RF Shorts for May 24, 2013

One World Trade Center Spire Now Ready for Antennas
Stan Alcorn from the public radio program Marketplace notes Freedom Tower enters crowded New York market to lure broadcaster antennas. In the article he interviews John Lyons from the Durst Organization and discusses Lyon's goal to cover the newly installed spire at One World Trade Center with broadcast antennas.

Alcom writes, “Lyons is trying to capitalize on this new demand for two antennas. He says stations could have any combination of primary and secondary towers distributed among One World Trade Center and 4 Times Square, whose antenna towers are managed by Durst, and the Empire State Building. More choice means better signal coverage, not to mention better deals.”

Regarding pricing Lyons commented, “I want to say prices probably will go down. The broadcasters have a chance to negotiate better because they have more facilities to go into.”

Winegard Introduces Dish Network Automatic Positioning Sat Antenna
Last week Winegard announced its new Pathway X2 antenna for Dish Network satellite reception. One neat feature is that the antenna is able to automatically find Dish satellites in either the eastern sat arc (61.5, 72.7 and 77 degrees west longitude) or the western arc (110, 119 and 129 degrees WL) when connected to a compatible Dish receiver. A tripod is available to provide easy setup in the field. The antenna features an 18-inch reflector and provides access to all local channels in HD for both arcs in the continental United States.

“Winegard has always had a long standing relationship with Dish and we wanted to create a durable, high-performing and weather resistant satellite TV antenna, exclusive for Dish customers, that is simple to use,” said Aaron Engberg, director of Winegard’s mobile sales channel. “Our mission was to simplify set up and maximize performance and we certainly accomplished those goals.”

The Winegard Pathway X2 will be available in August.

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.