RAYMOND, MAINE—Antenna and RF system provider Dielectric has unveiled its new TFU-WB Series Auxiliary UHF Antenna. The company says that its new antenna is well-suited to high-power UHF applications from channels 14 to 51, including the ATSC 3.0 standard and 4K UHD TV. The antenna features a streamlined design for side mounting on existing structures and is able to reduce wind-load by 75 percent.
The TV spectrum repack may cause TV stations to relocate their channels down to the lower end of the UHF spectrum in order to free higher UHF frequencies for wireless receivers. According to Dielectric, the WB antenna can serve as an auxiliary antenna while broadcasters’ main TV tower equipment is modified, relocated or replace during the TV spectrum repack.
For broadcasters who need to relocate, Dielectric says the WB antenna can transmit multiple, combined channels simultaneously. It comes with a rating of 20kW per eight-bay section, and when two or three sections are stacked, it can accommodate input powers of 40kW per 16-bay and 60kW per 24-bay sections.
The WB antenna can be configured horizontally or elliptically polarized, using either a directional or wide cardioid azimuth pattern. Elliptical polarization is required for next-generation applications. The directional skull shape pattern is meant to focus radiated power in one particular direction off the tower, while the wide cardioid pattern serves a hempispherical (or semicircular) coverage area.
Dielectric will showcase the WB antenna during the ATSC 3.0 demonstration from Sinclair Broadcast Group and ONE Media, as well as at its booth, C2213, at the 2016 NAB Show, which runs from April 16-21 in Las Vegas.
