WJXT Goes Remote With General Dynamics LTE

Graham Holdings-owned WJXT Jacksonville, Fla. (DMA 47), circumvented traditional microwave technology for Fortress 4G LTE tech from

General Dynamics Mission Systems’s LTE ENG network.

It operated on WJXT’s existing broadcast auxiliary service (BAS) spectrum license, creating a remote broadcast “hotline” among multiple vehicles, including the WJXT news truck and the station. When the broadcast went live, viewers saw a crisp, uninterrupted, high-definition broadcast from a location 14 miles away from the station, according to General Dynamics.

Accelerated Media Technology integrated the solution into the vehicles and tested the Fortress LTE ENG network ensuring a flawless transition from the station’s news desk to the remote location.

“The Fortress LTE ENG solution changes the way television news organizations deliver their news reports from the field, helping broadcast stations reduce their dependence on microwave and related technologies to deliver a superior quality remote broadcast at much less cost,” said Mike Guzelian a VP of General Dynamics Mission Systems.

For decades, microwave technology has been the backbone for delivering news reports and other local media reports to a broadcast station from remote locations. Microwave networks are expensive to access and can be quickly overloaded, directly affecting the quality and timeliness of a broadcast. Fortress LTE ENG-powered remote broadcasts delivers live video streams securely and without the communication gaps that may occur between the news anchor and the reporter filing miles from the broadcast station.

As a dedicated and secure two-way wireless network, the Fortress LTE ENG communications solution can be used to transport a variety of Internet Protocol network applications in addition to a video broadcast. One application provides two-way intercom links, so reporters and broadcast crews can stay in touch with directors and others at the station, simultaneously without the risk of accidentally going over the air.

General Dynamics Mission Systems Fortress LTE ENG technology is related to the latest technology that powers smartphones, the difference is found in spectrum use and the send/receive communications capacity. Fortress LTE ENG is optimized for live video streaming in the 2 GHz BAS spectrum. It adds a new two-way communications capability not available in legacy microwave technologies, opening new and innovative ways to utilize the 2 GHz BAS spectrum, and streamline communication and operation between the news trucks and the station.