VAN NUYS, CA--PSSI Global Services has partnered with OB vehicle builder Frontline Communications to build 16 new, state-of-the-art Ku-band SNG vehicles for use by PSSI News Group in exclusive partnership with CNN. The trucks replace 16 vehicles previously owned by CNN, which — having been absorbed into the PSSI Global Services fleet — are in the process of being upgraded and will soon be available to all PSSI Global Services clients.

The new PSSI News Group trucks include nine full-size Freightliner trucks and seven Mercedes Sprinters. Each is fully equipped with top-shelf broadcast equipment, including Ericsson AVP encoders and IRDs, Evertz Microsystems terminal equipment, Xenon digital routers, Hitomi MatchBox lip-sync systems, Panasonic video production switchers, and Vislink wireless RF camera systems. The new trucks are now in use by PSSI News Group engineers for CNN coverage in regions across the country, including Washington D.C., Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, San Francisco, New York City, Dallas, Columbus and Miami.

The additional trucks PSSI Global Services acquired from CNN are already built for multipath news transmissions, with production switchers, extensive comms infrastructure, multichannel audio mixers, multipath encoding and decoding equipment, and more. 

Once PSSI Global Services’ upgrades are complete, the trucks will also have advanced compression, multiplexing and IP capabilities to support sports and entertainment projects, as well as news coverage. Each truck will be outfitted with high-throughput satellite modems with dedicated satellite capacity to enable a wide range of IP services, including internet access, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), enterprise connectivity, and bandwidth for backhaul and multicasting.

Many of the upgraded trucks are already complete and in use, including a Sprinter based in Los Angeles and several full-sized trucks with extensive production capabilities in Atlanta, Boston, Denver and Las Vegas. As the upgrades continue, PSSI Global Services plans to deploy trucks in Phoenix, Portland, Kansas City, Nashville, Charlotte and several other cities across the country.

CLEARWATER, FLA.—Frontline Communications has announced that its automatic Ka/Ku-band dual feed satellite antenna system has passed initial field testing and has been approved for use on the ViaSat network. It is now pending final approval from the FCC.

The satellite antenna allows dual-band capability on the ViaSat network, which allows users to swith from Ka-band to Ku-band with a single switch function on the antenna controller from inside the vehicle. Users can select either IP delivery using the ViaSat Ka-band service or legacy DVBS delivery via their existing infrastructure. The antenna system includes a 1.2m reflector and AvL’s AAQ antenna controller, which utilizes an automatic slide mechanism to position the feed.

Frontline Communications, an Oshkosh Corporation company, is a manufacturer of broadcast and communications vehicles.