POUSO ALEGRE, Brazil—GatesAir has opened GatesAir Brasil, a new office and operations center here in the state of Minas Gerais in the southeastern region of the country.

The facility establishes a presence for the company in Brazil for the first time in more than a decade and adds in-country assembly, service, repair and customer support capabilities for GatesAir television and radio transmission products. Now open, the facility will also support customer activities throughout the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA) region.

Located within Brazil’s “Electronics Valley” region between São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Belo Horizonte, the new operation strengthens GatesAir’s ability to serve Brazilian broadcasters with faster delivery, localized technical support and expedited repair services. The move also allows GatesAir to assemble products in Brazil, creating operational efficiencies that will make its solutions more accessible to broadcasters across the country.

“Brazil is a cornerstone market for GatesAir and an important part of our long-term growth strategy across Central and Latin America,” GatesAir CEO Barbara Spicek said. “This investment strengthens our regional presence while bringing us closer to customers at a critical point in the industry’s evolution. With DTV+ creating new opportunities for broadcasters, GatesAir is uniquely positioned to support this transition through both innovation and experience.”

The investment comes at a pivotal moment for Brazil’s broadcast industry as it advances plans for DTV+, its enhanced implementation of the ATSC 3.0 standard. GatesAir is now shipping Maxiva transmitters for Brazil’s new 300-MHz broadcast spectrum allocation, leveraging GatesAir’s experience and expertise in ATSC 3.0 systems development. The country’s DTV+ transition is expected to drive substantial infrastructure investment over the coming years as broadcasters prepare to deploy advanced services and applications.

“Opening our new Brazil operation represents a significant strategic investment in one of the world’s most important broadcast markets,” said Antonio Satta, country manager for Brazil at GatesAir. “By establishing local assembly, service and repair capabilities, we can deliver meaningful economic advantages to broadcasters while providing the responsiveness and proximity they expect from a trusted technology partner. We are positioning ourselves alongside our customers as they prepare for the DTV+ transition, and our local presence ensures broadcasters have direct access to the expertise, products and support they need throughout this transformation.”

The facility will include dedicated service and repair resources to accelerate maintenance activities and spare parts availability. GatesAir customers will benefit from localized technical support, installation assistance, commissioning services and direct access to GatesAir engineering expertise.

As part of the expansion, GatesAir will also establish a regional AirWatch365 monitoring hub within the facility. Introduced globally at the 2026 NAB Show in April, AirWatch365 provides broadcasters with continuous monitoring, analytics and operational visibility across transmission infrastructure. The local monitoring capability will further enhance service responsiveness and system oversight for the company’s Brazilian customers.

GatesAir has announced that it is strengthening its Global Services organization with two experienced engineering hires ahead of the 2026 NAB Show.

Scott Vince joined the company on February 23 followed by Chris Abbott, who joins GatesAir on April 20. Both will serve as service support engineers within the Global Services team with an emphasis on supporting AirWatch365 customers.

Brent Whelan, vice president, global services at GatesAir, said that both hires bring highly complementary skill sets that will strengthen the company’s ability to support customers across a wide range of operational environments.

“We are excited to welcome Scott and Chris to the GatesAir team,” said Whelan. “Scott’s deep hands-on experience with RF transmission systems and field operations, combined with Chris’s leadership in network operations and large-scale monitoring environments, enhances our ability to support customers wherever they are — whether on-site, remotely, or across complex multi-site networks. Both bring a practical, solutions-oriented mindset that aligns well with how we serve our customers.”

Scott Vince brings a well-rounded background in broadcast engineering, RF systems, and advanced electronics to his new post. Most recently serving as an RF transmitter engineer with Hearst Television, Vince maintained high-power transmitters, microwave systems, and IP-based networks across a multi-state footprint. His experience includes hands-on troubleshooting, network configuration, FCC compliance, and system modernization initiatives. Vince’s earlier work in high-reliability environments, including electronics testing and U.S. Air Force avionics operations, further reinforces his ability to operate effectively in complex technical scenarios.

Chris Abbott joins GatesAir with extensive experience in broadcast engineering leadership and network operations. Most recently a senior broadcast engineer with Vertical Bridge, and previously director of NOC and Tier 2 Support at iHeartMedia, Abbott has led large-scale monitoring environments and 24/7 support operations. His background includes implementing automated monitoring and alarm correlation systems, managing high-volume incident response, and overseeing engineering teams responsible for maintaining critical broadcast infrastructure.

In their roles, Vince and Abbott will support a full range of service activities, including technical troubleshooting, system optimization, remote support, and field service engagement. Their experience will also contribute to the continued evolution of GatesAir’s service offerings, including initiatives such as AirWatch365.

“I’m excited to join GatesAir and work alongside a team that is focused on delivering high-quality support to broadcasters,” said Vince. “I look forward to applying my RF systems experience and network monitoring expertise to help customers maintain reliable operations while supporting the rollout of AirWatch365.”

Abbott added, “GatesAir has a strong reputation for both its technology and its service organization. I’m looking forward to contributing my experience in NOC operations and broadcast engineering to help strengthen support capabilities and improve overall system visibility for customers.”

GatesAir will be present at NAB Show 2026 from April 19-22 in the Las Vegas Convention Center, where the company will highlight its latest innovations in transmission, networking and service solutions.

For more information on AirWatch365, please visit https://www.gatesair.com/services/gatesair-care.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced the global launch of AirWatch365, its managed service for broadcast transmission monitoring and support and said it has introduced AirWatch365 Edge Gateway, an on-premises site appliance that securely connects transmitters and related infrastructure to the AirWatch365 platform.

GatesAir will demonstrate the service and the AirWatch365 Edge Gateway at 2026 NAB Show (Booth C1046), taking place April 19–22 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The combined solution represents a continued expansion of GatesAir’s global services strategy, bringing together cloud-based aggregation with secure, site-level data collection to help broadcasters improve operational visibility, reliability, and support responsiveness.

“At GatesAir, our focus is on providing broadcasters with a reliable and scalable approach to monitoring and supporting increasingly distributed transmission infrastructure,” said Raymond Miklius, Vice President of Technology, GatesAir. “AirWatch365 brings together centralized visibility, structured analytics, and expert support to help ensure consistent, high-quality on-air operations.”

Available through the company’s broader GatesAir Care program, AirWatch365 is a 24/7 Network Operations Center (NOC)-based service that enables broadcasters to outsource monitoring, diagnostics, and support to a dedicated team of GatesAir RF experts. The service continuously collects telemetry, correlates alarms, and applies analytics across multiple sites, allowing engineers to identify and respond to developing issues before they impact on-air performance.

AirWatch365 uses a cloud-based server layer as the central aggregation point, while the AirWatch365 Edge Gateway collects and normalizes operational data from transmitters, exciters, and environmental systems, including key performance indicators such as power levels, temperatures, and signal conditions. That data is securely transmitted to the AirWatch365 platform, where it is aggregated, analyzed, and presented through configurable dashboards.

This architecture enables broadcasters to manage alarms, performance metrics, and reporting across multiple sites, while maintaining local autonomy and fail-safe operation if a site is temporarily disconnected.

AirWatch365 extends beyond basic alarm monitoring by incorporating telemetry, alarm correlation, and analytics across multiple sites. GatesAir support teams continuously monitor system conditions and trends, enabling faster issue identification and more effective response when conditions fall outside of normal operating thresholds.

The system also supports tailored configurations based on each broadcaster’s operational requirements, including customizable dashboards, site groupings, and user-defined alarm thresholds. This approach helps reduce alarm fatigue while ensuring that out-of-tolerance RF, power, or environmental conditions generate actionable alerts.

GatesAir also stressed that AirWatch365 is designed to scale across single stations, regional groups, and multi-market networks, supporting radio and television transmission systems along with associated infrastructure.

The AirWatch365 Edge Gateway establishes secure, outbound connectivity to the cloud platform, aligning with modern IT security practices while limiting access strictly to approved monitored equipment. The architecture maintains local system operation during network disruptions, ensuring continued site performance with data synchronization upon restoration of connectivity.

AirWatch365 is available globally beginning this spring.

For more information on AirWatch365, please visit https://www.gatesair.com/services/gatesair-care.

CINCINNATI—Oklahoma Community Television (OCT) has selected GatesAir and Triveni Digital as key technology partners in an ATSC 3.0 deployment that establishes a cost-efficient networking model for low-power transmission sites through a convergence of RF and IP technology.

The successful proof-of-concept offers a basis for developing future means for a translator transition to ATSC 3.0, the companies said.

Developed by Jack Mills, general manager of OCT, a division of broadcast group Griffin Media, the networking innovation brings the SRT protocol directly into the RF infrastructure featuring GatesAir transmitters though interoperability with advanced signaling technology from Triveni Digital.

Commonly deployed in live production scenarios, SRT ensures secure and reliable transport of video and audio content with very low latency, with built-in protections to maintain performance across unpredictable IP networks. Broadcasters often deploy SRT over managed fiber connections to maintain broadcast-quality standards. For very distant locations lacking fiber connections, the expense of running lines is often cost-prohibitive.

Mills faced this challenge with at least one OCT translator and inspired him to engineer a solution. Following a thorough testing phase, Mills successfully deployed ATSC 3.0 services to two new GatesAir Maxiva UAXTE-100 translators installed in August. The first stage carries the NextGen TV broadcasts of five Oklahoma City network affiliates over a 90-mile distance.

The five-station feed originates from Nexstar Media Group-owned KAUT-TV’s ATSC 3.0 Lighthouse site to OCT’s translator site in Strong City, Okla., leveraging SRT transport over existing fiber and IP connections. The SRT signal is processed through equipment from DTV Innovations and transmitted locally through the UAXTE-100 on Channel 29.

The much greater challenge was preparing those same services for a second translator site in Elk City, Okla., with no existing microwave, fiber or wired connectivity. Mills favored an off-air RF hop from the Strong City site, which required a solution to regenerate ATSC 3.0 signals for broadcast over a different RF channel.

He ultimately found the Triveni ATSC 3.0 Translator to be a reliable, cost-efficient solution to decode and regenerate the signal for broadcast on Channel 26, reducing equipment costs. The ATSC 3.0 Translator receives and regenerates the signal, applies a unique DRM signature for legal broadcast rights management and hands it off to the GatesAir translator in Elk City, which delivers the ATSC 3.0 feed at 120 W.

“The United States has a very large installed base of approximately 5,000 LPTV and translators operating today. The recent interest in mandating ATSC 3.0 will force many broadcasters to make decisions with their translators: find an affordable way for translators to transmit in ATSC 3.0, or eventually go dark,” said Mills, who is also president of the National Television Association.

“In addition to the transmission, translator operators use microwave systems, some form of IP, fiber and OTA over mountainous terrain and very long distances to reach their translator sites. Our approach proves that affordable IP solutions and OTA can reliably feed ATSC 3.0 signals.”

Triveni ATSC 3.0 Translator integrates seamlessly with OCT’s existing filters, antennas and lines, Mills added, requiring no changes or additional investments in the RF infrastructure. Mills said he is actively exploring the deployment of auxiliary ATSC 3.0-ready services over the same two hops, including a Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) implementation for accuracy and timing.

More information is on the GatesAir and Triveni Digital websites.

WAYNE, Pa.—Private-equity firm Saothair Capital Partners said it has completed the acquisition of GatesAir through a newly-formed affiliate.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Founded in 1922, GatesAir is a major global designer, manufacturer and installer of wireless, over-the-air content delivery and public safety communications equipment. The company is headquartered in Mason, Ohio, with manufacturing facilities in Quincy, Ill., and Brescia, Italy.

The companies reported that Barbara Spicek will continue to serve as president and CEO.

GatesAir has gone through a number of ownership changes in recent years. In 2022 Thomson Broadcast acquired the company from an affiliate of The Gores Group.

“GatesAir holds a strong and enduring position in the global broadcast industry, built on a century of innovation and reliability,” explained Kevin Madden, co-founder and managing partner of Saothair. We are excited to partner with Barbara and her talented team to further scale the business, broaden its geographic presence, and expand its portfolio of turnkey broadcast and communications solutions.”

Richard Lozyniak, co-founder and operating partner of Saothair, added: “GatesAir has earned the trust of broadcasters worldwide through its customer-first culture and dependable solutions. We look forward to building on that foundation of trust while investing in the next phase of growth.”

Saothair describes itself as a private equity firm that is "exclusively focused on investing in middle-market manufacturing and industrial companies."

“GatesAir's 100-plus-year heritage represents more than longevity; it reflects an unwavering reliability that broadcasters depend on worldwide,” said GatesAir president and CEO Spicek. “Saothair's partnership empowers us to accelerate innovation, bolster customer support, expand our market leadership, and deliver the breakthrough technologies that will define the future of over-the-air content delivery.”

