PAT to modernise 2GB, 2UE and 2CH with Lawo technology
Published: ASIA
AUSTRALIA: Professional Audio and Television (PAT) has supplied, configured and commissioned a large Lawo and VSM system in an effort to rebuild Australia’s 2GB radio station. In replacement of the previous infrastructure for 2UE and 2CH, phase two of the project will involve Lawo and VSM technology being brought online. 2GB, 2UE and 2CH are owned by Macquarie Media Limited (MML).
MML also purchased a Lawo solution for all of its On-Air studios, News Booths, Newsrooms, Transfer Booths and Master Conrol Roomss at its new Pyrmont facility. The site is planned to house all three stations and in total required a rebuild of 11 services. The three main services feature fully-redundant transmission paths independent to the Lawo Nova73 redundancy.
In addition, a VSM system providing overall core control has been deployed, while the broadcaster opted for 16-fader Sapphire consoles for seven On-Air studios. The News and Transfer booths were equipped with eight-fader Crystal consoles. The Newsroom will also be upgraded with Lawo VisTools touch screen terminals, including virtual faders. Three compact frames and a Nova17 will be the I/O support for the newsroom.
Meanwhile in the Master Control Room (MCR), MML selected a Nova73 Star2 topology, with two redundant Nova73 Core routers, controlled by a VSM system. According to PAT, system flexibility was achieved by ‘virtualising DSP resources on the Nova17 frames in the MCR, acting as both DSP resources and breakout I/O via VSM’. Moreover, VSM also reportedly offers system-wide alarms, tallies, metering and the management of apology rules in case of a signal path failure.
To support MML’s focus on outside broadcast content, an OB system will be implemented allowing for each individual codec to be permanently connected to an OB line while remaining within the same DSP footprint. The system will also reportedly increase from 16 to 68 physical OB lines. MML will also use a Lawo VSM intercom system, offering Nova73 Core routers for cross point control of the intercom, with user control being reportedly based on VSM software and hardware panels.
‘2GB, 2CH and 2UE not only have an extremely large audience base in Sydney, but with many of their programmes syndicated nationally, a fully redundant core infrastructure was imperative to ensure maximum up-time, while also providing the possibility to take an entire Lawo Nova73 router off-line during maintenance or upgrade work,’ explained Patrick Salloch, managing director of Professional Audio and Television.
Philip Hey, Lawo APAC sales director, expressed positivity at the recent move. ‘It is fantastic to see that MML has chosen Lawo technology for this high-profile project. More and more Australian Broadcasters are relying on Lawo technology when redundancy, quality and flexibility are needed.’
Macquarie Media Limited’s director of broadcast systems, Aaron Alphonso, also praised the experience. ‘We are pleased with the Lawo and VSM system and the delivery of the initial phase of this project. Close cooperation between MML, PAT and Lawo has delivered a solution with solid broadcast capability, redundancy and versatility, which will serve our business for years to come. PAT’s and Lawo’s engineering staff were reliable, accommodating and able to react quickly given their high level of system knowledge, which made a complex change in technology a straightforward exercise.’