FOX TV Turkey is on the road with new DSNG uplink facility
Hitachi Kokusai Turkey has completed the design, construction and fitting out of a DSNG (Digital Satellite News Gathering) vehicle for Turkish broadcaster FOX TV. Designed and built at Hitachi’s new facility in Istanbul, Turkey, the project sees extensive reconfiguration of the Ford Transit vehicle including structural coachwork and the installation of PAL’S DriveNews PDA-150 1.5m satellite antenna system and Xicom’s XTD-400K high power amplifier (HPA).
This DSNG vehicle provides FOX TV with an uplink facility capable of transmitting audio and video signals direct from remote news locations, sporting and cultural events from an OB production vehicle or even from a field-based ENG camera crew direct to FOX’s broadcast centre via satellite.
“Hitachi has created a mobile uplink facility which provides features and functions that directly address our technical and operational needs,” commented Necip Kırçın, CTO at FOX TV. “The Hitachi team was able to integrate the best technology from different manufacturers and create a vehicle that will meet our needs now and long into the future.”
PAL’s DriveNews PDA-150 is a fully motorised, 3-axis autopointing antenna system with shell and a 150cm dual optical reflector. Integrated with the PAC-350 antenna controller, the system offers instant high performance, plug and play broadcasting.
Xicom’s XTD-400K is a self-contained antenna mountable high power amplifier (HPA) designed for low cost installation and long life. The outdoor design eliminates the need for an amplifier shelter as well as a long waveguide run between the amplifier and the antenna feed horn. RF filters, cooling, and monitoring & control (M&C) systems are all self contained within the HPA. These features provide high reliability, low maintenance costs, and low replacement costs.
“This vehicle represents something new and different for us in terms of our production facilities – it will enable us to cover a wide range of outside broadcast events throughout our region,” explained Vedat Canturk, Sat.Com. Manager at FOX TV. “What impressed us was Hitachi’s ability to talk with us, listen and interpret both our technical and business needs to create this excellent vehicle.”
FOX TV is a free to air general entertainment channel entirely dedicated to the best of television series. The channel provides smart entertainment with an edge to viewers across Turkey, Europe, Asia, North Africa and the Middle East. FOX Turkey is owned by News Corporation (USA) and broadcasts over Eutelsat and Turksat. Other sister channels include Fox Crime, Fox Life, Fox Sports, FX, 24 Kitchen, Baby TV, National Geographic Channel and Adventure.