McGuireWoods LLP provided legal counsel to Saothair on the transaction. GatesAir was represented by Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for legal counsel and GLC Advisors LLC as financial adviser.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir will bring its 5G passthrough demo to IBC audiences once again as interest in the technology’s value for broadcast-to-mobile delivery grows. Debuted at IBC2024, the technology employs 5G modulation within its Maxiva XTE exciter to send live TV content to a smartphone across the 5G waveform.

The “5G passthrough” to mobile devices is achieved over UHF channels, effectively opening the door for broadcast’s highly efficient one-to-many model to make a difference with mobile TV delivery. Adopting the UHF frequency allows broadcasters to avoid using valuable mobile spectrum, while consumers can receive, decode and view content on the same mobile devices that they already use.

GatesAir’s provision of 5G delivery across the UHF channels not only guarantees 5G exclusivity for voice and mobile cellular use, but also gives broadcasters the ability to adopt 5G delivery without needing to replace their existing transmitters, the company said. The new modulation technique can be applied to GatesAir’s Maxiva ULXTE, UAXTE and OP Series of liquid-cooled and air-cooled UHF transmitters. Maxiva transmission products are built for standards-agnostic transmission, with the software-defined XTE exciter able to support all current digital and analog TV standards.

“Visitors to our booth last year were actively assessing the possibility that offloading broadcast content to UHF frequencies may become a reality within the next 5-10 years,” said Raymond Miklius, Vice President of Technology, GatesAir. “With more trials on the horizon, our purpose this year is to show broadcasters that we are actively prepared to assist when that time arrives, especially in Europe and parts of the Asia-Pacific region that are pursuing trials.”

GatesAir representatives will be available to discuss 5G as well as traditional terrestrial waveforms on stand 8.B75 at IBC2025, Sept. 12-15 at the RAI Amsterdam.

CINCINNATI—Ben Marth has joined GatesAir as regional sales manager, Northwest USA/Western Canada, responsible for maintaining regional sales management relationships and supporting product sales across TV and radio.

He’ll also represent the company at key industry trade shows and Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) meetings, GatesAir said.

Marth comes from Broadcast Electronics, where he was a sales manager overseeing sales and client relationships across the Western U.S. and all of Canada. He managed a product portfolio that included transmitters, automation equipment and RDS software, supported operations and presented at industry events.

The industry veteran of two decades has also been regional manager at Digital Scoreboards, where he led sales and targeted marketing efforts with community organizations across the Midwest, GatesAir said.

“Ben’s deep broadcast expertise and track record of strategic sales leadership make him a strong fit for this role,” GatesAir Vice President of Global Sales Mark Goins said. “His understanding of the regional market, coupled with his dedication to long-term client relationships, aligns perfectly with our mission to deliver competitive services and solutions for our TV and radio broadcast customers across North America.”

Marth’s appointment follows the company’s March introduction of a cost-efficient, ATSC 3.0-ready platform designed to power low-power UHF transmitters, including its award-winning PMTX-1 outdoor systems, the company said. Based on next-generation FPGA architecture, this platform increases processing power while providing a field-upgradable path from ATSC 1.0 to 3.0, making NextGen TV deployment more accessible to broadcasters in markets of all sizes, according to GatesAir.

“My No. 1 goal is to continue the strong global tradition of GatesAir as the premier television and radio transmission provider and support them in their distinguished universal presence,” Marth said. “GatesAir takes care of its clients in a unique and admirable way, and it’s my mission to carry on that customer-driven culture.”

QUINCY, Ill.—During its 72 years on the air, WGEM-DT has continuously operated through several transitions, including ownership and network affiliate changes. Licensed to the city of Quincy, Illinois, we had been operating from a broadcast tower situated in a residential neighborhood.

Seizing the opportunity to relocate, we shifted to a shared tower site that has allowed us to take better advantage of our 1 MW of effective radiated power (ERP). In addition to an improved tower position and better sight lines, the move also laid the groundwork to move from VHF Channel 10 to a UHF frequency.

Now broadcasting over UHF Channel 19, these changes have improved coverage to the north and east for WGEM—Quincy’s NBC affiliate—adding three counties to our DMA, while blanketing populated areas such as Burlington, Iowa, that were difficult to reach.

Move to UHF
The move to UHF also required an entirely new RF infrastructure. As WGEM is based in Quincy, we naturally have a strong relationship with GatesAir, which operates its manufacturing center here. About seven months ago, we installed a Maxiva ULXTE-80 UHF transmitter along with a new antenna and combiner, all working together to power our 46 kW TPO with exceptional performance.

The transition to UHF, which included a power increase, also marked our introduction to a liquid-cooled operation. This required a substantial redesign of the existing plant to house new filters, transformers and pump modules, along with the ULXTE transmitter. GatesAir engineers helped design the system to ensure it was up and running, and properly functioning, within our tight timeline.

Moving from air-cooled to liquid-cooled does require a learning curve. Where air-cooled systems are mostly dependent on consistent air conditioning and proper circulation, liquid-cooled systems bring together chillers, pump modules, valves and tubing that circulate coolant to keep high-power transmitters cool and operating consistently, with outdoor air handlers to efficiently expel heat from the room.

GatesAir’s solid-state liquid architecture is fully modernized with a sensible workflow that helped us quickly adapt. That comfort level soon extended to system maintenance, which includes a biweekly review of pump and flow pressure (40 psi), power levels and alarm thresholds to confirm operational stability.

We occasionally add coolant to the system, which requires a complete flush every three to four years when the hue of the existing liquid turns green. While this technically adds up to more maintenance than an air-cooled system that requires quarterly maintenance, working with a liquid-cooled system invites more activity, keeping our skill sets sharp while being far from an engineering burden.

Dual Exciters
The ULXTE transmitter is equipped with dual Maxiva XTE exciters. During maintenance, we switch to the secondary exciter to ensure system redundancy is in order. With no backup transmitter in place, the redundant exciter architecture is an important fail-safe for on-air operations, with automatic switchover when needed.

Like GatesAir’s air-cooled transmitters, the ULXTE liquid-cooled solid-state infrastructure features amplifiers and power supplies that are quick to replace. For liquid systems, the transmitters are carefully designed to prevent leaks and damage upon removing and placing a module.

The XTE exciters reliably take in and amplify our DTI and ASI signals to produce a robust over-the-air signal coming out of the transmitter. The exciters also include GatesAir’s RTAC real-time adaptive correction technology to eliminate frequency drift and remain within our RF 19 specifications.

Its GUI, along with the transmitter’s GUI, provides us with all the monitoring intelligence we need to ensure our power level, modulation error ratio and other readings are clear, accessible and within approved thresholds. And with NextGen TV broadcasts on the horizon, the XTE also provides a direct path to the ATSC 3.0 standard via a firmware update.

More information is available here.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has introduced a new cost-efficient ATSC 3.0-ready platform that prepares its low-power TV transmission products for NextGen TV opportunities on the near horizon. The new platform, to be introduced at NAB Show 2025, is based on a high-efficiency modulator that provides the processing power required to optimize ATSC 3.0 power in GatesAir’s low-power UHF transmitters, including the award-winning PMTX-1 outdoor transmitter systems.

GatesAir developed the modulator based on new field-programmable integrated circuits (FPGA) that enabled a cost-efficient ATSC 3.0 solution across their entire low-power UHF product line, which also includes Maxiva UATK Ultra-Compact transmitter solutions and Maxiva UATK-OP high-efficiency UHF air-cooled DTV transmitters. The modulator’s software-defined architecture, based on GatesAir’s award-winning Maxiva XTE exciter for medium-to-high power transmitters, provides the added value of offering a field-upgradeable path from ATSC 1.0 to ATSC 3.0 broadcasting.

Now shipping, the availability of ATSC 3.0 modulation in all three Maxiva low-power UHF lines is ideal timing as more consultants begin working with broadcasters on ATSC 3.0 network planning designs, the company said. While most NextGen TV broadcasts today are delivered through lighthouse configurations that allow several broadcasters to share infrastructure and bandwidth from a central location, the next generation of ATSC 3.0 deployments will include more single-frequency network (SFN) designs that leverage multiple synchronized low-power transmitters across a broadcast market.

GatesAir’s low-power products are ideal for SFN designs that require several different transmitter designs, including Maxiva UATK Ultra-Compact and PMTX-1-UK outdoor transmitter systems that can be configured as low-power transmitters, translators/transposers, or gap fillers. This is especially true of the PMTX-1-UK, which can be mounted to a pole, tower structure or building structure in virtually any location thanks to its weatherproof enclosure, minimal circuitry and maintenance free architecture.

“Our new ATSC 3.0 platform offers the exacting technology required to effectively fill in gaps and extend market coverage in single-frequency networks and other ATSC3.0 network configurations,” said Raymond Miklius, Vice President of Technology, GatesAir. “Importantly, it extends the possibility of affordable ATSC 3.0 broadcasting across virtually all television budgets, including those operating in smaller markets or at lower power levels.”

The modulator is also viable for ISDB-Tb DTV systems — a benefit for Brazilian broadcasters who anticipate a transition to ATSC 3.0 in the recent approval of the Brazilian government, according to GateAir. Same as the ability to transition from ATSC 1.0, GatesAir’s software-defined solution enables a transition from ISDB-T to ATSC 3.0 – or from any other analog or digital TV standard.

GatesAir will demonstration the 1RU modulator and its ATSC 3.0 software within Maxiva low-power UHF transmitters at NAB Show 2025, taking place April 6-9 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. GatesAir exhibits at booth W2720 in the West Hall.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced that it will continue its successful in-house financing program for its North America TV and radio customers. The initiative provides a range of flexible financing options to fund a broadcaster’s investment in modern, high-efficiency transmission equipment.

New as of this month, broadcasters also have the option to finance GatesAir Care services into their contracts, providing customers with a managed service layer to monitor and maintain their transmission systems.

“Our in-house financing program has proven to be a winning formula for all of our customers from the independent FM broadcaster to the biggest networks and station groups,” Mark Goins, vice president of global sales at GatesAir. “The broadcaster’s annual technology budget continues to tighten, and these plans help our customers make the most of their capital expenditure. And while all plans include our world-class customer service and technical support, the option to work our GatesAir Care managed services into all plans ensures that your transmission systems are protected through our engineering teams. This is especially relevant for broadcasters that lack the in-house RF engineering talent to monitor and maintain their system from basic service and support up through disaster recovery strategies.”

All financing plans can be tailored to meet the specific needs of each customer, GatesAir said.

Options range from financing a single transmitter purchase all the way up to a complete refresh of existing transmission infrastructure, including new FM systems and ATSC 3.0 DTV solutions.

Click here for more information.

Customers can request a quote and download equipment financing applications by following the simple instructions and prompts detailed on the page.

GatesAir has announced the retirement of Joe Mack effective at the close of the business day Monday, Sept. 30.

GatesAir issued the following statement:

Joe's retirement follows a successful 43-year career with the company that includes several executive leadership roles, capping with his four-year tenure as Chief Revenue Officer, leading worldwide sales and revenue generation.

Joe joined GatesAir, then Harris Corporation, in 1981 through his association with Midwest Corporation, a longtime leader in satellite newsgathering systems and services that Harris acquired in 1989. He began his career as a sales engineer in Midwest’s call center and soon found himself contributing to many of Midwest’s biggest projects, including the design and deployment of the company’s earliest satellite uplink facilities.

Along the way, Joe was instrumental in developing instant news as we know it today and managed satellite flyaway terminals and projects for major broadcast networks worldwide. Key achievements from this early phase of his career include the Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Iceland, along with the Tiananmen Square uprising in Beijing.

Joe’s understanding of how satellite and over-the-air technologies aligned to benefit the television broadcaster, as well as his expertise working across international regions, inspired a gradual rise through the ranks within Harris.

“We developed large satellite distribution models for broadcast networks, which opened their eyes to a new revenue stream through the ability to transmit ENG and SNG content over the air,” said Mack. “Harris was already making TV transmitters, but this opened a new era of exploration and innovation in the company that never ceased and continues today at GatesAir.”

Joe’s responsibilities at Harris first focused on working with partners and customers in Southeast Asia and other regions before taking on a regional sales role in North America that, by the early 2000s, led to his first leadership role as Director, TV Transmission Sales, North America for Harris Corporation’s Broadcast Communications Division.

He became Vice President of Sales, Americas upon the rebranding of Harris Broadcast’s transmission business as GatesAir in 2014, and was elevated to Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) in 2020. As CRO, Joe was responsible for all worldwide sales activity, returning to a role that found him once again working with partners and customers worldwide while leading a large and experienced global team of sales professionals.

Joe has spent the 18 months working alongside GatesAir CEO Barbara Spicek as her Deputy CEO, helping to support global business operations through the unique level of knowledge and experience that comes with such an impressively long company tenure.

