Dielectric And 90 Degrees North Extends Digital Television For BEAM

Dielectric and Philippines partner 90 Degrees North have extended digital television service for BEAM (Broadcast Enterprises and Affiliated Media) beyond Mega Manila to cover secondary and tertiary cities.

The second phase deployed complete ISDB-Tb Powerlite antenna systems with filters and flex transmission line to the major metropolitan regions like Cebu and Davao over the past 18 months, with subsequent shipments to cover the secondary emerging cities of Baguio, Naga, Ilo-ilo, Laguna, Batangas, General Santos, and Zamboanga over the past year.

Dielectric has now shipped Powerlite turnkey antenna systems for 2.4kW - 5kW low-power sites in the cities of Legazpi and CDO, bringing the third phase of the project closer to completion. Once installed and commissioned, BEAM will officially strengthen DTV service in Southern Luzon complimentary to Naga, and offer DTV service to Northern Mindanao.

BEAM's DTV network expansion will continue as its programming extends into new cities, which represent a new fourth phase. 90 Degrees North Owner John Achilles 'Achie' Denna said that will reach up to 30 cities by the end of this phase, which will be completed mid-to-late December.

"These are full-service projects that begin with RF network planning and constructing new or rehabilitating existing cabins/shelters. That is followed by electrical system installation, retrofitting of towers, and then installing transmitters and filters in the shelters," said Achie Denna, who adds that site development accounts for '60 to 70 percent' of each project. "Dielectric has been nothing short of exceptional with aligning their manufacturing and delivery timelines to my installation schedules, which conclude with running line, adding antenna mounts and support, and installing the antennas."

The project started in 2018 with the Mega Manila system, anchored by a TFU-WB UHF antenna for the UHF Channel 31 single-frequency network (SFN), with low-power DLP and TLP single-channel antennas filling out the flagship network. BEAM relays programming from Mega Manila to UHF Channel 31 frequencies in Cebu, Davao and Zamboanga; Channel 26 in Baguio and Iloilo; and Channel 32 in Naga. The General Santos transmission operates on Channel 51 with Dielectric Powerlite TLP antennas to radiate signals.

"With assistance from our partners at PROGIRA and using their market-leading RF Network Planning Software, we have optimised coverage patterns and areas, performance and efficiency through three specific design elements," said Cory Edwards, OEM, Distribution and Southeast Asia Sales Manager. "All antenna designs feature elliptical polarisation to improve ISDB-Tb penetration into buildings and homes, the majority of which have concrete metal roofing. That added vertical element also strengthens coverage to mobile devices. We chose slotted antenna designs to reduce tower loads and streamline installation, and provided simple tunable coaxial filter designs with patch panels, components and loads that fit comfortably next to the transmitters. That is especially important in shelters that share rental space."

Achie Denna notes that Dielectric's market share in the Philippines continues to rise as the country’s DTV transition moves forward, which includes a nearly wholesale shift from VHF to UHF frequencies. "Dielectric has captured approximately 35-40 percent of the digital TV transition business here in the Philippines to date, and we expect the DTV transition to continue through the year 2030."

Dielectric and 90 Degrees North representatives will be available to speak about the BEAM project, and other TV/FM projects in the Philippines, this week at BroadcastAsia. 90 Degree North exhibits at 5J1-7 as the leader of The Northern Alliance, an international organization devoted to service broadcast operators and service providers in the Asia-Pacific region. BroadcastAsia runs through Thursday at the Singapore Expo.

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