EUREKA, Calif.— Public broadcaster KEET PBS has adopted two components of the Public Media Venture Group (PMVG) TechBundle suite of integrated services designed to modernize operations in response to a loss of funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

“We knew we had to make a significant change,” said Amy Stem-Faulk, general manager at KEET PBS. “The combination of funding pressures, staffing changes and aging infrastructure made our existing model unsustainable.”

KEET PBS deployed the PMVG TechBundle’s Public Media Management (PMM) Cloud and transmission and monitoring services from Transmission Services Group (TSG). The combination provides the station with a cohesive, jointly delivered solution across master control, transmission and monitoring. The move also makes KEET PBS the first public media station to adopt two parts of the bundle, PMVG said.

“By implementing PMM Cloud and TSG services, we are able to modernize our operations, reduce complexity and move forward with confidence, while continuing to serve our community with the reliability our viewers expect,” said Stem-Faulk.

At the core of this transition is PMM Cloud, a centralized, cloud-based, fully managed master control solution. By moving master control operations to the cloud and pairing them with TSG’s managed transmission and monitoring services, KEET PBS is reducing its on-premises technical footprint.

The transition enables KEET PBS to move from multiple equipment racks to a streamlined setup that can operate within a small studio or transmitter environment.

“We are proud to partner with PMM to offer a truly turnkey solution for the public media system,” said Jim DeChant, director of operations for TSG, powered by HC Jeffries Tower Company. “By combining PMM’s cloud-first master control with TSG’s expert transmission management, we are giving stations like KEET PBS a sustainable path forward, ensuring their vital local content reaches viewers with maximum efficiency and zero downtime.”

As part of joining the PMM network, KEET PBS will also gain access to a broader ecosystem of public media partners. Stations such as PBS SoCal are working alongside KEET to share best practices and help streamline operations. This provides an added layer of collaboration and support beyond the core technology services.

The full suite of PMVG TechBundle services also includes traffic and streaming components.

More information is available on the PMM website.

LOS ANGELES—Apex-RF will showcase its newly launched RAINIER next-generation wireless live camera transmission system designed for the evolving demands of broadcast, live production and studio environments during the 2026 NAB Show, April 18-22, at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

RAINIER delivers ultra-low latency (<50ms) 4K HDR video using a fully IP-based architecture, enabling seamless integration into modern broadcast workflows. With support for Wi-Fi 7 transmission across 5–7.3 GHz frequencies and a mesh antenna network, the system ensures reliable, high-performance connectivity in even the most challenging production environments.

“At Apex-RF, we set out to redefine what wireless camera systems can do,” said Apex-RF chief technology officer Sean Munaco. “RAINIER combines video, control, intercom and IP infrastructure into one unified solution, giving broadcast production teams unprecedented flexibility and performance.”

Key features include:

• 4K 12G SDR/HDR 10-bit 4:2:2 video quality.
• Ultra-low delay of less than 50 milliseconds.
• HEVC encoding with selectable bitrates up to 60 Mbps.
• Wi-Fi 7 RF transmission with 16 channels.
• Full duplex IP camera control for Sony, Grass Valley, Ikegami and Panasonic.
• Native intercom integration with RTS, Clear-Com and Riedel systems.
• Dante IP intercom support.
• SMPTE ST 2110 output with NMOS control.
• Mesh antenna architecture for scalable multi-receiver setups.

Designed as a complete ecosystem rather than a standalone transmitter, RAINIER integrates camera control, tally, intercom and data into a single platform. The system is well-suited to live sports, concerts, film and television production and remote broadcast workflows.

RAINIER is available now.

See Apex-RF at 2026 NAB Show booth C5613.

More information is available on the company’s website.

BOISE, Idaho—CMC Broadcasting Company, Inc. has announced that KTVJ-LD (Virtual Channel 3) has officially completed a major technical upgrade, significantly expanding its broadcast reach and signal quality throughout the Boise-Nampa-Meridian region.

Following the successful installation of a state-of-the-art GatesAir transmitter and high-performance Jampro antenna system, KTVJ has transitioned its physical broadcast frequency from VHF Channel 6 to UHF Channel 26.

This move, paired with an FCC-authorized increase in "Effective Radiated Power" (ERP) from 3 kW to 15 kW, represents a five-fold power boost designed to provide crystal-clear indoor reception and a more robust signal for viewers across the Treasure Valley.

KTVJ first signed on in November 2021. The transition to a high-power UHF signal allows the station to overcome previous terrain challenges and provide a consistent, high-definition viewing experience from Boise to the surrounding rural communities.

"This upgrade is the culmination of a dedicated effort to better serve our growing Idaho community," said Rick Kurkjian, president of CMC Broadcasting. "By moving to the UHF band and quintupling our broadcast power, we are ensuring that more households than ever can access our diverse lineup of news, inspirational programming, and country music with superior reliability."

While the station's physical frequency has changed, KTVJ's identity on viewer television sets remains Channel 3. To enjoy the improved signal and updated channel lineup, OTA viewers must perform a "channel re-scan" on their digital TVs or converter boxes.

CMC Broadcasting Company, Inc. operates KTVJ-LD in Boise, Idaho, alongside its music video networks, CMC (California Music Channel) and CMC-USA.

KTVJ-LD continues to offer premier multi-channel experience:

• Channel 3.1: theDove TV.
• Channel 3.2: Newsmax 2.
• Channel 3.3: CMC-USA .

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.

American Amplifier Technologies has released a vector network analysis module.

The company said that the new EmPower Controller VNA brings automated feedline and antenna evaluation to its existing remote-control suite.

“The system allows engineers to assess transmission performance in real time, without interrupting on-air operations,” AAT said.

The VNA module is designed for the broadcast and RF communications industries, measuring both time- and frequency-domain characteristics. AAT said this gives engineers two complementary perspectives on the same signal path, which can help identify where changes occur along the feedline and how they affect overall system performance across the band.

Using stored references and continuous monitoring, the EmPower Controller VNA identifies variances in antenna or feedline behavior, alerting engineers before the variance results in an outage or degraded signal quality, AAT said.

Through AAT’s EmPower Mobile App, users can access visual overlays, automated comparisons and historical trends. The VNA works alongside AAT’s RF power monitoring, control modules and cloud-based analytics.

AAT is the parent company to Shively Labs and Kathrein-Scala—a manufacturer of FM, VHF and UHF antennas, filters, combiners, coax and rigid line components.

You can see it from almost anywhere in the City by the Bay. No other landmark can make that claim — not the Golden Gate Bridge, nor any of the city’s skyscrapers. Including the ground, the tower has six levels, with hundreds of antennas.

Sutro Tower has stood for 52 years in San Francisco. To many residents, it’s now a sign welcoming them home.

“I think there are more Sutro Tower tattoos out there than Golden Gate Bridge tattoos,” Peter Hartlaub said on the Total SF podcast, produced by the San Francisco Chronicle, in an episode commemorating the tower’s 50th anniversary in 2023.

Co-host Heather Knight remarked that the tower can appear differently, viewing it for instance from the city’s botanical garden or from across the bay.

“It’s like a living thing,” she said.

The tower has come a long way to become a Bay Area icon. To know its story requires a visit to a moment in time when TV broadcasting was still novel.

Where to Place a TV Tower
In the late 1940s, television was on the bleeding edge. Engineer Bill Ruck recalls Ken Nielsen, his mentor, furnishing the John O’Connell School of Broadcast with an RCA TV package with cameras and control units. The inner-city school operated in San Francisco’s Mission District, part of the city’s unified school district. They used KALW(FM), the first FM educational station built in the country, for training.

A 1953 article from the Radio, TV and Recording Technician-Engineer described engineers and station supervisors, many of whom were former O’Connell students, assisting in organization, advice and hiring trainees. Nielsen was an instructor in the program. Ruck said that gaining any kind of knowledge was integral.

In San Francisco, determining the best place to broadcast TV stations from was a question that didn’t have an easy answer in the days before Longley-Rice-based studies, for example, were available.

“It was all kind of trial and error,” Ruck said.

By 1960, the five primary Bay Area TV stations were fielding complaints of poor reception, which required viewers to reposition their rabbit ears to get a clear picture. There were two separate sites. Channel 7, KGO(TV), had its tower at the site of the mansion, La Avanzada, the one-time home of Adolph Sutro, a San Francisco mayor in the 1890s.

ABC planned to reconfigure the mansion into a broadcast facility for KGO, its new local TV station. By 1949, KGO began transmitting from a 580-foot broadcast tower adjacent to the mansion. KPIX Channel 5 would join KGO there.

The San Francisco Chronicle’s KRON(TV), Channel 4, went on the air in 1949 from a tower on Mount San Bruno. The Chronicle was owned by the Thieriot family. Another prominent family in the city — friendly with the Thieriots — was the Crocker family, which owned Mount San Bruno. When the Chronicle wanted to put on a TV station, it was perfectly logical for them to go to the Crockers and buy property, Ruck said.

“All part of ‘old San Francisco money,’” Ruck remarked.

KQED(TV), Channel 9, joined them in San Bruno in 1954, and Channel 2 KTVU(TV), which signed on in 1958, did the same. KGO would propose a tall tower at Mount Sutro, while KRON proposed a tall tower on San Bruno. “Lots of consulting engineers made piles of money studying the two tall towers,” Ruck said. The two sites resulted in about the same coverage projections with the FCC, so the process stalled. Ultimately, a tall tower on San Bruno was blocked by the FAA, as it was much too close to San Francisco International Airport, about two miles to the southeast.

“That’s why Sutro Tower was built,” Ruck said.

In 1968, four TV stations — KRON, KGO, KPIX and KTVU — came together to form Sutro Tower Inc. Initial designs envisioned a 1,200-foot tower that had a restaurant and observation deck. Opposition ensued. Ultimately, a 977-foot height was settled upon. Construction began in 1971 and it was completed a year later. Antennas were mounted in 1973, and on July 4, the first broadcast from Sutro took place.

Ruck is the best living Sutro historian. He started working for 104.5 KFOG(FM) in 1978, which transmitted atop Sutro — today it is the FM side of sports-talk KNBR. Sutro’s manager at the time was Harry Jacobs, who dated back to working with KGO at the mansion. Ruck has been part of the San Francisco broadcast engineering scene ever since.

“The more I look into it, the more I'm fascinated with the pioneers that did it when it had never been done before,” he said.

After Jacobs retired, Don Lincoln took over. Ruck had access to a file drawer of Sutro history during that time. He remembers a “foot of paper” of reports. Their plans, Ruck recalled, only considered San Francisco, San Mateo and Alameda Counties. At the time, there were only ranches and almond groves in Contra Costa County and Santa Clara County.

“Nobody lived there,” Ruck said of their logic.

Today offers a much different story. In fact, Ruck said that if such a tower were being planned now, he’d put it in the East Bay, such as the site of 94.1 KPFA(FM)’s transmitter in the Berkeley Hills.

Navigating Public Perception
Early public relations for the tower — and the surrounding Twin Peaks, Forest Knolls and Midtown Terrace neighborhoods — was, at best, a struggle. Ruck recalls that in the early 1980s two more area TV stations wanted to move to Sutro. Its transmitter building did not have the space for more occupants. Management drafted a design to allot more space, which required a permit and public notice, leading to a lot of pushback. There are homes as close as 300 feet from the tower. Some neighbors refer to it as “an industrial complex.”

“San Francisco invented the concept of NIMBY,” Ruck joked.

Lincoln wanted to engage the neighborhood. He set up a public meeting where the benefits of the tower were highlighted. Ruck remembers being in attendance. Afterward, a neighbor across from where Ruck’s parents lived scolded him for being involved with Sutro Tower. “It was a PR nightmare,” Ruck recalled.

As an engineer, managing the mindset of an average person’s perception of a large tower in their backyard wasn’t necessarily part of Lincoln’s thought process. Ruck remembered suggesting to him that someone be hired specifically to manage neighborhood outreach. Ever since, Sutro has had someone in such a capacity.

How did Sutro become the regional symbol that it is today?

Cody Hmelar, former chief engineer for Salem Media and an instructor at the University of Pittsburgh, grew up in the Bay Area. He said feelings about the tower became warmer by the early 2010s, as what he described as “contemporary hipsterism” rose.

It was simultaneous to the growth in popularity of “Karl the Fog,” a personification for the city’s trademark low-cloud layer.

Its Clarendon Avenue location, he said, sets it apart from other Bay Area towers, prompting its use in local art, tattoo designs and even on the San Francisco City Football Club's uniform badge.

While its East Bay penetration may suffer to an extent, as Hmelar noted, Sutro’s inner-city location makes it a prime site for digital TV transmission — especially since the principal satellite and cable headends are in Petaluma, about 33 miles north of downtown San Francisco, and rely on a strong, centralized transmission source.

Managing Sutro Today
Lincoln would retire, succeeded as Sutro’s general manager by Gene Zastrow and Eric Dausman. Dausman in turn announced he was retiring in 2018.

Raul Velez, 56, recalls seeing Sutro Tower out of his bedroom window a few years after it was completed. “I didn’t know it at the time, but it was my source of [TV] cartoons, so it was really important to me,” he said. Velez received encouragement, including from Sutro’s primary RF consultant, Peter Eckmann, to apply for the opening following Dausman’s announcement. Now he guides outreach efforts.

“When I talk to folks and say ‘I work for Sutro Tower,’ they’re like, what?”

Velez has been involved in Bay Area radio engineering since 1989. He was chief engineer for Univision’s San Francisco stations from 2002 to 2016. More recently, Velez was Bonneville’s director of engineering for 96.5 KOIT(FM), 98.5 KUFX(FM), 99.7 KMVQ(FM) and 102.9 KBLX(FM) from 2017–2019, when he applied for the Sutro job.

From a distance, Velez remarked, Sutro looks static. But there’s work going on nearly every day. He works from an office in the reinforced concrete transmission building at the base, which also houses signal handling and transmission equipment. Sutro Tower operates with a dedicated team of five employees handling administrative, power and building maintenance, supported by contract security and external contractors like Full Wave Tower & Broadcast for specialized tasks.

Each entity, which could be TV, FM or two-way, has its own staff or team that is responsible for their infrastructure. “When I have 11 different TV stations with their own perspectives on the business, I have to manage and coordinate the individual philosophies,” Velez said.

TV stations KGO, KPIX, KRON, KTVU, KQED, KRCB, KPYX, KPJK, KCNS, KDTS and KFSF all transmit their signals from Sutro, representing ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS, CW and TelevisaUnivision.

Hmelar pointed out that in the Bay Area, over-the-air TV is particularly important, as there are several foreign-language and minority-owned media networks that make use of digital TV subchannels as their primary communication method. He noted the city’s language-access ordinances.

“It makes being able to broadcast in multiple languages essential,” he said.

On FM, 96.5 KOIT, 98.9 KSOL, 104.5 KNBR and translator 93.7 K229DD, which relays Chinese-language 1400 KVOT(AM), all call Sutro home. Two 102.5 LPFM stations maintain a timeshare from Sutro: KXSF(LP), operated by San Francisco Community Radio, and KSFP(LP), the San Francisco Free Press.

Seven amateur radio groups maintain facilities on Sutro, including the San Francisco Radio Club (W6PW). “We treat them like everyone else,” Velez said.

If someone calls and asks for a check on their suite to make sure a certain green light is on, for example, Sutro’s staff can save them a trip. Or maybe it’s to dispatch a telco company or assist an HVAC vendor. “Really, our job is to make sure the tower is still there every day,” he said.

Making the tower a “living thing” involves plenty of other hands-on endeavors the Sutro team has spearheaded. That includes a 360-degree, rotatable, movable, zoomable panorama of the tower, available at explore.sutrotower.com. Velez said the feature consists of 1,300-gigapixel images placed together, produced by the Portland, Ore.-based Panogs. A 13-minute documentary produced by Stimulant and a team led by Darren David explores the origins of the tower, from the history of the Sutro family to the opposition residents provided before it was erected.

