RNE Spain Orders 15 NTP Technology Audio Routing Systems

Spanish state broadcaster Radio Nacional de Espana has ordered 15 NTP 625 digital audio routing systems for installation across its regional studios.
The order follows the recent installation of an 11-frame system at the network's Madrid headquarters. Three-frame systems will be installed at the largest regional centres, plus single-frame systems to handle smaller sections of the network. Delivery is scheduled to commence in December. The contract was negotiated by Lexon Broadcast, NTP's Spanish distributor.
Mikael Vest, NTP Technology Sales Manager, said: "The existing installation at RNE Madrid is operated via an NTP 635-300 controller running a version 3.0 QNX-based core which offers main-and-redundant database support and fast TCP/IP control. The regional versions will be controlled in the same way and will provide full support for the NTP 715 multiplex consoles widely used by RNE. Each single-frame system is populated with 32 analogue transformer-coupled input and output channels and 32 AES/EBU channels with a 512 x 512 matrix."
NTP's 625 digital audio router is a modular system based on the 625-800 19-inch chassis which houses up to 18 plug-in modules configured as 5 RU high hot-swappable cards. Each chassis is scalable up to 2048 x 2048 crosspoints and can accommodate a redundant power supply and redundant frame controller.
The supporting range of modules includes a sampling-rate converter, analogue I/O, AES/EBU I/O, microphone input, MADI interfaces, CPU/clock, QNX-based frame controller, optical interfaces and TDM interfaces. All I/O cards incorporate gain, filtering, summing, phase, delay, compressor/limiter, level detection and phase detection. VMC660 software controls the router system in terms of crosspoints, scheduling and signal surveillance.
Integrated into the state public broadcasting body RTVE (Radiotelevisión Espanola) in 1973, RNE is the Spanish state public radio service. The network consists of six channels:

• Radio Nacional, a general channel with a broad spectrum of mostly speech-based programming
• Radio Clásica broadcasting concerts and classical music
• Radio 3 focusing on pop, rock and folk music
• Radio 4 delivering regional broadcasting in Catalan
• Radio 5 Todo Noticias broadcasting 24-hour news
• Radio Exterior de Espana, an international service on short wave with an audience of 80 million listeners.

This station is also transmitted in DAB for Spain and by satellite.
RNE's output is also available online. See: www.rtve.es
(KMcA)