Radio World, 10.05.2011, by Bill Eisenhamer

http://www.radioworld.com/article/goldilocks-transmitters-serve-san-diego/23457

SAN DIEGO — In 2008 KBZT(FM) and KIFM(FM) were slated for their HD Radio installations. Having a couple of years under our belts with our third station, we thought we knew where we were headed. As it turned out, 2008 became a very interesting and complex year for our facilities.

We’d just finished a rushed but successful studio remodel and completed a studio move. Now we had to plan for our HD installations. To add insult to injury we were in the middle of rebuilding an AM tower that had come down during a storm at the end of 2004.

Squeak in a Class A station HD installation for KSOQ, and we had a handful.

Plans

The planning began with the location.

The KBZT and KIFM transmitter site was nice but the room was small and space was limited. Each Class B station runs a TPO of 10 kW and each must maintain a full-power auxiliary transmitter. The power level created the main headache as the transmitter had to be sized to maintain this analog output level and produce the required power for the digital.

The year began with us considering a handful of transmitters that were either too large as a single box or too large when combined, essentially requiring four transmitters to replace two.

Mounds of drawing configurations piled up. April arrived and the NAB convention gave us an opportunity to see what some of these beasts looked like and what they did.

Wandering the NAB floor for a specific goal was interesting. The typical reacquaintance session occurred whilst looking at the various transmitters.

Our company had a meeting with Nautel to see their latest and greatest. Jeff Welton, Nautel sales manager for Central USA, told us about the new NV40 solid-state transmitter. Being the assistant at the time, I hung near the rear of the group to allow the others (decision makers) to ogle the NV40 closely.

As Jeff’s presentation continued, I began to size up the box. Power-wise it was too much for our needs. Physically it was still a bit too large. Yet the presentation was intriguing. As it wound down I commented from the rear of the crowd, “Cut that in half and I may buy one.”

The year progressed, more plans were configured, and a decision had to be made. I received information regarding the new NV20 transmitter from Nautel. Because I was doing the drawings and space planning, the dimensions were directed to me. Two NV20s were a perfect physical fit, plus the price was right.

I reported back to Nautel that if they could be delivered within our required time schedule, they would fit our needs perfectly.

As the year moved into the third quarter the drive to install ramped up. I found myself promoted to chief engineer. Now the project was fully in my hands, along with the AM tower construction and our Class A station HD Radio installation.

I called up Jeff to find out what we’d recently submitted for purchase and what our timeline was, because until my promotion, I hadn’t been in the loop regarding final purchase once planning and drawings had been completed. Jeff gave me the rundown and I supplied the required information for the transmitters. As it turns out we also purchased a Nautel V1-D for the Class A station. The price was right, the size was right.

Now the delivery had to be right. All the equipment was required on site no later than Dec. 31. We were assured that it would be, including the V1-D.

Like champs

December 2008 became quite busy. The construction of the AM tower was in full swing. Storms were delaying everything.

We took delivery of the V1-D well ahead of schedule from Nautel on Dec. 10 and had it on the air by Dec. 19. Now we turned our attention to the NV20s.

The old transmitters were removed on Dec. 22 and we took delivery of the new ones on Christmas Eve late in the afternoon. J.R. Rogers, director of technical services and IT manager for Lincoln Financial Media, and I sat waiting for the truck for nearly six hours in what had to be the coldest day in San Diego in years.

As typical with delivery companies, no tools to move the transmitters properly were available. By 4 p.m. we finally had the transmitters in place. The first two production models of the NV20 in the United States, serial numbers H103 and H104, sat in our transmitter room.

After a well-deserved weekend, we began installation of the transmitters. Working with e-mailed copies of a manual in progress, I had the first transmitter plumbed and running into a RF load on Dec. 31. Mind you it was FM-only, but it was running.

The second transmitter was plumbed and running, FM-only, into a load by the end of the second week of January 2009. We were ready to have Nautel come out and commission the boxes. I had great support from the Nautel technical staff and Scott Marchand, FM project leader. Any question was answered in a timely manner.

The first NV20 was on the air Jan. 28, 2009. One of Nautel’s customer service technicians, Nelson Bohorquez, was on-site for commissioning.

