will NextGen TV be Available? 

APT also plans to develop a separate fiber network for ATSC 3.0 to help connect the 30 transmission sites. This is still in the planning stage.

“ATSC 3.0 is the next step in the evolution of broadcast television. With their emphasis on infrastructure, Alabama Public Television is in front of the curve,” said Bo Hoover, CEO of TSG. “APT’s transition to ATSC 3.0 is going to serve as a model for other statewide networks, and we are excited to work with Vislink to deliver this solution.”

WAYNE, NJ (Sept. 7, 2018) – JVC Professional Video, a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, today announced Gary Brown, owner of Real World Productions in Birmingham, Ala., is using his JVC GY-LS300 4KCAM Super 35 camcorder to shoot Spotlight on Agriculture, a documentary series for Alabama Public Television.

The quarterly series, which began airing in February, is focused on Alabama agriculture and how research from Auburn University’s College of Agriculture and School of Forestry and Wildlife Services is helping the industry. Eight hour-long episodes will be produced over two years for APT. The most recently episode, which focused on specialty crops, aired in August.

Brown, who purchased his GY-LS300 last fall, has edited the entire series and took over shooting duties with the second episode. Though it is downconverted to HD for broadcast, Spotlight on Agriculture is Brown’s first project to be shot in 4K. “I run a small company, so everything I buy has to be cost effective,” he explained. “Technically, the JVC had to compare favorably with much more expensive cameras.”

So far, Brown has used the GY-LS300 to capture interview footage as well as B-roll of everything from crops to high-tech chicken coops to catfish harvesting. The GY-LS300’s smaller form factor made it possible for him to get shots while riding in a tractor and other challenging locations. “Because it’s so lightweight and handheld, you can get into small, tight places that you couldn’t access with a larger camera,” Brown said.

The GY-LS300 is Brown’s first JVC camera. He said a big selling point was the ability to use his existing Lumix lenses as well as other lenses with adapters. He has been very impressed with the camera’s Prime Zoom feature, which allowed him to zoom in and out without losing resolution or depth of field with his prime (fixed-focal) Tamron lenses. “There is an amazing amount of flexibility in how you record,” he added, “and I’m shocked at how well it does in low light.”

Designed for documentarians, cinematographers, and broadcast production departments, the GY-LS300 features JVC's 4K Super 35 CMOS sensor and an industry standard Micro Four Thirds (MFT) lens mount. Unique Variable Scan Mapping technology adjusts the sensor to provide native support of MFT, PL, EF, and other lenses, which connect to the camera via third-party adapters. Other features include and the “JVC Log” gamma setting, which expands dynamic range by 800 percent with film-like latitude.

ABOUT JVC PROFESSIONAL VIDEO
Headquartered in Wayne, New Jersey, JVC Professional Video is a division of JVCKENWOOD USA Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of JVCKENWOOD Corporation. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributor of broadcast and professional video equipment, as well as D-ILA front projection systems. For more information, visit JVC’s website at http://pro.jvc.com or call (800) 582‑5825.

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HOOVER, ALA.—After eight years of utilizing PBS’ ACE System, Alabama Public Television has made the switch to a Sony Public Media Management system to serve as its new master control automation system, according to a report from the Alabama Broadcasters Association. The Sony system went live on May 2 after the ACE system went offline on April 13.

The Sony PMM operates in a single 19-inch rack unit. The system utilizes ProTrack traffic software, Crispin automation and Harmonic record/playback servers. There are also two record ports and four play back ports, as well as fail over ports for HD and SD channels.

The change to the new system has also brought an update to the organization’s EAS system, replacing TFT EAS with Sage Endec. In addition, PBS programs now have the capability to be brought in from the Cloud filed based or direct from the PBS satellite. It also allows local production teams to ingest video/audio via file based instead of from a playback deck in real time.

The switch to the Sony PMM system is similar to one that was made at WGBH in Boston in 2015.