Sutro also keeps up good relations with nearby Glen Park Elementary, where third-grade teacher Sheila Tenney has students draw Sutro Tower as a back-to-school activity each year. “When you see Sutro Tower, you’re home.”

Chicago's Willis Tower and New York's Empire State Building are among other iconic sites with consolidated broadcast facilities. Hmelar describes Sutro as Empire’s “artsy cousin.” Its unique design features one tower and one building, unlike structures with towers atop office or residential spaces. The closest analogy is perhaps Paris's Eiffel Tower, hosting multiple broadcasters in one location, though Sutro lacks tourist amenities.

There have also been numerous earthquake warnings that have been transmitted via its host signals, most notably 1989’s Loma Prieta, which registered 6.9 on the Richter scale.

Former Sutro spokesman Dave Hyams noted the reason the tower withstood the quake — two of the three KGO(AM) towers did not — is the structural science behind it. The tower is embedded in 15 million pounds of cement.

There are seven generators and an associated fuel supply that can keep equipment running for up to three days without power.

Velez noted that maintenance is a constant part of the process. In 2025 that included the repainting of cladding panels.

Sutro removed vertical cladding to comply with seismic code. Inside panels are now thicker to improve rigidity, which also allowed the panels to be painted offsite. The outside horizontal cladding panels are next, and Velez expects the paint job to be completed by 2027.

Velez’s duties are not without stress. “I dealt with more lawyers in the first year I was here than in my previous 50 years of existence,” he cracked. But by all accounts, the relationship between the 977-foot tower and its neighbors is as good as it has ever been. He credits the team at the law firm Womble Bond Dickinson and at Lighthouse Public Affairs for improving communications between the neighbors and the city of San Francisco.

“We’re here, I can be reached 24 hours a day,” he said.

And if you look up in the City by the Bay, you’ll get a glimpse of the tower, peeking through the fog.

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.”

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.

HACKENSACK, N.J.—TBS Japan has deployed LiveU’s On-Site Production solution in combination with Starlink satellites for TBS Japan's live production of the Japanese variety show “Ousama no Brunch,” LiveU said today.

Produced by TBS ACT, the production arm of Tokyo Broadcasting System Television (TBS), the prime-time show was broadcast live from one of Japan's largest theme parks to millions of viewers nationwide.

LiveU's On-Site Production solution, with its Mobile Receiver, integrated in this instance with Starlink, enabled a resilient, cost-effective, wire-free setup. The integration expands the possibilities for on-site productions in areas where wired network lines are not available and network conditions are challenging, the company said.

Part of LiveU's network-agnostic EcoSystem, On-Site Production enables LiveU's set of IP-video solutions to be connected with other best-of-breed IP and satellite networks.

High-quality live feeds were delivered from numerous LiveU LU800s and LU600s field units around the park to the LiveU receivers installed in the production truck. Multiple mobile and satellite networks were used. LiveU supported the overall deployment and pre-tests at the on-site production venue with local partner NTT Communications Corp, it said.

"We used LiveU Mobile Receiver for on-site production at the large theme park in the Kanto region,” said Keiichi Shiota from TBS ACT.  “By using LiveU Mobile Receiver, we were able to receive live video in a vehicle using mobile and satellite networks (Starlink) without the need for wired network connections. We believe that LiveU Mobile Receiver expands the possibilities of on-site production in locations where it's not easy to prepare a wired network line."

LiveU also announced it will exhibit at InterBEE 2023, Nov. 15-17, outside Tokyo, in Hall 5, Stand 5406.

More information is available on the company’s website.

RENNES, France—Enenysys Technologies has introduced ModulCast-ATSC, its new ATSC 3.0 OEM modulator for integration into digital TV transmitters. 

ModulCast-ATSC is an optimized and unique modulator board supporting the ATSC 3.0 standard. It meets with the requirements of transmitter manufacturers for rapid and straight-forward integration and delivers high-performance RF output to meet broadcasters’ quality requirements.

Focused on SFN low-power transmitter applications, ModulCast-ATSC is designed to offer high-quality RF performance combined with digital power amplifier precorrection. It is fully compliant with FCC standards without any channel filter, simplifying operation and reducing costs for LPTV stations across the USA.

“We have been involved in the US ATSC 3.0 market since its inception," said Christophe Trolet, Modem Marketing Director at Enensys Technologies. "Thanks to our Vortex ATSC 1.0/3.0 modulators, we have achieved significant successes—especially in the repack project with our high-power transmitter partners. 

"Now that NextGen TV is rolling-out commercially, ModulCast-ATSC complements our product range. We are ready to help our partners to prepare for the delivery of low-power transmitters operating in SFN,” he added. “The ability to broadcast ATSC 3.0 transmissions without a channel filter is a key advantage of ModulCast-ATSC.”

SAINT-GRÉGOIRE, France—Aviwest is now a part of Belgian TV group RTBF’s infrastructure, with the installation of an Aviwest ecosystem for live news, cultural events, sports coverage and content sharing.

The ecosystem at RTBF is made up of Aviwest’s bonded cellular PRO3 and AIR transmitter series, rack mount HE and RACK video encoders, QUAD antennas, MOJOPRO mobile live streaming applications, the StreamHub receiver and Manager management platform.

Aviwest’s Safe Streams Transport (SST) aggregation technology for low-latency video transmission has also been put to use by RTBF. Combined with MOJOPRO, SST enables RTBF remote journalists to stream broadcast-grade live coverage, as well as record, store and forward video stories over cellular networks across the country and from abroad. The field units also have an HEVC encoder for low bitrates and reduced cellular data consumption without compromising video quality, according to Aviwest.

“Aviwest’s solution provides us with powerful live streaming tools, enabling us to further augment our live video production and reduce our operational costs by using cellular networks,” said Benjamin Dominicy, system, multimedia and transmission administrator at RTBF.

Aviwest also helps RTBF with the Médias Francophone Publics (MFP), a grouping of all French-speaking TV and radio from Canada, Switzerland, France and Belgium. It did so by creating a bespoke installation that could receive video feeds via the StreamHub transceiver, which can support a range of streaming protocols, including RTMP, RTSP/RTP, HLS, TS/IP, SRT and NDI. StreamHub also enables RTBF to build a live video multiview composed of all input streams, which can be fed to affiliates.

For more information, visit www.aviwest.com.  

VAN NUYS, Calif.—Last week’s Democratic National Convention got a helping hand in bringing multiple remote elements together from PSSI Global Services’ live transmission systems. Multiple modes of transmission were used to deliver live remote content from the DNC production hub in Milwaukee.

PSSI provided live satellite uplinks for many of the most prominent speakers at the convention, including Jill and Joe Biden, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, John Kerry and Bernie Sanders. The PSSI International Teleport (PIT) enabled access to multiple transponders of the Eutelsat 113 West A satellite. Other remote locations were managed and coordinated through satellite uplinks and LiveU technology. A partnership with Nextologies also provided backup IP pathways for remote feeds.

There was an engineer and a strategic television project manager on-site in Milwaukee to handle encoding and decoding services, as well as manage the satellite, LiveU, Nextologies, The Switch and AT&T GVS pathways in and out, with PIT as the hub gateway.

PSSI also provided tech management and multicamera production services at remote media sites where Obama and Jill Biden gave speeches from through a collaboration with Patin Media Ventures and Gravity Media.

For more information, visit www.pssiglobal.com.  

MERIDEN, Conn.—Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) has announced it is ready to ship its new portfolio of ATSC 3.0 transmission solutions aimed at supporting U.S. broadcasters wishing to deploy single frequency networks to serve their markets with NextGen TV service.

The company designed the solutions specifically to SFN-related challenges. The portfolio includes broadband antennas with front-back radiation patterns and sophisticated antenna selection tools to assist broadcasters in selecting the right antenna pattern to cover their entire region without encroaching on neighboring markets, it said.

The antennas are light, easy-to-deploy and offer a low wind load. They are simple to install on existing towers to support SFN deployment, the company said.

RFS also is offering a line of combiners and filters to meet the needs of broadcasters looking to deploy 3.0 service. 

The solutions are designed with the flexibility to enable broadcasters to evolve service over the next decade to satisfy possible future requirements for 5G broadcast, the company said. 

“Despite the hype, 5G broadcast for the U.S. market is not feasible while 5G technology is in its infancy,” said Nick Wymant, RFS global product manager, broadcast. “The size of the population, geography and market set up in the U.S. make the next-generation TV standard an absolutely essential step in the evolution of over-the-air broadcast. We are delighted to offer a range of solutions that not only deliver on next-generation possibilities but are futureproofed for further evolution.”  

The portfolio includes: 

• NG Series: Broadband antennas for multichannel NextGen TV networks. The high-power rating and broadband performance allow multiple channels to be transmitted from an SFN site, reducing capital costs and providing consistent coverage across channels; 
• NG-RBL and NG-SBL Series antennas: Antennas with reduced back radiation for difficult site location network planning scenarios. These offer an easy way to meet FCC requirements without resorting to large reductions in radiated power; 
• CS Series: These Starpoint combiners offer an economical and compact solution for combining non-adjacent channels at multichannel SFN sites, while minimizing site infrastructure costs; 
• CA Series: Constant impedance balanced combiners offering a high-performance solution for combining both adjacent and nonadjacent channels at multichannel SFN sites; 
• HCA Series: Heliflex Air-Dielectric Coaxial Cable is fully broadband and well-suited for the requirements of multichannel SFN sites. Additionally, the Heliflex connectors offer quick installation, excellent gas tightness and extremely low losses; 
• Advanced RF simulation and modelling to ensure optimum network performance. 

More information is available on the RFS website. 

WASHINGTON—Despite the heavy focus on completing the TV spectrum repack by the July deadline, manufacturers of transmission equipment have also been planning ahead for what comes next—NextGen TV and all that comes with it, such as hybrid connectivity, interactivity, hyper-localization of advertising and emergency alerting information, single-frequency networking and more.

“IP connectivity and NextGenTV are very closely coupled concepts and are both key factors in driving product development decisions at Hitachi-Comark,” said Joe Turbolski, vice president of sales and marketing for the company. “ATSC 3.0 uses IP transport instead of MPEG-2 transport streams. Even the link between the studio and the transmitters is IP-based. That is why we incorporated ‘IP-Optimized’ platforms in our transmitters over three years ago. IP connectivity continues to spread further and further into the television studio’s infrastructure.”

Hitachi Comark recently launched Comark Digital Services (CDS), designed to help broadcasters integrate NextGen TV, according to Turbolski.

“CDS focuses on ‘all things IP,’ including encoding, signaling servers, broadcast gateways, as well as IP delivery solutions over pubic internet links,” he said. “Many of the solutions CDS integrates for NextGen TV are software products that are virtualized to run on dedicated servers, enterprise-level IT infrastructure, or even in cloud-based environments.”

Ray Miklius, vice president and general manager of TV Products at GatesAir, said that his company would also be operating with a slightly different focus.

“Transmission vendors have been focused on development roadmaps for ATSC 3.0 for several years and have tested and validated the basic feature sets of the standard,” said Miklius. “Attention has now turned to validating advanced features more recently added to the standard. This includes STL Security, a security layer that encrypts the ATSC 3.0 content path. GatesAir has now completed software development and [this] is integrated into our ATSC 3.0 software load line.

“With NextGen TV, the easiest part of the transition should be lighting up your transmitter,” Miklius added. “The biggest questions will be around what’s upstream of the transmitter, including ATSC 3.0 encoding, and the scheduler/framer configurations. We see the ongoing education process of preparing the broader RF infrastructure for the ATSC 3.0 transition to be as much of, if not more, of a trend with NextGen TV than the technology itself.”

Keith Pelletier, vice president and general manager at antenna supplier Dielectric, said the company is putting a big emphasis on NextGen TV.

“The broadcast leadership teams understand NextGen TV presents an opportunity to change the traditional landscape of terrestrial broadcast, and that without it they risk going dark,” said Pelletier. “NextGen TV introduces many significant advancements in technology that will benefit audiences, including the evolution of stationary television to mobile platforms. The mobile applications and opportunities are vast, and the amount of bits that can be delivered allow broadcasters to better address local populations.

“Working with groups like Pearl, ONE Media, SBG, and many others, Dielectric has introduced SFN-ready antenna systems that address signal strengths required for NextGen TV. We have a dedicated engineering R&D team that has developed many products, with many more to come, that will fit the needs for the future of broadcast.”

VAN NUYS, Calif.—PSSI Global Services was responsible for the set-up for an at-home transmission for NASCAR’s Rolex 24 event from Daytona Beach, Fla., to NASCAR headquarters in Charlotte, N.C. PSSI utilized 32 video paths and 150 audio paths through satellite and AT&T Global Video Services fiber for the production.

PSSI used two-and-a-half transponders and one amplifier to transmit three different modulation schemes simultaneously. The primary multiplex featured DVB-S2X/32APSK, while the secondary program multiplex was modulated using DVB-S2X/16APSK; each operated at 125 Mbps. The third multiplex was 40 Mbps and used DVB-S2/8PSK modulation.

Together the three multiplexes totaled 290 Mbps and occupied 90 MHz of satellite bandwidth.

PSSI International Teleport provided hub services between the racetrack and NASCAR headquarters.

PSSI says it also provided comms and internet for the production.

More information is available at www.pssiglobal.com.  

VAN NUYS, Calif.—Alongside the race cars revving their engines at a recent NHRA event at the Atlanta Dragway, PSSI Global Services had a single transmission vehicle that served as a center for event coverage. Via satellite, the truck provided high-speed internet, AWS/Sony web streaming and broadcast transmission services. To do so, PSSI used one of its large-aperture C-band trucks to transfer and receive across two transponders of Eutelsat 113.

Throughout the four days of the event, and without an available fiber infrastructure, PSSI provided video backhaul services via satellite for the broadcast on Fox Sports 1.

The high-speed internet needed for the event came through PSSI International Teleport (PIT) in collaboration with Eutelsat to create a two-way IP over satellite system. The internet provided NHRA with the desired bandwidth and customized upload and download speeds.

Encoders at PIT helped provide AWS/Sony web streaming, taking in the feed from the event and distributing it to the appropriate streaming platforms. The encoders were able to accommodate all video formats and protocols, received feeds from any delivery mechanism and push content to any CDN or streaming site.

This was part of a continued relationship between NHRA, as PSSI also works with AT&T Global Video Services for other races where there is fiber infrastructure.

DALLAS—Construction and connectivity work on the ATSC 3.0 Single Frequency Network (SFN) being installed in the Dallas-Fort Worth Designated Market Area, American Tower announced in January.

The SFN, a collaboration of American Tower, Sinclair Broadcast Group, Univision Local Media, Nexstar and Spectrum Co., consists of four existing American Tower sites located around market in both metro and suburban sites to maximize signal strength across the DMA.

“The construction phase went quite smoothly,” said Ed Tiongson, Director, Product Innovation for American Tower. “With these ATSC 3.0 deployments, it’s critical to draw on expertise to synchronize SFN towers effectively, including integrating the network components, such as antennas, transmitters, and radios for optimum signal delivery.”

[Read: Dallas ATSC 3.0 SFN Buildout Nears Completion]

The towers, electrical power, fiber network and transmitter buildings at sites in Fort Worth, Denton and Garland, Texas, were upgraded for TV. A pre-fab building was also added in Garland, and a point-to-point microwave link between the Denton and Fort Worth sites was also installed, the company said.

The work included upgrades to networking, internet exchange, fiber and data center connectivity as well as three-phase power. Comark transmitters and exciters also were added at each site, the company said.

The main transmission tower site in Cedar Hill, Texas –currently the main 1.0 transmission site—received an upgrade of ATSC 3.0 transmission equipment, rounding out the four-site SFN, American Tower said.