J.R. and I both learned much about the nuances of creating the HD during this exercise. We also impressed Nelson on our ability to diagnose and troubleshoot the untested network during this time.

The second transmitter aired on Jan. 29. Due to some interesting issues with the second transmitter it took until Feb. 13 to go on air in full FM + HD. As with any new product we experienced minor issues, but nothing that threatened the on-air performance. Bohorquez was there for the on-air debut; Marchand and the rest of the Nautel crew were at the ready. It was a big deal. I appreciate all the help from the staff.

Since installation, we have performed a number of software updates that were easy to perform, some of which were intermediate to final releases. A beta test site, if you will. Actually, a “reality” test site, as it turned out.

We monitored the transmitters closely and reported anything that may need attention. We gave suggestions.

In our curiosity we experimented on access to the Exgine of one exciter. We clicked on the “wrong” answer and crashed the card. A timely repair from Nautel corrected the issue.

We experienced a loss of phase one night, as the local power company blew a fuse leading to the site. When I arrived, both transmitters were still on air and running at reduced power. The auxiliary transmitters were dead. I was shocked.

I love the Nautel AUI and remote accessibility; it is a great tool. With VPN and Web access, I can monitor the transmitters anywhere. The logging keeps me informed of any potential issues.

Two years later the Nautel NV20s are running like champs. We upgraded our HVAC to accommodate the heat load. We continue to monitor the transmitters. They work. Thanks for the support, Nautel.

The author is chief engineer for Lincoln Financial Media Co. of California.

For information, contact Chuck Kelly at Nautel in Nova Scotia at (902) 823-2233 or visit www.nautel.com.

Underlining Nautel’s Commitment to digital radio, DRM Inside™, the industry’s most integrated DRM Modulator/content server, will provide an easy to manage and integrated approach for Digital Radio Mondial transmission.

IBC, Amsterdam, stand 8.C61 — Nautel Limited has announced “DRM Inside”, a simplified approach to DRM broadcasting using an integrated DRM Modulator and content server for its NX Series. Integration results in a cost effective and simplified DRM deployment. Users can achieve local or remote configuration, operation and monitoring using just one user interface, Nautel’s award winning Advanced User Interface (AUI). The full function DRM solution will be supported in all NX Series MW and LW transmitters with available outputs of 25 kW to 2000 kW. Existing NX Series customers will have an option to upgrade to DRM Inside by way of an internal PCB card and an easy AUI software update.

“DRM Inside is one more demonstration of Nautel’s focus on ‘Making Digital Radio Work’,” said Peter Conlon, Nautel President and CEO. “Customers have been excited as our engineers place more intelligence and capability inside our transmitters such as Orban Inside for audio processing, IP Audio I/O, automation features or in this case DRM.”

Developed in conjunction with RFmondial and Fraunhofer IIS of Germany, Nautel’s DRM Inside consists of software enhancements to the Nautel AUI, a compact embedded modulator with integrated Fraunhofer DRM ContentServer™, as well as redundant MDI inputs from external DRM ContentServers. The Nautel Advanced User Interface provides presets, logging, diagnostics, and local/remote control of all transmitter functions. The AUI also incorporates an instrument-grade audio analyzer and modulation monitor with display screens that are easy to set up and read. “It is the integration with Nautel’s AUI that unleashes the full power of DRM Inside,” commented Hal Kneller, Nautel Sales Manager Europe. “DRM modes and settings will be controlled within the AUI and can take advantage of presets and the ability to monitor the DRM spectrum remotely.”

DRM Inside has projected availability of Q2 2012. Nautel will be hosting live demonstrations of a DRM Inside prototype and its NX Series transmitters at IBC stand 8.C61. DRM+ is also being demonstrated on Nautel’s award winning NV and VS Series FM transmitters with outputs of 300 W to 88 kW.

