Television coverage of this year’s ING New York City Marathon was aided with RF Central microwave equipment.
The 26-mile, 38-yard event was televised using 18 RF Central RFX-RMRX6 six-way diversity receivers, four RFX-CMT-II camera-mount transmitters, two RFX-PHT portable high-power transmitters and two RFX-PDT portable digital transmitters.
The equipment was used in a network similar to that of a cellular phone system to ensure that there would be no picture break-up from loss of RF signals.
“In the old days, we used to use tracking antennas for each vehicle because we did not have multiple input receivers, which meant being at the mercy of whatever we could possibly transmit from one source,” said Jim Malone, RF Central chief technology officer.
He added that the company’s multiple input receivers, coupled with six antennas each, obviated the need for tracking technology, as they could capture sufficient signal and provide corrections as necessary to provide good audio and video, even in marginal coverage zones.
The Nov. 11 event was seen by an estimated 315 million viewers around the world.
