TECHNOLOGY IN ACTION
BEYOND THE HEADLINES
If more complex productions need
to be undertaken, with separate camera engineer, sound and vision operators, the natural selection is a 7500kg
vehicle. At this level, it is possible to
have a “box body” or a panel van.
Obviously, the box body offers much
more flexibility in terms of interior
space, but cost and delivery times can
be longer than the panel van.
The most sophisticated uplink vehicles are often used as communications hubs. These would have large
main antennas (around 2.4m) along
with other receive dishes and multiple
masts. Vehicles for this purpose are
usually built on 18000kg to 26000kg
box bodies.
Whatever the choice of vehicle,
care should be taken to select a reputable coachbuilder. New legislation
has been introduced requiring that
all new vehicles being modified for
use in the EU (adding a dish, roof air-con or even external grills) have to
be tested and approved at an official
testing station.
In the case of broadcast vehicles,
this will be enforced in 2012. However, this is likely to result in increased
costs and delays, due particularly to
the limited number of testing stations
and the variety of vehicles, from various industry sectors, that will be submitted for testing by coachbuilders.
invariably the vehicle engine is diesel, adding the requirement for an
extra fuel tank. Air-cooled generators can be lighter than water-cooled
versions, but these also tend to be
noisier. Despite all these challenges,
the on-board, water-cooled, diesel
generator is still the most popular
choice. Towable or removable generators are also options, but neither is
particularly convenient.
of batteries charged. In the case that
separate power is not available, the
batteries supply power to the equipment through an inverter. Although
this is not a true online UPS system,
the break that occurs on switchover
between charging and inverting can
be made fast enough to avoid disturbing most of the technical equipment.
This system has the advantage that the
battery charging can be linked into
This van is fitted with an on-board 12kVA diesel generator with a
soundproof capsule.
Power
All DSNG vehicles will need varying amounts of AC and DC power
supplies to operate both the technical
equipment and the utilities (lighting,
heating and cooling). Ideally, both of
these need to be derived from systems
built into the vehicle.
The natural choice for the 230V AC
power is for the vehicle to carry an
on-board, self-contained generator.
The disadvantages of these are main-
ly weight and noise. Typical 12kVA
water-cooled, diesel generators will
weigh up to 300kg. Soundproof cap-
sules can minimize noise, but these
also add to the overall weight. Opting
for a petrol generator can reduce gen-
erator weight and noise, but almost
It is possible to fit an extra 230V al-
ternator to the vehicle engine. Space
can usually be found in the engine
bay for something capable of up to
around 5kVA. If more power is need-
ed, then some kind of power take-off
is needed elsewhere (such as under
the vehicle). This solution is noisier
than the separate generator and not
particularly economical given that it
requires running a two-liter to three-
liter engine in a mode it was not
designed for. An engine-driven gen-
erator is often a good solution as an
emergency backup.
