Radio World Buyer’s Guide articles are intended to help readers understand why their colleagues chose particular products to solve various technical situations. This month’s articles focus on audio processors.
The author is a field services engineer and integrator for DNAV Inc.
My business partner Nick Straka and I provide contract engineering for Radio Catskill/WJFF(FM) in Liberty, N.Y. About a year ago, we discussed the need for a new audio processor with their General Manager Tim Bruno. Their old processor was generating lots of multipath and just wasn’t giving them the sound they needed.
We recommended the Optimod 5750. It was relatively new at that point, but we knew what the new Optimods were capable of and were sure that the 5750’s performance and sound quality could not be beat at this budget level.
From our experience with Orban processors, we knew that, compared to WJFF’s old processor, we would see a marked improvement in the coverage, but we had no idea how drastic that improvement would be.
I live about 70 miles away from the transmitter. With the old processor, I would start to lose the station about 25 miles away and completely lose it about 40 miles out. I can now pick it up clear as day, with RDS data, in my driveway. That’s the case in many directions. The station has a satellite studio about 45–50 miles, on the Pennsylvania side of Liberty, and the coverage at this area also improved dramatically.
Nick and I are getting similar reports from staffers and board members at Radio Catskill. One said, “We haven’t had reception at our house for many years … but sitting in our driveway in the car we now have a strong signal.” Another told us, “It seems impressive that I was able to listen to ‘All Things Considered’ as I followed a winding back road through a full ridge of the Catskills … pretty cool.”
In addition to improved signal reception, WJFF is now enjoying strong improvements in their audio and control capabilities. This 1 RU processor offers four processing structures, which gave the station the ability to select what they needed. Its window-gated AGC is unobtrusive and offers great level control, and processing presets including Orban’s exclusive “Less-More” control made it easy for the station to dial in their signature sound.
We would recommend the Optimod 5750 for any station on a tighter budget that wants to maximize their coverage area and overall sound.
