[Satellite TODAY 03-31-11] Advantech Wireless has released the latest version of its Transcend 800 microwave radio and will target the product for broadcasting backhaul markets, the manufacturer announced March 30.
    The upgraded Transcend 800 features eight new ASI interfaces, developed in response to customer demand, the company said. The Transcend 800 provides a bit rate of 214 Mbps per ASI interface compared with traditional 100 Mbps units seen on the market, which allows eight HD contribution quality channels to be supported in a single unit, reducing the overall footprint and the number of units needed, the company said.
    "The most important feature we can offer our customers is even stronger system gain," Advantech Wireless Product Manager Chi Hang said in a statement. "This allows our customers to use smaller antennas, less expensive towers and longer hop lengths. By decreasing the number of hops, installation costs are dramatically less and with fewer sites, the cost of maintenance also is reduced."