Harris Corporation’s Broadcast Communications Division announced on 5 October that three Brazilian radio broadcasters have selected Harris as the exclusive digital transmission vendor for their HD Radio(tm) launches.
The country’s three largest radio broadcasters, Radio Bandeirantes, Radio Globo and RBS Group recently announced plans to launch HD Radio broadcasts on September 26, commemorating the 70th anniversary of AESP, a radio and television emissions association based in Sao Paolo, and Brazil’s National Day of Radio. The HD Radio standard will allow all three broadcasters to simulcast analog and digital broadcasts over the same band, ensuring their listeners a choice to go digital or continue receiving analog broadcasts. By selecting Harris, all three radio groups have also ensured enhanced business models for their AM stations, enhanced audio quality and data capability for their FM stations, and a reduction in monthly operating costs due to intelligent combining techniques.
A total of six stations – one FM and one AM from each group – are now transmitting in HD Radio:
* Radio Bandeirantes selected a Harris Z-Series(tm) Z16HDs FM transmitter for Band News FM, and an IBOC equipment rack to upgrade an existing Harris DXD100 AM transmitter to HD Radio. Both stations are located in Sao Paulo, the largest city of Brazil.
* Radio Globo purchased a Harris Mini-HD(tm) 600 Watt FM transmitter for CBN Radio in Sao Paulo, and an IBOC equipment rack to upgrade an existing Harris 3DX-50 AM transmitter for Radio Tiradentes in Belo Horizonte.
* RBS Group purchased a Harris Mini-HD(tm) 600 Watt FM transmitter for Itapema FM, and an IBOC equipment rack to upgrade an existing Harris DXD100 AM transmitter to HD Radio for the Radio Gaucha AM station. Both stations are located in Porto Alegre, in the southern portion of Brazil.
“Harris has been actively working with Latin American radio broadcasters and government officials on digital radio since we held the first international on-air HD Radio demonstration ever in Porto Alegre in March 2003,” said Nahuel Villegas, Caribbean and Latin America regional director for Harris Broadcast Communications Division. “The more than 100 Latin American broadcasters who attended that first event experienced a demonstration that showed the vastly improved audio quality and compelling business case afforded by digital radio. The selection of Harris as the exclusive transmission provider for Brazil’s maiden HD Radio launch is a result of our efforts over the past several years, and we are privileged to be at the technological center of this enormous radio event for Latin America.”
Harris provided all three groups with FM combining methods that reduce monthly transmission-related operational costs. Radio Bandeirantes has employed Harris’ exclusive Split-Level(tm) combining method, which can reduce operational costs by up to 10 percent over the traditional method of high-level combining FM and HD Radio transmitters using a 10dB coupler. Radio Globo and RBS Group are employing separate amplification, a feature of the Mini-HD(tm) Series. Mini-HD Series transmitters greatly reduce the power reject load that is common with high-level combining. By transmitting over two separate antennas, broadcasters use only 10 percent of the digital wattage output compared to high-level combining. Transmitter power, initial capital investment and overall power consumption are greatly reduced as a result.