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To succeed, a broadcast station obviously must have adequate coverage. Superior coverage enhances the competitive position. At H&E, we use proprietary computer techniques to calculate coverage, with accuracy verified by our 55 years of field strength measurement experience. Combining the latest in propagation algorithms with terrain databases and U.S. Census break-downs, we determine true effective coverage through the use of in-house resources.
We can also account for interference from co- and adjacent-channel stations
and even self-interference from existing or proposed booster facilities.
When coverage is projected on our copyrighted constant-resolution maps, our
clients can see just what areas and people they serve, or can serve, as well
as how they can improve or extend that coverage. The
sample map
included on this website is an example of this capability. The coloring
shows those areas that receive certain minimum signal levels from an actual
station in San Francisco. Projection of the FCC F(50,50) contours, too,
shows how inadequate they are for predicting actual coverage.
Due Diligence Services
Buying a station is often the fastest way to add or expand a market for a
broadcaster, and part of structuring a successful purchase is knowing the
capabilities and condition of the transmitting and studio facilities.
The experience of H&E's professional staff allows us to evaluate existing
facilities, anticipate capital expenditures, assess present market coverage,
determine potentials for upgrade, and check compliance with FCC Rules.
Due diligence services are frequently needed, and provided, on short
notice.
FCC & FAA Filings
Basic to improving most broadcast transmitting facilities is the need for approval from government agencies. H&E has long been known for preparing complete, thorough, and published accurate applications that meet the government's rules and internal policies.
Particularly in this era of competition for acquiring or improving
broadcasting facilities, it is essential that these filings withstand FCC and
FAA staff scrutiny, as well as any competitive challenge.
RF Exposure Analysis
H&E is an industry leader in the calculation and measurement of RF radiation exposure conditions. We are still the only firm that determines, by calculation, the power reductions needed at multi-user sites to achieve compliance with FCC limits for on-tower occupational exposure conditions.
H&E strives to minimize the liability of a broadcaster, rather than merely to satisfy the FCC's requirements. Our experience evaluating sites and developing mitigation measures leads to practical solutions of potential problems.
McGraw-Hill published in 1997 Bill Hammett's book
Radio
Frequency Radiation: Issues and Standards.
Allocation Studies
Working within the FCC's labyrinth of technical Rules and policies can reward
a broadcaster who wants to improve coverage by upgrading a station's
transmitting facilities. H&E's intimate knowledge of the Rules, as
well as our successful experience in finding upgrade possibilities for
clients, provides the capability to achieve the best possible FCC
authorization. Exact projections of contours, demonstrations of
terrain obstructions, and propagation predictions by alternate methods may
be needed as today's tightly-packed frequency tables are mined for remaining
upgrade possibilities.
Field Measurement Capabilities
Measurement of the actual radiated or received signal levels is needed in
some circumstances, and H&E has capabilities second to none. Our
measurements van is equipped with a 30-foot pneumatic mast, for measuring
TV or radio coverage free from ground disturbances. It has also been
used for special projects such as HDTV development tests. Our airborne
package consists of various custom receive antennas, which may be fitted to
either fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, for AM, FM, VHF, UHF, or
cable-leakage measurements; it can measure both azimuth and elevation
patterns of installed antennas. Both systems utilize GPS positioning
systems for navigation and for accurate recording of measurement
locations. Automated recorders collect simultaneous streams of data
such as position, altitude, field strength, and orientation, which our
computers can reduce to coverage maps or to plots of antenna radiation
patterns.
Computing Capabilities
H&E's design and presentation capabilities are supported by extensive computing facilities, including a multi-user UNIX system and a network of Apple Macintosh desktop computers. One full-time programmer is on staff.
Our software includes proprietary programs for propagation prediction, RF
exposure analysis, DTV interference analysis, method-of-moments impedance
calculations, circuit design, and AM directional array optimization.
