GatesAir Ships World's Highest Power Solid-State Transmitter

Maxiva ULXT transmitter delivers 80kW of ATSC digital TV power for a major market UHF station, delivering solid-state efficiencies at tube transmitter price point

Cincinnati, OH - GatesAir, a global leader in over-the-air broadcast solutions for television and radio, has delivered the world’s highest power digital TV solid-state transmitter to a major market TV station in the U.S., replacing an older, less efficient tube transmitter with escalating costs. Engineered to produce a powerful 80kW ATSC output, the GatesAir Maxiva™ ULXT transmitter slashes the footprint, monthly power and maintenance costs associated with tube transmitters of this scale, without the common hefty upfront price tag of very high-power solid-state transmitters.

“Solid-state transmitters offer superior reliability, however have long been considered cost-prohibitive when exceeding 20kW of power,” said Rich Redmond, chief product officer, GatesAir. “We’re shattering that paradigm with new compact high-efficiency designs, software-defined modulation, and integrated IP-based transport, monitoring and control to deliver cost-effective over-the-air solutions for very high power applications. These transmitters double down on the upfront cost-efficiency by ensuring low total cost of ownership and environmentally friendly green operation over the course of the operating lifecycle.”

Many broadcasters are seeking reliable, efficient over-the-air solutions to replace aging tube transmitters from manufacturers who no longer support older products or have gone out of business. Additionally, they are looking for broadband solutions with frequency agility and simple upgradability to new modulations in preparation of potential spectrum changes. In the case of this customer, the proven operational efficiencies of the Maxiva ULXT presented a clear opportunity to cost-efficiently transition to solid-state, simplify operations and lower the costs and labor associated with long-term tube transmitter maintenance.

GatesAir introduced its high-efficiency ULXT liquid-power transmitters for medium-to-high power UHF this past spring at NAB, delivering exceptional power density, broadband amplification and superior energy efficiency via its groundbreaking PowerSmart 3D architecture. The availability of this high-performance, cost-reducing technology has enabled GatesAir to fill a growing void for very high power over-the-air TV applications across the Americas.