About Nautel

Nautel has emerged as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. With more than 10,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital radio broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Marketing Manager
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Radio Work.
www.nautel.com

Radio World Engineering Extra, October 17, 2012, by Stephen Rutherford

Read the full article online >

Learn more about VS Series transmitters >

Radio Magazine, July 1, 2013, By Doug Irwin

Read the full article with photos and illustrations at radiomagonline.com >

In February 2010, iBiquity released a paper on techniques for measuring the quality of IBOC transmissions. A quality-metric known as MER (Modulation Error Ratio) was introduced by the National Radio Systems Committee as a standard. If you don’t read the entire document, it’s important to note that stakeholders in the United States have agreed to this methodology.

After three years we are now seeing the introduction of MER metering for IBOC transmitters. Nautel recently made this available for its NV and NX series transmitters; Continental also has MER metering in its current HD Radio exciter, the 802Ex FM/HD. Nautel recently presented a webinar on its MER techniques rel=”nofollow”>

According to information presented in the webinar, Nautel has implemented the FM MER technique described in the iBiquity paper in its NV series transmitters. There’s no standard for AM, however, so Nautel has implemented what it refers to as a textbook standard methodology for its AM transmitters MER measurement.

So what are the implications of a low MER value, and how is MER measured? Conceptually (at least) it’s pretty straightforward. Recall that the IBOC subcarriers are in groups (or partitions) consisting of both QPSK (for the data) and BPSK for the reference carriers. See Figure 1.
[Figure 1. The FM HD Radio spectrum.]

In an ideal situation, when QPSK carriers are demodulated the result would be perfect placement inside the constellation, resulting in easy error-free detection, (Figure 2). In the real world though, when the QPSK carriers are demodulated they show up close to the right (reference) spot, but not exactly right on.
[Figure 2. The QPSK constellation showing error-free detection.]

MER measures how off the actual readings are from the reference points, as Q1 through Q4 show in Figure 3 after demodulation.
MER example. [Figure 3. MER example]

The farther off the readings, the more difficult it is for the receiver to correctly detect the signal. If they are too far off then they can’t be detected well, resulting in bit errors. Too many bit errors leads to a total failure of the demodulation and decoding process.

It is interesting to note that peak-to-average power reduction actually generates noise in the constellation, but that particular noise ultimately has little effect on the ability of the receiver to properly demodulate the data. David Hershberger, senior scientist for Continental Electronics, wrote in his paper “IBOC Signal Quality Measurements” that “Peak-to-average (PAR) reduction algorithms may introduce enough deliberate distortion to digital signals that the effects of a transmitter on MER are obscured. Special measurement methods can separate the effects of a transmitter from that of PAPR reduction.” And further: “The PA(P)R reduction noise is large compared to other OFDM systems. A textbook evaluation of MER … will result in the PA(P)R reduction noise dominating the measurement. For this reason NRSC has proposed several modified MER measurements which result in metrics which are closer to the true system performance.” Both the Continental and Nautel implementations of MER effectively subtract noise generated by PAR from the measurement results.

The Nautel implementation of MER uses an RF sample from the transmitter output to derive the MER. (It’s the same sample used for the adaptive pre-distortion.) The measurement is fairly granular in that it allows you to see the MER of each partition (or group of subcarriers) and therefore how each partition is being affected by some external influence. Some examples will demonstrate this.

In Figure 4, we see a partition fairly far removed from the center frequency, with a high MER.
[Figure 4.]

In Figure 5, we see a partition closer in, with somewhat of a lower MER.
[Figure 5.]

Low MER can actually decrease the coverage area of the IBOC transmissions, and especially for AM (according to the webinar) it can make the receivers in the field take longer to lock on the IBOC data, as Table 1 shows. Interference from MER and noise add linearly at the receiver. A standard Exgine signal has MER of 17-18dB using iBiquity PAR.
[Table 1. The effects of MER on FM reception.]

An MER of 14dB or better is the standard for what is considered acceptable by iBiquity.

The MER of the inner partitions can be negatively affected (i.e., reduced) by components in the analog transmission as well. Stations using the MP3 mode (which you would use to broadcast HD3 for example) could inadvertently have their HD coverage compromised to some extent by the inclusion of high frequency SCAs. Figure 6 shows this.
[Figure 6. Effects of increased modulation index.]