Joe’s understanding of the importance that relationship building and customer commitment brings to a company’s reputation has been key to his success. His focus on the customer often contributed to record sales levels for radio and television transmission businesses, including the highly successful US spectrum repack which saw GatesAir emerge with the largest market share for repack transmitter sales. And while retirement is imminent, he will remain connected with the business he has given his professional life to as a newly elected member to the Voice of America Museum’s board of directors.

“One of the most important qualities of this business is the personal relationships that you develop with your partners and customers,” said Mack. “Whether it is business or personal, they know how to reach you and feel confident that they can call you at any time. These long-term relationships turn into friendships over time. I am thankful for the ability to stay in this business over all these years and to have some of the very best customers, partners and colleagues in the business. GatesAir has always been an extraordinary company and the foundation there today will ensure that continues for many years to come.”

CINCINNATI—GatesAir today launched "GatesAir Care," an enhanced managed services program addressing the gap being created as RF engineers near retirement with skilled RF resources and services. 

The program, available beginning today, offers defined service level agreements across its Elite, Signature and Standard support plans, the company said.

The number of services included escalates with each support tier, beginning with simple extended warranties, discounted spare parts and preventative maintenance visits to keep transmitters and associated RF systems in excellent operating condition. Additional services are available with each tier, which can include installation and commissioning, 24/7 remote maintenance and monitoring and live, onsite technical support for major broadcast events.

“Most young engineers coming into the business today possess a strong IT skillset but have limited to no RF expertise,” said Raymond Miklius, vice president of technology at GatesAir. “We developed GatesAir Care to alleviate concerns about finding skilled engineers to take care of RF systems and plants as veteran TV and radio engineers reduce hours and ultimately retire.”

All three program tiers can also scale to the size of the broadcaster, including dedicated services in smaller markets that are especially light on engineering resources. GatesAir Care will also offer options for crisis team deployment and disaster recovery services in the event of severe weather or other unanticipated events that require immediate attention, it said.

“The GatesAir Care program will help broadcasters maintain their focus on operational efficiency with the peace of mind that our experienced, dedicated support staff will provide consistent, proactive and responsive service tailored to each customer’s needs,” said Mark Goins, vice president of Global Sales at GatesAir. 

GatesAir will also offer beginning and advanced RF training courses aligned with the GatesAir Care program to help younger broadcast engineers strengthen their RF skillsets, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced it will bring its timing and signal reference solution for broadcast and telecom facilities to IBC for the first time. 

The GatesAir Maxiva GNSS-PTP is a standalone 1RU solution with a sophisticated switching algorithm that assures high-precision 10MHz and 1 PPS reference signals to mission-critical components in the signal chain, including transmitters, networking, and studio equipment. Internationally, the Maxiva GNSS-PTP brings strong value to national broadcast and network operators operating headends with multiple transmitters, for example, the company explained. 

During IBC2023, from Sept. 15-18, GatesAir, a Thomson Broadcast subsidiary dedicated to wireless content delivery, will exhibit at Stand 8.C82.

The GatesAir Maxiva GNSS-PTP is a standalone 1RU solution with a sophisticated switching algorithm that assures high-precision 10MHz and 1 PPS reference signals to mission-critical components in the signal chain, including transmitters, networking, and studio equipment. Internationally, the Maxiva GNSS-PTP brings strong value to national broadcast and network operators operating headends with multiple transmitters, for example, the company explained. 

“GatesAir has strong experience in the area of timing and synchronization for video, audio and telecom networks with our Intraplex SynchroCast solutions, including the single-frequency networks that our customers are increasingly deploying for FM radio and digital TV delivery,” said Keyur Parikh, vice president of engineering, GatesAir. “The Maxiva GNSS-PTP represents a new era in timing reliability, network redundancy and cost reduction for GatesAir and giving our customers a proven and reliable solution that will work in any broadcast studio, RF plant and telco facility worldwide.”

The Maxiva GNSS-PTP speaks to modern navigation technologies used in second-generation Global Navigation Satellite Systems, and supports all major global satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS), the company reported. 

Each GNSS-PTP device feeds up to twelve 10 MHz and 1 PPS references in the technology infrastructure, removing the need to integrate a standalone timing source in each component. This substantially reduces equipment costs and installation timelines while providing a single, yet highly redundant, point of failure for engineers, GatesAir said. 

Precise timing and frequency generation is assured because of the GNSS-PTP’s high level of redundancy. The product design includes redundant AC power supplies with built-in battery back-up for “always-on” protection. Diverse timing sources include redundant GNSS receivers, which incorporate OCXO temperature control to prevent frequency changes. Timing sources also include a PTP hardware module and an external 10 MHz and 1 PPS reference. Built-in switching control logic ensures reliability and flexibility for always selecting the highest priority source as a reference, the company said. 

Support for the Precision Time Protocol v2 (PTP) adds further reliability and flexibility for customers. Available as a modular option, users can prioritize PTP as a facility’s primary source, or configure PTP as a backup to one of the GNSS receivers. The PTP module can function as a master or slave and, same as the unit’s GNSS receivers, provide reliable timing and frequency reference to 12 external devices. 

GatesAir has further simplified the user experience with an integrated web interface that allows users to select frequency bands easily and flexibly for each GNSS system, and configure timing source selection in automatic and manual modes. The user interface also offers useful visual aids, including detailed tracking maps and tables, satellite status and signal quality, the company explained. 

ALLENTOWN, Pa.—WFMZ-TV 69 is an independent VHF station serving the Lehigh Valley and Berks County of eastern Pennsylvania. At 80.6kW ERP, WFMZ’s over-the-air signal penetrates the Philadelphia market to the south, east into New Jersey, and several counties north and west.

After the repack ended in 2020, WFMZ moved from its 800kW UHF Channel 46 to WBPH Bethlehem’s 80 kW Channel 9, also shared by WLVT Bethlehem, which also broadcasts WPPT Philadelphia in SD on its shared space.

Post-Repack Challenge
Post-repack, various technical challenges reduced our signal penetration. The original Channel 9 antenna was a Horizontal polarized six-bay directional antenna with a transmitter TPO of 10kW. The sharing partners agreed to solve the lost signal problem by moving to an omnidirectional, four-bay antenna system with 50% horizontal and 50% vertical polarization and doubling the power of our existing GatesAir 20kW Maxiva VAXTE VHF transmitter to 40kW TPO. 

To my understanding, this is the highest power air-cooled VAXTE transmitter GatesAir has produced, and it has once again powered our signals into the neighborhoods we lost post-repack. 

We had the choice of increasing our transmitter size or starting over with liquid-cooled. We chose the former, and our refurbished Maxiva VAXTE went live in January 2023.  Along with price point and confidence in their longevity and technical support, we stayed with GatesAir because they were a common denominator for all three broadcasters in the channel-sharing agreement.

That importance is amplified by the fact that the transmission systems are on the WFMZ property. WFMZ’s studios and tower are colocated on South Mountain in Allentown, and we have long hosted the other two stations’ transmission systems.

GatesAir and their installation partner managed the original installation and upgrade. We updated the coaxial and electrical infrastructure inside our transmitter building in 2018, and installed a constant impedance filter (CIF) to take the VAXTE signal to the antenna. Rather than replace it in the upgrade, 

GatesAir suggested we add a second CIF to the “new half” of the transmitter and combine the two signals at the output. With 48 power amplifiers in the VAXTE, managing the timing, combining and line lengths for the RF signal, sampling, measuring, and correction is a weighty challenge. Their service team worked through those challenges, and the result has been impressive.

The New Footprint
Our new transmitter footprint spans six cabinets, with eight amplifier modules per cabinet. While that seems big, it is expected for an air-cooled transmitter at this TPO. Full-sized doors on the rear of each cabinet provide access for maintenance. Replacing an amplifier module is simple, with only some quick disconnects required while the transmitter remains on the air.

We use redundant Maxiva XTE exciters in the transmitter. These are ATSC 3.0-upgradeable units that provide stable power and meet all performance specifications for the signal. The VAXTE’s web GUI allows us to monitor exciter performance and drill down to see the voltages, currents and temperatures for each PA module, as well as reflected power and general power output from the transmitter. Connectivity to a remote-control system provides alarming if any power thresholds are crossed.

Viewer response to the increase has been positive. A contributor to an online local broadcasting forum recently commented that WFMZ’s signal once again reaches into his neighborhood on the market’s outer edges, and a family member of our staff reports she can now receive the station at her home northwest of Philadelphia. That tells me that the transmitter and antenna system upgrade have fulfilled the purpose of improving our coverage.  

More information is available at www.gatesair.com.

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.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir, a Thomson Broadcast subsidiary, has appointed Barbara Spicek its new CEO effective immediately. She succeeds Bruce Swail, CEO since 2017, who is retiring. Spicek was most recently an executive at Vizrt Group, a provider in broadcast graphics and software-defined live production, for three years. 

Spicek has a nearly three decades-long career with executive roles at Fortune 500 companies such as Brocade Communications and Veritas Technologies. In 2020, Spicek became president and GM for Vizrt subsidiary NewTek, heading the company’s live production business.

A year after GatesAir’s acquisition by Thomson Broadcast, Spicek will be tasked with growing the company’s international footprint and expanding its products and solutions offerings beyond the brand’s TV and radio transmission products to new markets, the company said.

“GatesAir’s longevity speaks for itself, and we will continue to innovate for the global over-the-air broadcast market,” said Spicek. “Business opportunities for TV, FM and digital radio systems continue to grow worldwide, and GatesAir’s Intraplex networking business has flourished as broadcasters accelerate their IP transitions. I see clear opportunities for GatesAir to bring new cloud and software-based solutions to market, both within its product portfolio and in collaboration with Thomson Broadcast and an extended ecosystem. That adds up to phenomenal growth opportunity for GatesAir, fueled through a strong company foundation anchored by Thomson’s supportive ownership.”

“Barbara brings an amazing skillset to GatesAir that assures continued business growth through her proven track record as a proactive, innovative and strategic business leader,” said Aby Alexander, President–USA, Thomson Broadcast. “Her ability to define a company’s business direction and corporate culture align well with our vision to move the GatesAir brand into exciting new places.”

“When we committed to acquiring GatesAir, we challenged ourselves to develop ideas that would increase the company’s global footprint,” said Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman of Redland, the holding company of the Sipromad Group and Thomson Broadcast. “That includes a business integration strategy that allows the GatesAir brand to thrive, and empowers both companies to develop more complete solutions for our customers. As we searched for a new CEO, we were determined to find the right leader to help us enact our vision. That leader is Barbara, and we are excited at the possibilities that lie in front of us moving forward. We thank Bruce for his important contributions and look forward to the next phase of GatesAir under Barbara’s leadership.”

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced that Thomson Broadcast completed its previously announced acquisition of GatesAir from an affiliate of The Gores Group on August 1. 

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. 

“The acquisition of GatesAir is an excellent and significant step for Thomson Broadcast to further reinforce its worldwide leadership in the fast-evolving world of broadcast technology,” said Ylias Akbaraly, chairman of Thomson Broadcast. “Today opens an exciting new era in the rich history of two companies and trusted brands that have each been delighting customers for more than 100 years. Today’s announcement is also exciting for our customers and employees. The combined force of these ideal strategic partners will support each other’s growth and the growth of the industry at large.”

“Thanks to its global platform, significant resources, and commercial and innovation expertise, Thomson Broadcast is perfectly positioned to ensure the success of GatesAir’s operations over the long term,” added Akbaraly. “We are convinced that this great combination will create a very strong platform with improved reach and value-added solutions and services delivered to our customers.”

Bruce D. Swail, CEO of GatesAir said that the completion of the deal “marks the completion of a robust process that evaluated strategic options for GatesAir to accelerate our strong growth to date. We are delighted with the final outcome of the acquisition process and look forward to working together with our new partners for this next chapter in our eventful story.”

“GatesAir and Thomson Broadcast combine century-old dedication to the broadcast industry to innovate and bring cutting edge solutions to the market,” said Aby Alexander, president, Thomson Broadcast, U.S. “This acquisition will strengthen our presence globally to be the leader in the industry.”

CINCINNATI—Thomson Broadcast announced today that it will acquire GatesAir, a leading provider of radio and TV transmission systems. Thomson is buying GatesAir from an affiliate of The Gores Group ("Gores"), which acquired the Harris transmission business in 2012 and rebranded it as GatesAir.  The transaction is subject to certain regulatory filings and is expected to close in the second half of 2022. Details of the transaction were not disclosed.

The acquisition comes after Thomson Broadcast's announcement in 2019 that it was expanding its focus in the U.S., anticipating a strong market for the spectrum repack (which was completed in 2020) as well as for ATSC 3.0 transmission systems. It opened a New York office and distribution center to meet demand for its low-power to high-power transmitters.

