The author is general manager of Joy FM.
AGAÑA HEIGHTS, Guam — When looking for a rebroadcast solution, often you have to buy two or three, sometimes four separate boxes to get the desired effect. Joy FM, aka KSDA, is a full-power FM station based in Guam that is increasing its range throughout neighboring islands via remote translators. We were looking for a system that was able to pull in the signal in a very high RF environment (three transmitters operating at 89.9, 97.5 and 99.9 MHz in the same small, remote building), alert us if there were any problems with the audio and rebroadcast a clean sound with an edited RDS text.
Previously we have struggled to pull in a useable signal, then had a separate RDS encoder and silence detection unit at each site.
We had been trying to pull in our FM station from about 135 miles away with another brand of FM tuner; we could never get it to sound good. We wanted to use the off-air signal as a backup audio source for our translator. The BW Broadcast RBRX1 really pulls in the signal. We’re operating in the fringe so it’s amazing what it can do.
For Joy FM it can pull in a signal that is previously unattainable, and rebuild the audio to the extent that it is exactly the same as when it leaves the studio. The built-in RDS encoder lets us edit the RDS text at each site. This has allowed us to localize adverts as well as schedule the individual RDS data for each site.
The RDS encoder serves a number of functions, one of which aids the protection of your frequency and the prevention of unwanted noise. By recognizing the PI code in the received RDS data, the unit can ensure that it will rebroadcast only when the correct PI Code is present. This is great for us as we have previously had some local pirate stations causing interference. Thanks as well to the dynamic bandwidth limiting on the RBRX1, this is now a thing of the past.
The BW Broadcast RBRX1 also has saved us time as it was quick and easy to install and remote accessible. It saved us money, as we have been able to get a solution for multiple problems in one box; and it saved us space as we only have one 1RU unit instead of three or four units.
For information, contact Adam Hall at BW Broadcast (866) 376-1613 or visit www.bwbroadcast.com.
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