Note that the MER for the inner partitions degrades as the baseband is loaded with more signals. A stereo subcarrier alone will affect IBOC quality. Traditional subcarriers primarily affect the MP3 partition, but can affect the MP1 as well… Continue reading at radiomagonline.com >

Learn more about MER Instrumentation for HD Radio rel=”nofollow”>

Digital Production Middle East, March 11, 2014

Read the article at www.digitalproductionme.com >

One of the world’s largest broadcast transmitter manufacturers, Nautel, gave CABSAT visitors a look at its latest technologies today.

Nautel’s John Macdonald (left) and Wendell Lonergan (right) at CABSAT 2014.

Speaking at the event, Wendell Lonergan, Head of Broadcast Sales said: “We come to CABSAT every year and we do all the major shows in the world. Over the last seven years, we have completely changed our portfolio and become the largest supplier of both AM and FM transmitters, we have new technologies in both AM and FM this year, it’s all about making digital broadcast better.”

“The Middle East Market is good, there is a lot of activity in Saudi, Oman and Kuwait. We are doing business in all of these countries as well as the Emirates.”

According to Wendell, a recent project in India saw the largest roll out of DRM medium wave equipment on the planet; 27 medium wave DRM-enabled transmitters and other equipment were sent to India as part of All India Radio’s transition to digital broadcasting, possibly the world’s largest digital radio initiative to date. 100kW, 200 kW and 300 kW transmitters were placed throughout the country, all configured for DRM30 transmission.

On the FM side, Nautel is promoting Omnia Direct which is one of its newest features in collaboration with Omnia. It is a fully digital transmission chain which doesn’t sacrifice loudness. A single AES-EBU cable between the Omnia.11 and a Nautel NV transmitter carries the baseband signal in digital form.

Also, new this year is AUI (Advanced User Interface), the latest generation of transmitters designed to give engineers more control even if they are far away from the transmitter. The aim is to ensure fast diagnosis of transmission related issues, provide information that allows engineers to be more proactive in their work and ultimately avoid trips to the transmitter site, all resulting in time and financial savings. The AUI can be accessed locally with a user provided laptop and remotely using the internet.

As Nautel is fairly well established now, it is using CABSAT as an opportunity for relationship management, a chance to sit down with clients, show new features and bring clients up to date with what Nautel are doing.

The Oracle, Innes Corporation, March 2014

Postcards from Perth

Love is… a new Nautel NV10! Greg Hateley, Chief Engineer, 6PR and 96FM.

Dan Jackson with his new NV10 at the Carmel transmitter site. Two NV10′s were installed at Perth’s 94.5FM and 92.9 stations.

New concept in HD multicasting enables up to 15 independent stations within 600 kHz of signal bandwidth and 9 within 400 kHz.

Nautel’s Philipp Schmid conducts a live demonstration of Nautel HD Multiplex at the annual Nautel User Group (NUG) meeting in Las Vegas.

The technology allows the combination of multiple independent IBOC exgine modulators into a single HD PowerBoost crest factor reduction engine, permitting 2 or more IBOC stations to be amplified using a single transmitter and subsequent antenna system. (Nautel’s HD PowerBoost uses an intelligent peak to average power ratio – PAPR – to increase HD Radio™ power output while at the same time increasing efficiency.) The all-digital IBOC configuration is capable of carrying up to 3 times the standard IBOC content. The methodology also maintains backward compatibility with existing receivers by ensuring the standard sideband channel separation within the multiplexed signal.

A transmitter operating in HD Multiplex mode could provide coverage comparable to a higher-powered hybrid analog/digital transmitter. Through modification of the established IBOC crest factor reduction, Nautel’s HD PowerBoost could operate on all of the independent stations transmitted using HD Multiplex.

“This technology opens up some exciting opportunities for broadcasters,” said Kevin Rodgers, Nautel President and CEO. “A station considering HD conversion could test the waters by leasing an audio stream on the multiplex. AM stations could be moved to the FM band, as proposed by some countries. Netcasters could place their most popular streams on an over-the-air signal. In many cases, this could provide new revenue for broadcasters through leases or ad insertion in the various streams. Further, small markets could have a broad variety of diverse formats served by a single low-cost station.”

