Latin America. The second generation of GatesAir's Maxiva MultiD series of DAB/DAB+ multi-channel radio transmitters features new benefits such as improved power and bandwidth management, connectivity, and monitoring and control functionality.
The MultiD series comes from the ingenious engineering minds of the GatesAir Europe team, who developed the series to reduce the costs and infrastructure of multi-channel DAB transmission per site. The original MultiD system integrates three separate transmitters within a single 1RU chassis, rather than requiring a separate transmitter for each channel plus an external combiner and auxiliary hardware.
In addition to exceptional space savings, MultiD introduced new efficiencies to DAB stations through independent service inputs and signal processing engines, and a single modulator for three DAB radio services within a single-channel band (10A, 10B and 10C, for example).
These and other benefits, including adjustable RF power for each transmitter, carry over to second-generation MultiD systems with notable improvements. The new MultiD system design adds capacity for a fourth DAB service and eliminates the limitations of transmitting all services within a single band of DAB channels. This means that MultiD customers can now stream four independent DAB radio services over separate channels (such as 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B). This is useful for broadcasters that were not assigned all licenses within a certain channel, for example.
The output power per channel can now also be built to each customer's specifications. The original MultiD system had a limit of 150 W, limiting users to three DAB services to 50 watts each. The new modular design establishes an entirely new playbook: for example, DAB broadcasters can now order a 1.5 kW MultiD system to support three 500 W services, or a 1.2 kW system to support four 300 W services.
It is also possible to set varied power levels in different DAB services. With such exceptional power output flexibility, MultiD systems can now be configured to serve virtually any combination of power levels for up to four DAB services. The ability to split system capacity is also useful for MultiD systems sharing different tenants, something common in road tunnels where broadcasters can effectively consolidate resources to ensure consistent coverage of their most important transmissions.
MultiD's multi-carrier architecture provides the same high-efficiency benefits even when supporting more than one tenant or transmitting over more than one DAB channel. That includes a considerable reduction in footprint by eliminating the need for an external RF combination. MultiD internally combines low-level RF signals and then generates and relays all independent DAB services through a single amplifier. The optimized architecture requires only a bandpass filter and an RF antenna connector for transmission to listeners.
The architecture can be further simplified through advanced IP networking capabilities and single-cable connections. The new MultiD system designs incorporate four separate EDI inputs for IP contribution and distribution. Users can select between IP-based (EDI) and legacy (ETI) connections, providing flexibility to transport signals using IP and microwave connections. GatesAir has also added a secure HTML5 user interface to remotely monitor and analyze signal status and performance from any browser.
GatesAir will demonstrate the second-generation MultiD series at Booth W2833, where GatesAir and Thomson will jointly exhibit for the first time.
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