Dave Ferguson is the morning show host, musical director and station tech at CJRG Radio Gaspésie in Gaspé Quebec Canada.
I started working at CJRG Radio Gaspésie as a volunteer 17 years ago and slowly climbed the ladder over the years to perform my current roles. The best thing about IP for broadcasting is stability, quality and stability again. We have integrated Tieline Merlin and Bridge-IT codecs as well as Report-IT into our network, along with Wheatstone AoIP gear. This provides the various technological benefits of IP technologies to all areas of our studios and remote broadcasting applications.We have a total of 8 transmission sites and the reason we need so many is the topographic nature of our region. The terrain is full of mountains, making direct radio transmissions difficult from site-to-site, so most sites are set up for point-to-point RF transmission.
Tieline to the Rescue as Radio Gaspésie Deploys MPX Codecs
Traditionally, coaxial cable was the primary transmission path for the 3 furthest transmission sites from our station. However, earlier this year we were informed that the service was to be terminated by the company offering the service. Therefore, we needed to quickly set up alternative transmission paths to these transmission sites. We wanted new equipment that would be easy to use and set up, flexible, and stable. It also needed to seamlessly handle a signal from our Orban processing equipment along with RDS signals.

Being familiar with Tieline, we investigated Tieline’s MPX codecs and decided they ticked all the boxes. Equipment cost was a key consideration and the MPX II lets you quickly and efficiently set up multi-unicast connections to several transmission sites. The ability to distribute signals to 3 destinations from a single unit meant that we only needed 4 Tieline MPX units instead of 6, which saved us a significant amount in hardware costs.
The Signal Chain
We have high speed fiber internet connections to each transmitter site, so we distribute uncompressed MPX signals. At the studio we have an Orban Optimod that processes the signal coming in from our Wheatstone infrastructure and outputs composite MPX, which is then sent to 2 destinations: the MPX II codec distributing signals to transmission sites, and our main antenna transmitter. We can also insert RDS signals to all transmission sites now, offering song titles and various information. This wasn’t possible prior to installation of the MPX codec at the studio.
A dedicated high-speed internet connection was ordered for each MPX unit to simplify the setup and ensure the stability of internet connections. Each of these connections is attached to a router, which helps control the MPX units through port forwarding. The MPX units are then plugged into our transmission equipment. We use an analog output on the Tieline MPX II, but plan to switch to a digital output on the unit when we upgrade our transmitters at these sites in upcoming years. The flexibility of the Tieline equipment has helped us delay the purchase of digital transmitters.
We have configured the MPX II to send a single uncompressed MPX signal over 3 multi-unicast connections to our transmitters. The flexibility, stability and ease of setup have ensured that the MPX codec deployment has been a great success. We also had help from Electromarine, who handles part of our transmission infrastructure. Yvan Dupuis was a great help in setting up and testing the equipment before installation.
On-Air Performance
The MPX codecs have been incredibly reliable – we have had 100% uptime since installation 4 months ago! I would describe the audio as extremely clean, with no buffering issues or audio artifacts. We use the Toolbox HTML5 Web-GUI as a quick and efficient way to make any adjustments if necessary. The use of port forwarding and VPNs allows us to connect directly to the appropriate codec GUI and make any changes from the comfort of our office.
In fact, I have found that all our Tieline equipment is very instinctive. Even with very little knowledge of the codecs it is possible to find and configure everything needed. Tech support is also very quick to find answers to any questions we may have.
Our goal is always to be as flexible and as mobile as possible. With the various Tieline codecs we have, this is extremely easy and possible! Radio is one of the oldest mediums of communication, yet easily adapts to modern times and technology.
Want to know more about Tieline products and software?
For more information on MPX
and other Tieline codecs visit www.tieline.com/products or contact Tieline sales:
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