Columbia, MD01-Feb-2018

Broadcasters move to One World Trade Center with Rohde & Schwarz transmitters

Six out of seven national broadcasters have chosen to deploy the Rohde & Schwarz R&S THU9evo digital transmitter for their primary broadcasts from One World Trade Center in New York City. Two of the stations will soon share the largest solid-state digital transmitter in the world, an R&S THU9evo that began broadcasting in June 2017. Five additional stations will be relocating to 1WTC in the coming weeks and rely on their own Rohde & Schwarz transmitters to serve the New York market (DMA #1).

Housed in the Broadcast Center on the 90th floor, the already deployed R&S THU9evo will multicast two HD channels. While the transmitter has its own liquid cooling system, Rohde & Schwarz also helped design a custom standalone liquid cooling solution for the Broadcast Center to control the temperature of all the additional equipment in the room.

“One thing you notice in the Broadcast Center is how quiet it is,” said Cornelius Heinemann, Vice President of Transmitter and Amplifier Systems and File-based Media Solutions, Rohde & Schwarz, Germany. “The superior design of the THU9evo’s liquid cooling system eliminates noisy fans. 1WTC is a great example of quiet efficiency for broadcasters.”

According to Glen Hurst, Transmission Systems Engineer/AE, Rohde & Schwarz USA, Inc., the R&S THU9evo includes 72 PHU903 amplifiers, each with three redundant power supplies, and dual TCE901 exciters. The transmitter can produce 50kW output for vertical and 50kW output for horizontal polarization.

“Not only does it produce a signal strong enough to navigate through the concrete jungle of the largest U.S. local television market,” Hurst added, “but the vertical component positions the sister stations to deliver innovative services to handheld devices when ATSC 3.0 is adopted.”

The R&S THU9evo delivers an efficiency of more than 41 AC to RF, including all components, and with MER (modulation error ratio) greater than 44dB and shoulder attenuation over 50dB. The total output power of the transmitter is 106kW, and beyond the energy efficiency, the transmitter dissipates minimal heat load into the Broadcast Center because of its 100 percent liquid cooled design. Plus, it accommodates up to six different inputs from different locations via fiber, wireless, and IP. Embodying such an outstanding feature set and capabilities, this solid-state transmitter delivers a performance and achieves power levels that would historically require IOT technology.

Rohde & Schwarz

The Rohde & Schwarz technology group is among the trailblazers when it comes to paving the way for a safer and connected world with its leading solutions in test & measurement, technology systems, and networks & cybersecurity. Founded more than 85 years ago, the group is a reliable partner for industry and government customers around the globe. On June 30, 2022, Rohde & Schwarz had around 13,000 employees worldwide. The independent group achieved a net revenue of EUR 2.53 billion in the 2021/2022 fiscal year (July to June). The company is headquartered in Munich, Germany.

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