With the 3.0 SFN infrastructure in place, validation testing of RF design and link budget will begin. Evaluating operational workflows is also on tap. “Once the RF measurements are validated, we will be able to scale for additional sites in the future as business needs dictate,” said Jim Leifer, Senior Manager, Broadcast Operations at American Tower.

March 1 is targeted as the date the SFN will light up, said Mark Aitken, Sinclair vice president of Advanced Technology and President of ONE Media LLC, in a recent Q&A with TVTechnology.

“The holdup on this one is the MVPD notification process, and the FCC is a stickler on making sure we run out the 120 days,” said Aitken.

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

CHANDLER, IN–Electronics Research Inc. has appointed John Lynch as its Broadband Business Development Manager, Television Products. He will be responsible for the business development of broadband products and sales of ERI’s television transmission, structural products and associated services. He will be working with key broadcast industry leaders to develop the best in class antennas and complete transmission systems for ATSC 3.0 deployments, the company said.

Lynch arrives at ERI from the financial services industry and PNC Bank but has more than 18 years in the broadcast and telecommunications industry, starting out as a sales engineer for ITS Corporation in 1993. As ITS grew and was then acquired by ADC Telecommunications, his role and responsibilities expanded to include project development and sales of MMDS Wireless Cable and Mobile Video and Data Delivery systems. This gave him significant experience with a wide range of transmission system standards and technologies. Lynch also had responsibility for broadcast sales for all of Canada, at Axcera LLC, growing that region into a multi-million-dollar business, according to ERI. He is a graduate of the University of Dayton.

John has the experience with handling a wide range of sales challenges and is looking forward to playing a role in the emerging ATSC 3.0 market," said Dave Benco, ERI Vice President, US Sales “He has a strong grasp of both the technical and financial aspects of the broadcast business, and John will use these skills to help ERI and our customers achieve success. We are glad to have him as part of our team.”

For comprehensive coverage on ATSC 3.0, visit TV Technology's ATSC3 silo.

As the broadcast repack generates sales of transmitters, antennas and tower services, and ATSC 3.0 gains acceptance as the next-gen broadcast standard, improvements to cable and fiber now allow them to carry the astounding data rates 12G, and the development of bonded cellular has turned the remote video process on its ear. If you think about it, all these changes happened in the last 10 years—mostly in the last five years. Interesting times, indeed.

EGATEL showed its TLWH7900 transmitters series that includes a liquid-cooled 2RU 19-inch amplifier module for power output up to 17 kW. The company also highlighted its TUWH1000 and RUWH1000 compact transmitters, which reach output powers up to 125 W in a single rack unit.

GATESAIR unveiled HTML5-based graphical user interfaces for their 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.

HITACHI-COMARK debuted a VHF Band 1 (54-88 MHz) version of its Parallax solid-state liquid-cooled transmitter for ATSC 1.0 and 3.0. This new model supports power levels up to 41 kW, and shares construction and usability functions with Parallax UHF and VHF Band 3 models.

ITELCO rolled out a hybrid air/liquid cooling transmitter called the “Geyserty,” which uses the company’s Geysertek technology to ensure that RF pallet temperatures, direct and reflected power and liquid pressure are maintained at levels to provide maximum transmitter efficiency.

ROHDE & SCHWARZ showed the TLU9 GapFiller transmitter that uses the company’s smartEC key technology to permit the system to automatically adapt in real time to complex and varying echo scenarios. The TLU9 can provide up to 200 watts of power in a chassis that is just 2RU.

TEAMCAST unveiled a new software version for its Vortex II high-end ATSC 1.0/3.0 rack exciter with support for layered-division-multiplexing (LDM) modulation, multiple-PLPs and time-division-multiplexing (TDM) framing, forward error correction, redundant input switching and TX ID signaling.

THOMSON BROADCAST announced the Gigativy, an 18 kW solid-state transmitter that uses Doherty technology for maximum efficiency. Capable of both ATSC 1.0 and 3.0 operation, Gigativy is for UHF transmission.

ANTENNAS/COMPONENTS

ALIVE TELECOM featured its UHF antenna line, such as the ATC-BB100-U broadband omnidirectional model, which has a Fiberglas radome. With more than 10 dB of gain, the ATC-BB100-U is targeted at multichannel applications.

BURK TECHNOLOGY unveiled its Arcturus RF site monitoring system, which provides protection for multiplexed antenna sites. The device monitors important parameters and takes immediate action when signals reach limits, minimizing the risk of damage to RF components.

DIELECTRIC showed its new TFU-WB, a low-cost, side-mount, UHF broadband pylon antenna designed for higher-voltage handling capabilities. The TFUWB offers 75-percent less windload, lower overall weight, and exceptional cost-efficiency, in contrast to traditional broadband arrays. Post-repack, TFU-WB antennas can serve as auxiliary arrays or in single-frequency networks.

ERI launched a series of liquid-cooled RF loads for UHF operation. These new RF loads are less than 45-inches long and weigh less than 22 pounds, and models are available with 3 1/8-inch, 4 1/16-inch, and 6 1/8-inch swivel-flange female inputs.

JAMPRO announced its Futurization Technology that provides the ability for future polarization ratio adjustment without costly antenna modifications, including horizontal, elliptical, circular and vertical polarization.

RFS and MYAT partnered to produce filters for ATSC 3.0 broadcasting in a repack environment, including new cast six-and eight-pole mask filters that dissipate heat more evenly than previous soldered filters and have a lower insertion loss. MYAT will provide assembly and integration into its RF transmission systems.

SATELLITE, MICROWAVE AND REMOTE

AMT debuted its StreetNode portable BAS LTE backpack ENG solution that incorporates the company’s StreetNode Lite technology within a hard shell weatherized backpack. It offers bidirectional ENG connectivity from the field to the studio with advanced low delay HEVC uplink video compression technology. Also new is StreetNode Lite the company’s latest User Equipment (UE) edition to its ENGenesis BAS LTE network.

IMT-VISLINK spotlighted its NewsLink system that integrates a mobile vehicle with a station’s studio using a bidirectional data link. NewsLink provides the studio’s Internet access to the mobile vehicle, as well as IFB, remote control and even prompter script updates.

MARSHALL ELECTRONICS partnered with IMT to show a remote video solution that uses Marshall’s CV502 mini POV camera. On the IMT side, it used the IMTDragonFly COFDM wireless video transmitter that’s good for a few hundred meters of wireless transmission.

CELLULAR

COMREX showed its LiveShot Portable, a system that delivers live, two-way, HD video and audio over a range of IP and cellular networks at latencies as low as 200ms. The lightweight 3G/4G-compatible system has a two-way cue channel (IFB), and can be mounted on a camera back for easy portability.

DEJERO demonstrated CellSat, which combines bonded cellular connections with a satellite uplink to provide highly reliable remote feeds. CellSat uses the company’s network blending technology and an Intelsat satellite feed to carry the necessary data for clean signals with no breakup. Also new was the GateWay M6E6 router, which allows crews working on location to access their newsroom or media asset management systems, send and receive large files, access cloud services used for collaboration, and communicate with their colleagues back at the studio.

LIVEU debuted the LU600 camera-mount IP data system that can deliver a bitrate up to 20 Mbps and file transfers up to 80, using a bonded cellular connection that tops out at 100 Mbps. The LU600 is field upgradable to H.265 HEVC and is controlled using an integrated fiveinch touchscreen.

TVU NETWORKS announced that its TVU One newsgathering transmitter, TVU MLink/MLink 4K encoding solution, TVU Anywhere mobile transmitter apps and the TVU Grid live video switching, routing, and distribution system, now all support HEVC.

VIDOVATION featured the new AviWest PRO380-RA HEVC 3G/4G bonded cellular video transmission system that uses eight internal modems. The lightweight unit can be camera mounted, and its two H.265 (HEVC) codecs provide HD and 4K links using the lowest possible bandwidth.

IP & STREAMING

AKAMAI announced new security features for its platform, including improvements for cloud services as well as new enterprise security features, including integrated application security controls, more relevant and actionable threat intelligence, and streamlined analysis and incident response.

ARTEL featured its Quarra line of PTP Ethernet switches, which meet the proposed SMPTE 2110 standard for IP video. The Quarra line uses the IEEE 1588 precision time protocol that can synchronize device clocks to within nanoseconds across a large network with many hundreds of nodes.

DVEO highlighted its MiniStreamer HDSDI/IP single-channel H.264/AVC TS encoder. MiniStreamer supports most industry standard protocols such as UDP or RTP with unicast or multicast. The unit encodes a single IP stream at 0.1 to 60 Mbps, at resolutions up to 1080p 30/1080i 60.

SIGNAL TRANSPORT

BARNFIND launched the BTF1-41 series, its first BarnOne product with 12G capacity and built-in SDI-to-IP transcoding. The series includes the BarnStudio control system, and offers the same third-party control as Barnfind’s existing products.

CAMPLEX rolled out the HF-TS24 24-channel single-mode tactical fiber optic cable with a polyurethane jacket can be used for temporary deployment directly on the ground. The cables meet outdoor tactical needs for broadcast and pro-audio applications that require outdoor-rated crush and impact resistance, and cables are available with LC, SC or ST connectors and in a variety of lengths.

MULTIDYNE featured its FiberSaver 12G product line, which offers wavelength agnostic inputs that can to multiplex any digital optical signal over one fiber in either direction. In addition, the FS-12G works as optical repeater, since each signal is internally regenerated in its appropriate wavelength, which allows transmission distances up to 80 kilometers.

SWIT ELECTRONICS displayed the CW-SH150 3G-SDI and HDMI wireless transmission system, which consists of a camera-mounted transmitter and portable receiver. Good for up to 150 meters, the CW-SH150 provides uncompressed transmission with only 1 ms of latency.

CABLE, FIBER & CONNECTORS
CABLE

BELDEN debuted new Stadium Cables for indoor and outdoor use. The Stadium Cable series is available in coax versions (RG6 and RG11), in triax camera cable versions (RG59 and RG11) and SMPTE Hybrid cable versions.

MOGAMI, part of MARSHALL ELECTRONICS, featured its 2534 quad cable for high-performance studio audio applications. Designed to fight hum and RF interference, Mogami 2534 provides an improvement in signal to noise of 10-20 dB over equivalent twisted pair cables.

SOMMER CABLE featured its Transit MC 3202 HD combo cable, a multi-strand cable that contains three coax cables, two shielded twisted pairs and a larger pair of wires for power transmission. Designed for 4K applications, Transit MC 3202 HD is flexible yet meets the needs of rugged professional applications.

FIBER

APANTAC displayed its SDI-FIB-Tx/Rx fiber transmit/receive system, which converts an HD-SDI signal for fiber transmission. The compact SDI-FIB-Tx/Rx modules support transmission up to 18 miles using single-mode fiber.

GRASS VALLEY demonstrated its Lumo high-density 1RU frame with 36 SFPbased fiber converters, targeted at large 3G distribution systems. Lumo reduces cabling concerns by putting fiber connectivity on one side of the unit and coax electrical on the other. Cards are hot swappable and the unit has remote system health monitoring for all key components, including optical signal strength.

LINK ELECTRONICS showed the PFO-100-T&R fiber transport system for 3G-SDI or ASI transmission, which operates with single-mode fiber optics cable, or multi-mode fiber can be requested. The Link PFO series has signal jitter elimination circuitry to ensure high-quality signal transmission over long distances.

OPTICAL CABLE CORP. introduced the SMPTE-Essential, a SMPTE hybrid fiber cable. Intended for controlled environments, OCC’s SMPTE-Essential is fully SMPTE 311 compliant and 98-percent braided shield coverage.

STUDIO TECHNOLOGIES showed its Live-Link Mini remote camera interface system, which allows a camera to be run at a distance from a production truck. Using a single strand of fiber for bidirectional signals, the Live-Link Mini handles return video, intercom and tally signals, and provides two high-quality audio inputs for talent feeds from the camera end.

CONNECTORS

CLARK WIRE & CABLE debuted new DT12 connectors that are rugged and weather resistant for both indoor and outdoor broadcast environments. The new connectors feature aluminum back shells that are virtually crush and corrosion proof, and the male connector has a stainless steel mating thread coupling that is dent resistant. The electrical contacts are made from gold plated, screw-machined copper.

LEMO introduced its new 3 GHz 75-Ohm coaxial contact connection system that can be used in broadcast connector applications and combines multiple HD-SDI BNC connectors into one module. The product is well suited for 3x coaxial (HD), 4x coaxial (4K) and 10x coaxial (8K) applications.

NEMAL highlighted its FOCC24 series SMPTE 311 HDTV camera cable, which has been approved by all the major camera manufacturers. FOCC24 includes versions for studio use, outdoor use, fixed installation applications with either single or multiple cameras, and an ultra-flexible miniature version.

NEUTRIK featured its new opticalCon MTP 24 fiber optic connector, which has a ruggedized and dirt-protected 24-channel fiber optic connection system based in a multi-fiber-push-on (MTP) shell. The connector can be cleaned without any tools, and it is also rated at IP65 for dust and water, if properly seated in a sealing connector.

SAM WOO ELECTRONICS showed a variety of connectors, including the SW series that’s targeted at professional camera applications. SW connectors are rated at IP67 for water and dust resistance.

ASSEMBLIES & ACCESSORIES

BITTREE spotlighted its 12G+ Mini-WECO video patchbay, which has 2x32 jacks in a 1 RU configuration. The 12G+ is tested to 24 GHz and will work with HD/SDI, UHD/SDI, 4K, 8K, and HDR applications, and is SMPTE 292M, 424M, 2081-1 and 2082-1 compliant.

CANARE showed its 32MCK-ST, a 75-Ohm mid-size video patchbay capable of handling 12G-SDI signals. The patch panel has a return loss of 4dB or greater at 12 GHz, and uses standard BNC rear connections.

SWITCHCRAFT demonstrated its Ultra VideoPatch line that includes a 4K video patching solutions. It Mini-WECO single jacks, and meets SMTPE ST 2081-1 and ST 2082-1 standards with a life cycle of 30,000.

WASHINGTON—The first satellite was launched into space by the Soviet Union more than 60 years ago and ever since the technology has been a major factor in the distribution of communications and signals, including for the broadcast industry. However, as IP, OTT and other new forms of distribution continue to emerge and develop, is satellite going to come crashing back down to earth? Not necessarily, according to the panelists of the “Ultra HDTV Live Event and News Broadcasting: The Olympics and Beyond” panel at the Satellite 2018 conference.

The desire and capability to transmit content over IP continues to grow and many are looking toward OTT and other terrestrial services to do so, but according to panelist Antonio Arcidiacono, director of Innovation at Eutelsat S.A., those services don’t have a monopoly on IP. Arcidiacono says that satellites are just as capable of transmitting IP content and without some of the issues that terrestrial services may have.

Latency is one of the big issues when it comes to content, especially live content like sports, where concerns over available bandwidth can create multisecond delays. Arcidiacono says that problem is minimized with satellite, that there is in initial delay of about 120ms as it is being converted, “but once you’ve done this you are blended into the place you should be.”

[Eutelsat Globecast Launching Media Platform Over the Americas]

In sports, this is obviously a big deal. Rudiger Ellis, CEO of Switchboard Live, a video streaming platform, said the goal of every broadcaster is to give their audiences the highest quality content possible, in addition to HD or UHD, for live sports that include the least amount of latency so fans aren’t finding out about a game winning shot on social media before their screen buffers it.

This is why, according to the panel, satellite is still used as a primary source for major sports broadcasts, including the Olympics and the upcoming World Cup. In addition to providing that high-quality content, the panel explained that satellite can also prove to be a more reliable source in areas where bandwidth or other terrestrial signals are harder to access.

Broadcasters are utilizing IP and OTT technology for live productions, but rather than switching over completely, they use a combination of satellite terrestrial technology to ensure that they can deliver the content as reliably and in as many ways as possible.

This philosophy is ranging beyond sports too, as panelist Bart Van Poucke told the panel that Netflix and YouTube have been using satellite technology to help distribute their content to countries with less bandwidth or other connection issues.

