WTIC First On-Air With Harris' PowerCD

Tribune-owned FOX Affiliate WTIC serving the Hartford-New Haven region expects up to 15% monthly reduction in transmission-related expenses as the first station to go on-air with Harris' new PowerCD high-power UHF ATSC transmitter.

"The trends throughout the television industry continue to focus on improving operational efficiencies and reducing costs as the digital transition moves forward," said Paul Brenner, director of engineering, WTIC. "One of my goals since joining WTIC was to integrate solid-state transmission technology to significantly reduce our expenses. Our monthly expenses were initially reduced by more than $12,000 with a new transmitter setup that included a Harris Platinum solid-state ATSC transmitter for our digital channel 12. We expect that the IOT associated with PowerCD, thanks to its water-cooled design, will bring the station an additional 10 to 15% increase in power efficiency."

Brenner also noted as a factor in WTIC's buying decision the PowerCD's APEX exciter, which he describes as "a stair-step toward higher definition, making the digital signal sharper and providing stronger peaks." Harris' APEX exciter is standard in most Harris transmitters for terrestrial television. It features real-time adaptive correction (RTAC) for linear and non-linear distortions for a cleaner output to the transmitter.