Broadcast Electronics To Unveil 1kW AMX Transmitter

Broadcast Electronics will introduce the AMX 1, a 1kW AM transmitter, at NAB New York 2026, expanding its AMX transmitter range to serve broadcasters requiring power outputs from 500 watts to 5kW.

The company will showcase the new model at Booth 456 at the Javits Center in New York City on October 21–22. The AMX 1 joins the AMX 3 and AMX 5 in a product family designed around high efficiency, modularity, simplified maintenance and a compact footprint.

The AMX platform uses Broadcast Electronics’ proprietary SiCore™ technology, which the company describes as the first AM transmitter technology built around silicon carbide. The platform received a Radio World Best of Show award at NAB 2026.

According to Broadcast Electronics, SiCore technology is designed to improve power efficiency and resistance to electrical transients. Its Safe Mode protection system is engineered to protect the amplifier within approximately one microsecond of a lightning strike or arcing event.

The AMX series is designed to accommodate analog, HD Radio and Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) broadcasts. The company says its modular design allows the 5kW model to fit within a single 5RU chassis. Its compact, lightweight construction also enables shipment through standard parcel carriers such as UPS and FedEx, potentially reducing transportation and installation costs.

All AMX transmitters are designed and manufactured at Broadcast Electronics’ facility in Quincy, Illinois.

The AMX platform includes modulation-dependent carrier level (MDCL) control as standard. The feature allows broadcasters to adjust carrier reduction by up to 6dB, potentially lowering energy consumption while maintaining the required broadcast performance.

Broadcast Electronics estimates that a typical 5kW station could save $12,750 annually through combined reductions in energy, HVAC and maintenance costs. The company projects cumulative savings of approximately $159,500 over 15 years compared with retaining an older transmitter. It also says the system could achieve full payback in around three years, depending on operating conditions and financing arrangements.

The transmitter's modular architecture is intended to simplify servicing and frequency changes. Its wideband power amplifier, exciter and control system work alongside a modular harmonic filter that can be replaced when changing operating frequency. Broadcast Electronics says the filter replacement and subsequent calibration can be completed in less than 30 minutes, making the system suitable for multi-station emergency backup applications.

Broadcast Electronics has also partnered with Orban to introduce an integrated audio-processing option for the AMX range, marketed as AM Orban Inside.

The system is designed to provide broadcasters with a range of audio-processing tools, including automatic gain control, equalisation, a five-band compressor/limiter and a peak limiter. It incorporates Orban's multiband distortion-cancelled clipper and overshoot compensator, designed to support high modulation levels and broadcast coverage.

Factory presets are available for different programming formats and can be customised to suit individual station requirements. Configuration and scheduling are managed through an HTML-based graphical user interface, which also includes Orban's LESS-MORE control to simplify setup.

The launch of the AMX 1 expands Broadcast Electronics' AMX portfolio, giving stations a lower-power option within a platform focused on efficiency, compact installation and reduced operating costs.