GatesAir And Triveni Digital Selected For ATSC 3.0 Deployment In Oklahoma

GatesAir and Triveni Digital have been chosen as key technology partners for an innovative ATSC 3.0 deployment led by Oklahoma Community Television (OCT), a division of Griffin Media.

The project demonstrates a cost-efficient model for networking low-power transmission sites by merging RF and IP technologies, and its successful proof-of-concept could pave the way for future translator transitions to ATSC 3.0.

The system, developed by OCT General Manager Jack Mills, integrates the SRT protocol directly into the RF infrastructure using GatesAir transmitters and Triveni Digital's advanced signaling technology. While SRT is widely used in live production for secure, low-latency audio and video transport, its built-in protections make it equally valuable for broadcasters operating across challenging or unpredictable IP networks. Many stations deploy SRT over managed fiber links, but the cost of extending fiber to remote sites can be prohibitive.

This challenge became the catalyst for a new approach when one OCT translator site required an alternative to costly fiber construction. After extensive testing, Mills deployed ATSC 3.0 services to two newly installed GatesAir Maxiva UAXTE-100 translators in August. The first phase delivers NextGen TV broadcasts from five Oklahoma City network affiliates to a translator in Strong City, more than 90 miles away. The feed originates at Nexstar's KAUT-TV ATSC 3.0 Lighthouse site and is transported using SRT over existing fiber and IP connections. Equipment from DTV Innovations processes the signal before transmission on Channel 29 via the UAXTE-100.

The second phase addressed an even greater hurdle: extending those same services to a translator in Elk City, a site without microwave, fiber, or wired connectivity. Mills opted for an off-air RF hop from Strong City, which required regenerating ATSC 3.0 signals for broadcast on a new channel. Triveni Digital’s ATSC 3.0 Translator proved to be a cost-effective solution, decoding and regenerating the signal for Channel 26 while adding a unique DRM signature for broadcast rights management. The regenerated signal is then delivered to a GatesAir translator in Elk City, which broadcasts the ATSC 3.0 feed at 120 watts.

"The United States has a very large installed base of approximately 5,000 LPTV and translators operating today. The recent interest in mandating ATSC 3.0 will force many broadcasters to make decisions with their translators: find an affordable way for translators to transmit in ATSC 3.0, or eventually go dark," said Mills, who also serves as President of the National Television Association (NTA). "In addition to the transmission, translator operators use microwave systems, some form of IP, fiber, and OTA over mountainous terrain and very long distances to reach their translator sites. Our approach proves that affordable IP solutions and OTA can reliably feed ATSC 3.0 signals."

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