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FM translator xmtr choice?

E

engine the evaneer

Hey, we've put a few "AM on FM" translators on a few years ago, went with BE 500C and had great luck with reliability but were disappointed by some of the interlocking features (the unit doesn't power back up without a hard button push after an interlock power down???).

We are shopping for gear again, this time around there are some extra options and the BE 500C is a bit too pricey at this point, although we could reach for it if the other options don't add up.

We need 250 W TPO, but could get a power bump in the future, so we'd like at least a little headroom with whatever we buy.

Lead candidates are BE STXe series and Nautel VS300 or VS1.

Has anyone worked with either and can add to the pamphlet information available from both manufacturers?

Any dark-horse candidates? Has to make power, sound good, and have simple remote controlling to shut off if the "air" signal for the main station drops. Thanks!
 
I have two Crown E 750 made by Ecreso that run at 600 watts 24/7 on our translators. They have been trouble free in over a year of operation.
Price is great.
 
Check into BW Broadcast products. They are reasonably priced and easy to service. Yes, they are made in England, but I've had amazing service from the folks at the factory. They even have a US "800" number which makes them easy to reach if you need parts or technical assistance. I've received parts from them as quickly as overnight, even here in rural East Texas. I thought that was amazing. On the other hand, I've needed parts for my BE AM-1A and had to wait a couple of weeks for over-priced components from BE. It makes me wish that BW Broadcast made AM transmitters too.

BW Broadcast products are distributed in the USA by SCMS, who keeps a good stock.
 
I have had great luck with the Nautel VS series. Great product, and they work well. Three of them on the air in our area here, and none have had any failures. IMHO Nautel has the best customer service and support in the market right now. I have installed several of the V2 BW Broadcast transmitters, and they are OK, but parameters for the presets for built in audio processing are not configurable. We had a problem with one unit right out of the box, and had a conversation with a condescending British support engineer who was absolutely certain that "his" transmitter could not be faulty. SCMS eventually replaced that unit for us. They have been great to work with, not so much for the factory support folks in Britain. Other than that one DOA problem, none of these units have failed. Good luck with your choice.
 
kberlen said:
I have had great luck with the Nautel VS series. Great product, and they work well. Three of them on the air in our area here, and none have had any failures. IMHO Nautel has the best customer service and support in the market right now. I have installed several of the V2 BW Broadcast transmitters, and they are OK, but parameters for the presets for built in audio processing are not configurable. We had a problem with one unit right out of the box, and had a conversation with a condescending British support engineer who was absolutely certain that "his" transmitter could not be faulty. SCMS eventually replaced that unit for us. They have been great to work with, not so much for the factory support folks in Britain. Other than that one DOA problem, none of these units have failed. Good luck with your choice.
Click to expand...

I'm not sure who you spoke with at BW, but I've always found them more than willing to bend over backwards to help. They have even gone so far as to FedEx small parts to me for free, no questions asked. I guess everyone has a bad day. I will agree that Nautel seems to have the best customer service on this side of the pond. I've had recent experiences with both BE and Harris (now Gates Air). Those encounters, just trying to buy parts for my aging transmitters, have been much less that good. Gates Air just said "We don't support that product" and wished me a good day - not even suggesting where I could find the parts. They were condecending too. BE will supply parts, but they are incredibly slow and very expensive. Try over $400 for a single capacitor. It is also hard to get in touch with anyone at either company if you don't know their extension number. When you call, a receptionist takes your number and says somebody will call you back. That may be in an hour or two or it may be the next day. Meanwhile, you are waiting around for them to call back. They must be taking lessons from your cable TV company...
 
Slow response times can be remedied sometimes by my affirmation that I will phone back every 10 minutes until I get the help I need. I recall doing that once. On my third call to the same girl answering the phones, I said we're going to have to quit meeting this way, and concluded with 'talk to you soon...maybe 10 minutes". It took a few calls but I got somebody and the help I needed. That was years ago, however.
 
b-turner said:
Slow response times can be remedied sometimes by my affirmation that I will phone back every 10 minutes until I get the help I need. I recall doing that once. On my third call to the same girl answering the phones, I said we're going to have to quit meeting this way, and concluded with 'talk to you soon...maybe 10 minutes". It took a few calls but I got somebody and the help I needed. That was years ago, however.
Click to expand...

Know exactly what you mean! When our ministry purchased a used Pineapple VHL100 without an operators manual, I called and called, reaching only voice mail with no return call. Took five days before they returned the call. Another two days before they finally emailed the needed data...
 
PTek has a new owner, experienced in manufacturing. Worth considering. Try BSW as the source.
 
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