GatesAir has a storied history in the broadcast industry over the past 100 years and  has recently seen strong growth from the spectrum repack program. GatesAir worked with Bowen Inc. to find a buyer, eventually settling on Thomson Broadcast. 

The combination of GatesAir with Thomson Broadcast will create a scaled, comprehensive platform with greater capabilities in innovation, design and product efficiency and an expanded portfolio of holistic, turnkey broadcast solutions, the companies said. 

“GatesAir is already an undisputed leader in the broadcast industry, and our combination with Thomson Broadcast will create a combined company of larger scale even better suited to meet the ever-evolving needs of our customers all over the globe,” said Bruce D. Swail, CEO of GatesAir. “I am very proud of the GatesAir team for its stewardship of and innovation in this industry over the past century and look forward to entering the next 100 years as an even stronger business leveraging the strengths of two legendary broadcast brands. On behalf of everyone at GatesAir, I’d like to thank Gores for their strategic guidance which was invaluable in growing our business and driving innovation.”

“Over the course of our successful partnership with Bruce and the management team, GatesAir has driven tremendous growth and transformation through organic and inorganic initiatives, establishing itself as a premier, independent broadcast company with market leading technology and service,” said Edward Johnson, Senior Managing Director at The Gores Group. “We have no doubt GatesAir will continue on its successful trajectory and strengthen its market leadership alongside Thomson Broadcast.”

Based in France, Thomson Broadcast has been in existence for more than 100 years, and has extensive experience in DTV and AM Radio, including DRM. Over the past two years, Thomson Broadcast has received awards for providing exceptional DTT turnkey solutions to large-scale digital migration projects in Africa.

“In 2018, we have set the goal to establish ourselves in the US Market. With Thomson Broadcast and GatesAir now united, these two companies will make us stronger in America and globally as well,” says Ylias Akbaraly, Chairman of Thomson Broadcast.

"Thomson Broadcast and GatesAir together can bring innovative and revolutionary products to the broadcast industry in the centuries to come,” says Aby Alexander, President of Thomson Broadcast USA.

“We are delighted to have reached this point,” says Amine Oubid, CEO of Thomson Broadcast. “From the start we were excited to work with the GatesAir team and saw the obvious fit of the two companies. The transaction closing can’t come fast enough for us. We’re very proud to participate in the rallying of two century-old companies and excited to start working together.”

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced that it will soon be shipping a new timing and signal reference solution for broadcast and telecom facilities that speaks to modern navigation technologies used in second-generation Global Navigation Satellite Systems. 

GatesAir will be demonstrating the new solution, the Maxiva GNSS-PTP, at the 2022 NAB Show between April 23 to 26 at Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth W7426.

“GatesAir has strong experience in the area of timing and synchronization for video, audio and telecom networks, and the Maxiva GNSS-PTP represents a major step forward in timing reliability, network redundancy and cost reduction,” said Keyur Parikh, vice president of engineering, GatesAir. “Our Intraplex SynchroCast solutions have long provided timing and frequency reference generation to synchronize SFN networks, and the GNSS-PTP product builds upon that capability to provide precision timing to broadcast and telecom networks. Our customers can rest assured that they have a proven solution that will work in any broadcast studio, RF plant and telco facility worldwide with the rock-solid reliability they expect from GatesAir.”

The new Maxiva GNSS-PTP is a standalone 1RU solution with a sophisticated switching algorithm that assures high-precision 10MHz and 1 PPS reference signals to mission-critical components in the signal chain, including transmitters, networking, and studio equipment, the company said. 

Each GNSS-PTP device feeds up to twelve 10 MHz and 1 PPS references in the technology infrastructure, removing the need to integrate a standalone timing source in each component. This substantially reduces equipment costs and installation timelines while providing a single, yet highly redundant, point of failure for engineers, the company reported.

Precise timing and frequency generation is assured because of the product’s high level of redundancy. The product design includes redundant AC power supplies with built-in battery back-up for “always-on” protection, and diverse timing sources including redundant GNSS receivers. The GNSS receivers include OCXO temperature control to prevent frequency changes, and support all major global satellite constellations (GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, QZSS). Timing sources also include a hardware-based PTP module and an external 10 MHz and 1 PPS reference. Built-in switching control logic ensures reliability and flexibility for selecting the highest priority source as a reference at all times, the company said. 

Support for the Precision Time Protocol v2 (PTP) adds further reliability and flexibility for customers. Available as a modular option, users can prioritize PTP as a facility’s primary source, or configure PTP as a backup to one of the GNSS receivers. The PTP module can function as a master or slave and, same as the unit’s GNSS receivers, provide reliable timing and frequency reference to 12 external devices.

GatesAir has further simplified the user experience with an integrated web interface that allows users to easily and flexibly select frequency bands for each GNSS system and configure timing source selection in automatic and manual modes. The user interface also offers useful visual aids, including detailed tracking maps and tables, satellite status and signal quality. 

CINCINNATI—GatesAir today introduced Maxiva PMTX-1, a self-contained, modular outdoor transmitter series that integrates a low-power UHF TV transmitter or transposer/translator for use in a variety of applications, including filling coverages gaps and delivering focused broadcast content as a spot transmitter.

The Maxiva PMTX-1 is housed in a rugged, telecom-grade enclosure, making it impervious to weather. Due to its sealed protective shell, the transmitter can be adapted to any climate or outdoor environment, the company said.

The one-piece design from the company’s European-based engineering team eliminates all moving parts and air filters, thereby removing most maintenance requirements. Its metal housing efficiently removes heat from the transmitter’s internal circuitry and helps to ensure it performs well in extreme temperatures and humidity, it said.

This heat management approach maximizes efficiency and reduces utility costs. The PMTX-1 also uses an integral mask filter to reduce external components and make maintenance nearly non-existent, it said.

A variety of mounting scenarios are supported, including one of the first pole-mount configurations in the industry, which is useful for hilltops and remote locations where there is not building or tower. This makes the transmitter well-suited for single frequency network (SFN) applications, the company said.

The PMTX-1 is also available for analog TV networks (100 W), with a field-upgradeable path to DTV (50 W for ATSC 1.0, DVB-T, DVB-T2 and ISDB-Tb), the company said.

Broadcasters can add optional inputs to support DVB-S/S2 receivers, IP transport streams and accept broadcast content and data from alternate sources. The PMTX-1’s optional RF receiver input supports flexible options for translator and transposer configurations and will reliably regenerate content for very targeted coverage areas at low power levels.

Built-in GatesAir RTAC technology for real-time adaptive pre-correction ensures a fully compliant solution for any broadcast standard and keeps the broadcast signal within its required spectral limits.

GatesAir plans the release of versions for VHF TV, DAB Radio, ATSC 3.0 and DTMB in the future, it said.

More information is available on the company’s website. 

LOUISVILLE, Ky.–The Louisville market has a busy over-the-air presence with nearly 30 TV stations. WDRB Media operates two of Louisville’s network-affiliated stations: WDRB-TV (Fox) and WBKI-TV (CW), both of which had Phase 6 repack assignments. WDRB Media’s corporate owners, Block Communications, standardized on GatesAir transmitters during the recent repack for their stations in Illinois, Kentucky and Ohio, replacing long-operating tube transmitters from other manufacturers. 

A SOLID APPROACH

GatesAir made sense for many reasons, including a generous warranty that represents their customer service emphasis. New transmitters were required given the substantial frequency shifts (Channel 49 to 32 for WDRB; Channel 51 to 16 for WBKI), and GatesAir’s solid-state designs were impressive in both performance and maintenance evaluations. GatesAir’s energy-efficient designs were of exceptional importance given the very high TPOs (transmitter power output) required.

Our transmission facility sits at 964-foot elevation, with signals transmitting from a 1,000-foot tower. Clear sightlines ensure we reach viewers 60 miles from the tower. Our new Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled UHF transmitters are designed to optimize that market coverage, with WDRB’s ULTXE-120 model maximized for its 1MW ERP (68kW); and WBKI’s ULXTE-150 model operating at 725 ERP (58kW). The ULXTE-150 has extra headroom for an expected power raise this summer, and another possible boost in the future.

While our previous transmitters were liquid-cooled, moving to solid-state required an entire plumbing refresh and a completely new liquid-cooling infrastructure. Nine heat exchangers were installed just outside the building, while the installers from RF consulting firm Jim Stitt and Associates moved the multicabinet transmitters into their new positions. Lines were run from the transmitters to the redundant Maxiva pump modules, which transfer heat to the outdoor exchangers. This energy-efficient process keeps our cooling bills as low as possible.

Solid-state offers several benefits when it comes to liquid cooling. Our old system required SR-1 ethylene glycol, which needed a complete refresh every three years. The Maxiva system uses off-the-shelf Prestone, requiring little maintenance beyond removing some particulates with a strainer upon adding. 

Opening the front cabinet door reveals a beautiful layout that is easy to grasp. There is a minimum of parts, with redundant power amplifiers and power supplies. Each module is about 700W; if one is lost, GatesAir’s adaptive correction software masks any performance drop. With the front-panel GUI, we can monitor the status of each module, identify a power supply issue and understand when an amplifier firmware upgrade is needed. 

NEXTGEN-READY

Our ULXTE transmitter includes redundant GatesAir ATSC3-ready Maxiva XTE exciters, which brings impressive performance and design traits. GatesAir builds a mini UPS and its real-time adaptive correction (RTAC) software into the XTE. The latter is useful for monitoring signal-to-noise and shoulder performance, which will often point to problems in the antenna or transmission line if outside the threshold. 

The XTE currently shows our shoulders at –47, which is 10 Db better than the FCC specification. It was also much easier to obtain this number compared to the days of tube-type technology. If we reduce power, the RTAC software will re-adapt the shoulders to appropriate levels. And while RTAC is designed to keep the signal within its frequency, the ULXTE performs so well it is hard to imagine when that correction would be required.

As we look ahead to NextGen TV, we’re running our new RF systems with the confidence that our Maxiva transmitters and exciters will seamlessly transition to ATSC 3.0. The additional headroom will also ensure we can add new NextGen TV services when needed.  

Gary Schroder is the chief engineer of WDRB Media. He can be reached at gschroder@wdrb.com. 

For more information on GatesAir visit: www.gatesair.com/.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has promoted Mark Goins to vice president of North American sales.

This follows the recent announcement that Joe Mack has taken the new role of chief revenue officer and that Rich Redmond has left the company. Goins reports to Mack, who in turn answers to CEO Bruce Swail.

“Mark will lead an experienced team of North American representatives across regional sales management, key accounts and inside sales, and work with GatesAir executives to develop annual strategic initiatives for improved growth and support,” the company stated in an announcement.

Goins joined GatesAir predecessor Harris Corp. 19 years ago.

“He has gradually worked his way up the ladder, beginning with an inside sales position and becoming senior director, North America sales upon transitioning to the GatesAir team,” it stated.

“In between, he served as strategic account manager and regional sales manager, which provides him the diverse experience required to successfully lead the current North American sales team.”

It said areas of focus for Goins will include NextGen TV, HD Radio adoption, single-frequency networks (SFNs) and also GatesAir’s Intraplex range, “as business models and networking opportunities expand with the Audio over IP transition.”

CINCINNATI—Joe Mack has been named chief revenue officer of equipment manufacturer at GatesAir. It is a newly formed position.

Meanwhile Rich Redmond has left the company after 23 years, a spokesman confirmed to TV Technology's sister publication Radio World. Redmond most recently held the title of president—managing director, international.

“Joe will take ownership of global sales activity in his new role, with all regional sales leaders across APAC, CALA, EMEA and North America reporting to him,” the company stated in a release.

Mack will continue to report to GatesAir CEO Bruce D. Swail.

Mack has been with GatesAir and its predecessor Harris for 30 years. He was promoted to vice president of sales for the Americas when GatesAir was formed in 2014, after holding leadership roles at Harris Corporation’s Broadcast Communications Division. “Joe was responsible for all U.S. spectrum repack sales efforts, which established GatesAir as the undisputed market share leader for broadcast transmission,” the company stated. He joined Harris through the acquisition of Midwest Communication in 1990.

Rich Redmond joined Harris in 1998, according to his LinkedIn page, and held several sales and business development roles. He has been a familiar face to visitors to the GatesAir booth at trade shows, and played an important role in that 2014 “carveout” of GatesAir from Harris six years ago. He started his career with Northeast Broadcast Lab in 1990. Redmond did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Radio World.

GatesAir is part of The Gores Group, a global investment firm.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced that Keyur Parikh, the director and vice president/general manager of the company’s Intraplex Product Group, will take over the role of vice president of engineering from the retiring Tony Kobrinetz, effective immediately.

