An integrated planning approach for DAB transmitter networks

The introduction of DAB, as the first terrestrial distributed digital audio broadcasting system, is imminent. It offers some convincing advantages, e.g. the improved audio quality, especially for mobile reception, additional data transmission services, more efficient spectrum usage and reduced power radiation. The transmission standard is highly-sophisticated and very well developed. Unfortunately this is not true for methods to plan extended DAB networks, consisting of many individual single frequency networks (SFNs), in an efficient and uniform manner. In this paper we present our integrated planning approach for DAB as it is developed at the Sudwestfunk. For modelling the SFNs an advanced transmitter network model for conventional broadcasting systems was extended and adapted to the characteristics of the new technology. This model considers the wanted coverage area of each SFN by test points and is enabled to import external data calculated by different field strength prediction models. The use of test points allows the development of improved methods to estimate the mutual coupling relations of SFNs.