Some of our software has been purchased by the FCC, and we maintain the latest
available version of the FAA EMI programs.
AM Services
Since its founding, H&E has specialized in the design and adjustment of
AM directional arrays. One of our particular strengths is the design and
adjustment of antenna systems and circuitry to combine the operation of two
or more stations onto a single tower or a set of towers.
FM Services
Within the FCC Rules is considerable room for site selection and antenna
system design to maximize coverage. H&E has developed the analysis
tools to optimize FM transmitting facilities, from site analysis to net
coverage gain. This also includes FM boosters, where a poor design
can cause more harm than good to a station's coverage.
TV Services
With the advent of circular polarization, antenna design became even more critical to the successful improvement of a station's plant. H&E has great experience in the design of custom antennas to maximize coverage within FCC power limits.
We literally "wrote the book" on TV transmitter RF proof
measurements (see NAB publication #ISBN 0-89324-110-5), and we lead the
industry in ensuring proper installation of common-mode, high-power UHF
transmitters.
DTV Services
H&E has developed a complete set of allocations analysis and design
tools to assist TV stations in the transition from analog NTSC to digital
television (DTV) service. The tools include the full capability to
perform FCC OET-69 interference analyses, which are required for the study
of proposed changes to allotment facilities. Such changes could
include revised antenna types and patterns, increased power and/or height,
or the selection of a new transmitting site. The OET-69 methods are
used in conjunction with more sophisticated terrain-sensitive coverage
prediction tools to provide optimized DTV implementation solutions.
CATV Services
H&E's expertise in cable television matters is most often relied upon by
municipal governments in the administration of their local franchises.
We analyze new or rebuild system designs and conduct or evaluate proof of
performance measurements, both in terms of franchise requirements and FCC
technical standards.
ITFS/Wireless Cable Services
One of H&E's early services to universities and school districts was the
development of the ITFS band and the introduction of talk-back
capabilities. That band now has become of commercial interest to
wireless cable companies. We consult with ITFS licensees as their
wireless cable partners seek to integrate and develop those markets, in
accordance with the latest FCC policies.
Radio Duopoly Showings
Recent changes to FCC Rules allow common ownership of more than two stations
in a single market. H&E can quickly provide the required FCC showing
to define a radio market for duopoly ownership conditions.
Facility Improvements
Improvements to transmitting facilities can be made with great assurance of
success and with minimal disruption to station operations. With our
experience designing transmitting systems, preparing equipment bid
specifications, evaluating proposals, and commissioning installations,
H&E provides the needed technical support for a broadcaster to proceed
with confidence.
Expert Testimony
Most of the H&E engineers have testified as expert witnesses in court or
at hearings on behalf of clients. We are credentialed by professional
registration and by experience, and our expert qualifications are generally
recognized and accepted by both sides. We also practice forensic
engineering in the settlement of insurance claims. Increasingly, as
public concerns grow over RF radiation exposure, we assist clients by
explaining technical concepts to lay audiences, both in written material and
in oral presentations.
Retainer Services
For select clients, H&E regularly monitors all FCC activity that might
affect their stations. We analyze FCC actions to see if potentially
adverse ramifications exist, and we assist with necessary filings to protect
against such problems. For a flat monthly fee, these retainer clients
are provided with unlimited telephone consultation with our staff. They
are also assured that H&E will not undertake, without their prior specific
permission, work for competing stations.
Auxiliary Services
In order to satisfy the full range of RF needs of broadcasters, H&E also
designs point-to-point microwave links in all of the available bands
(950 MHz and 2, 7, 13, 18, and 23 GHz) and completes the appropriate
FCC technical forms.
Emerging Technologies
We have been pleased to work over the years with pioneers who develop
"emerging technologies," as well as with those far-sighted clients
who first apply them. Digital audio broadcasting, advanced television,
IVDS, and personal communications systems are all technologies with which we
are or have recently been involved, and we look forward to their early
commercial applications.
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