Parikh will now report directly to GatesAir CEO Bruce Swail. He now has responsibilities across engineering team management and system software development for all product lines.

Parikh has spent more than 15 years with the Intraplex business unit, including the last three years as its director and vice president/general manager. He is credited as the chief architect of the Intraplex IP networking products, including the Intraplex NetXpress, IP Link family of codecs and Intraplex Ascent. He was given Radio World’s Industry Innovator Award in 2017.

“Keyur performed an excellent job managing a fully integrated Intraplex business unit while maintaining the brand’s industry leadership position,” said Swail. “His extensive background in software development and systems engineering is consistent with GatesAir’s continued product evolution from hardware to software-oriented platforms. We congratulate Keyur on his new position and responsibilities, and are confident that his expertise will continue to diversify and expand GatesAir’s product portfolio for years to come.”

GatesAir has also announced that Ted Lantz will take over the role of vice president and general manager, Radio and Intraplex Product Groups, from Parikh.

For more info, visit www.gatesair.com.  

DENVER—Rocky Mountain Public Media (RMPM) is working on a network-wide project to upgrade multiple transmitter sites and build the Buell Media Center, a new downtown facility that will integrate master control and production facilities for two flagship media properties. 

These properties include KRMA-DT, a 1,000 kW ERP TV station serving the Denver market. KRMA was designated as a “Phase 2” repack station, relocating from UHF Channel 18 to 33. The frequency change required an entirely new transmission system, including a new transmitter, filter, and antenna at the KRMA transmission site on Mt. Morrison.

The station’s long-running Harris Sigma tube transmitter had been in service for many years, and the repack presented an opportunity to transition to modern, solid-state technology. That transition, which included a GatesAir Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled transmitter, introduced higher operating efficiencies and addressed rising concerns around tube maintenance and replacement.

MODERN EFFICIENCIES

We selected the ULXTE-50 for one main and two subchannels at 26 kW TPO. The transmitter includes additional headroom for potential future services, including NextGen TV. The ULXTE provides immediate return value for operations, including a redundant closed-loop pump system to transfer heat to outdoor exchangers. 

The advantage of the closed-loop design over the single-pump, open-loop system of the tube transmitter is that it provides a more sophisticated platform to monitor the pump system, including temperatures, evaporators and general operating status. One recent example includes troubleshooting a water flow problem that originated from a failing flow meter. The ability to remotely connect to the transmitter, monitor parameters and troubleshoot issues leads to quick resolutions.

These modern efficiencies extend to power density, energy consumption and maintenance. The ULXTE packs more power density and redundant technology into the cabinet. While solid-state transmitters can produce more heat than tubes, the ULXTE’s efficient use of liquid cooling maintains a consistent operating temperature even at very high power.

A NEW LANDSCAPE

Migrating from a single-tube system to a redundant solid-state system completely changes the maintenance landscape. The ULXTE architecture leverages redundant, hot-swappable power supplies and amplifier modules. If one fails, the transmitter continues to operate at near full power, and replacement is a matter of unscrewing and pulling out the module before inserting a new one. 

Few parts are required to maintain these transmitters. GatesAir ULXTE air-cooled transmitters have since been installed at RMPM sites in Fort Collins, Grand Junction, Montrose and several rural communities, as well as a July 2020 planned replacement in Durango. A common set of spare parts can be shared across the entire network of transmitters, which keeps costs low and makes life easier for the single RF engineer that maintains these sites. One of these ULXTE transmitters is also installed at the Mt. Morrison site providing backup service for KRMA.

The ULXTE also offers native IP connectivity. The Buell Media Center buildout includes a new 100 MB/s IP microwave and fiber system to transport broadcast content over 16 miles to Mt. Morrison. The integrated Maxiva XTE exciter provides an IP and ASI input to feed the transmitter, which allows for a native IP signal out of an encoder from the Buell Media Center. The XTE’s ASI connection takes in a feed from RMPM’s older studio location over a traditional microwave link. 

GatesAir’s technical support teams provided exceptional service from start to finish. The system was so well-prepared in advance that their technicians weren’t required to be onsite on cut-over day. KRMA was able to meet its repack deadline without delay, and went to air from the new transmitter without technical difficulties.

Doug Houston can be reached at DougHouston@rmpbs.org. 

For more information on GatesAir, visit www.gatesair.com or please call Keith Adams at 513-459-3447. 

GatesAir is set to introduce the first Maxiva liquid-cooled transmitter line for VHF television and DAB Radio and several ATSC 3.0 software innovations addressing the IP networking architecture and security requirements of NextGen TV this spring.

The new VLX-OP series of Maxiva liquid-cooled transmitters, like the company’s ULXTE UHF transmitters, uses liquid cooling pumps that move the heat created by the transmitter to the outside of buildings. Doing so reduces the need for cooling transmitter buildings, thus lowering power bills, especially for medium and high-power uses, said GatesAir.

The new VHF transmitters also leverages the power density of Maxiva transmitters to cut down on size and weight and their hot-swappable modular design for ease of maintenance.

Of particular benefit to ATSC broadcasters, the Maxiva VLX-OP series transmits at the same power level for ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 broadcasts—from 1.8 kW to 43 kW—simplifying and reducing the cost of transitioning to NextGen TV.

GatesAir will also introduce new 3.0 software features for NextGen TV, including STL Security that encrypts the 3.0 content path from the studio to the transmitter, and a secure HTML5 web interface. These advancements will be available for all Maxiva UHF and VHF transmitters.

“GatesAir has been focused on development roadmaps for ATSC 3.0 for years, and has tested and validated the basic feature sets of the standard,” said Ray Miklius, vice president and general manager, TV products, at GatesAir. “We have now turned our attention to software development for advanced ATSC 3.0 features, including access control and improved user account management. These innovations ensure that our customers are fully prepared for NextGen TV operations.”

GatesAir will also unveil innovations developed in cooperation with GatesAir Europe, a division recently acquired by the parent company. They include:

• The Maxiva PMTX-1 Pole-Mount Transmitter series, an outdoor pole-mounted 50 W post-filer unit that can be configured to be a transmitter, translator or on-channel gap filler for all UHF and VHF standards as well as DAB Radio;
• The Maxiva IMTX-70 Multi-Transmitter Desktop, which is designed around a compact case that can hold up to six 70 W transmitters and/or translators/transposers; and
• The Maxiva MultiD Multi-Carrier DAB Transmitter, which brings together three DAB transmitters in a compact 1RU chassis

For more information, visit www.gatesair.com.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir announced it shipped its 400th transmitter to stations affected by the TV spectrum repack in October and anticipates it will pass 500 by the end of the year.

To date, it has shipped 17,000 power amplifiers, or more than 11.2 Megawatts for transmission power, it said. Further, 60% of the equipment shipped has been installed and is now on the air.

“GatesAir has successfully met all shipping deadlines thanks to detailed capacity planning, resulting in key manufacturing initiatives to handle the volume,” says Bryant Burke, vice president of Operations, GatesAir. “I’m very proud of the work our team has done. Many of our shipments are well ahead of the customer phase requirements, which reduces uncertainty around planning.”

Only a handful of higher power repack orders remain to be filled, said GatesAir CEO Bruce Swail, adding that the company will now pivot to meeting the needs of low-power television broadcasters affected by the repack.

GatesAir has expanded its range of LPTV transmitters. More than 2,000 stations are being displaced by the channel reassignment of full-power broadcasters in repack phases 0 through 10, the company noted. The filing period for LPTV broadcasters is underway and will continue through the middle of the month.

More information is available on the GatesAir website.

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

CINCINNATI—IBC 2019 will serve as an opportunity for GatesAir to demonstrate the latest application to its Intraplex Ascent transport platform that supports video over IP transport alongside audio. Known as the Ascent SRT Gateway, the new tool manages video and audio content for point-to-multipoint distribution.

The Intraplex Ascent was originally introduced as a next-gen audio over IP platform at the 2019 NAB Show. It lives on the COTS x86 server and is compliant with the AES67 standard. Now with VoIP support, Ascent can support any real-time, IP-based broadcast video protocol, as well as ATSC 3.0 and DVB-T/T2. The system also offers Secure Reliable Transport streams on a centralized platform, and is integrated with GatesAir’s Dynamic Stream Splicing software.

Dubbed Ascent SRT Gateway, the new platform supports reliable and encrypted transport of video content both in point-to-point and point-to-multipoint configurations. The addition of DSS software will support duplication of SRT streams with video and embedded audio over separate network paths, using a single stream-splicing buffer for hitless protection against errors and failures. The application can also scale to support additional streams and destinations as needed, with video bandwidth speeds of up to 200 Mb/s at base level.

GatesAir offers its core Intraplex Ascent platform in two form factors, a 1RU server with configurable options for physical and AES67 channels, and a software-only system that operates in a virtualized container. Both support up to 32 audio channels.

The new Intraplex Ascent features will be part of GatesAir’s presentation at booth 8.D60 during IBC 2019.

NEW YORK—While most TV transmission coverage today is about the repack, sometimes a station just needs a new system. Such is the case with WJLP-DT, a low-band VHF broadcaster serving the New York City region on Channel 3 since 2014.

The FCC recently granted an STA for a power increase at WJLP, raising the Me-TV affiliate’s ERP from 7 kW to 15 kW from its current 4 Times Square location, which will become WJLP’s auxiliary site upon moving to One World Trade Center later this year. While the power increase will surely improve low-band VHF reception throughout the region, a thorough evaluation of the existing transmission system was required.

DOUBLE THE POWER, REDUCED COST

Low-band VHF transmitter purchase options are limited, and while the station’s GatesAir Platinum transmitters had served the station well, these are older, less efficient systems. It quickly became clear that WJLP could not achieve the proper balance of power and efficiency using the Platinum series transmitters at the higher ERP. Following an evaluation of two leading vendors, the GatesAir Maxiva VAXTE transmitter emerged as the clear winner.

The Maxiva VAXTE now in service at 4 Times Square is a 10 kW air-cooled model that feeds two redundant three-bay antennas. The VAXTE 10 kW has multiplied efficiency by nearly two-and-a-half times, allowing the station to double the RF power out without raising utility costs. This offers an enormous long-term ROI considering New York’s City’s ever-escalating electricity rates.

Cooling costs will also be reduced—the previous transmitter generated more than twice the heat load of the VAXTE. The Maxiva VAXTE also offers reduced site rental costs due to each transmitter’s much smaller, single rack footprint.

MEETING EXPECTATIONS

Preparing the transmitter for air was a simple process. As a shared transmission space, the grounding, electric infrastructure and air conditioning systems were ready to go. Working with WJLP’s contract engineer, Bill Kirkpatrick, the installation was completed in about two weeks.

Once the lightweight transmitter was in place, Kirkpatrick quickly connected the signal, control, RF and power, and began tests. This included confirming proper voltage and running a dummy load at 150W that was gradually increased to full power over approximately one hour.

The VAXTE is equipped with dual exciters, each with built-in adaptive correction software. Early returns show that a 3.5dB improvement in Modulation Error Ratio (MER), extends the station’s “cliff effect” point to several miles beyond the delivery ring, ensuring that the signal reaches a much broader audience with improved building penetration. This excellent performance means the station could potentially reduce the MER and further increase the transmitter efficiency rating—an option we are exploring. In either situation, WJLP expects the VAXTE to greatly reduce issues with momentary signal loss and pixelization.

The VAXTE design is lean, with minimal, hot-swappable parts that are easy to manage while on air. We have also purchased two additional VAXTE 7.5 kW transmitters, and spares can easily be shared among the three transmitters. The WJLP team looks forward to taking the 7.5 kW models out of storage and putting them on the air at One World Trade Center, where they will serve over-the-air viewers for many years to come.

Robert McAllan is CEO of PMCM TV, which owns WJLP-DT along with other TV and radio stations. He can be reached atbob@pmcmtv.com.

For more information on GatesAir, visit the company’s website atgatesair.com.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir is bringing ONEtastic under its banner, announcing that it has acquired the Italian-based company that provides television and digital radio transmission systems.

Founded in 2010 and headquartered in Brescia, Italy, ONEtastic develops television, digital radio and RF systems for broadcast, telecom, scientific and government verticals. It’s work with high-efficiency, low-power TV and DAB radio transmitters is expected to complement GatesAir’s range of transmission offerings. It will also strengthen GatesAir’s presence in Europe.

“The acquisition of ONEtastic underscores our commitment to the broadcast market and accelerates the investments we are making in our transmission portfolio,” said Bruce D. Swail, GatesAir CEO. “The unique, innovative and award-winning products and technologies from ONEtastic add new capabilities to our portfolio and complement our transmission and transport platforms.”

