Megahertz demonstrates engineering ingenuity at IBC2015

Featured on the stand will be a newsgathering vehicle, one of a series built for a major broadcaster, which imposed a slightly unusual challenge for Megahertz. For business reasons, the broadcaster wanted to use leased vans for the fleet – which means no holes could be cut or drilled into the base vehicle. After five years the van is returned in good condition to the lease company, and the equipment will be transferred to a new vehicle.

“It forced us to do a lot of engineering head scratching and intelligent application to come up with a solution,” recalled Jon Flay, managing director of Megahertz. “The racks and technical furniture are secured in the van using seat mounting points, and the satellite dish is mounted using roof rack fixing points.”

The broadcaster was also keen that the unit be as environmentally friendly as possible, so specified the capability of running the technical systems on batteries for six hours. In fact, by means of smart load shedding so only the equipment needed is powered up in each stage of the newsgathering process – acquisition, editing and transmission – Megahertz designers have achieved as much as eight hours. The idea is that the batteries are charged overnight then can support a complete day’s work, using the engine to top up the battery only in extreme circumstances.

On the roof is a VSAT satellite link which can be quickly and easily switched between Ku-band and Ka-band. It is also fitted with a bonded cellular link and a terrestrial microwave antenna, so the signal can get back from almost anywhere. There is a small mast to lift the antennas above the traffic if needed for improved transmission.

“This is a very ingenious, very capable and very cost-effective solution for one-man newsgathering,” added Flay. “It is also a great illustration of the smart thinking of the design and installation teams at Megahertz, and we are looking forward to discussing how we can bring those attributes to whatever system design challenges our IBC visitors bring with them.”
Visitors to IBC2015 (Amsterdam, 11 – 15 September) will find Megahertz, featuring the new SNG vehicle, at stand 11.F20.

About Megahertz
Megahertz designs, engineers and delivers turnkey systems to the world’s leading broadcasters, content owners and media service providers. As a leading systems integrator, its expert team of skilled engineers and solutions architects, drawn from both broadcast and IT backgrounds, ensures a creative, forward-thinking, independent and highly efficient approach. Megahertz provides dynamic and resilient systems for news and sport production, state-of-the-art studios and advanced file-based workflows, as well as fully equipped vehicles for outside broadcast and newsgathering. The company also provides consultancy, training and support services. The company has two UK locations, including an international sales office close to London Heathrow Airport and a 2000 square metre engineering facility. This allows Megahertz to carry out its own coachwork for vehicles and to pre-fabricate even the largest systems. With a reputation for excellence since 1982, Megahertz continues to deliver value-added engineering solutions worldwide.