Coverage Study
Coverage is key for any radio station. It’s difficult to get too much coverage, especially at the low powers that Ofcom typically licences for community radio. The position of the transmitter can be a critical factor in the extent and depth of coverage of your station – to a far greater extent than transmitter power or even aerial height sometimes.
Just take a look below at the two coverage plots for one of the first stations that we helped with a coverage study. For both plots all variables are the same except location. By moving the transmitter just over 1 mile to a better location you can see the coverage range more than doubled, even though transmitter power and mast height was the same for both.
It therefore pays to give close attention to where you site your transmitter. Associated Broadcast Consultants can conduct a detailed study, suggesting potential locations in addition to assessing any that you have identified. Perhaps just as importantly we can help you select the best option – many times there are additional considerations as well as purely coverage.
We can also suggest ways to link your studio to the chosen transmitter site using a “STL” Studio-to-Transmitter link – after all it’s no good having a wonderful transmitter site if you cannot connect it to your studio output!
The study will consider the local terrain to propose transmitter locations using decades of experience supplemented by advanced computer modelling. For these locations (and others that you may suggest) we provide coverage prediction plots. We also compare and contrast them against key selection criteria including such things as interference potential and likelihood of achieving line-of-sight for a Studio-to-Transmitter link and more.
With a coverage study from Associated Broadcast Consultants you will avail of professional insights into coverage of your area and arrive at the optimum transmitter site selection in terms of cost and quality
So contact us with details of your assignment and we will promptly deliver a professional report detailing how to achieve the best FM radio coverage for your station.