Nautel demonstrated a working prototype of HD Multiplex at NAB 2015 to foster discussion within the broadcast community. Based on feedback from broadcasters, Nautel will determine the appropriate path for further development of the technology and application for regulatory approvals.

Learn more about Nautel’s HD Radio solutions >>

About Nautel
Nautel has emerged as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of broadcast transmitters. With more than 14,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

Nautel and DaySequerra have announced a cooperation for managing analog/HD delay issues in broadcast transmissions

President of DaySequerra, David Day, with Kevin Rodgers of Nautel.

DaySequerra’s M4.2 TimeLock is designed to receive the AM/FM off-air broadcast, with its proprietary TimeLock™ algorithm measuring the timing difference between the HD Radio analog and HD-1 program streams with accuracy to one audio sample. Out-of-tolerance conditions are reported via email, rear panel tallies and via its built-in web server using any browser on a broadcaster’s network. The M4.2 TimeLock unit will directly stream time corrections to the Nautel Exporter Plus using TCP/IP protocol. Delay adjustments will be implemented in the digital audio chain in the Exporter Plus.

“Proper diversity delay synchronization is critical to a listener’s HD Radio experience,” said David Day, president of DaySequerra. “We’re happy to partner with Nautel to solve this problem for our mutual customers.”

“This partnership with DaySequerra will once again improve the quality of HD Radio,” said Kevin Rodgers, Nautel President and CEO. “Listener experience is paramount and this is an example of how HD Radio is continually improving. Nautel is proud to be a partner in this important step.”

Learn more about Nautel’s HD Radio solutions >>

About DaySequerra
DaySequerra provides high-performance audio solutions for radio, TV and Internet broadcasters. Technology applications include loudness measurement and loudness control, transmitting multichannel surround audio over stereo, and digital radio processing and monitoring. DaySequerra’s technology partners include DTS and iBiquity Digital. DaySequerra’s state-of-the-art products are marketed and sold under ATI Audio and DaySequerra brands with well over 100,000 units installed in racks worldwide. www.daysequerra.com

About Nautel
Nautel has emerged as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of broadcast transmitters. With more than 14,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

Awards presented from Radio World and Radio Magazine honor new NX transmitters, HD Multiplex technology.

Hackett’s Cove, Nova Scotia – Nautel Limited was presented with three industry awards at NAB 2015. The “Best of Show” awards, presented by New Bay Media publications Radio World and Radio Magazine, were earned for the new NX5/NX10 transmitters and for Nautel HD Multiplex, a technology that will enable the placement of up to 15 audio streams or stations within 600 kHz of signal bandwidth or up to 9 audio streams in 400 kHz of signal bandwidth.

Earning “Best of Show” from Radio Magazine, the new NX Series AM transmitters operate at 5 and 10 kW of analog power and bring high efficiency (86% AC to RF) and a large suite of operational features to mid-power AM operations. The NX5 and NX10 include AM precorrection with unmatched linearity; 1.8 MHz direct digital modulation and Nautel’s signature Advanced User Interface. For more information on the NX5 and NX10, visit www.nautel.com/nx.

Nautel HD Multiplex was presented “Best of Show” awards from both Radio Magazine and Radio World. This experimental technology allows the combination of multiple independent IBOC exgine modulators into a single HD PowerBoost crest factor reduction engine, permitting 2 or more IBOC stations to be amplified using a single transmitter and subsequent antenna system. The all-digital IBOC configuration is capable of carrying up to 3 times the standard IBOC content. The methodology also maintains backward compatibility with existing receivers by ensuring the standard sideband channel separation within the multiplexed signal. Utilizing an active demonstration at the Nautel NAB booth, HD Multiplex drew the attention of many attendees. Nautel’s intent in showing HD Multiplex was to generate dialogue within the industry and to determine the future path for this new technology.

“We are pleased and honored to receive these awards,” said Kevin Rodgers, Nautel President and CEO. “To be selected not just once, but three times, by the broadcast engineers and industry experts who judged the many entries is exciting. We’re very proud of the engineering team here at Nautel who have spent countless hours working on these new products and technologies along with continuous improvement of the entire Nautel line.”

