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WOLE-DT Sees Significant Operating Cost Savings with New Rohde & Schwarz THV9 Transmitter

Columbia — Premier transmitter, test and measurement and studio equipment manufacturer, Rohde & Schwarz USA today announced WOLE-DT, a Univision affiliate based in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, has seen a significant reduction in energy costs since the installation of its R&S THV9 VHF transmitter. According to Osvaldo Torres, WOLE station manager and engineering director, the new transmitter has reduced the station’s monthly power bill by nearly 42 percent.

“The old transmitter had a measured efficiency of 18 percent, and the new has a measured efficiency of 49.9 percent,” Torres explained. “We are now planning to change the air conditioner, which will reduce the power bill even more.”

Torres said the station restructured the transmitter room space to install the new liquid-cooled system. The older, air-cooled transmitter is almost 20 feet long and requires a 15-ton HVAC system. WOLE was able to enclose the new R&S transmitter in a significantly smaller area and pair it with a more efficient inverter air conditioning system, because the THV9 generates (and dissipates) far less heat during operation.

The new 7.7kW transmitter was installed in May 2016 by the WOLE engineering team and commissioned by R&S, which offers local support and service. The new R&S transmitter is stronger than WOLE’s previous 6.9kW transmitter, which had been in use since 2007 and is now (along with its HVAC) the station’s backup system.

With the new transmitter’s Doherty technology, which amplifies the peak and main powers separately and then combines them, the station is reaching its ERP (Effective Radiated Power) more efficiently. WOLE is also well positioned for ATSC 3.0 when the new standard is adopted by the FCC. “This technology will give us the opportunity to transition to ATSC 3.0 with the same transmitter when the time comes without impacting the TPO,” Torres added.

The R&S THV9 VHF family of high-power transmitters for terrestrial broadcasting of TV and digital audio broadcast signals combines high energy efficiency with configuration flexibility and operating convenience in a very small footprint. In Doherty mode, a liquid-cooled R&S THV9 transmitter can save users up to 50 percent of energy costs compared with conventional transmitters, which results in operating cost reductions over the entire system lifetime. With its liquid cooling system and modern design, the THV9 VHF transmitter delivers the highest efficiency on the market (50 percent) and the highest power density with 15kW per cabinet in both ATSC and ATSC 3.0 (COFDM) standards.

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