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GatesAir and Triveni Digital Empower Oklahoma Community Television’s ATSC 3.0 Translator Mission
Inspired by his concern for LPTV and translator survival, OCT’s General Manager finds an alternative to cost-prohibitive fiber runs for feeding ATSC 3.0 signals to distant sites
Cincinnati, OH, November 20, 2025
GatesAir and Triveni Digital have been selected as key technology partners in an innovative ATSC 3.0 deployment from Oklahoma Community Television (OCT), a division of Griffin Media, that establishes a cost-efficient networking model for low-power transmission sites through a convergence of RF and IP technology. The successful proof-of-concept offers a basis to develop future means for a translator transition to ATSC 3.0.
Developed by OCT General Manager, Jack Mills, the networking innovation brings the SRT protocol directly into the RF infrastructure featuring GatesAir transmitters though interoperability with advanced signaling technology from Triveni Digital. Commonly deployed in live production scenarios, SRT ensures secure and reliable transport of video and audio content with very low-latency, with built-in protections to maintain performance across unpredictable IP networks. Broadcasters often deploy SRT over managed fiber connections to maintain broadcast-quality standards. For very distant locations lacking fiber connections, the expense of running lines is often cost-prohibitive.
This was the challenge for at least one OCT translator that inspired Mills to engineer a solution. Following a thorough testing phase, Mills successfully deployed ATSC 3.0 services to two new GatesAir Maxiva UAXTE-100 translators installed in August. The first stage carries the NextGen TV broadcasts of five Oklahoma City network affiliates over a 90-mile distance. The five-station feed originates from Nexstar station KAUT-TV’s ATSC 3.0 Lighthouse site to OCT’s translator site in Strong City, leveraging the SRT transport over existing fiber and IP connections. The SRT signal is processed through equipment from DTV Innovations and transmitted locally through the UAXTE-100 on Channel 29.
The much greater challenge was preparing those same services for a second translator site in Elk City with no existing microwave, fiber or wired connectivity. Mills favored an off-air RF hop direct from the Strong City site, which required a solution to regenerate ATSC 3.0 signals for broadcast over a different RF channel. He ultimately discovered that Triveni’s ATSC 3.0 Translator is a reliable, cost-efficient solution to decode and regenerate the signal for broadcast on Channel 26, reducing equipment costs. The ATSC 3.0 Translator receives and regenerates the signal, applies a unique DRM signature for legal broadcast rights management and hands it off to the GatesAir translator in Elk City, which delivers the ATSC 3.0 feed at 120 W.
“The United States has a very large installed base of approximately 5,000 LPTV and translators operating today. The recent interest in mandating ATSC 3.0 will force many broadcasters to make decisions with their translators: find an affordable way for translators to transmit in ATSC 3.0, or eventually go dark,” said Mills, who is also President of the National Television Association (NTA). “In addition to the transmission, translator operators use microwave systems, some form of IP, fiber, and OTA over mountainous terrain and very long distances to reach their translator sites. Our approach proves that affordable IP solutions and OTA can reliably feed ATSC 3.0 signals.”
Mills added that the new Triveni ATSC 3.0 Translator integrates seamlessly with his existing filters, antennas and lines, requiring no changes or additional investments in the RF infrastructure. He is actively exploring the deployment of auxiliary ATSC 3.0-ready services over the same two hops, including a Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) implementation for accuracy and timing.
About GatesAir
GatesAir provides complete solutions for over-the-air radio and television broadcasting, leveraging wireless spectrum to maximize performance for multichannel, mission-critical services. Powering over-the-air networks worldwide with unparalleled reliability for 100 years, GatesAir’s turnkey solutions enable broadcasters to create, transport and transmit radio and TV content. With customers in more than 185 countries, the company leads the industry in innovation and design breakthroughs, improving efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership with all products designed and assembled in the USA. Visit www.gatesair.com for more information, Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/gatesair, and follow us on Twitter at @GatesAir.
About Triveni Digital
Triveni Digital is a trusted leader in service quality monitoring, program guide and metadata management, and data broadcasting systems for broadcasters and other DTV service providers. Through innovative ATSC 1.0 and ATSC 3.0 solutions, Triveni Digital empowers service providers to maximize the performance of their current distribution systems as well as unlock the full, revenue-enhancing potential of NEXTGEN TV. Collaborating with leading industry partners, the company adopts an open, standards-compliant approach to ensure interoperability and flexibility in the digital television ecosystem. From driving the evolution of ATSC 3.0 standards, simplifying broadcast chain deployments, and enabling state-of-the-art data broadcasting applications, Triveni Digital is at the forefront of revolutionizing broadcast technologies. More information is available at www.TriveniDigital.com.
