Belgian public broadcaster VRT has built cellular newsgathering networks for its wireless cameras used to cover Brussels, Antwerp and Ghent.
VRT has acquired eight in-car systems from Link Research to allow its news teams to delver live reports from their TV cars, using LinkXP wireless camera systems. The antenna-equipped cars are also used for picture editing.
There are a total of four receive sites, including the 575ft RAC Tower in Brussels and the 295ft VRT Tower to the west of Brussels. These sites cover a wide area reaching out to the NATO buildings and the airport.
Additional sites are located in Antwerp and Ghent. These are tied together via fiber-optic cable with ASI/SDI capability to form the cellular network.
The Dutch channel tvbrussel is sharing the antenna network with VRT in the Brussels region.
The cellular network consists of a COFDM-based terrestrial newsgathering network with fixed receive sites that take signals directory from wireless cameras back to the news studio to be used live on air. By linking sites together, it is possible to cover other areas of the city where there are no tall buildings.
Link Research has supplied a similar system to the BBC for use in 12 British cities.
The Belgian networks were installed by Link’s Belgian distributor Diginet.
For more information, visit www.linkres.co.uk.