GatesAir plans to retain the entire ONEtastic staff in Brescia, though under the new name GatesAir S.r.l. ONEtastic CEO Luca Saleri will serve as the general manager of GatesAir S.r.l. ONEtastic founder Carlo Bombelli is also slated to contribute to GatesAir moving forward.

LAS VEGAS—GatesAir will officially pull the curtain back on its new Intraplex Ascent system at the 2019 NAB Show. This scalable, multichannel audio over IP transport unit seeks to address the convergence of broadcast operations with IT infrastructure.

Ascent provides a direct connection to traditional digital and analog audio interfaces, and is compliant with both the AES67 standard and AoIP networking platforms. It comes in two form factors: a 1RU server with configurable options for physical and AES67 channels; and a software-only system operating in a virtualized container. With each version there is support for up to 32 audio channels and are interoperable with most Intraplex AoIP codecs.

The software-defined unit is GatesAir’s first Intraplex system to live on a COTS x86 server. For broadcasters, it serves as a cloud-based transport platform for multichannel contribution and distribution.

The Ascent can also manage Secure Reliable Transport streams all on a centralized platform. It also integrates Dynamic Stream Splicing, an Intraplex technology that diversifies SRT data across redundant networks. With DSS and SRT, GatesAir boasts that the Ascent can protect against certain types of packet losses and complete network failures.

GatesAir will demonstrate both models of the Intraplex Ascent at booth N3303 during the NAB Show.

To register for the NAB Show, visit www.nabshow.com.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has appointed Felipe Luna as managing director for the Caribbean and Latin America (CALA), the company announced today.

Luna, who will work under the leadership of GatesAir managing director, International, Rich Redmond, will manage all sales and business development initiative in the region and oversee the company’s in-region sales team and partner network, GatesAir said.

“We are lucky to welcome Felipe back to the GatesAir family, where his industry knowledge, sales expertise and emphasis on customer relations will help GatesAir expand on its regional momentum throughout the Caribbean and Latin America,” said Redmond.

Luna joined Harris Broadcast (GatesAir’s predecessor) in 2002 and spent 12 years as a regional director for the company. Before that, Luna was an account and sales manager with Electro Equip Telecom for six years.

Prior to rejoining GatesAir, Luna focused on business development outside of the broadcast industry. He located to Miami and joined the Hayman Woodward law firm as business development director.

“CALA remains a dynamic and exciting market with strong business opportunities, as many countries are just beginning their digital TV transitions,” said Luna.

“My goal is to amplify our level of service throughout the region and deliver turnkey over-the-air solutions that solve problems and create new revenue opportunities for our TV and radio customers,” he said.

GatesAir has named Peter Timmons as the new business development director for Europe, the Middle East, Africa (EMEA) and India.

Effective immediately, Timmons—who reports to Andy McClelland, managing director, EMEA and India—will focus on new and existing customer and partner relationships, aiming to strengthen brand visibility and market share region-wide.

With more than 20 years of broadcast experience, including engineering and management roles, Timmons joins GatesAir from Grass Valley, where he served as senior product manager for several product lines. Prior to Grass Valley, Timmons held key positions at Imagine Communications, Sony Professional Services and Harris Broadcast Communications, the company from which GatesAir was born.

According to GatesAir, Timmons' return to the company comes at a time of aggressive expansion across its international business structure. “Under the leadership of CEO Bruce D. Swail, GatesAir has reorganized and broadened its global sales and business development team in EMEA, Latin America and the Asia-Pacific regions over the past six months,” the company stated in a release.

“Peter is an accomplished professional with experience working as both a buyer and seller for broadcast suppliers and systems integrators,” said Rich Redmond, president and managing director, International for GatesAir.

“These experiences give Peter an unusually well-rounded skillset that few in our industry possess. His expertise in business development, sales, channel management and design engineering, among other integral roles, will undoubtedly bring a fresh and dynamic perspective to the GatesAir team as we enter a new phase of global business growth.”

SALT LAKE CITY— In March 2017, DTV Utah began plans on repacking six of its eight DTV Utah Stations that were required to change frequencies as a result of the spectrum auction. DTV Utah, LLC is a television transmitter site located in the Oquirrh Mountains above Salt Lake City, Utah, and was the location of a complex, channel repack project involving nine UHF television stations, with eight of the transmitters combined into a community antenna.

DTV Utah, LLC was formed in 1998 as a nonprofit corporation that owns and operates the community television facility. Greg James of Bonneville International originated the concept of a community site for the new digital service.

“The discussion revolved around the problem created for viewers, if stations were dispersed over a wide geographic area,” James said. “As I thought about multipath in the mountainous area we live in, it made a lot of sense to broadcast from a single location.”

[Read: Eight TV Stations On One Stick Ponder Repack]

Other benefits of co-locating the markets transmitters include economies of scale and reduction of intermodulation interference.

The television stations currently in the DTV Utah group include:

• KSL (Bonneville International)
• KUTV and KJZZ (Sinclair Broadcasting)
• KTVX and KUCW (Nexstar)
• KUED and KUEN (University of Utah)
• KBYU (Brigham Young University)

The DTV Utah site is located 9,000 feet above sea level, with limited access via a 10-mile single-lane dirt road, limited space for construction and a limited seasonal construction window of four months due to weather conditions and road access.

The original DTV Utah site consisted of two four-channel Dielectric combiners, connected to either the main Kathrein antenna, or to an auxiliary antenna through a complex waveguide switching network with five modes of operation. In addition, all eight stations could be combined together and routed to any of the three antennas.

COMPLICATIONS ARISE

It was soon discovered that the original WR 1500 waveguide was not going to pass the new frequencies. The existing Kathrein community antenna also required evaluation to determine if it would perform under the new parameters. The repack design was also complicated by the frequencies that were assigned. Channel 34 (KUTV) and Channel 36 (KUEN) did not require change, but as fate would have it, Channel 35 was assigned to KUCW, creating three adjacent channels and potential intermodulation issues.

Other challenges included transmitter cooling at the thin air of 9,000 feet, transmission line performance, and the requirement to stay on the air while creating a seamless transition to the new channels.

The repack design included a patch panel that provided a path for the N+1 transmitter to replace any of the eight transmitters at the input of the combiner.

Marsand Inc.'s Matthew A. Sanderford, Jr. PE and David Sanderford installed the transmitters while Legacy Electric of Salt Lake City did the electrical work. Tower and antenna work was performed by GTI, America and Burk Technology designed the control system. Climate Control (CCI) handled HVAC.

TRANSMITTERS AND COMBINER

Each station decided on the make and model of the eight new transmitters; Five Rohde and Schwarz THU9evo transmitters and three Gates Air Maxiva UXLT transmitters, including the N+1 transmitter were installed along with one Dielectric combiner and six Dielectric WR1800 waveguide switches for nine different combiner/antenna/test load modes.

Each station purchased their own transmitters based on their own evaluations. “Given the complexity of the project, I suggested one installer for all of the transmitters,” James said. “It would have been a nightmare to schedule different crews on each transmitter. The same was true for electrical, HVAC, and so on.”

The new Dielectric, dual four-port combiner was installed in a very tight 20 x 17 x 9-foot space.

How do you keep your station on the air, while removing your old transmitter and installing the new one? All eight stations were operated at lower power into the auxiliary community antenna through the period of construction and transition. The GatesAir N+1 transmitter was delivered with broadband power amplifiers. As the N+1 was placed on the air, the old transmitter was decommissioned and the new transmitter installed, tuned to the original frequency and tested through the combiner/mask filter to a load.

SEVEN-DAY PROCESS

Each transmitter switch-out took about seven days and the process of bringing each transmitter on line was complex. First, engineers had to run transmitter power at the level that delivered the power calculated to meet ERP requirements of the station, when measured at the dummy load at the output of the combiner. They then had to measure the input power to the combiner hybrid; measure transmitter power out, and calibrate that as 100 percent power. This had to be repeated for each of the four profiles in each transmitter.

A spectrum analyzer was used to perform a power-band measurement on the four combined channels to verify spectrum compliance. As a final step, each station’s reflected power spectrum was recorded to determine a baseline for monthly performance tests.

COMMUNITY ANTENNA REBUILD

The original Kathrein antenna (two Kathrein eight tier by three bay antenna systems—48 panels total), was selected because of the extensive use of the antenna in the Swiss Alps. The temperature extremes at the DTV Utah site are very similar to the Alps, with a thermal swing of over 100 degrees winter to summer (-18F to +85F) Grundy Telecommunications Inc., America, was asked to review the existing Kathrein community antenna system and Kathrein Antenna Works sent an engineer who helped in the evaluation. After band sweeping and physical inspection, engineers determined that the existing antenna system would not perform well for the repack system.

The original tower was custom-built to support the Kathrein 70 x 6-foot radome cylinder. DTV Utah considered replacing the antenna with a different make and model, but structural modifications to the tower would have made replacement cost prohibitive. Kathrein was asked to develop a replacement antenna system … since the radome cylinder supported the antenna, it seemed possible to remove the old antenna system and replace it with a new one.

The next step was demolition and rebuild of the antenna system. Grundy removed main power dividers, cabling harnesses, tier power dividers and panel mounts—some three tons of it—in less than a week. The crew then began installing the new antenna, and six weeks later the rebuilt antenna system was ready for testing.

Katherine field engineers did a proof-of-performance; results were good with the lower antenna showing 28 dB return loss on the lower antenna and 30 dB return loss on the upper; this equates to a VSWR on the upper in the 1.08:1 and the lower antenna at 1.1:1.

OTHER SYSTEMS

For the Burk remote control system, equipment was specified and truth tables developed for interlocking. In some of the modes, reduced power is required. The Burk unit can talk to the transmitters based on the selected mode and ensure that their power levels are correct. If not, the it will shut the offending transmitter down and alert the operator.

Transmission line arc protection was provided by South-Tek Systems, N2-GEN, nitrogen generators.

RESULTS

After a month and a half of construction, all transmitters were installed and operating on the old frequencies. Once all transmitters were installed, commissioned and tested, the new transmitters were retuned to the new frequencies and switched into the refurbished community antenna.

Mario Hieb is a professional broadcast engineer based in the Salt Lake City area.

For all the latest news and insight on the repack, visit our repack silo.

CINCINNATI—GatesAir last week announced shipment of its 100th TV transmitter as part of the FCC-mandated repack of television spectrum to Hearst Television’s WMOR-TV in Tampa, Fla.

The station, which is taking delivery of a high-power Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled transmitter, is one of 13 Hearst Television stations GatesAir is supplying under an exclusive agreement announced in December 2017.

WMOR, destined for UHF channel 18, is installing a ULXTE-100 transmitter capable of 62.9kW. Initially, the station’s transmitter will operate at 58.9kW TPO, allowing headroom for future digital services. The station operates from Riverview Antenna Farm, which is owned by America Tower.

The FCC has assigned the station to Phase 5 of the repack, and Hearst VP of Engineering Martin Faubell has worked closely with GatesAir to make sure the new transmitter is delivered and installed to meet the phase deadline. According to Faubell, the performance of GatesAir during the initial repack phases has been critical to the station group meeting its assigned deadlines.

“We started working with GatesAir very early in the planning process with the knowledge that repack was going to be a serious challenge for Hearst Television, as well as the broadcast industry at large,” said Faubell.

So far, Hearst has taken delivery of five transmitters for stations being repacked. WTAE in Pittsburgh was the latest Hearst station to go on air with a new Maxiva transmitter. That station is not transmitting on channel 27.

The solid-state GatesAir Maxiva transmitters offer several benefits, said Faubell. “Solid-state technology has improved to the point where excellent efficiency is possible with high-power UHF transmitters,” he said. “With GatesAir’s Maxiva transmitters, the reliability will be higher, and the maintenance and power consumption in our facilities will be lower.”

For more information on the repack, visit TV Technology's repack silo.

CINCINNATI — The South Carolina Educational Television Commission is turning to GateAir for nine UHF and one VHF transmitter to support the statewide repack of 10 of its TV stations to new channel assignments.

SCETV has selected Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled transmitters for its UHF stations and is working with GatesAir on choosing a high-power VHF transmitter that will allow its WNTV in Greenville, S.C., to maximize service.

[Read: Hearst TV, GatesAir Ink Deal On Maxiva TXs For 13 Repacked Stations]

The FCC has assigned the public broadcaster, which transmits PBS and NPR programming throughout South Carolina, to four repack phases. More than half of its stations are assigned to Phase 5. Transmitters are due to begin arriving at those stations in the coming weeks to meet the testing deadline in early September, GatesAir said.

GatesAir is working with SCETV to avoid disrupting the broadcaster’s eight FM radio stations as its TV stations are repacked, the company added. Each of the radio stations is collocated with the TV transmitters in common facilities.

“GatesAir’s service department has worked closely with us and our repack antenna supplier, Dielectric, to ensure that none of our TV or FM operations are interrupted as work progresses,” said Mark Jahnke, SCETV VP of Technology and chief information officer.