So while IP may in fact be the way of the future, satellite isn’t going extinct immediately and Arcidiacono shared his thoughts as to why.

“On one side you have the new world where everything is IP, everything is flexible,” he said. “On the other side you have the legacy, and the legacy takes time before you get rid of the legacy system because people have been building business around it, people have been developing solutions. It’s the same thing on the broadcasting side.”

[Making Over-the-Air TV Cool Again]

There are still a number of new technological developments that will need to be addressed in the coming years that could impact how content is delivered, including the continued rise of UHD, augmented and virtual reality, to a variety and expanding choice of platforms. Even with all the change on the horizon, the panel firmly believes that in the realm of sports broadcasting, satellite will remain in the game for the time being.

This month I’ll wrap up coverage of papers at the IEEE Broadcast Symposium as part of a discussion about measuring the coverage of existing or new facilities installed as part of the FCC channel repack.

THE CHALLENGE

Fig. 1: A tower 650 feet away created a 3 dB notch in the antenna pattern.

Click on the Image to Enlarge

Since the beginning of broadcasting, stations and their engineers have looked for ways to verify their signal was actually reaching the audience. Aside from viewer surveys, field measurement of signals on the ground was the only option for these pioneer TV stations.

The size of receive equipment using vacuum tubes and the need to get the antenna high enough to match the outdoor antenna heights used by most viewers at that time mandated specially designed vehicles for these measurements. 

[IEEE Broadcast Symposium Part 1: Repack] 

Anyone who has done field measurements, whether with a sophisticated measurement van or just a field strength meter, a pole and a TV antenna, has seen that the surroundings and antenna height greatly impact the signal level.

The FCC recognized this in the measurement method specified in “Field Strength Measurements,” Section 73.686 of the FCC rules. After describing selection of measurement locations and antenna orientation, it states, “(v) A mobile run of at least 30.5 meters (100 feet) is made, which is centered on the intersection of the radial and the road, and the measured field strength is continuously recorded on a chart recorder over the length of the run.” In an area with power lines, this could be difficult, if not downright dangerous!

I’ve come up with some alternative methods of on-the-ground measurements, which I’ve described in previous columns. One uses an antenna on a 10–12 foot pole able to be stored in a conventional vehicle with measurements taken in a circle with points as close to the same distance from the transmitter site as possible. Due to the location variability noted above and measurement location availability, absolute field strength readings may be unreliable, but at least they can be compared with other stations on nearby channels at the same antenna farm.

Another method is to take hundreds of measurements on the ground using a vehicle with multiple antennas at different orientations designed to be able to grab readings from a dozen stations or more from each of the antennas in less than 10 minutes per location. This is the method used in New York City to check reception from One World Trade Center prior to installation of the master antenna. The main purpose of this study was to verify reception as measured by signal lock and SNR on the different antennas rather than precisely measure received channel power and field strength.

The Cavell-Mertz drone has a custom Tarot-brand frame with six motors and a custom flight controller with inertial sensors.

All of the methods described above show reception only at specific points, which may be affected by structures on the ground. A different approach is to measure the pattern of the antenna, as precisely as possible, then use that as input to propagation software such as the FCC’s TVStudy, V-Soft’s Probe, Progira’s PROGIRA plan, LS Telcom’s CHIRplus or John Magliacane’s free SPLAT to predict signal level at any location. The question then becomes, how do we measure the real antenna pattern once it’s on the tower?

DRONES TO THE RESCUE

Over the past 30 years I’ve worked with engineers from Hammett and Edison to do antenna measurements from both helicopter and fixed wing aircraft. Helicopter measurements allowed the vertical drops needed to measure elevation patterns, but were very expensive and only suitable for locations without flight restrictions, blocking access to areas around the antenna.
Click on the Image to Enlarge

Fixed wing measurements are less expensive but, except for certain mountaintop sites, elevation pattern measurements are difficult if not impossible. 

Unmanned aerial vehicles offer the flight flexibility, high location precision (through GPS-based flight path control) and the ability to operate at heights low enough to measure an antenna’s elevation pattern. Two papers at the IEEE Broadcast Symposium showed how drones could be used to verify antenna performance.

The presentation “Antenna Pattern Measurement With a Drone,” by John Kean at Cavell, Mertz and Associates, provided an excellent overview of the many items that have to be considered. The Cavell-Mertz drone has a custom Tarot-brand frame with six motors and a custom flight controller with inertial sensors for trim, a flux-gate compass for orientation and a differential GPS that provides autonomous flight over a pre-defined path. RF hardware includes a biconical broadband antenna, wireless telemetry and a custom software-defined receiver for measurements. Everything has to be RF shielded to handle the high field strength (over 20 volts/meter) found at tower sites.

Kean cautioned that accurate measurements require flight in the far field of the antenna array. Ground reflections also have to be considered. In his presentation he showed these could cause signal variations from +6 to –25 dB! Careful post-processing of the data is necessary to reduce sampling noise and convert positional information. Kean’s presentation is available to IEEE Broadcast Symposium attendees in the proceedings. Copies may be available through John Kean and Cavell-Mertz at www.cavellmertz.com.

[IEEE Broadcast Symposium Part 2: Antennas] 

Ian Gair, from Sixarms, echoed many of Kean’s cautions in his presentation “Real World Results for a Signal Measurement Drone.” Gair provided a “rule of thumb” for determining the far-field distance for drone measurements: 450 feet for large FM arrays, 1,200 feet for VHF-TV and 1,800 feet for UHF-TV.

Gair provided several examples of antenna issues uncovered with drone measurements. These included an inverted panel in a panel array, a panel oriented incorrectly, antenna tilt due to storm damage and severe elevation pattern distortion caused by incorrect feeder phasing.

Fig. 2: The impact on the antenna pattern of structures at 170 and 540 feet.

The items I found most interesting were the impact of surrounding towers on the antenna pattern. Fig. 1 shows a tower 650 feet away created a 3 dB notch in the antenna pattern. Another example, shown in Fig. 2, shows the impact of structures 170 feet away at 160 degrees and another 540 feet away at 190 degrees. They caused 7 and 4 dB notches, respectively.

For more information on Sixarms drone measurements or to obtain a copy of the presentation, visit the

company’s website at www.sixarms.com.

CHOICES

We’ve become used to thinking of our actual antenna patterns like those plotted on the antenna manufacturers’ datasheets. Traditional ground measurements had so much variability due to obstructions and a limited number of measurement points that even relatively large pattern discrepancies of 3 dB might not be noticed.

The ability to quickly and accurately measure real antenna patterns using drones lets us see the real performance of our antennas and—perhaps more troubling since there may be nothing that can be easily done to fix it—the impact of the surrounding structures on antenna performance.

Signal measurements are a reimbursable expense for stations participating in the FCC incentive auction channel repack and I suspect many broadcasters checked that box on their Form 399. The question now is whether to use a drone to verify antenna performance, use a test vehicle to do traditional on-the-ground radial measurements or a combination of both. What are your station’s plans for post repack measurements?

As always, your comments and questions are welcome. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.

In my last column I discussed some of the papers presented at the 2017 IEEE Broadcast Symposium related to the FCC TV spectrum repack. This month I’ll look at presentations that covered broadcast TV antennas.

DESIGNING ANTENNAS

If you ever wondered how antenna patterns are created and why certain patterns seem to show up more often, the presentation “Antenna Design for the FCC Repack and Facility Maximization” by Nick Wymant, chief technology officer at Radio Frequency Systems’ Broadcast Division provided the answers. He also showed techniques for modifying antenna patterns to protect other stations when maximizing a station’s coverage. 

Fig. 1: Typical patterns for slot antenna with 1, 2, 3 or 4 slots around

Wymant started by showing how the numbers of slots around a slot antenna’s pipe affect the azimuth pattern. Fig. 1 shows typical patterns for slot antenna with one, two, three or four slots around. Changing the diameter of the pipe will affect the shape of the pattern. For example, reducing the diameter of the pipe used for the three-slot pattern in Fig. 1 will reduce the depth of the nulls until it becomes a rounded triangle. Additional options for modifying the pattern include changing the amount of power going to the slot elements and adding wings or reflectors to the pipe to shape the pattern. The wide variety of patterns available with slots antennas is one of the reasons they are the most popular antenna type for high-power UHF broadcasting.

It is also possible to create custom patterns using panel antennas, which can be useful if they have to operate on more than one channel and support multiple stations. Panel antennas also offer the option of having different electrical or mechanical beam tilt at different azimuths. Wymant showed how panel antenna array patterns can be modified by changing the relative power and/or phase to each face, changing the array orientation and panel positions, or a combination of these methods.

Finding the right antenna pattern isn’t trivial. If options are limited to standard antenna patterns, a pattern that provides interference protection to a station in one direction will likely lead to reduced coverage in directions that don’t need protection. Wymant’s presentation showed the steps in optimizing antenna patterns to meet FCC replication requirements as well as maximizing coverage while still meeting interference protection requirements. The improved optimization method involves using the replication or interference-limited pattern template as a starting point instead of the end goal, and generating one or more customized patterns using powerful electromagnetic simulation software and evaluating to find the best pattern that meets coverage and FCC interference protection requirements. The paper is available to Symposium attendees and may also be available from RFS.

As a side note, I’ve developed software that uses the output of TVStudy to generate a template based on the minimum power reduction necessary on each radial to comply with FCC interference limits as well as maps showing the location and population of cells with interference. Anyone is free to download and use it. See my columns in IEEE Broadcast Technology (available in print and electronically to IEEE BTS members) or contact me for details if interested. Consulting engineer Merrill Weiss has also developed a program he uses—which was mentioned in Wymant’s presentation—that allows interactive modification of a pattern while viewing the amount of interference. This is useful, especially if the interference is present over a wide area, as it allows trading off more power reduction in one direction for greater power (and more interference) in a more desired direction.

WORLDWIDE EXAMPLES OF ANTENNA DESIGN & INSTALLATION

The presentation, “FCC DTV Repack, ATSC3-SFN Considerations & Worldwide Experiences – SFN” by Mark Fehlig and Ben Crease from Jampro Antennas and Alan Dick Broadcast Ltd. focused on the practical side of antenna selection and outlined some items to consider when designing antenna and transmission systems for ATSC 3.0 and single frequency networks. One of the slides shows DVB-T field strength planning requirements for different types of service. For portable outdoor reception, an outdoor field strength at UHF of 78 dBµV/m at 10 meters drops to only 61 dBµV/m at 1.8 meters. For portable indoor reception, an outdoor field strength of 88 dBµV/m at 10 meters will provide only 63 dBµV/m after reducing height to 1.8 meters and allowing for building penetration loss.

The presentation by Mark Fehlig and Ben Crease from Jampro Antennas and Alan Dick Broadcast Ltd. focused on the practical side of antenna selection.

The rest of the presentation shows some actual antenna installations and performance from around the world using broadband slot and panel antennas. The paper is available to Symposium attendees and should also be available from Jampro at the contacts listed on their web site. 

AMT REPACK STRATEGY

Many TV stations being repacked have their antennas on towers owned by American Tower Corporation. If managing the repack is difficult for one station, imagine what it is like managing the repack of multiple stations on one tower. Jim Stenberg, principal engineer, RF Broadcast at American Tower Corporation (ATC), provided a glimpse of that in his presentation “Adventures in FCC repacking! Broadband Antenna Solutions.” Stenberg’s analysis showed that of the 987 Class A and Full Power licensees moving to new channels, 217 of them are on 133 ATC towers.

Stenberg said the FCC’s timeline faces challenges, notably the impact of weather on scheduling and construction delays by non-repack and FM stations. He also said broadcasters should not undervalue their spectrum, as “cord-cutting” is increasing in almost all markets. He was concerned about broadcasters’ lack of interest in interim alternatives while work is being completed and the minimal value placed on auxiliary facilities that could keep a station on the air. 

The presentation used two ATC towers in Atlanta (Chester Avenue and Briarcliff 2) to illustrate ATC’s approach to the repack using broadband antennas. The goal was to minimize repack disruption by maintaining an optimal coverage contour during repack tower work while future-proofing RF systems to incorporate ATSC 3.0 capability into the design. Some key features include use of broadband antenna systems with dual feed lines and dual combiners capable of operating with different horizontal/vertical elliptical polarization ratios, azimuth patterns designed with low ripple and optimized beam tilt and null fill for the market.

I couldn’t quite follow all the moving pieces in the presentation and I’m sure as maximization applications are granted the pieces will move again. I know ATC is working with broadcasters to develop similar plans for other markets. If you weren’t at the Symposium, contact Jim Stenberg or one of other people in the broadcast division at ATC for a copy.

In my next column, I’ll wrap up my coverage of the IEEE Broadcast Symposium with a review of the papers on antenna pattern measurement with drones. With field measurements of signals a reimburable expense for stations replacing antennas as part of the repack, will stations opt for drone measurements rather than conventional ground measurement of signal strength? What are the tradeoffs? As always, your comments and questions are welcome. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.

One of the first questions to come up as broadcasters consider their options for auxiliary, interim and final DTV facilities is “How much will this impact my coverage?” The best way to determine this is to do an analysis of the scenarios using the FCC’s TVStudy software or another program to calculate coverage.

However, a quick analysis based on an understanding of how height above average terrain, effective radiated power (ERP) and coverage are related can be useful before doing a complete coverage estimate. I’ve run some calculations for common tower heights and power levels and created tables that illustrate the trade-offs.

DISTANCE TO RADIO HORIZON
Increasing tower height can be expensive whether building a tower or leasing space. In most cases interim or auxiliary antennas will be mounted below the main antenna. One element to consider is the distance to the radio horizon from the antenna. The radio horizon is further than the true horizon due to refraction in the atmosphere. The distance to the radio horizon is also useful in calculating coverage from a site for two-way radios or even line of sight microwave, assuming there is sufficient power to overcome the path loss over the distance.

Table 1: Distance to radio horizon

Table 1 shows the distance to the radio horizon for heights above average terrain (HAAT) from 250 feet to 2,000 feet. I also show the distance as a percent of the distance for a common 1,000 foot tower. The formula for calculating distance to the radio horizon where HAAT is in feet is:

Distance (miles) to radio horizon =1.415*SQRT(HAAT)

For HAAT between 1,000 and 2,000 feet, a rough rule of thumb is a 5-mile increase in distance for each 250-foot elevation change (1 mile per 50 feet). Outside this range, the thumb fails. Looking at the formula and the table, you can see that as height increases, the incremental improvement in distance per unit of height decreases.

Table 2: Distance to noise limited contour at channel 25 (39.85 dBμV/m). Effective radiated

FCC UHF COVERAGE CHANGES WITH HEIGHT
Coverage is possible beyond the radio horizon, but without line of sight, more power is required and the amount of power varies with frequency band. I’ve shown how the distance to the radio horizon changes with HAAT, now let’s look at the impact on FCC coverage.

Table 2 shows coverage to the FCC service contour (39.85 dBμV/m) from a site with 300 kW ERP on channel 25. Notice that for the same height the FCC coverage goes substantially beyond the radio horizon distances in Table 1. The rule of thumb change for HAAT between 1,000 and 2,000 feet is a bit less, about 4 miles per 250 feet height change.

Table 3: ERP required to match coverage from 300 kW at 1000 feet above average terrain

CAN POWER OFFSET HEIGHT REDUCTION?
The final analysis looks at the change in ERP required to maintain FCC coverage at a fixed distance as height changes. Table 3 shows the results obtained with TVStudy’s “ptelev” utility for changes in height to a baseline facility with 300 kW ERP at an HAAT of 1,000 feet to maintain the FCC service area contour at 55.2 miles. To avoid extending the contour if the antenna is raised 250 feet, the ERP has to drop to 112.5 kW.

Why the big difference? Look at Table 1; this increase moves the radio horizon closer to the contour. At 1,500 feet the radio horizon almost matches the FCC contour distance at 1,000 feet and the required ERP drops to only 61.3 kW from 300 kW!

