Mobile IFB Via 8-VSB Demonstrated

By Doug Lung
published

Well before the analog shutdown, Eric Small and the engineers at Modulation Sciences were working on technology to allow broadcasters to use their DTV signal to provide IFB audio to crews in the field. Modulation Science's analog PROceiver used the pro-channel on the analog subcarrier. The new Digital PROceiver uses broadcasters' existing digital transport stream.

Modulations Sciences recently tested its Digital PROceiver in the Midwest and Pacific Northwest in helicopters equipped with its new DSPversity antenna system. The tests showed the system worked on both high-VHF and mid-UHF DTV channels over widely different topography and flying conditions.

The DSPversity systems consists of a four-channel ATSC diversity receiver and a unique array of antennas. Modulation Sciences has a patent pending on the antennas. The company said that one special feature of the antenna ensemble is that no penetration of the fuselage is needed on most helicopters, reducing the cost and complexity of installation.

For more information, see www.modsci.com.

Doug Lung
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack.
A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.