Jahnke added that the liquid-cooled GatesAir UHF transmitters will help SCETV achieve its goal of reducing its carbon footprint.

“Considering the higher power levels of our stations along with South Carolina’s year-round hot and humid climate, GatesAir’s liquid-cooled transmission systems will clearly deliver the highest possible cost-savings across cooling and electrical costs,” he said. “While we’re still working through the exact calculations, there is no question we’ll immediately downsize our air-conditioning systems by a significant margin.”

The transmitters are outfitted with GateAir ATSC 3.0-ready Maxiva XTE exciters to ensure the broadcaster is ready for Next Gen TV operations, he added.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

CINCINNATI — GatesAir has named Jacky Yee as its new head of Asia-Pacific sales.

Yee will be based in Singapore and will report to President and International Managing Director Rich Redmond. In his new role, he will lead a team of four regional sales managers.

Earlier in his career, Yee worked as Southeast Asia sales manager for the communications division of Harris Broadcast. He also has held regional and director-level sales roles with Tektronix, Extron Electronics, Grass Valley Group and Snell Advanced Media during his two decades in the industry.

“Having witnessed the transition of analog to digital TV broadcasting in the APAC region from day one, I’m acutely aware of how regional regulatory initiatives have divided the implementation phases,” Yee said in the announcement. “Because of this, I see many opportunities to grow GatesAir’s television business across the Asia-Pacific subregions and emerging countries, while continuing to refresh FM infrastructure and advance digital radio.”

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

CINCINNATI — Broadcaster ATB Bolivia has transitioned to ISDB-Tb digital television in Cochabamba and La Paz, Bolivia, with the assistance of GatesAir and its regional partner Sonotec.

The transition fulfills a requirement of the Bolivian government to deliver digital television to the city of Santa Cruz.

“While the Santa Cruz site had an existing analog TV transmitter we were able to convert in the field, the Cochabamba and La Paz sites were very challenging as we needed new transmitters that could work with the existing RF infrastructure,” said Javier Fernandez, ATB’s CTO.

[Read: GatesAir Elevates Efficiency And ‘Three Rs’ For WBTV]

In 2011, the Bolivian government adopted ISDB-Tb. The country is in the first phase of its ISDB-Tb rollout, which is due to be finished in 2024.

ATB chose the GatesAir Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled transmitter for the transition in both locales. GatesAir expedited the delivery of the transmitters, which Sonotec installed. They were commissioned prior to the June deadline.

The new Maxiva ULXTEs transmit one ISDB-Tb HD channel and one mobile channel. Satellite relay extends coverage to those in rural areas. The Bolivian broadcaster anticipates adding another channel shortly, GatesAir said.

According to Fernandez, ATB has experienced “a remarkable improvement” in the quality of its transmitted signals and bandwidth efficiency.

One reason contributing to ATB’s selection of the Maxiva transmitters was the efficiency of their liquid-cooled design, which lowers the requirement for air conditioning and reduces power consumption, said Fernandez.

Regional GatesAir sales engineers conducted training seminars and on-site visits to ensure a smooth installation and commissioning, the company added.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

CHARLOTTE, N.C.—While the spectrum repack drives a large percentage of transmitter purchases in the USA, sometimes a TV station simply needs an upgrade. This was the case here at WBTV, where we quite literally owned Serial Number One from an IOT transmitter line that long ago ceased production.

Even without a channel change, it was clear that we needed a new transmitter but while the manufacturer remains in business, they no longer support that product line. We discovered that a tube could be built, with a six-to-eight-month lead time at costs approaching $100,000. Then there is the consideration of transmitter maintenance and efficiency—neither particular strong suits of this technology.

These factors led us to select a GatesAir Maxiva ULXTE solid-state liquid-cooled transmitter. The ULXTE is already paying dividends thanks to its remarkable efficiency across the “three Rs”: Receivability, Reliability and Real Cost Savings.

GAINS IN RECEIVABILITY

Raycom Media, our parent company, is a longtime GatesAir customer, and our experience with a backup Maxiva air-cooled transmitter factored strongly in our decision. Noting the efficiencies that this low-power transmitter delivers, we felt confident that a high-power, liquid-cooled version would outperform our four-IOT system in several capacities.

The benefits were immediate. While our transmitter facility is atypically large, footprint is always a concern. The fourcabinet ULXTE-120 fit cleanly into a space that once housed a massive RCA analog transmitter. We removed some leftover ventilation from a forced air-cooled system and slid the much more compact ULXTE into position with room to spare.

We also had bigger challenges to address. From a receivability standpoint, the ULXTE integrates GatesAir’s latest-generation exciter, the Maxiva XTE. Its performance has been nothing short of remarkable, and we were achieving shoulders and modulation error ratios above 40 right out of the gate.

These are incredible gains in receivability compared to our previous numbers, which were barely within the FCC requirements. We have routinely received phone calls from viewers that previously could not receive our programming. From a futureproof perspective, the XTE also prepares us for ATSC 3.0 with a simple software adjustment.

MODULARITY AND REDUNDANCY

The ULXTE’s reliability comes chiefly from its design. Its modularity and redundancy allows for continued operation near full capacity if a module is replaced. For example, losing a tube in our old transmitter resulted in a 25 percent power drop; losing an amplifier in the ULXTE results in a less than 1 percent reduction. Since all modules are palletized, it’s like working on any rack-mounted component: Slide it out, and slide in the replacement while remaining on the air. The challenges of keeping the systems phased and balanced are also in the past, as the solid-state design eliminates all tuning requirements.

Real cost savings is perhaps the most stunning development, as we have seen a 35 percent drop in our power bills. The math is clear: We have approximately doubled our transmitter efficiency, rising from 22-23 percent to 45.5. Where we once saw power bills in the $20,000 range per month, our first two ULXTE-influenced bills have landed at about $12,000.

We attribute much of this cost reduction to the highly efficient solid-state amplifiers, as we no longer need the costly high-voltage power supplies that typically accompany a tube, combined with a superior redesign of the heat exchanger. These are now horizontally-mounted units with frequency drive motors that are also quiet as a mouse. We can hold a conversation nearby, and they are easy to clean—two achievements that eluded us with the older heat exchangers.

As we look forward to ATSC 3.0, we are also enthused that the transmitter—currently powered at 67kw TPO—has plenty of headroom for additional services and design efficiencies. For the latter, we are considering a transition to a vertical pole in our antenna, which will further improve our broadcast parameters and receivability.

Mike Gurthie is regional director of Technology for Raycom Media and can be reached atmgurthie@wbtv.com.

For more information on GatesAir, please visitwww.gatesair.comor contact Keith Adams at 513-459-3447.

CINCINNATI — GatesAir today announced five personnel moves to build its executive team, including the promotion of Rich Redmond to the role of president, GatesAir International.

Bruce Swail, CEO, created the executive-level management positions to maintain global revenue growth and profitability, the company said.

The other moves include:

• Ray Miklius, who becomes VP and GM, Television;
• Ted Lantz, promoted to VP and GM, Radio;
• Keyur Parikh, who now is VP and GM, Intraplex; and
• Tony Kobrinetz, who becomes VP of Engineering.

Redmond has held sales, product management and executive-level roles during his more than 20-year tenure with the company across all aspects of the business. Since the formation of GatesAir in 2014, he has served as chief product officer. “As we look beyond repack, we see substantial potential in our international markets,” said Swail.

Miklius, Lantz and Parikh have led their respective business units in director roles since the formation of GatesAir.

All five will be based at GatesAir’s U.S. offices in Mason, Ohio, and Quincy, Ill.

CINCINNATI — Jason Ornellas, market chief engineer, Sacramento, at Bonneville International, has been selected from hundreds of TV and radio submissions from around the world as the grand prize winner of the GatesAir “What’s Your Story?” content.

Ornellas’ selection caps off a year-long 95th anniversary celebration of the company. One of nine finalists, Ornellas described the marriage of a new solid-state transmitter with a tube model in the same RF system to achieve reduced heat, free up space and streamline maintenance. Ornellas and his team installed a Flexiva FAX40 air-cooled solid-state transmitter as the main transmitter, putting a GatesAir HPX tube transmitter into backup service and retiring a much older transmitter, GatesAir said.

[Read: GatesAir Debuts Program to Teach RF Fundamentals]

“The GatesAir HPX is less than 10 years old, much more compact, and we haven’t even had to change the tube yet,” he said. “In came the FAX40, which solved the heat and space issues, and just makes working inside the building that much easier.”

The winning story earned Ornellas an expense-paid trip to the GatesAir manufacturing facility in Quincy, Ill., a tour of the plant, training sessions and a custom-engraved plaque to commemorate the visit.

Among the other finalists were:

• Jim Davies of Titan Broadcasting, recognized for two entries that highlighted aesthetic modifications of legacy transmitters;
• George Butch of MRBI, who detailed a Christmas Eve disaster recovery story saved by an overnight transmitter shipment;
• And several “still going strong” stories of installations going back as many as six decades from: Carlos Jacobs of Peneiado in Guatemala; David Morgan of Sinclair Telecable; Lemont Bryant of WHEO-AM; Brady Dreasler of Quincy Media; Isabirye Dan of Uganda Broadcasting Corp; and Michael Cote.

More information is available on the GatesAir website.

[Want more information like this? Subscribe to our newsletter and get it delivered right to your inbox.]

QUINCY, ILL. — In May, equipment manufacturer GatesAir will launch a new training program intended to help “younger, IT-educated broadcast engineers” learn to operate and maintain “next-generation TV and radio transmission sites,” the company announced.

The new training program, launching with an “Introduction to Broadcast Transmitter Technology” course, is described by GatesAir as an adjunct to the its existing “RF:101” program, which was designed for trainees with a basic understanding of RF technology. Because “RF:101” participants increasingly lacked a solid foundation in RF, the company developed a “new entry-level RF training course designed to prepare IT professionals for an RF transmission-centered career.”

[Read: FCC Launches Program to Attract New Engineers]

“Since many new professionals entering the field have IT backgrounds, this new introductory training program responds to our customers’ pressing needs to find qualified engineers that can operate and maintain their next-generation, over-the-air content delivery systems,” GatesAir Vice President of Operations Bryant Burke said in the announcement. “We’re addressing broadcasters’ concerns regarding the shortage of broadcast engineers, and leveraging the current crop of IT-savvy engineers for ATSC 3.0 and other next-generation DTV and digital radio networks.”

The course begins with three webinars and is followed by a four-day, hands-on training workshop at GatesAir’s Quincy, Ill., campus. The first session is scheduled for May 22–25.

The program limits the workshops to groups of 8-10 trainees. It covers fundamentals, including maintenance of liquid- and air-cooled solid-state transmitters, digital modulation schemes and troubleshooting/repair of modular transmission components. After these stages, participants receive a certificate of completion.

The program is open to everyone — including non-GatesAir customers — and costs $2,150, according to the training website, where registration is also available.

LAS VEGAS — To enable broadcasters to remotely manage and secure mission-critical RF and IP systems, GatesAir will demonstrate several new solutions, including Intraplex IPConnect and StreamAssure QoS and QoE, at the 2018 NAB Show. These advanced solutions allow broadcasters to operate more efficiently in ATSC 1.0, while managing the more challenging control, monitoring and security requirements of ATSC 3.0’s IP-native infrastructure.

Designed to replace generic network appliances at studio and transmitter sites, Intraplex IPConnect devices ensure high service availability and SNMP compatibility. The demo will also show how broadcasters and network operators can reliably and securely extend LANs to accommodate secure backhaul of performance data across wide-area, single-frequency networks for ATSC 3.0 and global DTV standards.

The new StreamAssure solution, powered by Qligent, enables monitoring of RF and IP streams, regulatory compliance, and data from multiple points and layers. This helps engineers oversee and troubleshoot ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 transmitter and network performance, including multiplatform delivery and service level agreements, from a single dashboard.

[Read: NAB Show Exhibitor Viewpoint - Rich Redmond, Chief Product Officer, GatesAir]

GatesAir will also show IP-based remote control and monitoring of RF systems powered by Burk Technology. Using Burk’s ARC Plus Touch IP solution and SNMP Plus option, broadcasters can monitor equipment, control functions and log performance data over a single network cable, instead of parallel hard-wired connections and remote controls. This raises operational efficiency where broadcasters monitor multiple transmitters, RF sites, and ATSC 3.0 SFNs from a central studio.

GatesAir will unveil HTML5-based graphical user interfaces for Maxiva UHF (ULXTE, UAXTE) and VHF (VAXTE) transmitters that enable intuitive system navigation and monitoring from tablets and smartphones. With advanced transmitter security features, the HTML5 user interfaces prevent outside intrusions and protect broadcasters throughout the repack and ATSC 3.0 transitions.