Broadcasters looking to move their replication antenna from a sidemount location to a topmount spot occupied by their old analog antenna have noticed a reduction in ERP. As these calculations are based on HAAT (height above average terrain), the difference would not have been nearly as great for stations on mountaintops as for “flatland” stations with tall towers.

What if the antenna has to go lower in height? Can a power increase offset the height reduction? Table 3 shows that for a reduction in HAAT from 1,000 feet to 750 feet, ERP has to be almost tripled to match the contour from the higher site. Going from 1,500 feet to 1,250 feet would require less than double the power. For a very tall tower, going from 2,000 feet to 1,750 feet requires a bit more than 50 percent power in the example we used.

Because of the impact of HAAT on the radio horizon, the required differences will change depending on the baseline ERP, HAAT and resulting coverage contour. I used the “ptelev” command line utility included with TVStudy to generate these tables. It can also calculate HAAT for non-flatland sites. A simpler method if TVStudy is not available, is the FCC Javascript application for calculating field strength at a given distance for a given HAAT and power (ERP) or distance to a given field strength for a given HAAT and power. It is available at https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/fm-and-tv-propagation-curves.

REPACK REVIEW
Like many other broadcast engineers, I have been involved with the FCC 399 forms for reimbursement. Overall, I’ve been impressed with the job the reviewers are doing. For complicated questions, the review gets assigned to an experienced consulting engineer contracted by the FCC. They know how broadcasting works. While this helps them root out people asking for more than the FCC allows, I’ve also found they’ll remind broadcasters to doublecheck if they see they may have missed listing an item or cost that’s obviously needed. They are really interested in getting as accurate, complete, estimate of expenses as possible.

Broadcasters submitting forms and updates can help the reviewers. I’ve been told one of the most frustrating parts of the job is being presented with a Form 399 with loads of attachments with quotes and estimates and nothing tying the quotes and estimates back to the numbers in the Form 399. There may even be multiple quotes for the same thing, installation included in the transmitter quote and a separate quote for transmitter installation, for example.

To make things easier for the FCC, attach a spreadsheet that lists the item number in the Form 399, the file name of the quote the item is coming from, the line number or other description of where the item is in the quote, and the value in the quote to be used. This should match the Form 399 value; if not, include some explanation why—state sales tax could be one example. While we hope the review process will be complete by the time you read this, the 399’s will have to be updated as real quotes come in and final invoices are received.

If you wonder what other stations filed for in their Form 399, the forms are available in LMS. Use the Application Search atand enter the call letters of the station you are interested in. All applications will be listed, but the Form 399’s should be near the top. Click on the column heading on the page to sort results by that column.

Next month I’ll cover topics from the IEEE Broadcast Symposium taking place in Washington, D.C. this month. I welcome your comments and questions, email me atdlung@transmitter.com.

VAN NUYS, CALIF.—Eat your heart out Usain Bolt, because PSSI Global Services has reportedly successfully transmitted a 10-path, multiplexed, HD feed via satellite from Toledo, Ohio, to Charlotte, N.C., and back in 1.09 seconds. PSSI claims that this low-latency transmission tops any previously known speeds via satellite.

The transmission occurred for NASCAR Productions during a live broadcast of an ARCA Racing Series event. The transmission involved two satellite hops, production switching, two HD encode sessions and two HD decode sessions. PSSI used encoding and decoding technology from Ericsson for the transmission.

With this result, PSSI says that it can achieve a one-way transmission in less than 500 milliseconds, including the inherent delay of 240 milliseconds for the signal to travel to the satellite and back.

Brian Nelles, PSSI’s senior vice president, says the transmission shows that satellite can compete with fiber in both reduced latency and multi-camera timing.

LONDON—The time where U.K. producers will have to go with completely tapeless transmission deliverables is coming up, so the Digital Production Partnership has released a special guide for them. “Delivering Close to TX—Without Tape: What U.K. Producers Need to Know” is meant to provide clarity on how producers can manage the close to transmission deliveries by either files or lines.

The DPP is in charge of coordinating the industry-wide change process and providing guidance to producers, broadcasters, post houses and suppliers on how close to transmission delivery can be managed in a tapeless environment. This new guideline is a part of that goal and will make up a section of another document, “A Producer’s Guide to File Delivery,” which will have an updated version released in Autumn.

“As we enter the final phase of the transition, this document builds on our existing workflows guidance by outlining best practice for the delivery of programs close to transmission—one of the key areas that will impact producers and suppliers when tape disappears,” said Mark Harrison, DPP managing director.

The cutoff date that broadcasters like BBC, BT Sport, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV, Sky and UKTV will stop accepting delivery on videotapes is Oct. 1.

“Delivering Close to TX—Without Tape: What U.K. Producers Need to Know” is available here.

If there were any television transmitters on the NAB Show floor that used IOTs or other tubes, I did not see them. The industry has completed its transition to solidstate VHF and UHF transmitters, and is now working to increase their efficiency—which is already about as good as the best MSDC IOT devices.

Meanwhile, ATSC 3.0 was at the forefront of transmission products at the show. Even passive components such as antennas had claims of improved performance with ATSC 3.0, and the standard looks to be inevitable in at least some form.

TRANSMITTERS
ABE ELETTRONICA highlighted its MTX transmitter series, which uses solid-state Doherty designs to achieve higher efficiency. Each component of the transmitter is equipped with a display and keypad for local control, and the system has an IP interface through to permit control remotely.

GatesAir Maxiva VAXTE VHF transmitter

CONTINENTAL ELECTRONICS showcased its CTX Series UHF TV transmitters, the first utilize the advanced energy efficient GaN devices in each of its liquid and air-cooled transmitters. This can result in up to 50 percent efficiency for UHF channels.

EGATEL spotlighted the TLWH7900 Transmitter series that include a liquid-cooled 2RU amplifier for output power up to 17 kW per rack. The TLWH7900 uses Doherty amplifier design and the latest LDMOS 50V transistors for maximum efficiency.

Hitachi-Comark Parallax VHF B3 solid-state liquid-cooled VHF DTV transmitter

GATESAIR featured its Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled UHF transmitter with PowerSmart Plus, which includes the XTE software-defined exciter with advanced real-time adaptive correction and a simple upgrade path to ATSC 3.0. The company also highlighted the features of its efficient Maxiva VAXTE air-cooled VHF transmitter.

HITACHI-COMARK featured its Parallax VHF B3 solid-state liquid-cooled VHF DTV transmitter that provides up to 50 percent efficiency using Doherty amplifier design. The system can provide up to 23 kW in a single-rack system, or more than 25 kW per rack in a multi-rack system.

ONETASTIC launched its MultiTastic C2 VHF 7+1 ATSC transposer, which combines up to 7+1 (or 6+2) transmitter modules in a single 4RU chassis. Each transmitter module can be equipped with various input interfaces (satellite receiver, ASI, ETI, EDI, GigE or RF), and an internal matrix switches a spare transmitter module automatically to take the lead in case one fails. RF amplification system can be independent per each transmitter or also common.

Rohde & Schwarz SDE900 software-defined ATSC 3.0 exciter

ROHDE & SCHWARZ launched the SDE900, a plug-in rackmount module for the R&S Tx9 generation of transmitters, creating an upgrade path to ATSC 3.0. The SDE900’s software-based encoder generates the I/Q modulation data on its high-performance IT server. The company’s TCE900/TCE901 exciter generates the COFDM waveform based upon the I/Q data.

RVR-ELETTRONICA featured its Blue-Video television exciter, which can provide up to 10W (with an external precorrector) and can be used independently as a translator or low-power transmitter. Blue-Video covers the UHF band, and can select its channel with 25 Hz precision.

Teamcast Vortex II Dualcast ATSC1.0/3.0 exciter

TEAMCAST showed its Vortex II ATSC 3.0, a new dual-cast ATSC 1.0/3.0 exciter that can be switched between either standard. The Vortex II exciter meets all requirements for upgrading a DTV transmitter to ATSC 3.0, while preserving the ability to operate in the legacy ATSC1.0 format.

ANTENNAS
Dielectric ATSC 3.0-ready APT panel antenna DIELECTRIC unveiled its APT panel antenna. Designed with the spectrum repack in mind, the APT features adjustable vertical polarization. It also features Dielectric’s FutureFill technology, which makes it ATSC 3.0-ready.

ALIVE TELECOM showed its ATC-BCSE, an elliptically polarized cavity slot antenna, with a UHF wide-band antenna option that allows multiple pattern configurations at various elevation gains and beam tilt designs. Custom designs are available for unique azimuth, null fill or beam-tilt requirements.

RADIO FREQUENCY SYSTEMS (RFS) announced a customized planning tool to help broadcasters build their new television antenna systems in preparation for the U.S. spectrum repack. RFS’ Antenna and Analysis System Planning (AASP) software package allows users to configure their TV broadcast system and file with the FCC.

JAMPRO showcased its Prostar high-power UHF slot antenna. Featuring power ratings up to 5 MW, the Prostar can have custom patterns, and horizontal, circular and elliptical beam polarization.

RF COMPONENTS
DELTA MECCANICA discussed its range of filters, combiners, switches and other RF components, including an eight-pole UHF mask filter capable of handling 5kW. Compared to a more typical six-pole mask filter, the eight-pole version can be used in adjacent-channel situations and allow less interference to the channels above and below it.

ELECTRONICS RESEARCH INC. (ERI) introduced the UF35000, a tunable waveguide UHF band pass filter with power handling capability of up to 50kW for the liquid-cooled version. All ERI UF series band pass filters include multiple cross couplings to increase rejection of transmitter out-of-band emissions, and six- and eight-pole designs are available for 8VSB, ISDB-T and COFDM applications.

MYAT introduced the DT Star UHF Gysel power combiner, which eliminates expensive phased lines and complex switching schemes needed to maintain output during faults. The result is substantially better fault tolerance than other systems, so users maintain greater signal strength and can often perform on-air maintenance in the event a component fails.

V-SOFT COMMUNICATIONS featured its TVStudy for Windows software, which combines the FCC’s program for determining interference between TV stations with an easy-to-use Windows launching vehicle. The basic TVStudy program was developed by the FCC for assigning channels during the repacking process, but it runs only on Linux or Mac. V-Soft modified it to run on Windows 10 and simplified the install process by providing the program and its data on a flash drive.

International Tower Lighting’s ILS-3600 tower light and its controller

TOWERS AND STRUCTURES
DAVICOM introduced the DVLC-1 Lightning Strike Counter that detects and counts lightning strikes sustained by transmission towers, thereby giving site operators better situational awareness of the conditions at their sites.

INTERNATIONAL TOWER LIGHTING highlighted its ILS-3600 dual-LED lighting system that uses LEDs and precision optics to provide a low-power, low-light pollution, dual-tower lighting system. The system’s electronics are accessible at ground level reducing the need for costly tower climbs, and the flash head contains only LEDs and a multistage surge-suppression network.

High-power transmitters continue their evolution from IOT devices of 15-20 years ago to increasingly solid-state devices. In addition, there is lots of interest in ATSC 3.0, much of which will be on display on the NAB Show floor.

Unlike the transition from analog to digital, ATSC 3.0 will generally run on the same transmitter that ATSC 1.0 (the current standard) runs on, but there are still a number of RF components that need to change. Of course, there’s always the need for replacements and upgrades, so there are lots of things to shop for in this category on the show floor.

TRANSMITTERS
GATESAIR will feature its Maxiva ULXTE liquid-cooled UHF transmitter with PowerSmart Plus, which includes the XTE software-defined exciter with advanced real-time adaptive correction and a simple upgrade path to ATSC 3.0. ULXTE offers high-energy efficiency, ATSC 3.0 power parity, increased power density and IP-based monitoring and control.

ONETASTIC will showcase a new line of multichannel transmitters with common amplification and high integration. The units broadcast up to 7+1 independent channels from a single transmitter.

Egatel TUWH1000

EGATEL will spotlight the TUWH1000, a new ultra-compact (1RU) transmitter series that uses a wideband Doherty amplifier for efficiency. The TUWH1000 series can provide up to 125W of output power in UHF.

Rohde & Schwarz THU9evo UHF transmitter

HITACHI-COMARK will feature its Parallax VHF B3 solid-state VHF Band 3 DTV transmitter that provides up to 50 percent efficiency using liquid-cooled high-efficiency Doherty technology. The company will also highlight its ATSC 3.0 Starter, an integrated solution available for broadcasters to easily migrate their DTV station from MPEG-2 ATSC 1.0 workflow to ATSC 3.0.

ROHDE & SCHWARZ will show its upgraded THU9evo UHF transmitter, with improved energy efficiency and power density. The THU9evo delivers energy savings even during channel changes or when adjusting the output power, using an efficiency optimization feature that automatically provides the most economical operation.

RVR-ELETTRONICA, also known as Broadcast Depot, will spotlight its low-power UHF transmitter line that includes the PCM 150 UHF, a 150 Watt unit that fits in a 2RU space. The PCM 150 UHF can be used for either analog or digital.

TeamCast Vortex II exciter

TEAMCAST will show its Vortex II ATSC 3.0 exciter with STL interface, SFN capability and digital adaptive precorrection to maximize power amplifier efficiency. The company will also show its Tyger wideband DVB-S2/S2X modulator with a baudrate up to 480 Mbaud, 256 APSK and time-slicing.

ANTENNAS
DIELECTRIC will unveil several new TV products, including its ATSC 3.0-ready APT panel antenna. Designed to help broadcasters offer new services to traditional and mobile receivers, its flexibile master antenna array improves the probability of reaching mobile viewers.

ALIVE TELECOM will show its UHF elliptically polarized cavity slot antenna, a wide-band system that allows variable elliptical polarization. Available with either a single- or dual-input feed, the antenna is configurable to produce various azimuth and elevation patterns.

RADIO FREQUENCY SYSTEMS (RFS) will spotlight its RFStar UHF slotted-array antenna, which features cylindrical radomes for minimal wind load and work for both single and adjacent-channel applications.

ABE ELETTRONICA’S LB series of broadband antenna panels are built for extreme weather conditions and can be used as building blocks for complex antenna systems. At the show, the company will discuss how its LB antenna panels are broadband, will cover the entire VHF or UHF band and can accept input powers up to 2 kW per panel.

JAMPRO will feature its range of RF components and antennas, including the JA-SS super-slot medium-power broadband UHF antenna. The lightweight JA-SS has low wind load and requires a less massive tower structure.

RF COMPONENTS
DELTA MECCANICA will show a new 7.5 kW VHF DTV bandpass filter with eight cavities and an elliptical response. This bandpass filter provides a sharp cutoff and has a VSWR of 1:1. The company also has an improved DPDT motorized coaxial switch that can handle power up to 150W.

ELECTRONICS RESEAR CH INC. (ERI) will highlight a 35 kW UHF tunable bandpass filter for DTV applications. ERI will also focus on its VDM monitoring system that displays, monitors, records and communicates broadcast system operational information.

MYAT will feature its SpectraGuide EWG1800, a high-power elliptical waveguide for UHF channels 14-36. The company will also show a new high-power mask filter and coax switches.

V-SOFT COMMUNICATIONS will demo its Probe 4 propagation analysis system for Windows, which integrates high-resolution terrain and population databases with precise polygon-mapping to produce atlas-like coverage and interference maps for TV and FM.

TOWERS AND STRUCTURES
DAVICOM will highlight its DVLC-1 lightning strike counter that works with the company’s DVLD-1 Lightning Detector. Together, the two products allow Davicom remote control units to safely detect and count the actual lightning strikes sustained by a transmission tower.

SABRE TOWERS & POLES will feature its manufacturing and installation services. In addition to new towers and monopoles, Sabre provides engineering and materials for existing tower modifications, and complete turnkey systems including antenna and transmission line.

