Megahertz's DSNGs Now 'Suitable For Arctic Circle Use'

British systems integrators Megahertz like a new challenge and one of their recent DSNG construction projects has been just that.
With several regular clients throughout Africa and Asia, the team are used to constructing newsgathering vehicles suitable for use in arid or semi-tropical conditions, but a recent order for a European broadcaster required them to think about extreme conditions at the opposite end of the temperature scale.
TV4, Sweden's largest commercial broadcaster, finalised an order at IBC 2007 for two fast-response DSNG vehicles, which, in addition to being suitable for use in urban and lowland areas, could deal with operation in the harsh extremes of local news-gathering in the northern corners of Sweden, within the Arctic Circle.
The eye-catching twin vehicles, in their livery of TV4 corporate red, are based around long-wheelbase VW 2.5 TDI Transporters and feature extra diving lights and heating (including engine heating), plus four-wheel drive and studded winter tyres for use on the unsealed roads and rough terrain found in northern Sweden. Both vans are equipped with 1.5-metre Advent NewSwift satellite dishes and Advent encoders and are to be fitted with Link Research wireless camera systems, with parallel Sennheiser wireless in-ear audio monitoring systems for use by presenters in the vicinity of the truck.
Both vehicles were completed at Megahertz's Cambridgeshire workshops and inspected by T4's engineers in late February, ready to be taken into service in Sweden in the spring.
Pontus Wahlstedt, System Engineer at TV4, said: "It's the first time we've used Megahertz for a project like this. Their quote at the tender wasn't the very lowest of those we received, but they gave us the best value for money overall.
"The four-wheel drive, for example, is essential, as our crews often have to drive up snowy hillsides in the North of Sweden when covering the ski competitions there.
"And now the vans are complete, I can say it's all gone very well. There are always small changes to make at the commissioning stage, but Megahertz have been responsive and everything is working as it should."
Megahertz MD Greg Hoskin said: "These two vans might seem like many we've built for use in the British Isles or in European climates, but they add another string to our bow. We often build vehicles for use in humid or very hot conditions, but not we can say with justification that we construct vehicles that work from the Arctic Circle to the Cape of Good Hope!"
Established in 1982, Cambridgeshire-based Megahertz Broadcast Systems, is a leading independent broadcasting systems integrators. Their experience covers every aspect of systems activity, including the management of complete turnkey projects and the design and construction of sophisticated Outside Broadcast Vehicles.
Megahertz is a subsidiary of Canadian technology integration company AZCAR Technologies Incorporated.
Further information is available at: www.megahertz.co.uk and www.azcar.com.
(KMcA)