A research tool developed by the Communications Research Centre Canada (CRC) has been selected by CBC Radio-Canada to ensure quality broadcast transmissions across the country.

The tool, called CRC-COVLAB, is a coverage prediction and analysis software used by radio and television network planners when determining transmission parameters. CBC Radio-Canada, a national voice for Francophone broadcast news, has been using earlier versions of CRC coverage prediction software since 1997.

"CRC-COVLAB is now so powerful and complete that it has become our main broadcasting analysis tool - even experienced CBC engineers who were used to traditional broadcast tools have now migrated to this wonderful software," said Pascal Marcoux, an engineer who works in the strategy and planning division of CBC Radio-Canada. "Compared to other major broadcasting tools, we found the depth of study achievable with CRC-COVLAB is far superior, especially with regards to new technologies such as DAB, IBOC and DTV. The other major plus is the CRC team - their level of support is outstanding."

CBC Radio-Canada uses CRC-COVLAB for the planning of new stations, interference and coordination studies and analysis of new technologies. The software is useful for a wide range of applications, including FM radio, television, Digital Television (DTV), Digital Audio Broadcasting (DAB) and Satellite Digital Audio Radio Service (SDARS). In addition, the CRC software is utilized by CBC Radio-Canada for its Electronic News Gathering (ENG) and Studio-Transmitter Link (STL), which sends a radio or television station's audio and video from the broadcast studio to a transmitter in another location. The national news outlet even uses CRC-COVLAB to study microwave links and windmill farm interference.

First demonstrated in 1991, the strength and distinction of CRC-COVLAB from other simulation software is in its ability to simulate the behavior of a receiver. This leads to the capabilities of predicting the service coverage of a network of synchronized transmitters operating at a single frequency, in what is called a Single Frequency Network (SFN), while considering self-interference and interference from neighboring systems.

Within the past year, the CRC signed two major contracts for the use of CRC-COVLAB. LARCAN and Look Communications Inc., both broadcast solutions companies in Canada, have licensed CRC-COVLAB. In addition, the CRC recently donated a license of CRC-COVLITE, a simplified version of CRC-COVLAB, to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) to be used as an educational tool for the Broadcast Technology program.

Since 1993, the CRC has sold approximately 60 licenses of CRC-COVLAB and related software in Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Australia, Switzerland, Taiwan and South Korea, generating over $733,000 in Canadian revenues.

For more information about CRC-COVLAB, please visit: www.crc.gc.ca/crc-covlab and www.crc.gc.ca/crc-covlite.