INTERNATIONAL TOWER LIGHTING will feature its range of lighting products and controllers. ITL has LED, incandescent and xenon lighting systems, and recently announced a solar-powered temporary tower light for emergency applications and construction safety.

STAINLESS TOWERS, now owned by FDH Velocitel, will discuss its engineering services for the ongoing television channel repack. The company has a long broadcast history in the U.S. and can use its original engineering documents to provide faster and more precise upgrades and reinforcements.

VAN NUYS, CALIF.—The College Football Playoffs National Championship game concluded in thrilling fashion back in January and viewers got to watch in part thanks to PSSI Global Services. PSSI multiplexed, encoded and decoded a total of 74 paths at unmatched data rates as the transmission service provider for ESPN’s College Football Playoffs on all of its associated networks.

PSSI managed all inbound and outbound paths for the College Football Playoffs, which was done through both satellite and fiber. Specifically for the National Championship game between Clemson and the University of Alabama PSSI used its C27 dual-antenna mobile teleport to engineer 24 outbound paths and six inbound paths via satellite. PSSI also provided encoding and multiplexing over fiber for an additional 44 paths at the stadium, including 24 outbound paths over three multiplexed circuits at a total of 600 Mbps and 20 inbound paths over two multiplexed circuits at 400 Mbps.

Other ESPN programming received uplink and encoding services from PSSI, including “SportsCenter” and “Mike & Mike.”

HACKENSACK, N.J.—Getting all action of the 2016 USA Wakeboard Collegiate Nationals to stream to fans all around the country was key for event organizers, so to help achieve that goal from the Orange Beach, Ala., location, the production team utilized LiveU’s portable backpack for transmission.

With the LiveU backpack, transmissions were able to be sent to LiveU’s cloud-based server. Using Switchboard live, a LiveU partner software platform, the production team was able to distribute the feed to AllianceWake.com for viewers to watch.

The production of the 2016 USA Wakeboard Collegiate Nationals was handled by Get Funky Media.

NEW YORK—The Durst Organization has begun installing the first of several UHF antennas atop the spire of One World Trade Center as plans to move transmission facilities from the nearby Empire State Building—home to New York-area TV broadcasters since 9/11—get underway.

The first UHF panel, part of a 40-foot RFS antenna is being installed at One World Trade Center

The first panels of a 40-foot RFS PEP-40 UHF antenna are currently being installed at approximately 40 feet below the tip of the One WTC spire, which stands at 1,776 feet above lower Manhattan. That antenna will be joined by an RFS 662-16D CP VHF antenna immediately below, along with another UHF, the RFS PEP-96 antenna below that. The first broadcasters to use the antennas will be CBS, WNBC, Telemundo’s WNJU and PBS, according to John Lyons, director of broadcast communication for Durst, which co-developed 1 WTC with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, who added that transmission facilities should be ready in time for full operations by next May.

“We’re still building the transmission line from the antennas down. Putting the combiner system in,” Lyons said. “Stations have to build their transmission facilities.”

When the antennas will be fully installed will depend mainly on the weather. The installation is being done by a composite crew of Hatzel & Bueler Electrical Co. and Skyline Tower.

When the new transmitters are switched on, viewers will notice improved reception but the range will most likely not be extended much beyond what it currently is now, according to Lyons.

“The way the rules are written, the higher you go, you have to lower your power to compensate for it, so you stay on the same curve,” he said. “So I expect the distance to maybe be a little bit further but probably comparable to what’s out there now.”

Lyons noted the unique nature of the project, with the challenge of installing new antennas on the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. “We were starting from zero actually, building the broadcast floor, putting in an emergency generating plant, and it was just starting from scratch with a spire that was designed to be an architectural spire regardless of whether there was going to be antennas on it or not.” 

See also: Broadcasters to Return to One World Trade Center

WATERLOO, ONTARIO—In the reality series “The Runner,” it wasn’t just the games eponymously named participant who was trying to make it across the U.S. while teams try to track him down, but its daily footage as well. To transmit content from wherever the show was taking place from back to the Los Angeles-based editing team the production went with Dejero’s Live+ EnGo mobile transmitter.

From July 1 to July 30, “The Runner” aired three episodes daily on streaming service go90. To help ensure that the footage got there for these episodes to be completed the production utilized nine Live+ EnGo units for remote video acquisition and transmission. According to Dejero’s press release, the production moved around 100 GB of file content per day with the Live+ EnGo, plus nearly two hours of live video.

The production also used Dejero’s Live+ Mobile App for teams to capture footage on the go and then transfer those to L.A.

According to Dejero CEO Brian Cram, the use of Dejero transmission gear allowed “The Runner” to meet its needs for live video, fast transfer of files, and remote control and monitoring for its mobile production.

“The Runner” was a production from Pilgrim Media Group, with executive producers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

In the past, I have written about out-of-band (OOB) interference between ATSC signals in different bands: the low VHF band into a high VHF channel and a high VHF band ATSC into a UHF channel. Another example of OOB is where FM radio signals (88–108 MHz) interfere with reception of an ATSC signal on a high VHF channel. More recently, I have been concerned with interference to ATSC signals on a UHF channel being jammed by LTE signals in the 600 MHz band after repacking, which is no longer far into the future. But why worry about OOB from LTE signals? Why wouldn’t the FCC protect TV broadcasting from such interference? We will come back to this later in this column.

NEW LTE FILTER

Channel Master recently introduced a filter designed to eliminate interference to ATSC reception in the present UHF Band (470-698 MHz) from LTE signals in the 700 MHz band. You can find this filter (CM 3201) on the Channel Master website, www.channelmaster.com. Don Everist, president of Cohen, Dippell and Everist,P.C., a prominent Washington, D.C.-based consulting firm, ordered two of them and sent them to me.

Channel Master has dedicated four pages to the the new LTE filter on its web site, most of which are testimonials from satisfied customers around the U.S.

This is an unexpected development. OOB may have already arrived already in the U.S.; at least there is enough of a need now for such a filter that a prominent U.S. electronics firm invested in it.

In the case of LTE signal interference to ATSC reception, it results when a base station transmitter nearby goes to maximum power each time it seeks to establish communications with a subscriber. For 1ms, when the base station transmitter is establishing communication with another subscriber, interference may result. In our experience, up to 20 seconds can pass between consecutive interruptions, so testing for OOB requires more than the usual 20 seconds. This OOB doesn’t usually take out an entire frame of video; just a small portion of a frame may be affected/But who wants such interruptions? We did not listen to the program audio; with perfect hindsight, we would do so if ever we run more tests. I will not speculate whether disruptions to the picture or its audio will be most objectionable.

This is a 75 ohm Low Pass filter which according to the literature should be installed at the antenna and before any Low Noise Amplifier (LNA) if there is an LNA in the customer’s receiving system.

My colleague, Linley Gumm and I measured the frequency response of a CM 3201 filter.

Table 1: The results of measuring the frequency response of a CM 3201 filter Table 1 presents our results.

As my colleague and I had never heard of this OOB interference from an LTE signal in the 700 MHz Band, I would welcome readers having any experience with it to contact me (cwr@bootit.com). Specifically, please cite the channel number that was suffering interference and the distance between the transmitter and the receiver sites if it is known.

Fig. 1: A plot of a CM 3201 filter’s swept frequency response. Fig. 1 is a plot of this filter’s swept frequency response. The vertical orange line at 725.5 MHz is a recent artifact of the display of my spectrum analyzer. The insertion loss increases to about 60 MHz at 750 MHz. LTE signals may appear anywhere between 700 and 750 MHz.

My own observation is that this filter’s insertion loss above 600 MHz may cause problems where the desired signal is weak if the manufacturer’s recommendation is followed by placing the filter ahead of an LNA. In such cases, place the filter after the LNA.

Now, back to the FCC rules.

WHAT IS ‘HARMFUL’ INTERFERENCE?

In 2015, the FCC created a new and novel definition of harmful interference to the reception of DTV signals in the 600 MHz band.

The definition is found in Part 27 of the FCC Rules, specifically “Sub-Part N in the 600 MHzBand,” paragraph 27.1310: protection of broadcast television service in the 600MHz band from wireless operations:

“Licensees authorized to operate wireless services in the 600 MHz Band must cause no harmful interference to public reception of the signal broadcast stations transmitting co-channel or on the adjacent channel.

“Such wireless operations must comply with the D/U ratios in Tables 7–13 in OET Bulletin No. 74 if the 600 MHz licensee causes harmful interference to the public reception of a broadcast that is operation co-channel or on an adjacent channel, that licensee must eliminate the harmful interference.”

Please note that according to this definition, harmful interference can only exist between an undesired signal on the same channel as the desired ATSC signal or on either channel adjacent to the desired ATSC channel. If this is correct, then the licensee of the wireless system is not required to remedy OOB interference.

Furthermore, what about interference arising from third order intermodulation products generated by two undesired signals? Or from interference caused by multiple undesired signals desensitizing the affected receiver?

I should give credit to my colleagues, Linley Gumm and Stanley Knight for without whose help and encouragement, this column and the three IEEE Broadcast Society Newsletters we produced could never be written. The fall 2016 newsletter will soon be published. IEEE Broadcast Society members will receive our latest, and perhaps final work product. IEEE members who are not members of the IEEE Broadcast Society should look into joining this group (http://bts.ieee.org/).

Charles Rhodes is a consultant in the field of television broadcast technologies and planning. He can be reached via email atcwr@bootit.com.

AMSTERDAM—LiveU has unveiled a new addition to its product slate, the LU600 portable transmission unit. The LU600, which is designed for live sports and event coverage, delivers up to 20 Mbps bitrate, 80 Mbps files transfer, 0.5 second delay, and 100 Mbps high-speed bonded internet connection, according to LiveU’s press release. The unit is also field upgradable to H.265 HEVC.

New features for the LU600 include a streamlined user interface and a responsive 5-inch capacitive touchscreen. It comes in a smart backpack with remote control functionality and access to display, controls and interfaces. Additional features include internal patented antennas; 16 GB internal storage and support for external micro SDXC 256GB cards; LTE Advanced support; and an internal battery, as well as support for external batteries.

The LU600 comes with LiveU’s LRT protocol for optimized video performance using adaptive bitrate and forward error correction technology.

LiveU is currently demonstrating the new LU600 at IBC 2016 in Amsterdam.

HONG KONG—Imagine Communications has announced that it is assisting Taiwanese broadcaster Formosa TV with the installation of an end-to-end playout system at the broadcaster’s new transmission control center. With the new system, Imagine reports that Formosa will have an infrastructure able to support current and future playout and distribution operations.

Making up the system is Imagine’s D-Series playout automation platform. The D-Series meets Formosa’s goal of handling eight channels that each broadcast 24/7. The system is designed to deliver frame-accurate control of high-capacity media distribution environments.

In addition, the D-Series is able to integrate with other Imagine products for a complete baseband signal-handling system. Products include a master control switcher, the Platinum VX router, and modular signal processing from the Selenio 6800+ and Selenio X100 product families.

Formosa TV’s new facility is located in Taipei.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—During the Rio de Janeiro Olympics earlier this month, Russia’s national sports channel, Match TV, relied on TVU Networks’ video transmission technology to provide live coverage. The station sent seven ENG crews down to Rio for the Games, each of which utilized TVU equipment.

TVU One mobile newsgathering system

In the lead up to the Olympics, Match TV purchased three new TVU One mobile newsgathering systems that were used to shoot live stand-up videos and interviews during the Games. The units were used in stadiums, press mixed zones, and the beaches and mountains of Rio.

Head Producer of International Broadcast for Match TV, Kirill Kolomyts, says that Match TV’s news department is continuing to use TVU technology daily for its live broadcasts.

VAN NUYS, CALIF.—A large number of the networks that will be bringing college football to fans this season are taking a play from the same playbook, utilizing PSSI live transmission services. PSSI Global Services says it is preparing more than 40 trucks and uplink systems to assist satellite transmissions for CBS, Fox, ESPN stations and DirecTV’s Mobile Studio.

Networks will rely on PSSI for multi-channel transmission services, as the company has the ability to transmit 10 channels on a single satellite transponder. PSSI is also upgrading its C-Band and multiplexing-capable trucks, offering at least 12 at-home-ready C-Band trucks for the upcoming season.

In addition, PSSI has announced it has worked in collaboration with Intelsat on the PRISM technology, for simultaneous transmission of two-way data via satellite, providing Voice Over Internet Protocol and accelerated high-speed IP data. PRISM has been equipped in PSSI’s fleet of trucks and offers connectivity to the IntelsatOne fiber network.

Networks that will receive PSSI’s services include CBS, CBS Sports, Fox, Fox Sports Network, ESPN, ESPN News, ESPN 2, ESPNU and SEC Network.

MILWAUKEE—Marquette University’s communications team is utilizing TVU Networks’ cellular video technology to share live footage from its campus to a range of media outlets across the country.

Some of the content that Marquette will share via the TVU gear includes interviews with pollster Charles Franklin on the presidential election. Other events expected to benefit from the TVU transmission technology are the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro currently underway and Mother Teresa’s canonization ceremony in September.

The technology being used for all this is the TVUPack, which replaces a satellite uplink by working through nine mobile connections that create a broadband network. Marquette will work with a station engineer to pair transmitters so a media outlet can instantly capture footage.

Many stations will replace transmitters, RF systems, line and antennas as part of the channel repack after the incentive auction and it makes sense to select gear that will work for ATSC 3.0. A move to ATSC 3.0 could be as simple as replacing the transmitter’s exciter and providing an IP link from the studio, but a system designed for ATSC 1.0 alone may not support single frequency network operation, the full ATSC 3.0 channel bandwidth or the same power level as ATSC 1.0. This month I’ll cover some of the things to consider when making changes at the transmitter site.

ATSC 1.0 provides support SFNs (also called distributed transmission systems) but they haven’t been widely used in the United States, likely because it is difficult to avoid interference between the transmitters unless they are isolated by terrain. To make matters worse, different ATSC 1.0 receivers will handle the interference differently.

With ATSC 3.0, as I’ve pointed out in earlier columns, most of those problems go away with proper selection of the OFDM guard interval. However, as with ATSC 1.0, all of the ATSC 3.0 transmitters on a channel in a SFN have to transmit exactly the same signal. Optimization of the SFN requires the ATSC 3.0 signals be emitted from each transmitter at different but precise times.

This means the signal from the studio sent to the transmitters either has to contain all the data, exactly as it is to be transmitted, or that the signal from the studio has to include enough metadata to allow each of the transmitters in the SFN to create and emit exactly the same signal.

TWO APPROACHES
The first approach essentially splits the exciter between the transmitter and the studio. This requires extra bandwidth, as all of the overhead needed to create the constellation has to be added at the studio. At the NAB Show, studio transmitter link (STL) bandwidths of up to 250 Mbps were suggested for this approach.

The second approach, currently being finalized in ATSC S32, allows sending the different program and data streams, signaling information and timing information to the transmitter in a way that the exciter at the transmitter can take all these streams, add the appropriate error correction to them, create the constellation waveform and emit a signal at the correct time that matches all the other transmitters in the SFN. This standardized approach should allow an SFN using exciters from different manufacturers.

The good news is that any microwave or fiber link that supports IP transmission should work for ATSC 3.0, but the data rate required by the first approach might be for many existing microwave STL links. The ATSC 3.0 SFN standard will help solve that problem. Either approach will require additional hardware at the studio and the transmitter site.

The good news is companies are aware of this—we saw an STL using the first approach working at the NAB Show and companies are planning support for the more efficient ATSC 3.0 SFN/STL technology.

Any transmitter that can handle ATSC 1.0 should be able to transmit ATSC 3.0 with a change of exciter. It may not, however, be able to match the output power of ATSC 1.0. The reason is that ATSC 1.0, a single carrier system, has a lower peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) than ATSC 3.0, a multicarrier OFDM system.

A simple way to check this is to look at the specifications for the transmitter. Most transmitters sold today are offered for both ATSC (8-VSB) and DVB (COFDM) use, but the power levels are not always the same.

