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[Tuesday at NAB]
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Nautel Debuts Solid-State Transmitters
New Technology Boosts Power For HD Transmitters, Aerospace Initiative Outlined
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by Kelly M. Brooks,
~ April 15, 2008
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RADIO WORLD
With new HD Radio “turbo charge” technology and a foray into rocket science, Nautel is putting action behind its slogan for the 2008 NAB Show: “Expect More.”
Nautel unveiled two high-power solid-state transmitters — one for FM and one for AM. “They’re small in size, but they’re pretty big in power,” said Nautel President and CEO Peter Conlon.
The company said the NV40 offers the highest single cabinet power output of any FM transmitter on the market with a maximum analog power output of 44 kW. The HD-ready model offers three modes of operation — HD, hybrid and analog.
POWER UP
“We have brought the first high-power FM solution to the marketplace that is a single box,” Conlon said. “You could do it before by linking smaller boxes. Now we’ve got one little system, way smaller, way less expensive, you don’t need to link them and there’s no more tubes.”
NV40 highlights include the Advanced User Interface, a 17-inch LCD touchscreen with various configurable displays. It offers real-time locus measurement; an IBOC modulation analyzer; module-level monitoring and a spectrum analyzer.
“It sounds like it’s just ‘bling,’ but [the AUI] is a new way of managing the transmitter,” said Conlon. “Now you have all of this information, and you can put it on the Web, so you can sit in your office with just a PC and manage your transmitter from 1,000 miles away with a massive amount of information.
The NX50 for AM is the next generation of Nautel’s 50 kW transmitter. It supports HD Radio with an internal DRM or Exgine IBOC generator. Features include adaptive pre-correction, 2.7 MHz direct digital modulation and 88 percent efficiency.
The NX50 also has the AUI. “Our 50 kW was already an excellent system,” Conlon said. “What it was missing is the user interface.”
Nautel’s patent-pending HD Power Boost technology is available on the transmitters, too.
“We are very, very big supporters and proponents of digital radio and HDR in particular,” Conlon said.
HD Power Boost allows broadcasters to increase HD transmitter power while improving efficiency. Peak power requirements are reduced by using advanced algorithms, allowing new Nautel transmitters to transmit higher HD power levels while simultaneously achieving greater transmitter efficiency.
REACHING FOR THE STARS
The press conference also allowed attendees a look at Nautel’s aerospace work.
The company is collaborating with Texas-based Ad Astra Rocket Co. to develop a plasma-based propulsion system. The low-voltage requirements of Nautel’s RF transmitters make them compatible with the voltage output of space-borne solar power arrays, which the company says eliminates the need for power transformers and other power conditioners.
“This plasma-based propulsion system can lead to millions of dollars in fuel savings for space exploration missions,” Conlon said.
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