RAYMOND, Maine—Dielectric will introduce its first top-mounted, free-standing UHF broadband pylon antenna at NAB Show 2023 next week, building on more than 15 years of field-proven Dielectric broadband technology with new patent-pending design innovations, the company reported.
“Broadband panel antenna systems require higher part counts, external feedlines, and more connection points for installation than pylon systems,” said Keith Pelletier, president and general manager, Dielectric. “That complexity increases wind load and reduces system reliability, which increases field maintenance and repairs. Our new generation of UHF broadband pylon antennas enable the coveted top-position on the tower and ensure excellent circularity, made possible by utilizing multiple techniques developed over the past few decades by Dielectric’s engineering team.”
Broadband pylon antennas bring exceptional bandwidth, performance and pattern flexibility to broadcasters. However, they have traditionally been offered as side-mounted solutions due to structural hindrances that compromise the pylon from being self-supporting, the company explained.
New for NAB, Dielectric has engineered a structurally-sound, broadband pylon design for top-mounted configurations without sacrificing horizontal and vertical pattern circularity, bandwidth characteristics, and elevation pattern gain.
The breakthrough was made possible through Dielectric’s work developing top-mounted, stacked antenna systems and combining that knowledge with techniques used for side-mounted broadband pylons. The result is a free-standing, high-efficiency pylon alternative to top-mounted panel antennas. The new slotted coaxial design supports up to 10 UHF channels while reducing wind load and footprint on broadcast towers, Dielectric reported.
Available immediately, Dielectric has already shipped two UHF broadband pylon antenna systems to broadcasters in Omaha, Nebraska and El Paso, Texas. In addition to high-power panel replacement opportunities, Pelletier sees strong opportunity for NextGen TV deployments over the coming several years.
“These are attractive designs for higher power applications with multiple stations, and will typically accommodate input power ratings of 60 to 120 kilowatts,” he said. “That makes it perfect as the main antenna for an ATSC 3.0 SFN network, and is otherwise an ideal replacement choice for panel antennas in the field that are nearing end of life, or have become increasingly expensive to maintain.”
Dielectric exhibits at Booth W3601 at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the 2023 NAB Show beginning April 16.