Comark specifies the same power levels for both modulations for its PARALLAX transmitter, as does Rohde & Schwarz for its current THU9 transmitter. However, the new Doherty amplifiers R&S showed at the NAB Show have a higher power rating for ATSC, as do GatesAir’s Maxiva “PowerSmart” transmitters. Check the datasheets for specifics and keep this in mind when specifying a replacement transmitter’s output power.

The ATSC 3.0 standard includes tools for reducing PAPR, including tone-reservation, but they can have an impact on available data bandwidth. Annex M of the ATSC Proposed Standard A/322—Physical Layer Protocol describes a peak-to-average power reduction algorithm for tone reservation and a possible one for the active constellation extension (ACE) method. Find the latest version at www.atsc.org.

IMPACT ON COMPONENTS
ATSC 3.0’s higher PAPR will also have an impact on the components at the output of the transmitter. Even if the average power is unchanged, the higher peak power will result in higher RF voltages, potentially leading to arcs and burn-out in RF system components like filters, transmission line and antennas.

Derek Small, senior engineer with Dielectric, outlined the power handing capability of different filter designs under ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 in his NAB Show presentation, “Efficient UHF Tunable Waveguide TE10 Mode Filter.” Broadcasters want tunable filters to allow them to change channels without replacing their RF system. Most tunable filters use tunable coaxial/transitional mode cavities. They are compact compared to waveguide designs, but have greater loss.

Fig. 1: A slide from Small’s NAB Show presentation on Dielectric’s tunable waveguide filter that has lower loss than the tunable coaxial/transitional mode cavity filters and greater power handling capability. The significant probe penetration in these filters leads to higher electric field densities, making them more susceptible to breakdown with ATSC 3.0’s higher PAPR and potentially reducing the maximum power they can handle compared to ATSC 1.0.

Small and Dielectric developed a tunable waveguide filter (Fig. 1) that has lower loss than the tunable coaxial/transitional mode cavity filters and significantly greater power handling capability (Fig. 2). Henry Fries, vice president of operations with Comark, told me that the company plans to use these filters with its new Parallax transmitter.

The ATSC 3.0 COFDM signal can occupy up to 5.83 MHz of a 6 MHz channel, more than the 5.38 MHz occupied bandwidth of an ATSC 1.0 signal. Current plans for ATSC 3.0 in the United States do not change the emission mask or out-of-channel emission limits—ATSC 3.0 broadcasters will have to comply with the existing emission mask.

One way to accomplish this is to reduce the number of carriers transmitted, reducing the occupied bandwidth to 5.51 MHz. See Table 7.1 of ATSC A/322 for details. Another option is to use a more complex filter.

The same breakdown voltage concerns Small mentioned in his presentation should apply to tuners in transmission lines and parts of antennas with high electric field density. Myat has created a document that contains, among many other things, tables and formulas for calculating the average power and peak power handling capability of transmission lines. Download the PDF from www.myat.com/images/stories/pdfs/Engine.pdf. The “Peak Power Rating and Production Test Voltages” table from the document shows the peak power limit for different sized line. Note that these values are for 1:1 VSWR and do not include modulation. Peak and average power ratings will be reduced for realworld conditions!

Broadcasters looking to reach indoor antennas and portable devices will be adding elliptical polarization, increasing the amount of power in filters, transmission lines and antennas. Making sure these components can handle higher peak powers with ATSC 3.0 will help avoid costly burnouts.

The transmitter site changes required for ATSC 3.0 are small compared with those required at the studio and in viewers’ homes. With a bit of planning when changing channels for the repack or upgrading facilities, the change at the transmitter site could be as simple as loading new firmware into the exciter!

Doug Lung is vice president of Broadcast Technology, NBC/Telemundo stations. He welcomes your comments and questions. Email him atdlung@transmitter.com.

VAN NUYS, CALIF.—PSSI Global is crossing the aisle, announcing that it will provide satellite transmission and digital encoding services for both the Republican and Democratic National Conventions in July.

Two flyaway uplink systems were installed on the roof of the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland for convention coverage.

Three clients are receiving PSSI services during the RNC, including WETA, GOP-TV and Eurovision. For WETA, PSSI is providing frame accurate, multi-channel encoding on its flyaway satellite and fiber circuits, allowing the WETA facility in Washington D.C. to remotely produce and switch its coverage. The ad hoc system at WETA facilities receive and decode the multiplex while also sending three return paths of audio, video and communication via satellite and fiber back to Cleveland. The system, which can support up to 10 hours of transmission a day, will also be used for the DNC.

GOP-TV is utilizing a 2.4m flyaway uplink system at the convention for deployment of full coverage. The systems are certified for operations on all Domsat, Intelsat, Eutelsat, Defense Services Communication Systems and other international satellites. GOP-TV plans to supplement its coverage with inserts from PSSI uplink trucks across the U.S.

Eurovision will use a Ku-Band truck from PSSI for coverage on the final day of the RNC. A second Ku-Band truck is expected to be used during the DNC to offer two separate paths of audio and video via satellite. One path will provide full coverage of the convention, the other will offer interviews and additional coverage; both will be distributed as a webcast.

The 2016 RNC is currently underway in Cleveland and will wrap up on July 21. The DNC will take place in Philadelphia from July 25-28.

MOUNTAINVIEW, CALIF.—TVU Networks got into the swing of things during a recent production of “Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola – Jazz” show at the Lincoln Center. New York-based production company Gazeta USA utilized the company’s TVU One mobile video transmitter to send coverage to Tokyo-based TV Ashai’s primetime news program, “Hodo Station.”

The TVU One unit features TVU Networks’ Inverse Statmux transmission algorithm, allowing it to deliver transmission resiliency, performance, picture quality and sub-second latency in a compact for factor.

The “Dizzy’s Club Coca-Cola – Jazz” production took place on June 23.

BERKSHIRE, ENGLAND—Bluebell Opticom Ltd. scored a prime place at the table for the recent UEFA Europa League and Champions League finals, as outside broadcast company Telegenic installed multiple sets of Bluebell SDI interfaces. The Bluebell technology was used to transmit high-quality, high-bandwidth signals over fiber, which helped support 4K signal transport for the soccer matches.

BC323

Telegenic deployed four sets of Bluebell Quad 3G-SDI fiber interfaces and eight sets of BC323 converters for coverage of the matches. The Quad 3G four-channel multiplexers/demultiplexers take in 3G-SDI signal from up to four cameras, convert them to optical signals and transmit them over standard SMPTE hybrid cable. Each signal has a different optical wavelength, allowing for reduced interference over longer distances.

The BC323 units convert two independent 3G-SDI, HD-SDI, SD-SDI or ASI signals onto fiber. The units then receive, auto-sense, equalize and relock each optical signal before converting it back into an electrical signal.

Bluebell is a designer and manufacturer of fiber optic links for the broadcast telecommunications and satellite industries.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—TVU Networks has announced a new service that it says will transmit live video at a minimum speed of 2Mbps over cellular networks from anywhere as long as there is a cell connection. This service, TVU Cellular Assurance Network (CAN), is integrated with TVU’s Inverse StatMux Plus (IS+) algorithm and requires no additional hardware.

IS+ allows TVU transmitters to simultaneously aggregate bandwidth mediums, including cellular 3G/4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Ka-band, Ka-band satellite, microwave, microwave mesh and BGAN, to deliver a broadcast image with sub-second latency.

The live IP video technology provider has also announced that it will make the TVU CAN service available for broadcasters covering the Republican and Democratic National Conventions. In addition, TVU plans to offer remote and on-location equipment, service and support at both conventions.

MERIDEN, CONN.—North American broadcasters are reviewing all their equipment and operations in preparation for the spectrum repack. Selecting antenna technology may be one of the most important decisions they face, affecting everything from installation and maintenance costs, to their ability to meet switchover deadlines and perhaps most importantly, quality of service through the transition and well afterwards.

Approximately 90 percent of antennas currently installed in the U.S. market are narrowband “slotted pole” or pylon antennas, most of which will need to be replaced in order to make frequency changes when new channels are assigned.

Sutro Tower, Broadband Slot Antenna

That’s because narrowband antennas are limited to single-channel operation. During manufacturing, slots are cut to exact dimensions prescribed by the operating channel. Once that is done, radiation characteristics and operating frequency are locked in, so reconfiguring radiation patterns or polarization ratios in the field is impossible.

Pylon antenna components and manufacturing specifications are also channel-dependent, so they can’t be ordered until the new channels are known. That makes it impossible to get ahead of the curve and execute a timely installation and transition. Switchover schedules will be strained by a known shortage of qualified installers—and as always, time is money—so early equipment purchases will help alleviate a host of ills. Plus, the FCC will reimburse broadcasters purchasing antennas before the auction, incentivizing early preparation.

GOING BROADBAND
Broadband antenna systems offer the flexibility to install early, ahead of the labor crunch, and make frequency changes later on when final channels are known. Designed to operate on any frequency in a given broadcast band, these frequency-agile antenna systems can be designed to allow reconfiguration of the radiation characteristics in the field after installation. Broadcasters located in international border regions can use this feature to optimize coverage and comply with interference protection constraints.

Broadband antennas using variable polarization technology (VPT) offer even greater advantages: they can be used by multiple broadcasters to share costly site infrastructure and significantly reduce operating costs.

There are three main types of broadband UHF antennas with the flexibility to accommodate the repack – broadband slot antenna (SBB), broadband pylon alternative antennas and broadband master panel (PEP) antennas. Each has its own set of pros and cons.

Broadband Slot Antenna—SBBs feature reduced wind load and fewer interconnections inside the antenna. They include antennas with wide cardioid, narrow cardioid and skull radiation pattern characteristics.

Because of wide bandwidth, low wind load, and good null fill performance, SBBs are ideal for temporary antenna use. At different times during the repack program, an SBBcould operate on the original channel, an interim channel, and the final channel, allowing flexibility in the sequence of upgrade events.

Low Wind Load, Broadband Pylon Antenna Photo credit: Jim Stenberg, American Tower

Broadband Pylon Alternative Antenna—Broadband pylon alternative antennas offer better performance compared to SBBs and less wind load than master panel antennas. They also provide flexible polarization configuration options including circular, elliptical, horizontal and vertical polarization. Upgrade capability for future MIMO or MISO operation is available. This antenna type is a good solution for a single station seeking the channel independence and flexibility of broadband or the ability to upgrade to EP, CP or MIMO transmission.

A broadband pylon alternative antenna could be shared by two full-power stations to reduce costs and tower loading. It could even be configured so that each station can independently define its own polarization ratio.

Broadband Master Panel Antennas—Broadband master panel antennas offer increased flexibility in attainable power ratings, radiation pattern configurations, redundancy, polarization options and future upgrade capability for MIMO or MISO.

High Power Wrap-Around Antenna with Variable Polarization Technology

Master antennas are particularly appropriate for repack and digital switchover (DSO) programs in regions where weather can have a major impact on scheduling, as their installation requires minimal tower work. UHF and VHF master antenna systems with Variable Polarization are currently being installed at the top of One World Trade Center in Manhattan.

MULTIPLE SHARED SITES
Two separate sites can be used to attain very high redundancy, equipping each site with a broadband master antenna and a set of transmitters. This makes it possible to switch off an entire site for simplified upgrade or maintenance without compromising system performance. Major cities around the world have used this approach to simplify repack procedures.

On a smaller scale, two stations can share multiple sites if each station installs a low wind load SBB and a backup transmitter at the alternate station’s site.

ANTENNA POLARIZATION OPTIONS

Broadband Cylinder Antenna with Variable Polarization Technology

VPT is important in the mobile broadcast market and for terrestrial broadcasters competing with satellite, cable and cellular networks. Both broadband pylon alternative antennas and broadband master antennas can be configured to permit future polarization ratio changes through simple modifications; and to allow independent polarization ratios for each channel when broadcasters share the antenna.

The same system can allow independent MIMO/MISO transmission. For example, one broadcaster could transmit horizontal polarization; another could transmit circular polarization, another elliptical polarization and another MIMO. This flexibility gives broadcasters at a shared site independent polarization control and the ability to independently upgrade to MIMO as future requirements dictate.

CONCLUSION
The spectrum auction and repack of frequencies offers an unparalleled opportunity to take advantage of new antenna technologies. By adopting variable polarization options, broadcasters can secure service to both fixed and mobile audiences. In choosing the most flexible antenna type, they can order antennas ahead of frequency allocation, install early, and satisfy loyal viewers with continued transmissions throughout the process. 

My colleague Linley Gumm and I recently conducted a series of measurements of the threshold protection (desired/undesired (D/U)) ratios required for modern ATSC receivers to reject interference from LTE signals radiated by base stations in the 600 MHz Band. We tested 21 receivers and forwarded our results to the International Telecommunications Union through Dr. Charles Einolf, a U.S. member of the ITU working group dealing with such interference issues. Our paper described how we conducted these tests and our results. This report is available from the ITU website www.itu.int/pub/R-REP-BR.2215-6-2016, entitled “Measurement of Protection Ratios and Overload Threshold for Broadcast TV Receivers.” Our contribution is Annex 3F.

THE PROBLEM
Our problem was to find a source of “real, live LTE signals” for testing purposes. We found two such LTE signals “on-the-air” in the 700 MHz band with strong signals, each 10 MHz wide centered at 739 MHz and 751 MHz. These we heterodyned down into the 600 MHz band. Such signals in the 600 MHz band would consist of two 5 MHz blocks of contiguous frequencies, so we were emulating what we believe will be common practice in the 600 MHz band after the 600 MHz band is repacked following the spectrum auctions.

By now, it is generally accepted that ATSC reception may be jammed by pairs of undesired signals on Channels N+K and N+2K with the desired signal on Channel N or N+3 if third-order intermodulation (IM3) products are being generated in the frontend of the affected receivers.

Gumm proposed to heterodyne our LTE signals into Channels 18 MHz above and below the desired ATSC signal on Channel N. None of the third-order distortion products fall within the desired Channel N. The desired ATSC signal was being jammed. That is what we reported in Table 3 on page 8 of what today is “Annex 3F” to the ITU Report BT-2215. This data is given in the column marked No “IM3.” Without any IM3 in desired Channel N, we found that the threshold D/U ratio was, for 90 percent of the receivers, to perform –32 dB. Two LTE signals 18 MHz above and below the desired ATSC signal power cannot be more than 32 dB greater than the ATSC signal power. That is a long way from the –60 dB D/U threshold, which the FCC assumes for planning purposes. When our two LTE signals were centered on Channels N+K and N+2K, the undesired threshold was –28 dB, only 4 dB worse. This is shown for FCC Scenarios 7, 10 and 12 in the abovementioned table in Annex 3F. Even with a perfectly linear receiver front-end (which would not generate IM3), interference was only slightly reduced.

What could explain why we saw interference, which could not have been generated in the receiver? Well, we saw desensitization. All modern DTV receivers have wideband RF automatic gain control (AGC). Strong undesired signals on Channels N+/–3 forced the wideband RF AGC system to reduce the gain of the RF amplifier to protect the mixer from being overloaded. Table 1 summarizes our test results for the 21 modern ATSC receivers detailed in Annex 3F of the ITU Report.

Table 1: Threshold D/U (dB) for 21 modern ATSC Receivers from LTE signals

So the FCC is in error to believe that consumer DTV receivers, engineered to be linear at least up to –8 dBm, would eliminate ISIX (Inter-Service Interference). The only solution I know of is to provide RF selectivity before the mixer with a tracking filter. TV receivers used to have such a tracking filter between the RF amplifier and the mixer, but that was before tuners were fabricated as an IC (aka “tuner on a chip”). That means a tracking filter would have to be developed and I know of no such effort presently underway for the consumer DTV receiver market.

Solid-state or integrated circuit ATSC receiver front-ends were first described in 2007. By 2012 they were found in consumer TV receivers and are now found in all receivers currently in production, so the development of tracking filters for consumer TV receivers would probably take at least five years. However, there is no obvious need to develop such tracking filters at this time.

