Link Mobile Unit

It is an all-terrain vehicle conditioned inside to be able to safely install and transport the electronic equipment of mobile microwave links. This equipment is used to be able to send the image and sound signal produced by the mobile production unit to the production center, for its live transmission or to be recorded and broadcast later, either in the form of a report or in its entirety. Thus, the microwave link can be defined as the “union of links between two nearby points by means of a system of parabolic antennas”.

The links are necessary since “distance and obstacles mean that the arrival of the signal to the studio, to the station, is done in stages, almost never directly. The mobile unit links by microwave or by coaxial cable or fiber optic or by hertz an wave, with intermediate relays: vehicles that receive and transmit the signal, whether on the surface or in flight, simple radio link parabolas, repeaters and satellites, all of which, in turn, send that signal to the station, to the central technical control “, where the different image and sound sources are coordinated.

The human team required varies according to the link stations that need to be installed from the origin of the signal to the base station. Mainly it is necessary to have the following personnel:

1- Electronic technician.

2- Electronic technical officer.

3- Driver.

4- Assembly staff (specialist and official).

Regarding the technological equipment of these units, the following stands out:

1- Off-road vehicle.

2- Satellite dishes.

3- Receiving head, with its corresponding control.

4- Emitting head, with its corresponding control.

5- Connection cables of the heads of different lengths.

6- Tripods.

7- Auxiliary transmitter and receiver equipment, multiplexer, demultiplexer, modulator and demodulator.

8- Portable generator set, since in many points where the link has to be installed there is no electricity available.

Locations

When a retransmission is going to take place, it is necessary to study the place where the events are going to take place. This analysis of the place is due to the fact that in the television studios there is extensive equipment and they are equipped with all the necessary comforts to carry out the production, but when a retransmission is made, not all these comforts exist and it is necessary to monitor all the details that can make the nba중계 broadcast a success or a failure.

Some elements to take into account of the place from which the retransmission will be made are the power hookups, telephone communications, the placement of the cameras and their mobility, the placement of commentator posts, nearby accommodation, parking difficulties for the units etc In general, it is necessary to anticipate all the possible needs so that the transmission unfolds normally.

In order to see in detail all these possible needs, the “locations” are made. The locations are the trips that are made to visit the place from where the retransmission will take place and in which all the characteristics of the scene of the meeting must be noted. On location, it is necessary to discover all the possible disadvantages and advantages of the transmission scenario. The locations are, for Ignacio de la Mota, the displacements to the “places and environments outside the studios in which the different scenes of a movie or a television program have to be filmed. They can be exteriors or interiors”. 7

According to the Galician Television Sports Production, to broadcast a sporting event it is necessary:

1- Own the image rights.

2- Make the corresponding location. As already explained, locating means going to the place where the event will be held in advance in order to know:

• Location and power supply of the mobile unit.
• Location of the cameras and need or not of other elements for the cameras: practicable, umbrellas, protective covers, etc.
• Call schedules.
• Staff travel, per diem costs and possible expenses.
• Infrastructure in the network of links to receive the signal and the quantity and length of the wiring necessary for cameras and sound.

These aspects are important because there may be different degrees of difficulty depending on whether the broadcast is carried out outdoors or in a covered space, in small or large-area settings, etc.

When the image rights and location are already obtained, production planning is carried out, which implies:

1- Application for the necessary permits, such as the parking of the mobile unit if it is in an urban space.

2- Opening of the stadium at the necessary time.

3- Any type of permission to establish the basic infrastructure of the retransmission. The telephone company must also be requested to activate the microphone lines -4 wires- required for coordination between the mobile production unit and the broadcasting center.

After this first step, the preliminary work begins so that upon arrival at the event location, these requirements are already solved and requested:

1- Call for personnel, work schedules and transportation.

2- Living expenses.

3- Precise technological means for retransmission and its displacement.

4- Hiring of protection personnel for the mobile unit and the rest of the technological equipment.

5- Request for accreditation of the personnel before the organizer.

6- Any precise rental, planned or not.

Once these steps have been taken and the day of the call has arrived, the mobile unit is assembled in the terms established where the location is. It will be necessary for the producer to verify that all the anticipated needs are covered and that, in coordination with those responsible for the technological means, production and links, the assembly is carried out within the initial forecasts.

The producer will be in charge of checking that the assembly is adjusted to the scheduled times, taking note of everything that is necessary for the correct functioning of the retransmission. He is also responsible for ensuring that everyone is at their post on time and for seeking solutions to any problems that may arise. Once the event is over, the producer must supervise the disassembly of the mobile unit and all the equipment used in the broadcast.