When WNED-TV, a PBS-affiliated-station located in Buffalo, NY, made the decision to go digital, it wanted a reliable transmitter that was economical and upgradeable, to meet future power maximization plans.
After assessing many transmitter solutions, WNED bought the Thales MSDC-IOT transmitterto fulfill its FCC obligations. After analyzing Thales' DCX Paragon transmitter, it seemed like the perfect fit for WNED.
WNED was attracted to the significant power and cost savings the DCX Paragon would provide for the station. The transmitter was designed with cost of ownership in mind, with a beam efficiency of up to 60 percent. Since the DCX Paragon's installation in May 2003, it has provided WNED with significant financial savings.
With the purchase and installation of a new transmitter plant, there was a lot to consider, especially with the emerging MSDC IOT technology. Some of the key features offered by Thales made the decision process an easy one. One key feature is Thales' Soft Arc Technology (SAT). SAT eliminates the need for a crowbar circuit for IOT high-voltage protection. SAT has proven to be a failsafe and reliable system, passing the manufacturer's “wire test” requirement for IOT protection.
The DCX Paragon transmitter also incorporates an oil-cooled primary cooling loop inside the HPA cabinet with a liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger. Oil cooling for the MSDC IOT simplifies both the design and maintenance along with increasing the overall reliability. The liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger system allows WNED to use a standard water/glycol system external to the cabinet for the remainder of the system, including RF loads. These features are two examples of many. It is the overall efficiency of the DCX Paragon that makes it the correct choice for an ultra-efficient, extremely reliable DTV transmitter plant incorporating the latest technologies.
In parallel with installing the DCX Paragon DTV transmitter, WNED also had Thales install an IOX analog transmitter system. WNED selected turnkey installation of services from Thales, and the entire process was extremely smooth. WNED was able to work with Thales to schedule a timely installation throughout its busy digital transition schedule.
WNED is planning to upgrade its 155kW ERP DCX Paragon to 950kW ERP in the future. Because the DCX Paragon's installation was planned to be upgradeable, any future goals for the station will be integrated easily.
Design Team
Thales Broadcast & Multimedia
Tom Stone, program mgr.
Mark Grochowski, sr. rf sys. eng.
Rodney Cole, assoc. systems eng.
WNED
Jonathan Herrington, VP-eng./tech.
Ray Felckowski, mgr. trans./rf system
Radian Communication Services
Greg Gasbarre, rf install. specialist
Equipment List
Thales DCX Paragon transmitter
ADAPT 8-VSB exciter
L3 (CEA) MSDC-IOT
IOX analog transmitter
E2V D2130 IOTs
Tektronix RFA 300 measurement set
Sencore IRD 3384 receiver/decoder
Leader LV5152DA HD monitor
Wohler ATSC-3 5.1 ch. audio monitor
Barco HDM5049 HD monitor
Dielectric NTSC/DTV combiner
DeltaStar TUC-05-16 / 80H-R panel antenna
