GatesAir Unveiled New DAB Radio Innovations at IBC2019.

Delivery 22 October 2019

ONEtastic acquisition expands range of high-efficiency DAB Radio transmitters and solutions, with several key design innovations that reduce costs, complexity and installation time.

Cincinnati, OH, September 2019 - GatesAir, a global leader in wireless, over-the-air content delivery solutions for radio and TV broadcasters, has expanded its range of DAB Radio transmitters and solutions to include multi-carrier and liquid-cooled innovations at IBC2019. Many of the new innovations result from the company’s recent acquisition of ONEtastic, known forward as GatesAir S.r.l.

While GatesAir has long offered low-power DAB Radio air-cooled solutions through its Maxiva VAXT and VAXTE product lines, the acquisition introduces several key product innovations that will be new to GatesAir customers. In addition to the multi-carrier and liquid-cooled transmitters, GatesAir demonstrated new intra-mast and outdoor solutions that can support TV and DAB modulations in the same compact chassis. GatesAir also unveiled an expanded range of air-cooled DAB transmitters to cover all power levels starting at 15W.

The acquisition also brings new design and engineering innovations to GatesAir, including no-cable, plug-in architectures that accelerate assembly and maintenance, reduce clutter and maintenance, and increase system reliability. GatesAir’s latest DAB Radio transmitters also leverage a single-band PA module to cover all Band III frequencies – a unique competitive advantage that eliminates jumpers, tuning and other frequency-related adjustments.

“GatesAir’s experience in equipping today’s largest DAB Radio networks is now further strengthened with a product portfolio that covers a broader range of power levels, and introduces several new design innovations and feature sets to our customers,” said Bruce Swail, CEO, GatesAir. “In addition to fortifying our long-standing message of supplying high-efficiency, cost-reducing and turnkey transmission solutions, our latest design innovations strengthen our overall value proposition for broadcasters and network operators managing DAB networks of any scale.”

New Transmitter Innovations

GatesAir’s MultiD multi-carrier platform brings three DAB transmitters together into a compact 1RU chassis — a unique design attribute that reduces space and equipment costs, and simplifies installation. The multi-carrier architecture removes the need for external RF combining, and instead generates and re-transmits all three channels through a single amplifier. The multi-carrier modulation built into the transmitter supports both adjacent and non-adjacent frequencies, providing a flexible solution for DAB networks of any size. GatesAir exhibited an operating transmitter, together with a spectrum analyzer display, to demonstrate the optimized performance and flexibility of the MultiD innovation.

GatesAir unveiled a liquid-cooled VHF Band III power amplifier from its new Maxiva VLXTE range of high-efficiency, liquid-cooled transmitters. Starting at 3 kW, all VLXTE liquid-cooled transmitters cover DAB/DAB+ frequencies from 170-240MHz, with a modular design that support inputs for ETI (coaxial) and EDI (IP) distribution across DAB networks. Maxiva VLXTE transmitters are completely frequency-agile across the Band III spectrum, providing a cost-effective, high-efficiency solution for all N+1 applications. GatesAir’s liquid-cooled architecture also gives customers a cost-efficient solution for all power levels up to 15 kW, with increased cost-savings and ROI as power levels rise.

GatesAir also demonstrated two flexible transmission platforms with uncommon architectures that can support TV and DAB Radio modulations simultaneously in the same platform:

- A new outdoor pole-mounted solution sealed by a telecom-grade, weatherproof enclosure that can house multiple low-power DAB Radio transmitters and gap fillers. The DC-powered, pole-mount design eliminates all moving parts and air filters, dissipating heat to the pole’s surface for optimized efficiency and performance.
- A new “intra-mast” transmitter, designed for installation inside a cylindrical tower that can house up to six 70 W DAB transmitter or gap filler modules.