...NAB 2013 in Las Vegas, 6 – 11 April. ETL has a long history of designing equipment and this new series of products can be used in all sectors, including broadcast. All new products and innovations are developed and built by ETL’s growing team of R&D experts in the U.K. The company has won multiple awards for its designs, benefiting from more than a quarter of a century of experience in the RF distribution sector.

On display will be the latest addition to the V-series at NAB. The family of products includes the 128x128 Vulcan Matrix Router, the 64x64 Vortex Matrix Router, the NEW 16x32 Valiant Matrix and the 16x16 Victor Matrix. All are capable of remote control via serial or Ethernet port with SNMP and web browser interface.

ETL also recently expanded with the launch of its new North American headquarters in Washington DC to cope with a real surge in demand. More than 60 per cent of the company’s total annualized revenues now originate in North America. Former Intelsat and Harris Caprock satcom specialist, Susan Saadat, has been appointed Vice President to lead the regional headquarters in Washington DC. The expansion will support ETL’s already strong presence in the U.S. market, which accounts for almost two thirds of its total annualised satellite communication, broadcast, system integration and government orders.

The demo units being shown at NAB 2013 include...

• 64x64 Vortex Matrix – Model VTX-10 – The Vortex is a high performance solution for frequent signal routing changes and designed for busy teleports and master control rooms (MCR) where rack space is short. With 64x64 inputs and outputs it is able to work as a distributive switch matrix or router for downlinking L-band signals or combining multiple technologies into one product
• 16x32 Valiant Matrix – Model VLT-10 – The Valiant is ideal for smaller broadcast and satellite ground stations, providing the flexibility of dependable RF Routing. It is perfect for use by teleports with limited rack space for occasional use SATCOM traffic. The Valiant has recently been delivered for use in compact marine applications
• 16x16 Victor Matrix – Model VTR-10 – The Victor is designed for television receive-only (TVRO), smaller teleports and satellite ground stations, providing the flexibility of RF routing. The matrix can be used for L-band, IF, and broadband applications

ETL has also been involved in a major U.S. Government satellite downlink project to provide expansion and redundancy RF matrix systems for routing satellite signals. The heart of the systems were based on ETL’s proven Enigma Matrix modules. ETL’s 25-strong team of R&D experts also created a newly designed NGM-32 especially for the project, to handle a higher 1dB gain compression point of greater than 8dBm.

The NGM-33 (950-2450MHz) matrix has also recently been put into service with CP Communications to offer a unique solution to outside broadcasts. Along with newly developed matrix control software, multiple radio camera antennas can be seamlessly switched to diversity receivers and maintain coverage.