“Recognition with an award at the NAB show from NewBay Media’s Broadcast & Video Group is a strong vote of confidence and admiration from our leading industry publications,” said NewBay Media Broadcast & Video Group Vice President & Group Publisher Eric Trabb.

Learn more about Nautel’s HD Radio solutions >>
Learn more about Nautel’s NX5 and NX10 >>.

About Nautel
Nautel has emerged as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of broadcast transmitters. With more than 14,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

Nautel creates a new category of HD components incorporating HD Importer/Exporter functionality at half the cost of prior equipment; radio stations now have a simple, expandable and affordable way to provide HD Radio to listeners.

NAB 2017, Booth N8324 – Nautel has introduced the HD MultiCast+ Importer/Exporter, a new product that combines an HD Radio Importer and Exporter into one unit. The first product of its type to include DTS’ Gen 4 HD code, this 2 RU unit includes a built-in multi-channel audio card, GPS receiver, Nautel Reliable HD Transport, software, and station logo support.

“This new product slashes the cost of HD Radio components in half, making HD Radio operation more affordable for stations,” said Kevin Rodgers, Nautel President and CEO, “but it’s more than a combined Importer and Exporter; it’s a comprehensive HD Radio services platform. The HD MultiCast+ has the potential to support services such as multichannel audio processing and audio codecs.”

The HD MultiCast+ platform is versatile, allowing its use as an all-in-one product or separately as an Importer or Exporter. The Importer codes the secondary program services of an IBOC transmission, which can include digital channels, two, three, four, and multiple data channels. The Exporter combines the digital version of the main audio stream with the secondary audio and data services from the Importer.

Nautel also announced reduced pricing for its proven Exporter+ and a new generation stand-alone Importer, the HD Multiplex+ Importer.

“Nautel is committed to making digital broadcasting simple and effective both for current users and future adopters of the technology,” said Rodgers. “With the new HD MultiCast+ platform, our HD upgrade path for our value-priced NVLT transmitters and our engineers’ work on seamless HD SFNs, we continue to look to the future of HD Radio and other digital technologies.”

About Nautel
Nautel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. With more than 15,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970 and more than 7,000 deployments of AUI-enabled transmitters, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital radio broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

The post Nautel Introduces Expandable HD MultiCast+ Platform appeared first on Nautel Broadcast.

Nautel innovations and technology demonstrations underscore the company’s commitment to the future of digital broadcasting.

NAB 2017, Booth N8324 – Nautel has unveiled a number of HD Radio- related products and technologies at NAB 2017.

New to the Nautel line is the the HD MultiCast+ Importer/Exporter, which combines an HD Radio Importer and Exporter into one unit. The first product of its type to include DTS’ Gen 4 HD code, this 2 RU unit includes a built-in multi-channel audio card, GPS receiver, Nautel Reliable HD Transport, software, and station logo support. Operation of the HD MultiCast+ platform is versatile, allowing its use as an all-in-one product or separately as an Importer or Exporter. (Full details are available in a separate press release.)

Nautel also brought leading-edge HD technologies to the forefront at the show, with a demonstration of an HD SFN (Single Frequency Network) method that enables seamless transition between separate HD transmitters on an SFN. (Full details are available in a separate press release.)

Updates allowing an easy path to digital operation were announced for the company’s NVLT Series of value-priced high-power FM transmitters. This latest HD upgrade enhancement to the line joins prior updates to the NVLT series over the past few years including simple site control, PS scrolling functionality for RDS, an oscilloscope function and more. (Full details are available in a separate press release.)

Also updated for enhanced HD operation were Nautel’s VS Series of low-power FM transmitters. Already the most feature-packed low-power FM transmitters on the market, VS Series transmitters can easily be converted to digital operation with the optional VSHD Digital Exciter. Now customers will receive Nautel’s award winning HD PowerBoost GEN4 at no extra cost allowing even more HD power and efficiency.

“These products underscore our commitment to keeping HD Radio viable, affordable and easy for broadcasters to adopt,” said Kevin Rodgers, Nautel President and CEO.

