SQ
Interesting article!
From my understanding the two frequently-used news helicopters in the UK, operated by Arena Aviation for Sky News and BBC News (normally pooled), use Vislink (LMS-T?) systems with a retractable onmi-directional antenna on the skids. London-wise, I know there's an antenna on top of the Barbican which is both a downlink and a VHF radio uplink for talkback.
Outside of London, they can either do a downlink to a SNG which then feeds it back. The Sky News helicopter does sometimes downlink via a LiveU too.
I think up north in Manchester there's an rx site on top of the Sunley (or whatever it's called now) tower?
Radiocam downlink from helicopter to either receivers on City Tower or the top of Quay House in Media City.
Can either be done live if within range, or via playout as it comes back in range on its way back to base.
Either recorded at Salford or fed down lines to other sites.
Television News Helicopters
I was wondering if it was at all possible for me to pick up a signal from the news choppers but so many things would have to line up right, having an SDR that can do it, having the software and parameters to demodulate the signal, etc etc. That's what led to the question about whether we use omnis here, because if we don't then the chances of me picking anything up would be, in theory, very difficult, as the Rx and Tx are aiming at each other and not at me.
Interesting article!
From my understanding the two frequently-used news helicopters in the UK, operated by Arena Aviation for Sky News and BBC News (normally pooled), use Vislink (LMS-T?) systems with a retractable onmi-directional antenna on the skids. London-wise, I know there's an antenna on top of the Barbican which is both a downlink and a VHF radio uplink for talkback.
Outside of London, they can either do a downlink to a SNG which then feeds it back. The Sky News helicopter does sometimes downlink via a LiveU too.
I think up north in Manchester there's an rx site on top of the Sunley (or whatever it's called now) tower?
Radiocam downlink from helicopter to either receivers on City Tower or the top of Quay House in Media City.
Can either be done live if within range, or via playout as it comes back in range on its way back to base.
Either recorded at Salford or fed down lines to other sites.