ATHENS, Georgia — I was looking for a reliable and easy-to-operate exciter/transmitter for my low-power FM station, WDRW(LP), that would run not just in an ideal environment but in a harsh one. Not every station has the ideal home for the transmitters, so I needed something built to last.
We have many BW Broadcast products and all have performed flawlessly over the years. I can’t recommend them enough. Quality, reliability and excellent customer service make their products real contenders in the low-power RF field.
So I took a look at the latest: the BW Broadcast TX300+.
This is part of a line of transmitters starting at 5 W and getting up to 1 kW. All transmitters have AES/EBU inputs, built-in audio processing, VSWR fault protection and a unique dual-loop virtual VFO exciter.
The audio processing, taken from BW’s DSPX range, is standard. Such a feature is either a high-cost option or not an option at all in other transmitters; perfect, too, if our standalone audio processor decides to take a day off.
Installation was a breeze. I set up the built-in processing options, selected my frequency and TPO, racked it up and that was that — it was up and running.
The transmitter is perfect for my LPFM; reliable and solid. It sounds great and the remote software allows me to control it without having to go out to the site. I really like the fact that I can set the frequency internally and therefore limit the control on the front panel to avoid any unwanted tampering. I can check the transmitter on the remote software if I need to, but I know the BW is going to give me a clean signal, and will protect itself should something happen to my antenna. I also love how energy-efficient it is.
My TX300+ was built, designed and tested in London by BW Broadcast. I purchased mine from their U.S. distributor SCMS. The TX300+ has a list price of $2,925 and came with a two-year comprehensive warranty and 24-hour technical support. Buying from them allows me to utilize the stocked and trained U.S. service center at SCMS.
The BW products we have purchased have proven to be excellent. The multiple units I have in the field have all been subjected to different environments and have performed better than any other product in its class. The amortization cost to MTBF is excellent. At 2RU and modular in design, BW keeps it simple for the client. It works and works well.
The BW Broadcast TX300+ has proven itself to meet my needs. We have used a number of other broadcast transmitters but the TX300+ has exceeded our expectations.
For information, contact BW Broadcast at (866) 376-1612 or visit www.bwbroadcast.com.