All-in-one measurement solution meets requirements in rugged terrain

GEORGE, SOUTH AFRICA — Sentech, a South Africa-based company, offers signal distribution services to most of the country’s licensed broadcasters, which include the public broadcaster, commercial and community broadcasters.

As an owner of 25 Audemat FM MC5 systems with 16 purchased in 2016 and nine more purchased in 2017, Sentech says it is a satisfied customer of WorldCast Systems with its Audemat FM MC5. According to Danie Liebenberg, team leader in operations at Sentech, its team makes use of all the Audemat FM MC5 functions when doing commissioning, development and testing of new FM equipment, fault-finding, alignment and measurements when repairing existing equipment and when doing automated test sequences through script functionalities.

The FM MC5 also helps Sentech carry out its support maintenance which include full mast, cable and antenna inspections as well as drive-by measurements to confirm correct FM antenna radiation patterns and reporting on lack of coverage in new developing areas. The drive-by tests’ full reports go straight to the planners, which helps Sentech in their decision-making process when considering possible new sites.

SIMPLIFIED PROCESS

“One of Sentech’s key operational imperatives and actually one of our strategic pillars is to operate more efficiently. The FM MC5 provides this in more ways than one and in our opinion, its best features are its all-in-one versatility and drive-by test capability which has massively simplified things for us,” said Liebenberg.

Pictured from left are Guillaume Boutin and Olivier Soulié of WorldCast Systems, Danie Liebenberg of Sentech and David Houzé of WorldCast Systems.

“In the past we had to carry multiple instruments of which some were heavy and bulky to transport. We also needed to conduct static measurements using a five-element FM antenna and telescopic pole that we would transport with us when doing our field tests. The size of the antenna in particular complicated our task during windy conditions. The amount of measure points was extremely limited due to this tedious process. Today, all we need to do is attach a small GPS and FM omnidirectional magnetic base antenna onto the roof of the vehicle, quickly configure the FM MC5 for the drive-by measurement, and we’re ready to go.”

He adds, “Multiple measurements at a magnitude of measuring points get done while driving at normal driving speed. By the click of a button, a professional report gets generated that can immediately be represented to customers.”

The Audemat FM MC5 is a lightweight, all-in-one system, and it comes with a durable transport case. With most of Sentech’s work taking place in rugged, mountainous landscapes, sometimes taking one hour to travel 6 miles to reach a site, Sentech says the transport case was a key factor when deciding to purchase the Audemat FM MC5.

During its two years as a WorldCast Systems’ customer, Sentech has also benefited from expert customer support. “We received their team’s support from time of purchase and system deployment, continuing up until now. I would definitely recommend the Audemat FM MC5 as a measurement solution for the FM broadcasting environment,” Liebenberg concluded.

For information, contact Tony Peterle at WorldCast Systems in Florida at 1-305-249-3110

BY CHANTAL FOURGEAUD, DIRECTOR OF MARKETING COMMUNICATIONS, WORLDCAST SYSTEMS

Source: https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/sentech-relies-on-audemat-fm-mc5