About Nautel
Nautel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. With more than 15,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970 and more than 7,000 deployments of AUI-enabled transmitters, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital radio broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

The post New Nautel Technologies at NAB Focus on HD Radio™ appeared first on Nautel Broadcast.

New system developed by Nautel helps to ensure consistent signal coverage for HD Radio transmission.

NAB 2017, Booth N8324 – Nautel has announced a new solution for Single Frequency Networks (SFN) for HD Radio. The new method enables two or more transmitters to work together to provide consistent, seamless coverage of HD signals throughout a region, even in areas with challenging terrain. A paper on this topic, presented at the 2017 NAB BEITC, earned “best paper” recognition at the conference for Nautel Research Engineer Philipp Schmid.

“Stations are increasingly looking to SFNs to maximize their coverage, where multiple transmitters on the same frequency hand off the signal to one another. However, traditional analog SFN approaches can create overlapping coverage and result in poor to unacceptable reception,” said Schmid. “Digital radio transmission, on the other hand, maintains good audio quality unless the signal is lost entirely. With Nautel’s technology, broadcasters can achieve a seamless HD Radio transmission hand-off from one transmitter to the next.”

Schmid said Nautel’s HD SFN has two key elements: a hybrid FM+IBOC booster installation that minimizes on-channel interference; and a method to achieve precise input-to-output time synchronization for both FM and IBOC across multiple HD Radio transmitters. The Nautel HD SFN method has been proven in field trials at KUSC, just north of Los Angeles, which demonstrated successful HD Radio coverage extension even in difficult mountainous terrain. Schmid’s award-winning BEITC paper addressed the challenges and outcomes of these field trials.

About Nautel
Nautel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. With more than 15,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970 and more than 7,000 deployments of AUI-enabled transmitters, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital radio broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

The post Nautel Unveils SFN Option for HD Radio™ appeared first on Nautel Broadcast.

All India Radio adds to massive digital radio deployment with four 100 kW and two 200 kW NX transmitters.

Hackett’s Cove, Nova Scotia – Nautel Limited has shipped six additional high-power DRM-enabled MW transmitters for deployment at All India Radio, the largest digital broadcasting system in the world. Four 100 kW NX100 and two 200 kW NX200 transmitters were shipped to India in July 2017 for installation in six cities. The transmitters will be commissioned by Nautel’s in-country partner Comcon in association with India’s Prasar Bharati.

The July, 2017 shipment of 6 NX transmitters complements the 27 NX transmitters which are already on air with DRM transmission throughout India. The massive project has the goal of bringing digital radio to nearly a billion residents of the country. The new transmitters will be installed at All India Radio (AIR) facilities in Hyderabad, Jagdalpur, Vishakhapatnam, Bhawanipatna, Jeypore and Sambalpur. All 33 transmitters in the AIR project are configured for DRM30 operation.

Nautel NX high power transmitters occupy a very small footprint and offer the industry’s highest efficiency (90%) along with AM precorrection, unmatched linearity and Nautel’s exclusive, award-winning Advanced User Interface which provides commercial grade instrumentation, spectrum analyzer, logging, presets, local and remote transmitter control, email notifications and enhanced support services.

“Nautel is excited to partner with Comcon and Prasar Bharati on this extensive project,” said Kevin Rodgers, Nautel President and CEO. “With this system fully deployed in all parts of India, AIR is uniquely positioned to serve the different dialects and regional needs of its billion listeners. It’s a shining example of the capabilities digital broadcasting can provide throughout the world.”

Nautel MW and FM transmitters will be demonstrated at the upcoming IBC show in Amsterdam on stand 8.C49. For more information on the All India Radio project, visit http://www.nautel.com/AIR.

About Nautel
Nautel has emerged as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. With more than 15,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970 and more than 7,000 deployments of AUI-enabled transmitters, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital radio broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

The post Largest DRM Deployment in the World Expanded with Six More Nautel Transmitters appeared first on Nautel Broadcast.

“Building for a Billion” project covers most of the country with DRM30 transmission.

Hackett’s Cove, Nova Scotia – Nautel has announced receipt of final acceptance on a large transmitter project involving the commissioning of 27 digital-equipped medium wave transmitters throughout the country of India. The project, which was initiated in 2013 by Prasar Bharati for All India Radio (AIR), has been titled “Building for a Billion,” with the goal of bringing digital radio broadcasting to more than a billion residents of the country.

