Chicago IL - TV Broadcasters complete 2 GHz relocation

[kf4lhp]

TV broadcasters in Chicago and Sprint Nextel have completed the 2 GHz rebanding project in what is the largest market to date to convert to 2 GHz narrowbanding, freeing up 2008 - 2025 MHz for Sprint Nextel and mobile satellite services.

The project involved replacing or modifying...

• 56 mobile trucks
• 40 central receive sites
• 10 control systems at studios
• 2 fixed 2 GHz links
• 6 helicopters
• 20 portable receivers
• 74 portable transmitters

A Sprint Nextel filing details the field tests conducted after the cutover. "The test... involved facilities from every BAS operator in the city and included simultaneous transmissions from eleven mobile units and two helicopters that had converged on a single transmission location to simulate what occurs at a major news event. In post-testing analysis, broadcasters reported that their new BAS systems operated without experiencing interference either at the central transmission site where more than a dozen ground-based and airborne units competed for capacity, or at the main central receive sites located atop the Sears Tower and Hancock Center in downtown Chicago. The broadcasters also indicated that, unlike the old BAS equipment, the new BAS systems proved much more selective and far less vulnerable to interference from reflective surfaces. The BAS transition thus eliminated self-interference that had previously impaired or precluded the stations from originating live news coverage in some highly developed urban areas of the city."

A photo of all of the units at the field test is located here:
http://www.2ghzrelocation.com/plugin/template/broadcast/12/1784

Our experience here is that the new digital ENG rocks. Analog just plain ol' sucks compared to COFDM digital!

 

[kevino]

Digital Good - Analog Bad!

Yep - for the most part, 2 GHz digital seems to work much nicer than the old analog. Easier to get in a quality live shot - and MUCH easier when trying to set up a shot from downtown. My station (WFLD) has even purchased a couple of 2 GHz digital transmitters that mount right to the back of the camera - allowing liveshots from locations near the receive sites (downtown, etc.) without using a truck. Cool.....