Lightweight outdoor broadcasting fibre extender on show at IBC

The new addition to the Stingray Fibre Series offers excellent module to module isolation. It is ideal for outdoor broadcast events such as football, golf and music concerts as it is suitable for installations where signals need to be sent up to 10km in distance.

The new innovation works through an outdoor transmit fibre extender module, connected to an omnidirectional antenna which receives the wireless camera signals direct from the live events. The signal is then distributed to an indoor fibre receiver unit, which could be located in or nearby an SNG truck or master control room, which then re-broadcasts the signal.

“ETL’s new fibre extender is lightweight, has a waterproof housing, is affordable and is compact. It is a much more efficient and reliable means of communication for live broadcasts over potentially long distances, rather than using traditional coaxial cables.” said Ian Hilditch, CEO of ETL Systems.

Hilditch continued: “The twin channel operation enables users to diversify their antennas in different locations, which helps maintain good signal coverage for difficult environments or in large structures such as major sports stadia, like in this year’s Olympic Games in Rio.”

The transmitters and receivers can be provided in rugged waterproof housings or a rack mounted chassis and handle a broad frequency range of RF signals from 50-2450 MHz, making them compatible with a variety of camera/microphone products. 

Alongside the new units, visitors to the ETL booth at IBC will also be able to see newly introduced CWDM modules which can transmit up to 8RF signals on a single cable up to 55km distances, with low loss, for longer distance transmissions.

Ian Hilditch and other ETL representatives celebrating a quarter of a century of in-house experience in designing award-winning RF equipment will be at the Amsterdam event.

“IBC will bring together major players in the broadcasting industry. It is a place where we can come together to discuss how we can develop on the delivery and management of entertainment and news content worldwide”, said Hilditch. “Visitors to our stand will not only get the chance to see our products, but also get a greater understanding of how our fibre links work.”