BRISTOL, Tenn. — At Kintronic Laboratories we are continuing to expand our engineering design and analysis capabilities to permit us to take on the most challenging of AM multiplexing projects. Directional and nondirectional AM projects once thought impractical are often completed now with great success due to the improvements in modeling and design. Stations as closely spaced as 50 kHz have been diplexed successfully on multiple occasions. Final tune-up time in the field is greatly reduced due to the accuracy of the modeling and factory pretuning that is done.
Kintronic Laboratories is currently supporting the relocation of KABC’s directional transmission operation in Los Angeles with the design and fabrication of the custom phasing, matching and filtering equipment. KABC (790 kHz) will be triplexed with KWKW (1330 kHz) and KFOX (1650 kHz) on their existing two-tower array. The new equipment design incorporates Method of Moments modeling to match on-site tower measurements and a full nodal analysis incorporating the networks from all three stations to provide the best estimates of performance for each station.
The incorporation of the full system for each station in the modeling is vital to understanding the ramifications of design choices on the bandwidth of each station involved. This full system analysis is rarely offered by AM antenna system designers due to the complexity and time required. At Kintronic Labs, this approach has been streamlined by our proprietary software to allow it to be implemented as our standard for multiplexed designs.
The tuning and filtering networks for the KAB’s triplexing project are provided in weatherproof enclosures tailored to the physical requirements at each tower. Dual-stage filtering provides sufficient isolation between towers while minimizing the impact on station bandwidth. Shielded duct interconnections for the 790 kHz ATUs and filters along with vertical mounting of the 790 kHz reject filters eliminates the loss of isolation performance due to unintended signal capture. A reliable, RF-tested pattern and transmitter switching controller, transmission lines and phase-matched sampling lines and control cables complete the equipment package being supplied. Kintronic Labs specializes in the design, manufacturing and support of custom broadcast equipment.
For information, contact Kintronic Laboratories in Tennessee at (423) 878-3141 or visit www.kintronic.com.
