ABC-5, based in Manila, is one of the largest TV and radio networks in the Philippines. The company recently underwent a major upgrade of its broadcast infrastructure and added new Jampro DTV antennas to increase coverage to the island nation’s nearly 100 million people.
A series of Jampro broadband UHF and VHF panel antennas will be installed at 10 sites throughout the country, with Jampro RF engineers recommending the antennas best suited to individual sites. They also designed custom patterns to achieve specific coverage for each site to cope with many topological challenges posed by mountainous terrain covering an area slightly larger than the state of Arizona.
To attain the required coverage, the engineers used a combination of Jampro models JUHD UHF antennas and JHD-LV2 and JHD-HV2 VHF flat-panel antennas. Jampro also supplied coaxial transmission line, an RCPU antenna switch frame, Proline rigid transmission line and accessories. Jampro also will be commissioning the installations.
The JUHD DTV-ready antenna for UHF Bands IV and V offer wide bandwidth for multichannel operation. Based on a proven modular design, JUHDs can be configured to provide various azimuth and elevation patterns. An optional beam tilt and null fill allows the elevation pattern to be shaped to maximize coverage. This horizontally polarized antenna may be configured to include varying levels of vertical polarization with results ranging from small amounts of elliptical polarization. The JUHD UHF antenna also was selected for its stainless steel construction, which is critical for certain sites to withstand the tropical-maritime climate and seasonal monsoon rains.
For VHF broadcasting, ABC-5 will deploy Jampro JHD-LV2 antennas for Channels 2 to 6 and JHD-HV antennas for Channels 7 to 13. Both are half-wave-spaced, dual-dipole flat-panel antennas with typical VSWR of 1.05:1 on carrier and 1.1:1 across the channel. A mix of omnidirectional and custom patterns will be used to optimize the planned coverage.
