(click thumbnail)Denver’s new DTV tower is home to four Denver stations.Dielectric Communications has been a provider of antennas, transmission line and other RF components for the newly inaugurated Lookout Mountain transmission site serving the Denver market. It is now on the air and home to four Denver stations—KTVD, KUSA-TV, KMGH-TV and KCNC-TV.
A number of obstacles had to be overcome before the new transmission facility could become a reality. The four stations collectively are known as the Lake Cedar Group and struggled for a number of years before finally being able to transmit from the combined site.
“There were a number of technical and logistical challenges that we faced in the design of this system and in obtaining support from the surrounding community,” said Lake Cedar Group General Manager Don Perez. “So we’re very pleased to have this transmission site completed and on the air. We selected Dielectric to provide the antenna and transmission line for this project based on its previous engineering successes, technical abilities, and competitive pricing. We felt confident Dielectric would be a great partner in getting these stations on air with high-power digital transmissions.”
(Read more about the Lookout Mountain site in the Aug. 20 edition of TV Technology in print and online.)
Dielectric, based in Raymond, Maine, supplied three VHF antennas and three UHF antennas, which provide capacity for six television channels operating in both main and alternate configurations. Before the startup of the new facility, the Denver stations were limited to low-power DTV transmissions from antennas on a high rise building in the city’s downtown area.
A unique part of the Lake Cedar Group project was the use of a 250-foot long tunnel for running transmission lines between the common transmitter building and the tower base. A total of 10 large coaxial lines are installed in the tunnel, which both shields the lines from view and protects them from the elements. One of the concerns in the design of the facility was minimizing its visual impact.
“Lake Cedar Group had significant technical hurdles to clear in getting this project off the ground, so we’re very pleased to see the project completed with all four stations successfully on the air,” said Garrett VanAtta, Dielectric president. “Our engineering staff worked closely with the group to fine-tune the signal patterns and ensure that, even as a consolidated tower site, this installation would meet the individual needs of each member station.”
Denver television stations have been transmitting analog signals for a number of years from four different tower sites on Lookout Mountain, which is located west of Denver. After the February 2009 cessation of full power analog television broadcasting the older towers will be removed from the mountain.
