Companies also announce sale of Dielectric Powerlite low-power TV systems to broadcasters in three states
RAYMOND, Maine – July 13, 2016 – Dielectric, a pioneer in purpose-engineered antennas and RF systems for TV and radio broadcasters, announces the installation of a high-power TFU Series UHF antenna and digiTLine rigid transmission line system in the Panama City, Florida market. The sale was procured through DTVPros, a full-service buyer’s agent specializing in RF system planning and selection processes for local TV stations.
DTVPros was instrumental in accelerating the project timeline, working closely with the station and its FCC consulting engineer to develop specifications. The side-mount, elliptically polarized, directional antenna was engineered in Dielectric’s factory to service UHF DTV Channel 18 with approximately 50kW of input power.
DTVPros Owner Jim Heard, who works with several leading antenna companies in the industry, chose Dielectric due to its ability to deliver a complete antenna system under a tight deadline. Dielectric’s typical lead time for a high power slotted antenna is 75 to 105 days, which is the best in the industry. Heard also notes that Dielectric’s reliable engineering for minimizing wind-load resistance was a substantial benefit based on the antenna height at this tower location, since it is regularly susceptible to wind speeds of approximately 130mph.
“Dielectric quickly delivered a complete antenna system, optimized for Channel 18, that the installation crew was able to deploy with minimal time and labor,” said Heard. “However, this has always been my experience with Dielectric. They provide great products with great service across their entire portfolio, including their low-power TV systems.”
On the low-power side, DTVPros recently signed agreements with TV stations in California, North Dakota and Wisconsin for the installation of Dielectric Powerlite™ systems. The Powerlite Series represents a family of low-power VHF and UHF systems that come complete with an antenna, flex transmission line and filtering customized for each station and power level. Powerlite effectively minimizes design efforts and costs, and eliminates the need to procure separate components to build out complete systems.
“The beauty of Powerlite is that we are minimizing downtime for these broadcasters by providing a full kit upfront built to their specifications, with standard mounts across the product line that make installation on a tower leg or pipe very easy,” said Heard. “They allow me, as a service provider, to give my customers better overall total cost of ownership, which keeps them happy and coming back to DTVPros for additional services.”
With the multi-year spectrum repack process moving forward, DTVPros is preparing for a very busy period and believes that Dielectric, given its expansive product line, high-quality engineering and quick product turnaround, is well-positioned to minimize disruption for local over-the-air broadcasters nationwide. Heard points to Dielectric’s new TFU-WB Series UHF antenna as one example, giving broadcasters an economical, off-the-shelf broadband antenna that is configured for Channels 14 to 51 with no field adjustments required.
“During the initial DTV transition in 1998-2002, about half of the roughly 1600 TV stations on the air had chief engineers with rich RF experience; today, I’d approximate that 200 of those 1600 stations have in-house RF specialists,” said Heard. “As a buyer’s agent, I am responsible for helping them navigate through what amounts to a very overwhelming task across RF planning and selection processes, and ensuring they get the right products at the right price. Working with the Dielectric team, I can rest assured that we can eliminate a tremendous amount of internal design work and expenses for the station while also extending Dielectric’s in-house bandwidth.”
About DTVPros
Based in Carthage, Texas, DTVPros LLC is a full service provider specializing in RF System planning and implementation to the Television Industry. Crafting cost effective and reliable solutions essential to the broadcast industry today, DTVPros focuses on Total Cost of Ownership (TCO), optimizing the technical design and working with site specific challenges on each and every project. Specializing in up front RF planning and coordination with FCC and structural consultants, DTVPros facilitates and oversees projects with the mindset to minimize time off-air for TV Stations. With over 30 years of Television Industry experience DTVPros is a trusted source. More information can be accessed at www.dtvpros.net
About Dielectric
Based in Raymond, Maine, Dielectric LLC is a wholly owned subsidiary of Sinclair. Dielectric is a leading provider of innovative broadcast products. From remote stations to major markets, Dielectric has been delivering solutions for every need since 1942. Dielectric is an innovative, customer-centric organization with a long history of engineering excellence in designing and manufacturing high-quality broadcast solutions. The Company is a trusted partner of broadcasters worldwide. More information can be accessed at www.dielectric.com
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