GatesAir will be in booth N3703.

The National Association of Broadcasters said 244 companies will be first-time exhibitors at the NAB Show in April.

The list includes Blubrry Podcasting, Libsyn, Padcaster, Women in Media, Sohonet, Deity Microphones, Red Bee Media and StreamShark. (See the list.) Some have appeared at the show in the past in other booths, such as Audinate, found in the Bosch/RTS in the past; others are likely to be entirely unfamiliar. The show will have approximately 1,700 total exhibitors including 819 from outside the United States.

We asked NAB Executive Vice President of Conventions and Business Operations Chris Brown for some insights into this aspect of the event.

Radio World:What can we glean from the list of companies — what technology sectors seem hottest, and in what kind of new tech areas is the show growing?

Chris Brown: It is a great list of new companies and they tend to reflect the breadth of the show and the trends that are driving innovation. We have companies covering all ends of the content lifecycle from acquisition to management to distribution — with a slight leaning, a little more than a third, representing acquisition and production technologies. From a tech and trends perspective we are seeing healthy interest in streaming technologies, advanced advertising, social media, cloud, storage and IP. Our focus every year is to dig for companies that are developing leading edge technologies or serving particular segments of our audience with specialized products or services.

RW: Do you know which NAB Show exhibitor is the longest-tenured?

Brown: Unfortunately we don’t have accurate enough history (and remember, the show has been around since 1923) to confirm this definitively. But we certainly have a healthy list of companies that have exhibited with us for a very long time; these include companies like Sony, Panasonic, Imagine and GatesAir (formerly Harris Corp.), Grass Valley, Avid and Ross just to name a few.

[Read: An NAB Show Sampler for Managers]

RW: What will be the three largest booths at the show?

Brown: Sony, Blackmagic Design and Canon. Beyond these and others that have been exhibiting for some time, we have a number of other important brands that are emerging with an increasing presence in the show. A couple of good examples would be AWS Elemental and Google. The combination of AWS and Elemental has matched the enormous resources AWS with the deep industry expertise of Elemental to create an entity that is having a major impact on the industry. In the case of Google, not much needs to be said — they play a vital, varied and growing role within the media and entertainment ecosystem. Just two years ago they were not even participating as an exhibitor.

RW: How does this year’s exhibit space compare to last year?

Brown: Between exhibit space and exhibitor activity in meeting rooms and suites, the show will once again cover more than 1 million square feet of activity. It will essentially cover the same area as last year.

RW:What are other platforms at the show where attendees can find up-and-coming companies?

Brown: We have an area of the show that is all about up-and-coming; we call it the Innovation Pipeline, and it covers the companies and trends from inception to full launch. Three distinct areas are included: NAB Pilot’s Futures Park, which represents the true R&D side of the equation, with research and other companies showing technologies that are still in the lab stage. Then there is Startup Loft, an area that features companies that are in their true infancy, with products or services that are baked but only on the market for a year or a year and a half. These are the “garage” entrepreneurs of our business. And as a final phase, there is Sprockit. Sprockit is a program that identifies the most promising young companies in the media and entertainment space and brings them into the spotlight at the show. These are companies that are bringing technology that can revolutionize, even disrupt, the industry.

We also will be featuring a number of technology pavilions that will lean forward and will feature companies that are relatively new to NAB Show. These include our Immersive Storytelling Pavilion (North Hall), the Game Developers Gallery (North Hall) and the Podcasting Pavilion (South Hall).

PHOENIX — Five broadcast technology vendors, including Dielectric, Enensys, GatesAir, Harmonic and Triveni Digital, will help television broadcasters in Phoenix make the Pearl TV-led ATSC 3.0 Model Market Initiative a reality.

Stations owned by E.W. Scripps Co., Fox Television Stations, Meredith Local Media Group, Nexstar Media Group, Tegna, Telemundo Station Group and Univision are taking part in the initiative, which will test advanced business models made possible by Next Gen TV.

The initiative also will demonstrate that it is possible to transition to Next-Gen TV while maintaining legacy ATSC 1.0 DTV service.

“We are delighted to announce the first group of technology suppliers who will help make the Phoenix model market a reality,” said Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle in a press release announcing the participation of the companies. “This is just [the] first round of key broadcast equipment vendors who are now at work to create an over-the-air ATSC 3.0 deployment.”

[Read: 2018 NAB Show Marks Next Gen TV’s Arrival]

The Phoenix model market will provide an open test bed for all of the stakeholders in the TV ecosystem, according to a press announcement. Several objectives are planned for the initiative, including: confirmation of basic TV service parameters and performance; determining the appeal of HDR and immersive audio to consumers; assessing TV application features and implementation requirements; testing interactive and addressable ad functionality; and determining consumer device and service appeal, the announcement said.

The initial technology deployment supporting the initiative includes:

• Dielectric UT8D7F-3K filter, a 3 kW low-loss, high-efficiency, eight-pole, UHF bandpass filter;
• Enensys ATSCheduler, an ATSC 3.0 broadcast gateway that encapsulated MMT and ROUTE IP streams into an ATSC 3.0 multiplex, allocating data to different sub-frame and physical layer pipes and managing SFN synchronization;
• GatesAir Maxiva AXTE-3 UHF air-cooled TV transmitter for ATSC 3.0 transmission in Phoenix;
• Harmonic Electra X ATSC 3.0 encoding and statistical multiplexer media processor to deliver multiple HEVC programs over DASH;
• Triveni Digital GuideBuilder XM signaling, announcement and transport generator and StreamScope XM advanced monitor and analysis system, both part of the company’s Broadcast Services Management Platform.

All participating vendors will be exhibiting at the 2018 NAB Show, April 7–12, in Las Vegas. Dielectric will be in booth C2613; Enensys will be in booth SU6521; GatesAir will be in booth N3703; Harmonic will be in booth SU610; and Triveni Digital will be in booth N1427.

For a comprehensive list of TV Technology’s ATSC 3.0 coverage, see our ATSC3 silo.

CINCINNATI—A pair of promotions have been announced for the GatesAir sales division, with Mark Goins (pictured above) being promoted to senior director of sales for the Americas and Nick vanHaaster expanding his regional responsibility to Goins’ previously-assigned states. Joseph W. Mack, vice president of sales, sent out the announcement.

Goins has spent 16 of his 17 years on the sales side of the broadcast industry at GatesAir. In his new position he will oversee the regional sales management and key accounts management teams in North and South America. He will report to Mack.

Already covering the Northwest U.S. and Western Canada, vanHaaster is adding Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin to the states he is responsible for. He has been with GatesAir for 19 years.

TV TECHNOLOGY:What do you anticipate will be the most significant technology trend at the 2018 NAB Show?

RICH REDMOND: Broadcasters grow more comfortable with IP technologies in the broadcast infrastructure with each passing year. As solutions continue to grow more robust, reliable and intelligent, broadcasters are expanding their strategies to leverage IP as their main transport medium for content delivery. The flexibility IP brings in multipoint contribution and distribution is particularly compelling for broadcasters that are looking to eliminate the costs of point-based legacy networking, and introduce new video, audio and data services that can be delivered to consumers in the most efficient way possible.

ATSC 3.0 for next-generation television will also loom large. ATSC 3.0 ushers in a whole new paradigm where broadcast TV stations can transmit an IP stream rather than a broadcast-specific transport stream, and interface with the growing array of video services based on the Internet. It also provides a foundation for targeted content and advertisements, improved mobile reception and 4K HDR content delivery over the air that will help broadcasters level the playing field against competing TV services.

TVT:What will be your most important product news?

REDMOND: In television, we will be laser-focused on demonstrating our over-the-air content delivery solutions for repack and ATSC 3.0. With repack, we have announced several major station group wins with Hearst Television, Raycom Media, Cordillera, Heartland Media and Quincy Media, and to date have 20 sites with repack projects up and running. That’s important to point out because it validates the strength of our repack strategy across products and services, including complete site audits in advance of installations.

For products, we have completely revamped our entire TV transmission lineup over the past three years with our Maxiva UHF (ULXTE liquid-cooled and UAXTE air-cooled) and Maxiva VHF (VAXTE air-cooled) transmitters. Our next-generation Maxiva XTE exciter, with integrated IP inputs, brings it all together for both repack and ATSC 3.0 needs moving forward. Collectively, we offer the youngest transmission product line in the industry, albeit with field-proven technologies, performance and efficiency.

Since repack and ATSC 3.0 introduce new systems and processes—essentially a completely new, native IP infrastructure for the latter—we’ll emphasize our next-gen control, monitoring and security platforms. This includes advanced monitoring with our StreamAssure solution, an SNMP interface to remote controls via IP connectivity, and advanced security features powered through our Intraplex IPConnect solution.

We have also restructured the user interfaces on our Maxiva transmitters. These will now be HTML5-based, which removes the security vulnerabilities of Java and all together delivers a more simple and intuitive user experience.

TVT:How is your new product different from what’s available on the market?

REDMOND: Key points include market-leading power density–for example, our VAXTE transmitter reduces rack space by two-thirds the amount of its predecessor–outstanding RF performance, and integration of the latest FET technology and high-power devices providing simplified channel changes without the need for failure-prone jumpers. The latter is critical to our achievement of parity power between ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0. That is important because our customers who buy for repack now do not need to invest in a larger ATSC 3.0 transmitter to achieve the same power levels as ATSC 1.0. We should also note that our Maxiva VAXTE transmitter is the first transmitter to support repack and ATSC 3.0 needs in low-band VHF.

TVT:What is it about the NAB Show that brings you back every year?

REDMOND: It’s hard to think of a better venue to meet new people and see old friends when it comes to the broadcast industry. NAB Show continues to be the premier world stage for broadcast and media professionals seeking to discover new technology, see products in person and meet face to face with their peers and collegaues. For us at GatesAir, that means an unrivaled opportunity to interact with customers and partners. This is a genuinely human benefit that can’t be replaced by webinars and virtual conferences.

CINCINNATI—A new addition to GatesAir’s executive team has been announced with the appointment of John Belza as the company’s new chief financial officer. Belza will oversee finance function, develop new processes and initiatives to drive operational efficiency, and in addition, will oversee human resources and information technology functions, according to GatesAir’s press release.

John Belza

Belza comes to GatesAir after most recently serving as the CFO of Lombart Instrument. He has also served as a CFO at Cambridge International and Carat Security Group.

One of the main goals that GatesAir reports Belza will pursue in his role is to optimize the profitability of its Spectrum Repack program for over-the-air TV stations.

Belza will report to GatesAir CEO Bruce Swail and will be located in the company’s Mason, Ohio, offices.

CINCINNATI—Hearst Television has signed a deal with GatesAir to provide transmitters and installation services on an exclusive basis for its 13 stations affected by the FCC’s repack of television spectrum, GatesAir announced today.

The Hearst Television channels being repacked include: WCVB in Boston; WTAE in Pittsburgh; WXII in Greensboro (Winston-Salem), N.C.; WYFF in Greenville, S.C.; WISN in Milwaukee; WLKY in Louisville, Ky.; WLWT in Cincinnati; WDUS in New Orleans; WKCF in Orlando, Fla.; WMOR in Tampa, Fla.; KQCA in Sacramento, Calif.; WBAL in Baltimore and WVTM in Birmingham, Ala.

Under the agreement GatesAir conducted audits of the transmitter sites impacted by the repack, which were completed before the broadcaster’s purchase and installation of the new transmitters. The broadcaster and transmitter manufacturer have completed plans to support the channel reassignment of the channels. Site audit information was sent to GatesAir’s Quincy, Ill., manufacturing plant to begin the design of systems.

Depending on the Hearst station involved and its new channel assignment, the transmitters to be installed include the GatesAir Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled and Maxiva UAXTE air-cooled transmitters.

Each of the transmitters will be equipped with the GatesAir ATSC 3.0-ready Maxiva XTE exciter and the latest generation of the company’s RTAC software to deliver real-time adaptive correction for signal integrity and compliance optimization, the company said.

Hearst Television previously relied on GatesAir [Harris Broadcast at the time] for its DTV transition and values its “commitment and experience to enable us to hit our marks over the next 32 months,” said Hearst Television VP of engineering Marty Faubell in a GatesAir press release.

More information is available on the GatesAir website.

Alberto Salazar

CINCINNATI—GatesAir has announced the addition of Alberto J. Salazar as its new director of sales for the Central and Latin America region. Salazar will look to drive regional strategies and initiatives throughout the territory that includes Mexico, Argentina and the Caribbean islands.

Salazar comes to GatesAir after serving as regional sales director for Thomson Video Networks. Previous positions also included time as director of sales, Latin America and Caribbean for ATEME; he held the same position for Harmonic.

Salazar will report to Joseph Mack, GatesAir’s vice president of sales, Americas.