RF Shorts for Feb. 14, 2014

ViaSat Revenues Up
ViaSat released its Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2014 Results this week. Fiscal year-to-date revenues increased by 24 percent compared to the same period last year.

“We are very pleased with the balance in our third quarter and year-to-date results,” said Mark Dankberg, chairman and CEO of ViaSat. “We’ve maintained double-digit revenue and adjusted EBITDA growth, and substantially increased discretionary investments to defend and extend our technology lead in fixed and mobile satellite broadband networks. The launch of Exede In The Air via JetBlue’s Fly-Fi service is an exciting example of opportunities uniquely enabled by our satellite network assets and innovative technologies. We aim to create an opportunity for disproportionately strong growth by redefining the in-flight Wi-Fi experience--engaging up to 10 times the number of passengers per flight, with speeds 10 to 100 times faster than competing systems, at costs far lower than possible with conventional infrastructure.”

Broadcasters are finding Exede's high speed Ka-band satellite Internet service a useful alternative to bonded cellular when traveling in areas with poor cellular coverage.

Counterpoise Boosts Handheld Radio Performance
Many readers, especially those that are ham radio operators, are probably aware of this trick, but for those that haven't realized a counterpoise can improve the performance of a handheld radio's antenna, check out this YouTube video. The same technique should work for whip type antennas on portable TVs or FM radios.

Comments and RF related news items are welcome. Email me at dlung@transmitter.com.

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.