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from around the world:

March 2005
'Roses in May' Celebrates Dubai Win
On-site Training in Morocco
'Kicking King' Revives 'Arkle' Legend
Cabsat 2005 Gets Off to a Good Start
European Indoor Athletics Championships

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 February 2005
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'Roses in May' Celebrates Dubai Win
After 'Roses in May' won the $6 million Dubai World Cup on Saturday night owners, Ken Ramsey of Kentucky, hoisted, the giant glittering gold cup overhead and said, "We're going to have a champagne and roses party tonight".
Roses in May, ridden by John Velazquez, dominated the world's richest race and looked a real champion as he stormed up the straight to cross the line three lengths ahead of Saudi Arabian raider Dynever, with U.S. trained Choctaw Nation in third place. Roses in May, had been fancied to win the race ever since finishing a good second to Ghostzapper in last October's Breeders' Cup Classic, in Texas.

This is the tenth year that Dubai TV have depended on Gigawave wireless cameras and microwave vision links for their live coverage of the Dubai World Cup. It is also the third year that Dubai TV have been using D-Cam wireless camera systems, for interviews and colour, in the Paddock and Grandstand. As in 2004, Dubai TV used a a D-Cam 'Clip-On' wireless camera system, behind the stalls, for every start.

In addition to digital wireless camera systems Dubai TV also use a tracking vehicle with two gyro-stabilized camera systems to follow the race leaders. Images from these cameras were relayed back to a central receive site, with 'Diversity' receivers, using D-Cam 'Clip-On' standalone transmitters, each with a digital power amplifier.

A digital downlink was also used to relay live images from a helicopter circling the Nad Al Sheba racetrack. Finally, Dubai TV used four analog Mini TX to transmit images from 3 POV cameras, mounted in the stalls, and a low level jump-out camera back to the OB Truck.

All signals from Dubai TV's wireless camera systems plus the tracking vehicle, and helicopter were fed through to 'Visions', who provided the World Feed (as seen on Sky Sports and Eurosport). A dedicated D-Cam wireless camera system was also used for interviews etc., as part of the world feed output.

Dubai, UAE - March 2005
On-site Training in Morocco
As part of a contract to supply Radiodiffusion Television Marocaine (RTM) with MVL-D2 point to point links, RTM engineers underwent an on-site training course in Rabat, given by Gigawave Regional Sales Manager, Trevor Vizard, and Studiotech representative Luc Staelens.
RTM cover a large number of outside broadcast events in and around Rabat, including Sporting events, Royal occassions, and Friday prayers. As such, the four MVL-D2 links will be used primarily to transmit programme feeds back to the main RTM studios, either in standalone configuration or main/standby configuration. When in main/standby configuration each pair of digital links have automatic switching from the main to standby transmitter, in the unlikely event of a failure.
Following the five day training course, which covers the theoretical aspects of COFDM digital links and first line maintenance, as operational training, RTM links engineers set up a main programme feed from a Mosque in Rabat.

The live feed from the Mosque was transmitted direct to two receivers located on the roof of the RTM main building. The main link was operating in high quality 64QAM whilst the standby link was operating in QPSK mode. On this occassion the output of the receivers was analogue video and audio but RTM plan to upgrade their MCR to accept an SDI output.

Rabat, Morocco - March 2005
'Kicking King' Revives 'Arkle' Legend
Kicking King stormed to an impressive victory in the blue riband Cheltenham Gold Cup on Friday. The 4-1 favourite was ridden by Barry Geraghty and trained by Tom Taaffe, whose father Pat rode the legendary racehorse, Arkle, to a hat-trick of Gold Cup victories in the 1960s.
Gigawave microwave equipment supplied by rental specialist rental company, Broadcast RF, also produced some great results for the viewers watching the Cheltenham Gold Cup in the comfort of their own homes.

As part of a long term rental agreement, Broadcast RF provided a D-Cam wireless camera system complete with racking to cover a reporter down at the start line and the start of the race. As part of the same agreement Broadcast RF also provided a digital link, with 'Diversity' receiver, to relay images from a tracking vehicle used to follow the leaders around the course. Using 'Diversity' it was possible to use the system at 64QAM with a video setting of 4:2:2.

In addition to the regular systems that they provide, Broadcast RF provided a digital link for a second tracking vehicle, a D-Cam wireless camera system (with racking) for a jib mounted camera at the start line, and a digital downlink to transmit 'beauty shots' from a Blimp circling the racecourse. Additional 'beauty shots' came from a camera mounted on 'Cleve Hill' and linked back to the OB Truck using a digital point to point link operating at 3.5GHz

Cheltenham, England - March 2005
Cabsat 2005 Gets Off to a Good Start
"I am delighted with the quality of enquiries that we received", commented Gigawave's Director of Sales and Marketing, John Rolfe as he and colleague Trevor Vizard relaxed at the end of the first day of Cabsat 2005.
"It is the first time that Gigawave have exhibited at Cabsat and it is unlikely to be the last due to the fact that many of our Middle Eastern customers no longer want to travel all the way to Las Vegas in order to attand NAB", added Rolfe

Dubai , UAE - March 2005
European Indoor Athletics Championships
The new rebuilt 'Palacio de Deportes Comunidad de Madrid Indoor Hall' was the venue for the 2005 European Indoor Athletics Championships. Spanish State broadcaster, TVE, used four D-Cam wireless camera systems to cover the event.
Dorna the Spanish company behind 'Moto GP' supplied TVE with two D-Cam wireless camera systems with full racking and two D-Cam 'Clip-on' systems. All four systems were in use 12 hours a day and performed without fault, using 16QAM modulation.

For the opening ceremony, TVE used only the four D-Cam systems. Three of them were deployed inside the hall, whilst the fourth D-Cam was used to provide live coverage of the scenes outside.
Madrid , Spain - March 2005

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