The FCC has not yet acknowledged that there will be interference to ATSC reception by base station emissions. Our test results suggest otherwise. The FCC claimed that the protection ratio for ATSC-ATSC interference would be –60 dB. That assumption was made in 1995 based upon laboratory data, which involved the only the prototype ATSC receiver available.

ANOTHER FINDING IN THE ITU REPORT
We noted that four of the 21 receivers tested behaved quite differently from the others. Tables A 2–9 show this difference. Receivers 35, 42, 45 and 49 stand out as having protection ratios as low as –28.8 dB as shown in Table 2. Similar observations have been reported in Europe. We believe these four receivers are adversely affected by the “dynamics” of LTE signals in actual use. Our tests were conducted with over-the-air LTE signals actually carrying traffic between base stations and subscribers. Tests by other laboratories have been conducted with a laboratory LTE signal generator. Their LTE signals do not provide for dynamic testing, so their test results are less representative of real-world conditions.

Table 2: The average threshold D/U for the four worst performing receivers

The LTE standard provides a feature called Automatic Power Control (APC). When a cell phone initiates a call, it uses its maximum allowed power and the responding base station replies at its maximum allowed power. The base station then determines the minimum power for both the calling cell phone and itself to continue communicating. APC minimizes interference between cell phones and base stations, but it causes heavy interference to some DTV receivers. Table 2 gives the threshold D/U (dB) for the worst four receivers. The dynamic range over which APC varies LTE signal power is up to 20 dB. ISIX occurs in random bursts, which makes it easier to identify, but sometimes these bursts are more than 20 seconds apart.

Our tests were unique in that we used real 10 MHz LTE signals carrying traffic, not LTE signal generators used in earlier tests. Laboratory LTE signal generators do not simulate the operation of APC. Perhaps that will change.

CONCLUSIONS
A single 5 MHz LTE signal is comparable to an ATSC signal as an undesired signal as the FCC has said. Our work comes far closer to what I expect is actual practice where multiple LTE 5 MHz blocks are deployed in many markets, DTV reception will be subject to unanticipated ISIX interference from nearby base stations when the 600 MHz band carries LTE signals. Such interference will occur where the receiver is receiving weak DTV signals and is near one or more base stations.

In short, I doubt that receiver manufacturers will design new receivers for the small market that would benefit from such redesigns. Over-the-air free television will become history for some people. Where and when TV translators vanish, an even larger number of people will also be forced to seek other media. Stay tuned.

Charles Rhodes is a consultant in the field of television broadcast technologies and planning. He can be reached via email atcwr@bootit.com.

ATSC 3.0 was one of the notable themes of NAB Show, and transmission gear is at the heart of this promising new standard. With the physical layer of ATSC 3.0 nailed down enough, manufacturers are announcing products that are compatible with ATSC 3.0.

The other big theme among transmitter manufacturers was increased efficiency for solid-state transmitters. One manufacturer (GatesAir) says its new solid-state transmitter achieves 50 percent efficiency, a number thought unattainable perhaps 10 years ago.

TRANSMITTERS
Egatel presented a new UHF low-power transmitter and gap-filler series, the TUWH1000 and RUWH1000 line. These 1RU systems provide output powers up to 115W and feature high-efficiency operation.

Hitachi-Comark featured its Parallax medium- to high-power transmitter line, which can work with ATSC 3.0 modulation at powers up to 100 kW. Parallax’s power modules use Doherty amplifier technology to produce high efficiency, and a double-sided liquid cooling plate configuration improves RF power density.

GatesAir Maxiva ULXTItelco-Electrosys featured its Thalna line of low- to mid-power air-cooled transmitters that can reach up to 2.4 kW for either VHF or UHF operation. Itelco-Electrosys is now implementing Doherty power- amplifier technology to improve transmitter efficiency.

GatesAir unveiled two Maxiva PowerSmart Plus products: a medium-power solid-state transmitter and an exciter that is certified to work with ATSC 3.0. Using narrow-band power modules that are available in both liquid- and air-cooled configurations, the company boasts that the new Maxiva UAXT and ULXT power modules provide efficiency ratings up to 50 percent.

Nautel showed its NT line of low- to mid-power UHF transmitters that combine a modulator, amplifier, remote control, adaptive pre-correction and mask filter in a compact enclosure. One example is the NT500/NT1 that has power output up to 1 kW and uses enhanced adaptive pre-correction for maximum power efficiency. Nautel’s TV transmitters support ATSC 3.0 broadcasting.

Rohde & Schwarz debuted the compact TLU9 UHF transmitter, with power up to 200W. The TLU9 supports transport stream-over-IP functionality, adaptive digital pre-distortion and an optioning concept that makes it possible to integrate other components, such as two satellite receivers, within the transmitter housing.

RVR-Elettronica showed a range of transmitter products, including the DTVCA1K0UU1 1 kW UHF power amplifier. The company said the DTVCA1K0UU1 has both high gain and high efficiency, and the unit can be switched between analog and digital operation with software—no hardware changes are required.

EXCITERS/MODULATORS
DekTec announced that the DTA-2115B card, its high-end test modulator for satellite, terrestrial and cable modulation standards is now available. The DTA-2115B supports a range of standards, including DVB-T2, DVB-S2(X) and ATSC 3.0.

ONEtastic showed its clever OneDriver transmitter/exciter, which can provide output power up to 130W. The OneDriver can contain the exciter, power amplifier and GPS/GLONASS receiver for SFN operation in a single 1RU chassis.

TeamCast had multiple products address ATSC 3.0 modulation, and was a partner on one of the over-the-air ATSC 3.0 demos at the NAB Show. The company’s Stream4Cast prepares an IP stream to be transmitted on single-frequency networks in compliance with the ATSC 3.0 physical standard, and its exTra3.0 ATSC exciter is one of the first commercially available ATSC 3.0 exciters.

ANTENNA
ABE Elettronica showcased its LB series of panel antennas and its GNS 1000 GPS synchronizer for single frequency networks.

Dielectric’s TFU-WB series auxiliary UHF antennaAldena Telecomunicazioni debuted its ATS series omnidirectional turnstile UHF antennas for digital or analog TV applications. In addition, the company featured its Emlab RF coverage prediction software, of which there are several versions.

Dielectric showcased its TFU-WB series auxiliary UHF antennas, which are off-the-shelf systems targeting high-power UHF applications from Channels 14 to 51. With its streamlined profile, the TFU-WB reduces wind load up to 75 percent from traditional antennas.

Electronics Research Inc. (ERI) announced a partnership with T-Mobile to build TV antennas in an effort to clear the 600 MHz spectrum. For products, ERI debuted a new family of broadband high-band VHF panel antennas that includes a horizontally polarized high-band element as well as an element for circularly polarized radiation.

Jampro highlighted its JAT-U UHF super turnstile antenna, which provides a low wind load and a broadband response that covers the entire UHF band. The JAT-U can be enclosed in a radome, and is available in either top- or side-mount configurations.

TOWERS
American Tower was on-hand to discuss its tower ownership and management functions. The company’s portfolio includes nearly 100,000 owned or managed tower sites on five continents.

Magnum Towers focused on its engineering and custom tower capabilities. Not only does Magnum manufacture guyed, self-supporting and monopole towers, it offers a range of engineering services on both existing and new towers for custom applications.

Sabre Industries was on hand to discuss its turnkey design, engineering and erection services for towers. The company can provide project coordination, site surveys, tower mapping and FAA feasibility studies for all types of broadcast and telecommunications towers.

Stainless Towers, now owned by FDH Velocitel and based in Lansdale, Penn., promoted its engineering services for the ongoing television channel repack. Stainless designed and installed a large number of broadcast towers throughout the U.S. and has the original engineering documents to enable efficient upgrades and tower re-loading.

It’s a transitional time for the transmission category. These are well-built and long-lasting products that need replacement only infrequently, so the big action occurs when there is a change of standards or major technological shift.

Thus, in addition to creating gear for replacement as existing products wear out, vendors of transmission equipment are supporting the ATSC 3.0 initiative with encoders, and providing products for the ongoing channel repack in the U.S. Tower vendors are in the thick of this, as mobile technology continues to grow— and needs towers to support it—and the channel repack requires advanced tower engineering to make it work.

ABE Elettronica will feature its range of multi-standard TV transmitters (up to 20 kW), MPEG encoders, microwave and satellite links (2 to 23GHz) and antennas. The MTX series of transmitters from ABE can function as transposers, gap-fillers and standalone transmitters for digital and analog television broadcasting.

Aldena Telecomunicazioni will have the U.S. debut of its ATS series turnstile UHF antennas for digital or analog TV applications. ATS antennas have an omnidirectional pattern, are top-mounted and simple to set up, have low VSWR, weight and windload, and are available with power input and gain up to 5 kW and 8.5 dB.

American Tower will highlight its role as a tower owner and management company that operates across the United States and internationally. The company’s portfolio includes more than 99,000 owned or managed sites on five continents.

DekTec will feature its tiny DTU-315 modulator, which plugs into a USB port on one side and produces an RF signal from 36 to 2,150 MHz on a connector on the other side. Suitable for cable distribution in buildings, an ATSC 3.0 version of the DTU-315 is in the works.

Dielectric will introduce the TLSV-BB series antenna for high-band VHF broadcasting. An economical broadband antenna covering Channels 7-13, the lightweight TLSV-BB is an affordable alternative to panel antennas, reducing windload by 75 percent in comparison.

Electronics Research Inc. will be at the show with its recent LAL series of low-power UHF antennas. The LAL series is a lightweight coaxial slotted-array single-channel antenna for any single UHF channel.

GatesAir Maxiva ULXT liquid-cooled and UAXT air-cooled TV UHF transmitterHitachi-Comark, which recently absorbed the Linear transmitter line into its operation in Southwick, Mass., will highlight its DualCast Exact-ATSC 1.0/3.0 digital TV exciter. Capable of being upgraded to ATSC 3.0, the DualCast Exact-ATSC exciter has dual transport stream inputs (SMPTE-310M or ASI) to provide seamless A/B input redundancy.

Itelco-Electrosys will spotlight its Northia line of liquid-cooled medium/high-power transmitters. The line delivers 2.5 kW to 10 kW in DVB-T/H (up to 20 kW analog) and fits in a single 19-inch rack.

GatesAir will unveil PowerSmart Plus. Designed for the green economy, PowerPlus can raise transmitter efficiency up to 50 percent for ATSC. At this level, GatesAir Maxiva ULXT liquid-cooled and UAXT air-cooled TV UHF transmitters can operate with 20 percent more efficiency than the leading competitive offerings.

Jampro will highlight its popular UHF broadband panel antenna line, including the JVD-U and JCD-U broadband antennas for UHF Bands IV and V. The company will also show its RCEC family of mask filters for TV broadcasting and its range of RF coaxial components.

Nautel’s NT low-power UHF transmitterMagnum Towers will promote its tower erection and engineering experience. The company manufactures and installs guyed, free-standing and monopole towers, and can provide a range of services for existing towers.

Nautel will bring its NT line of lowpower UHF transmitters that combine a modulator, amplifier, remote control, adaptive pre-correction and mask filter in a compact enclosure. The NT150/250 is targeted at lowpower TV broadcasting, retransmission or gap-filler applications, and the updated NT500/NT1 use enhanced adaptive pre-correction for maximum power efficiency.

Rohde & Schwarz  has expanded its energy-efficient R&S Tx9 transmitter line with low-power UHF transmitters that support the DVB-T, DVB-T2 and ISDB-TB digital standards. 

The air-cooled R&S TLU9 features output powers from 1W to 200W. The transmitter is equipped with an integrated exciter backup battery that prevents transmitter reboots when mains voltage interruptions of up to 10 seconds occur. Other features include transport stream over IP (TSoIP) functionality, adaptive digital predistortion and DVB-T to DVB-T2 switchover at the press of a button.

Rohde & Schwarz low-power TV transmitter R&S TLU9

RVR-Elettronica will have a variety of transmission products, including the company’s new Blue-Video DTV exciter. With a synthesized oscillator that’s precise to 1 Hz, the Blue-Video exciter can be used in a high-power system or provisioned as an analog or digital repeater.

In addition to tower design and erection, Sabre Industries has an array of services that include prefabricated equipment enclosures, platforms and engineering for any vertical requirement. At NAB Show 2016, the company will highlight its engineering services as well as towers and monopoles for gap-fillers and translators.

TeamCast will spotlight its exTra3.0 ATSC exciter, which is targeted at the emergent demand from ATSC 3.0 early adopters to perform transmission performance testing as well as field trials. Team- Cast says that the exTra3.0 is the first terrestrial TV exciter dedicated to the ATSC 3.0 standard.

Stainless Towers , now owned by FDH Velocitel and based in Lansdale, Pa., will be at the show to promote its engineering services for the ongoing television channel repack. Stainless designed and installed a large number of broadcast towers throughout the United States and has the original engineering documents to enable efficient upgrades and tower re-loading.

IRVINE, CALIF.—The VidOlink family of long-range wireless transmission systems has two new additions, as VidOvation has announced the launch of the VidOlink Ranger 2 and VidOlink Tally & Control.

VidOvation Ranger2

The VidOlink Ranger 2 is a long-range transmission system that can transmit wireless HD video up to a distance of two miles, says VidOvation. The system uses coded orthogonal frequency division multiplexing to transport video within line-of-sight on the 5.8 GHz band.

Meanwhile, the VidOlink Tally & Control unit enables the addition of tally and CCU functionality to existing HD-SDI or HDMI video signals. It uses the 403-473 MHz band to transmit tally and CCU functions. The system can also send data via VidOlink’s RF-over-fiber SMPTE units, which delivers RF, data and power to the receive point with a single cable.

In addition, VidOvation also revealed it is expanding its VidOlink Reacher series of long-range transmitters with the addition of the VidOlink Reacher 400, VidOlink Reacher 1000 and VidOlink Reacher 2000. The three models span transmission distances of 400, 1000 and 2000 feet, respectively, to transmit HD-SDI and HDMI video with minimal latency, according to VidOvation.

VidOvation is manufacturer of video, audio and data communications systems for broadcast television and sports.

HACKENSACK, N.J.���There are a lot of people out there who are more invested in what the stars are wearing at the Academy Awards than they are concerned with who will actually win Hollywood’s top prizes. To help cover the red carpet and deliver this information to fans, CBS Television’s “Entertainment Tonight” and “The Insider” utilize LiveU technology to deliver content and information to their broadcast and online audiences.

LiveU recently helped "Entertainment Tonight" cover the red carpet at the Grammys.

Both “ET” and “The Insider” used LiveU’s LU500 live video transmission backpacks for use at the Emmys, Grammys, ESPY’s, Golden Globes, and SAG Awards. They will also use them for the upcoming Academy Awards on Sunday, Feb. 28. The shows also use the gear for short interviews.

“ET” and “The Insider” currently employ three LU500s for broadcast production and two for online, allowing them to either stream live content directly back to the studio or store and send back at a later time.

LiveU is a provider of IP-based video services for acquisition, management and distribution that is headquartered out of Hackensack, N.J.

MOUNTAIN VIEW, CALIF.—With Super Bowl 50 in sight, TVU Networks is aiming to offer broadcasters in the San Francisco Bay Area video uplink and distribution services to transmit live during Super Bowl week. With TVU headquarters just 10 minutes from Levi Stadium—where Super Bowl 50 will be played—the company is prepared to provide on-location and on-demand service and support for its IP-based live video transmission systems.

Among the services that TVU plans to offer are its TVUPack mobile IP-based transmitters and accessories; TVU Receivers for video distribution; local cellular 4G and LTE datacards; dedicated microwave mesh networks; technical support and office space with high-speed Ethernet and Wi-Fi.

Super Bowl 50 will take place on Feb. 7 at Levi Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.