HD PowerBoost™ GEN4

Nautel’s award-winning HD PowerBoost™ GEN4 is a revolutionary technology that increases HD Radio® power output while at the same time increasing efficiency, and addresses the FCC HD injection level increase ruling.

Highlights

  • Provides even higher HD Radio power capability in GV Series
  • Provides nameplate power outputs in GV Series at up to -16 dB injection level
  • Reduces HD Radio conversion costs – transmitter investment savings of up to $22,000
  • Increases HD Radio transmitter power output – up to 30% at -10 dB
  • Increases transmitter efficiency – up to 6% at -10 dB
  • Reduces operating costs – efficiency savings of up to 12% on your power bill at -10 dB
  • Reduces transmitter space requirements – up to half the physical footprint required
  • Reduces cost of listenership – adoption of HD Radio™ more affordable for broadcasters
  • Reduces digital interference – use of asymmetrical digital sidebands

How it Works

HD PowerBoost uses an intelligent peak to average power ratio (PAPR) technique to squeeze more hybrid power from any given transmitter and increase hybrid-mode efficiency. The major difference between Nautel’s PAPR reduction scheme and the standard method, developed by Xperi, is a difference in peak detection.
Nautel HD PowerBoost GEN4 figures

Figure 1: standard PAPR reduction, which only operates on the digital signal and then adds the result to the analog signal.

Figure 2: Nautel’s method of taking the analog signal into account in detecting a peak.

Results

Tests show a reduction in the PAPR from 4.51 dB down to 3.19 dB at an IBOC injection ratio of -10 dB. This translates to a significant reduction in peak transmitter power requirements. For a station using an 8 kW TPO and Nautel’s PAPR reduction technique the transmitter would only need to handle peaks of 16.9 kW rather than the 22.6 kW peaks using standard PAPR reduction. These gains help make it more affordable for broadcasters to adopt the higher injection levels.