Bhutan Broadcasting Service invests in Clear-Com
Published: ASIA
BHUTAN: Bhutan Broadcasting Service (BBS) has recently invested in Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak and Tempest2400 digital wireless systems to ensure that critical production cues for its daily news, documentaries and entertainment programmes are heard without interference or dropout.
Prior to the new purchase, the station’s communications backbone consisted of a wired matrix intercom and a partyline system, and while these were reliable, the crew needed additional mobility and flexibility. These were key requirements for staff such as the online editor, programme director, floor manager and anchors.
‘Prior to adding the wireless systems, the wired system hampered the movement of the online editor, cameramen, floor manager and anchors, especially during the panel discussion, reality shows and talk shows in the production studio,’ said Sherub Tharchen, head of the technical department for BBS. ‘We would migrate to different parts of the studios with the wired beltpacks, but sometimes the cables would extend so far that the beltpacks would get unplugged, cutting off our communications. Now with FreeSpeak and Tempest, everybody can move freely in the studios and stay connected without worrying about the cables getting tangled or the wired beltpacks becoming unplugged.’
BBS has two FreeSpeak systems, one in the news studio and the other in one of its production studios. Active antennas are also distributed throughout the production areas in order to maximise wireless coverage. The systems operate within the license-free 1.8 to 1.93 GHz frequency band, and combine DECT and wireless auto-roaming technologies to allow users to move freely without fading or losing connection in the studios.
Meanwhile, the Tempest system was installed at a second production studio in a separate building, and operates in the 80 MHz of spectrum in the 2.4 GHz ISM frequency band.
BBS stated that it is impressed with the grouping function of the FreeSpeak and Tempest systems, reporting that staff can now easily assign groups to channels A and B, allowing the crew to receive only the cues for their department without having to listen to those that are not relevant to them.
‘We are proud that the top broadcaster in Bhutan expanded its communications setup with Clear-Com,’ said Edmund Song, regional sales manager, Southeast Asia. ‘The ability of both FreeSpeak and Tempest to provide reliable wireless communications makes the systems ideal for fast-paced productions such as those produced by BBS.’