AIR’s digital broadcasting system, the largest in the world, uses high-power (100 – 300 kW) Nautel MW transmitters, each equipped for DRM30 transmission, at 27 separate sites throughout the country. (Nautel has shipped another order of six transmitters to AIR, which will further expand the reach of their digital network across 33 sites). Nautel deployed the transmitters in association with its in-country partner Comcon along with Altronic, providing RF test loads, Digidia, providing DRM modulators/content servers and Kintronic Labs, supplying matching systems for the project.

Additional information on the AIR project is available via a recent Nautel Webinar, which may be found on the Nautel website. To access the Webinar, visit http://www.nautel.com/webinar/building-for-a-billion/.

About Nautel
Nautel has emerged as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. With more than 15,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970 and more than 7,500 deployments of AUI-enabled transmitters, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital radio broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
902-802-0813 (mobile)
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

The post Nautel Completes Major Transmitter Project in India appeared first on Nautel Broadcast.

Commissioning has been successfully completed on a two Megawatt Radio site in Hungary, using a Nautel NX2000 MW system.

Hackett’s Cove, Nova Scotia, December 5 2017 – Nautel’s largest transmitter, a 2 Megawatt NX2000 Medium Wave system, has been fully commissioned and is now on the air at Antenna Hungaria’s transmission facility near Solt, Hungary. The project involved large infrastructure changes at the site as well as installation of the new transmitter.

“The NX2000 system incorporates five Nautel NX400 transmitters along with a large, versatile combiner,” said Wendell Lonergan, Nautel Head of Broadcast Sales. “Our new NXC2000 combiner can be reconfigured if one or more transmitters is shut down, which ensures that maximum power is delivered to the antenna in all cases.” Nautel worked closely with Porion Digital KFT on the installation, which included building renovations and air handling modifications as well as interfacing the NX2000 to Antenna Hungaria’s existing 11 kV voltage supply. The solid state Nautel system replaces an aging custom-built tube transmitter that had been in operation for 40 years.

Antenna Hungaria is wholly owned by the government of Hungary and provides broadcast, telecommunication and multimedia services throughout the country. Their Solt operation is the most powerful medium wave radio transmitter in Europe and one of the most powerful transmitters in the world. Its signal on 540 kHz can be heard all over Europe as well as in parts of Africa, Russia and Asia.

The new NX2000 system brings high efficiency – 90% – and significant power savings to an operation that had been running at around 60% efficiency with its older equipment. Nautel’s high power NX transmitters, in addition to their high efficiency and outstanding reliability, offer a compact footprint for significant space savings. Individual transmitters are available in 100, 200, 300 or 400 kW designs, along with lower power units ranging down to 3 kW. As with all modern Nautel transmitters, control and monitoring are accomplished via Nautel’s award winning Advanced User Interface (AUI).

“Nautel has been entrusted with some of the world’s largest Radio broadcasting projects in the past few years,” said Kevin Rodgers, Nautel President and CEO. “This 2 Megawatt transmitter, along with the world’s largest DRM deployment in India and other opportunities around the globe, have strengthened our abilities to provide world-class transmission solutions as well as the best customer service in the industry. We are honored to have been chosen for these important projects.”

For more information on the NX2000 system for Antenna Hungaria along with video, visit www.nautel.com/biggest. Antenna Hungaria’s press release announcing completion of the project is available at www.ahrt.hu.

About Nautel
Nautel is one of the world’s largest manufacturers of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters. With more than 15,000 transmitters deployed in over 177 countries since 1970 and more than 7,500 deployments of AUI-enabled transmitters, Nautel continues to lead the way in providing valuable new solutions for digital radio broadcasting and other applications.

# # #

For more information please contact:
John Whyte
Director of Marketing
902-823-5174
John.Whyte@nautel.com

Making Digital Broadcasting Work.
www.nautel.com

The post Europe’s Most Powerful MW Station Updated with Nautel appeared first on Nautel Broadcast.