WARSAW, Poland — RMF Maxxx radio station, part of the Grupa RMF radio group, is a spinoff of RMF FM, the most popular radio station in Poland. RMF Maxxx’s programming is aimed at younger listeners. RMF Maxxx is distributed throughout the country via 31 transmitters, mainly in large cities.
Programming is sent to those transmitters via Intelsat satellite. For this purpose, we use two multiplexed DVB-S2 signals, providing eight channels of MPEG Layer II audio for uplink. At the downlinks we use the 2wcom DSR01 DVB satellite receiver. Such an audio transmission system helps save approximately 40 percent in satellite bandwidth and is much more cost-effective compared to a similar system based on our former satellite solution.
A useful option implemented in the DSR01 DVB satellite receiver is the ability to configure and deliver backup audio over the Internet. This is helpful because a large number of our transmitters can be reached remotely via TCP/IP, so we are able to use the DSR01 “back-up via IP” feature in case of outages caused by weather conditions as well as damage to the down-converter. This option works perfectly in combination with a Shoutcast audio stream server. There are many ways to define conditions that trigger the backup audio, e.g. when the RF signal exceeds a user-defined value, when signal-to-noise ratio falls below a specified level or when audio is muted longer than a defined time.
Another useful feature of 2wcom’s DSR01 DVB satellite receiver is the ability to use definable SNMP traps, which can be forwarded to selected personnel at predetermined conditions. This allows us to connect the DSR01 receivers to our integrated monitoring system.
In addition we have been very happy with 2wcom’s customer support. They are helpful and eager to solve any problems. Michal Niepielski is chief engineer for Grupa RMF.
For information, contact Jens-Peter Polleit at 2wcom in Germany at 011-49-461-662830-28 or visit 2wcom.com.
