With HD Radio(TM), Rohde & Schwarz adds the latest digital standard to its highly efficient FM transmitters

05/20/2016

The R&S THR9 delivers output powers between 3.0 kW and 45 kW in hybrid mode and up to 80 kW in analog FM mode. The FM transmitter achieves outstanding efficiency due to an innovative amplifier design and a system design focused on maximum efficiency and reliability. All RF power components, including the power combiner and the RF rigid line, exhibit minimum attenuation. As a result, the transmitter system achieves efficiency of up to 75 percent in analog FM mode and up to 57 percent in hybrid mode.

Radio station operators benefit especially from the compact design introduced by Rohde & Schwarz for its new generation of transmitters. The R&S THR9 achieves up to 24 kW RF power in hybrid mode and 40 kW in analog FM mode, all in a single 19" rack. A wide variety of additional components can also be integrated into the rack, further reducing space requirements. Possible configurations range from single transmitters with built-in pump unit to multitransmitter systems (MultiTx systems) in a single rack. By making it possible to integrate high output powers as well as multiple transmitters, the R&S THR9 offers the highest power density on the market, making it ideal for transmitter sites requiring high output powers in very tight spaces.

The R&S THR9 operating concept is backed by many years of user experience, which makes it exceptionally field-proven and optimized to meet the needs of station operators. The easy-to-access transmitter display unit has an ergonomic design. The intuitive graphical user interface provides quick access to components and parameters for various tasks – both on site and remotely. R&S THR9 transmitters can be integrated into a network management system for parameter and performance data monitoring and diagnostics.

The R&S THR9 is the first HD Radio^TM transmitter on the market to feature advanced liquid cooling technology. This results in substantial footprint reduction, plus it lowers energy consumption since it does away with conventional, high-performance air-conditioning systems. Maintenance costs for the cooling system are reduced accordingly. While conventional air-conditioning systems require multiple maintenance visits per year, the R&S THR9 liquid cooling system requires only one maintenance visit every four years. It has two pump modules operating in active standby and a heat exchanger equipped with two redundant fans. This design ensures high availability of the transmitter cooling system.

The R&S THR9 family of high-power FM transmitters supporting the HD Radio^TM digital standard is available now from Rohde & Schwarz. Existing R&S THR9 FM transmitters can be upgraded to this standard.