FM TRANSMITTERS

COMPACT AND MODULAR TRANSMITTERS

DB Digital Broadcast’s product catalogue includes compact and modular transmitters to face the different requirements of private and public networks.

FM TRANSMITTER LINES FROM 30W TO 50KW

Available FM transmitter families:

• Mozart NEXT, compact analogue solid state FM transmitters from 30W to 7000W
• Mozart DDS NEXT, compact DDS solid-state FM transmitters from 30W to 7000W
• PFG NEXT, Modular Analogue Solid State FM Transmitters from 500W to 50kW
• PFG DDS NEXT, Modular DDS Solid State FM Transmitter from 500W to 50kW

GREEN FM TRANSMITTERS WITH LOW ENERGY CONSUMPTION

These transmitter families are built with the revolutionary GREEN RF™ technology that achieves the highest level of RF efficiency by minimising the energy power consumption and heat dissipation at the station. That can translate in a drastic reduction in both the cost of energy consumption to power the transmitter and the cost of cooling/air conditioning in the station.
Comparing the consumption of old-generation transmitters with the new models currently in production, the efficiency in just a few years, thanks to the new technologies adopted by DB, has increased by almost +50%, resulting in transmitted power/consumption ratios of up to 75% overall.
In all transmitters, an ALC (Automatic Level Control) system has been implemented, which modifies the supply voltage of the RF modules to ensure that the active devices operate at their optimum working point under all conditions (both in the event of normal operation and in the event of a fault): this always guarantees minimum consumption and maximum system efficiency under all operating conditions.

INTUITIVE LOCAL AND REMOTE CONTROL OF THE FM TRANSMITTERS

In addition, the FM transmitter is easy to use thanks to an intuitive front panel menu with specific leds that allow the status of the transmitter to be understood at a glance. In addition to local control, the DB transmitter can be controlled from any web-enabled device by TCP/IP and SNMP v2: the web interface is accessible from any web browser without the need to install dedicated software, and it allows complete control and monitoring of the transmitter.
Access to the web page is available in two levels (administrator/guest) to allow parameter modification only to authorized users and give limited or monitoring-only access to the rest of the operators.
All events (warnings/alarms) are stored both on a front panel menu log file and on the web page. The complete history file stores up to 200 events indicating the date and time they occurred and can be downloaded to your PC in .txt format.

Automatic Instant emails can be enabled in the event of a warning or alarm on the transmitter for prompt action on the unit in the event of a failure.

A weekly programming with up to 4 different time slots on each day is also available. This can allow, for example, the customer to automatically reduce power output during night hours to further reduce energy consumption during off-peak hours of radio programmes.
The remote connection also allows online assistance from DB Elettronica both to guide the technician during on-site maintenance and for any firmware updates that can be easily done via web page..

EASY MAINTENANCE OF FM TRANSMITTERS

DB transmitters maintenance has been made
as easy as possible possible thanks to a design strongly oriented towards optimising service and intervention times. A significant example is the presence of fans that can be accessed and replaced from the outside in a few seconds without having to open the transmitter or switch it off (maintenance without off air time). Another example is the ease of access and cleaning/replacement of the air filters. The internal design has been redesigned to minimize wiring and thus allow easier replacement of boards when needed.
On models with a power equal to or greater than 1000W, the power supplies are hot-plug and they can be replaced in a few seconds without switching off but simply removing the front panel while the transmitter is in full operation.
In the case of power ratings equal to or greater than 6kW, the internal logic allows automatic control of the balance of the absorbed currents using ACS (Automatic Current Sharing) technology: in case of one power supply fail, the others are optimized to reduce the danger of overloads and maximize the output power level, thus minimizing the loss of power and consequently the loss of signal coverage.

In some versions of PFG NEXT transmitters (line/MPA ‘Multiple Power Amplifiers’), even the RF modules can be replaced hot-plug in a few seconds from the front panel without having to stop the transmission, so that maintenance can be carried out quickly and transmission downtime is reduced to zero(resulting in zero complaints from listeners and sponsors and no costly service interruptions).

On the entire line of transmitters, you have the opportunity to activate the audio automatic switch over mode should an input audio source be disrupted. This ensures that there is always a signal transmission via the back-up audio connected to the transmitter.

DB has also implemented in its FM transmitters a protection system that allows signal transmission to continue under safe conditionsconditions even in the event of an increase in reflected power, increase in temperature of the station, failure of the power supply/RF modules, thanks to a reduction in output power (foldback) that allows the operation under safe conditions indefinitely until the arrival of the technician. This means that the transmitter will only stop completely in the event of extremely serious alarms that affect the safety of the station, while guaranteeing maximum continuity of service in normal cases of mulfunctions.

The PFG NEXT line of transmitters is available both in a standard version (horizontal modules) and in a /V version with vertical amplifier modules for transmission sites with an underfloor clean room. In fact, clean rooms are mainly used to minimize the introduction, generation and movement of particles (dust, ash, etc.) inside the transmitter and to improve operating conditions, but they require a specially designed air flow cooling system. The PFG NEXT /V transmitters guarantee the correct air flow required in these situations while maintaining the top performance of the transmitters and at the same time guaranteeing a very efficient and silent cooling system.