Dielectric plans to introduce reconfigurable manifold combiners for multi-station RF facilities at this spring’s NAB Show 2023. Adaptable for FM radio and UHF television, Dielectric says its innovation introduces system expandability to manifold designs that have long only been expandable by adding constant impedance filter (CIF) units.
This offers an attractive option for sites installing new master broadcast antennas that can quickly add new tenants in the future, without the space constraints and assembly labor that CIF-based expansion requires, according to the manufacturer. “The development can accommodate customers that want the flexibility for future growth along with a smaller footprint and consistent performance,” says Dielectric President Keith Pelletier.
Dielectric’s reconfigurable manifold combiners are essentially modular fixed units built to specification. For example, a site owner with five broadcasters today and a goal of seven total tenants can specify a manifold combiner with seven ports. Dielectric builds the initial system with five filters and protects the two open slots with shorted ports, or “shorts.” Dielectric can build shorts in advance. They’re removed as filters for new tenants, and are added to the manifold combiner.
Dielectric provides calculations that consider how site owners can add other broadcast frequencies in the market in various combinations. Importantly, these calculations even look beyond what the site owner may have originally envisioned as the maximum number of tenants.
“We first provide an analysis of the market that confirms how many potential stations in the market can logically join the master antenna system,” says Pelletier. “We may find that number to be 10 broadcasters. The site owner ultimately decides how many broadcasters they want to accommodate immediately, and how many they want to add in the future. Using our High Frequency Simulation Software tools, we can calculate how each possible frequency will affect the combiner’s output splines. New tenants are added quickly and easily by simply removing a shorted port, plugging in a new filter and changing some transmission line.”
Dielectric will exhibit at Booth W3601 in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. NAB Show 2023 takes place April 16-19.
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