Dielectric adapted a television high-efficiency, low wind-load broadband antenna to the FM band and plans to debut the new line at the spring NAB Show. The manufacturer says the benefits of this new antenna include multicasting, pattern flexibility, increased reliability and small tower footprint. Dielectric will share full details of the FM Pylon (FMP) antenna family for the first time at the forthcoming 2022 NAB Show (April 24-27, Las Vegas Convention Center, Booth W7107.)
“Television broadcasters have long valued pylon antennas for their straightforward designs, versatility and structural benefits such as low wind load,” said Dielectric VP/GM Keith Pelletier. “The cylindrical design attributes of pylon antennas historically translated to narrow bandwidth characteristics that were impractical for FM signals.”
He credits Dielectric’s engineering breakthroughs with enabling FM use of the antenna. Those include reducing the antenna Q factor, which improves the bandwidth from one to 20 percent, and stabilizing the Horizontal:Vertical ratio across the band. The 20 percent bandwidth translates to full FM band operation, the goal of FMP’s antenna design.
While Dielectric’s special pylon designs for FM radio differ from TV systems, the FMP family carries over many traditional pylon antenna benefits, including optimal downward radiation, smaller size and lower weight. FMP antennas reduce the number of parts used in equivalent ring-style antennas by more than 60 percent. The streamlined componentry also improves reliability over the long-term as there are far fewer parts to repair or replace.
The pylon design also provides broadcasters and tower crews with top-mounting options, in addition to the traditional side-mounted configurations of ring antennas. This is ideal for high-power FM stations that want a true top-mounted omnidirectional antenna, according to Dielectric. The FMP can handle input powers of 100kW and higher, which also makes the antenna excellent for combined operation of multiple stations.
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