Nautel

Last updated
Nautel Ltd.
Company type Private
Industry Broadcasting
Founded1969;55 years ago (1969)
FounderDennis Covill
Headquarters,
ProductsAM and FM broadcast transmitters, navigational radio beacons, DGPS, NAVTEX transmitters, high frequency amplifiers
Website http://www.Nautel.com/
Nautel logo Nautel logo.jpg
Nautel logo

Nautel Ltd. is a Canadian manufacturer of AM and FM radio broadcast transmitters, navigational radio beacons, Differential Global Positioning System (DGPS) transmitters, NOAA weather radio transmitters, LF PNT/eLORAN transmitters, SONAR high-power low-frequency amplifiers and SONAR systems, medium frequency (MF) telegraph and NAVTEX transmitters, and high frequency (HF) amplifiers for dielectric heating applications. Nautel is the first company to develop a commercially available, fully solid-state broadcast transmitter.[ citation needed ]

Contents

History

Nautel was founded in 1969 in the rural community of Hackett's Cove, Nova Scotia. Its primary operation was building and supplying solid state navigation beacons for the Canadian government. In an effort to better serve the US market, Nautel Maine Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary located in Bangor, Maine, was founded in 1974. [1] Nautel diversified into the sonar market with the acquisition of Marport C-Tech Ltd., a manufacturer of military and commercial sonar systems in Cornwall, Ontario, in 2013. [2]

Nautel delivered its first transmitter, a radio beacon for the Canadian government, in 1970. This was a fully solid-state unit operating in the 190–535 kHz Aeronautical/Marine navigation band. These were the first transmitters made not of the tube variety (that were commercially available). Because of the greater reliability and longevity of solid state transmitters many of these early models are still in use today. [3]

The introduction of 10 kW and 50 kW solid state AM transmitters from Nautel in 1982 and 1985 was another first for the broadcast industry. [3] The first 50 kW AM transmitter from Nautel was purchased by CBA (AM) in Moncton where it remained operational until April 8, 2008, when the station's AM signal was taken off the air. [4] Although commonplace today, solid state transmitter technology was non-existent before Nautel entered the market. More than 30 years after being introduced, many of Nautel's first generation of AM transmitters can still be found operational and on the air at transmitter sites around the world.

Nautel's introduction of solid state transmitter technology has had a large impact on the radio broadcast industry. As the benefits of solid state technology became clear, the industry began to shift away from the use of tube transmitters and began to adopt the more reliable and efficient solid state designs. By the early 1990s, solid state transmitters were being widely used in radio broadcasting, while sales of vacuum tube transmitters began to decline. Since its inception in 1969, Nautel has focused solely on solid state broadcast technology with a lineup of 100% solid state radio transmitters at power levels ranging from 300 W to 2,000 kW. With the July 10, 2014 shutdown of Larcan, [5] Nautel is the only Canadian manufacturer of broadcast transmitters.

Nautel's founder, Dennis Covill, was appointed as a Member of the Order of Canada on December 30, 2012. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amplitude modulation</span> Radio modulation via wave amplitude

Amplitude modulation (AM) is a modulation technique used in electronic communication, most commonly for transmitting messages with a radio wave. In amplitude modulation, the amplitude of the wave is varied in proportion to that of the message signal, such as an audio signal. This technique contrasts with angle modulation, in which either the frequency of the carrier wave is varied, as in frequency modulation, or its phase, as in phase modulation.

The early history of radio is the history of technology that produces and uses radio instruments that use radio waves. Within the timeline of radio, many people contributed theory and inventions in what became radio. Radio development began as "wireless telegraphy". Later radio history increasingly involves matters of broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Transmitter</span> Electronic device that emits radio waves

In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna with the purpose of signal transmission up to a radio receiver. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating current, the antenna radiates radio waves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longwave</span> Radio transmission using wavelengths above 1000 m

In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the early 20th century, when the radio spectrum was considered to consist of longwave (LW), medium-wave (MW), and short-wave (SW) radio bands. Most modern radio systems and devices use wavelengths which would then have been considered 'ultra-short'.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Radio broadcasting</span> Transmission by radio waves intended to reach a wide audience

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">AN/ARC-5</span> WW II U.S. military aircraft radio system

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">RF power amplifier</span> Type of electronic amplifier

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Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connected to an antenna which radiates the waves. They are received by another antenna connected to a radio receiver. In addition to communication, radio is used for radar, radio navigation, remote control, remote sensing, and other applications.

The inductive output tube (IOT) or klystrode is a variety of linear-beam vacuum tube, similar to a klystron, used as a power amplifier for high frequency radio waves. It evolved in the 1980s to meet increasing efficiency requirements for high-power RF amplifiers in radio transmitters. The primary commercial use of IOTs is in UHF television transmitters, where they have mostly replaced klystrons because of their higher efficiencies and smaller size. IOTs are also used in particle accelerators. They are capable of producing power output up to about 30 kW continuous and 7 MW pulsed and gains of 20–23 dB at frequencies up to about a gigahertz.

References

  1. Radio Guide Magazine cover story Archived August 28, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  2. "Nautel: More acquisitions likely". The Chronicle Herald. 2014-04-14. Retrieved 2017-09-08.
  3. 1 2 Nautel equipment archive
  4. CBC New Brunswick Archived March 30, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  5. O'Neal, James (July 15, 2014). "LARCAN Closes Its Doors". Radio World. Retrieved July 6, 2017.
  6. General, The Office of the Secretary to the Governor. "The Governor General of Canada" . Retrieved 2017-09-08.