Program audio delivery to a translator

[edarmsttrong]

Would it be legal to feed a translator with audio from a fiber-optic audio link, so long as the translator is set up to shut down in the event of the loss of carrier of the main station it is 'translating'? A receiver with carrier detection would be employed to shut the translator down, if the primary station would go off the air for some reason. I'm just curious, and haven't been able to get a good answer for this anywhere, so I thought I would try here!

 

[ironbear]

Not likely to be much of an issue if it's NCE we're talking about. The Commission apparently has authorized separated off-air pickup and transmission sites connected by phone lines in the commercial band (I'm aware of one in years past at Tucson's Mt. Bigelow/Mt. Lemon). That proposed a variant of "off-air pickup" needed to operate with first adjacent receive and transmit frequencies. Why not call the FCC's translator staff and ask them?

 

[edarmsttrong]

This would be a translator for a commercial Class A station.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will contact them. It won't hurt to get it 'straight from the horse's mouth', I guess!

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

My understanding is that if either the originating station OR the translator frequency is not in the NCE band, even though it might be a non-comm, the translator MUST pick up the audio off-air. Part of the reason for keeping this limit in place is to prevent GODChannel radio from populating the entire FM band with their stuff from hundreds of miles away. They are capable of doing it below 92 and it's nearly a free-for-all. The staffers want to make sure the rest of the band doesn't end up the same way and will not budge in most cases just out of self-preservation.

 

[kyscott]

However there is nothing saying you can't feed the translator with the fiber link while the fiber link is fed by an off air reciever. I think that's how these religious broadcasters get around the rules. The satellite uplinks are fed by an off air receiver. Not within the spirit of the rules, but the FCC hasn't cared much about rules outside the public file and EAS for a while now.

 

[ChiefEngineer]

My understanding is that if either the originating station OR the translator frequency is not in the NCE band, even though it might be a non-comm, the translator MUST pick up the audio off-air. Part of the reason for keeping this limit in place is to prevent GODChannel radio from populating the entire FM band with their stuff from hundreds of miles away. They are capable of doing it below 92 and it's nearly a free-for-all. The staffers want to make sure the rest of the band doesn't end up the same way and will not budge in most cases just out of self-preservation.

Several years ago I asked about a station rebroadcasting another station in the commercial band and was told they were rebroadcasting another station. The station was over 200 miles away.

In recent years with many changes to translators specific Staff have indicated as in other posts about fiber feeds that as long as a receiver feeds the translator the length of the cable between the receiver and the transmitter are not regulated.

 

[TomT]

It's simpler just to go to the rules; quote is from 47 CFR 74.1231 :

(b) An FM translator may be used for the purpose of retransmitting the signals of a primary FM radio broadcast station or another translator station the signal of which is received directly through space, converted, and suitably amplified. However, an FM translator providing fill-in service may use any terrestrial facilities to receive the signal that is being rebroadcast. An FM booster station or a noncommercial educational FM translator station that is operating on a reserved channel (Channels 201-220) and is owned and operated by the licensee of the primary noncommercial educational station it rebroadcasts may use alternative signal delivery means, including, but not limited to, satellite and terrestrial microwave facilities.
Provided, however, that an applicant for a noncommercial educational translator operating on a reserved channel (Channel 201-220) and owned and operated by the licensee of the primary noncommercial educational FM station it rebroadcasts complies with either paragraph (b)(1) or (b)(2) of this section:
(1) The applicant demonstrates that:
(i) The transmitter site of the proposed FM translator station is within 80 kilometers of the predicted 1 mV/m contour of the primary station to be rebroadcast; or,
(ii) The transmitter site of the proposed FM translator station is more than 160 kilometers from the transmitter site of any authorized full service noncommercial educational FM station; or,
(iii) The application is mutually exclusive with an application containing the showing as required by Sec. 74.1231(b)(2) (i) or (ii) of this section; or,
(iv) The application is filed after October 1, 1992.

"Translating" this to English, if the translator is a fill-in translator --that is, inside the 60, 57 or 54 dbu contour of the main station (depends on class), you can use any means to send the audio to the translator, including an inter-city relay on 950, or fiber-optic. (We use a composite ICR to feed our booster, for example). For the original poster's commercial class A, the translator's 60 dbu must be inside the primary station's 60 dbu, if so, he can send his audio by fiber-optic feed.

If the translator is outside the primary service contour of the main station, then off-air pick-up must be used UNLESS it is a translator operating in the NCE band ("reserved" band) and the conditions of the sub-parts are met. You cannot operate a translator in the NCE band for a commercial station. You cannot use terrestrial or satellite to feed a translator in the commercial band that is outside the primary service contour--even if the originating station is a NCE.