UPS Power Backup for Broadcast Applications

Customer:

WFFF-TV, Burlington, VT

Product Highlighted:

CleanSource UPS

Business Challenge:

WFFF is the Fox affiliate ("FOX 44") that serves viewers in Burlington, VT, Plattsburgh, NY and Montreal, Canada. Deep in the northeast, power disturbances are regular occurrences and it is essential that the continuous power system be extremely reliable.

In 2005, WFFF embarked on a Digital TV (DTV) build out with two goals in mind: to deliver the highest quality TV service available and to create a very reliable service infrastructure.

Solution:

Active Power partnered with WFFF to help it achieve its goals. WFFF chose CleanSource UPS to protect its transmitter on Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak. Based on integrated flywheel technology, CleanSource is inherently reliable, keeping stations on air, and protecting transmitter equipment from intense crowbar events (hard shutdowns). CleanSource UPS requires little maintenance, has a relatively small footprint, and does not need a temperature-controlled environment, all of which make the solution a common choice to protect broadcast transmitters.

“We felt the CleanSource UPS system was a more affordable solution with lower maintenance than conventional battery-based UPS systems,” said Matt Servis, Director of Engineering for WFFF.  “We installed the system six months ago and it was evident right away that we had made the right choice.  We’ve had over two-hundred power incidents in this timeframe with absolutely no interruption in service to our viewers. This machine is just a workhorse.”