Radio Frequency Systems (RFS) and broadcast network engineering specialist Eve played a central role in the upgrade of the Selkirk broadcast site as part of the U.K.’s digital switchover (DSO) program. The Selkirk site, one of many owned by Arqiva, is the first to be upgraded as part of the national DSO program. It was successfully commissioned in early September.
DSO is a six-year program for the shutoff of the U.K.’s existing analog TV broadcast services, and implementation of nationwide digital TV services. The program involves the upgrade of some 1150 sites across the country.
RFS and Eve partnered to provide a turnkey RF system upgrade at the Selkirk site to meet the DSO’s new channel allocations and higher-power digital broadcasting requirements.
The RFS-Eve team had to supply and install new main and standby antenna arrays — each designed to support the site’s six new 2kW digital transmitters — on the Selkirk mast. In addition, the team supplied and installed two new combiner chains, replacement transmission lines and a tailor-made patch panel that supports switching combinations of both the current analog and six digital transmitters.
The centerpiece of the Selkirk upgrade is the new main and reserve antenna arrays, which are based on RFS’s PHP horizontally polarized broadband UHF panel antenna. The upgrade also features an RFS 14-port 4-7/8in patch panel specifically designed to permit the widest switching combinations. RFS also provided dual (main and reserve) CZAE-series multichannel balanced combiners, comprising a mixture of six and eight-pole 200mm (8in) combine filters.
For more information, visit: www.rfsworld.com.
