W

A NE IO
R A D LD
WOR K
EBOO

MPX in the
Digital Age Sponsored by

Synthax/Digigram • Telos Alliance •

Thimeo Audio Technology • WorldCast Systems
FEBRUARY 2022
 February 2022 eBook

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CONTENT
Managing Director, Content & Editor in Chief Paul J. McLane,
paul.mclane@futurenet.com, 845-414-6105

P
Technical Advisors Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin
Technical Editor, RW Engineering Extra W.C. “Cris” Alexander
roducts and technologies
Contributors: Susan Ashworth, John Bisset, James Careless, Ken Deutsch,
Mark Durenberger, Charles Fitch, Donna Halper, Craig Johnston, built around MPX have
Alan Jurison, Paul Kaminski, John Kean, Peter King, Larry Langford, Mark Lapidus, brought new flexibility to
Michael LeClair, Jim Peck, Mark Persons, Stephen M. Poole, James O’Neal, radio broadcasters in how
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they design their signal
Production Manager Nicole Schilling chains. This new Radio
Managing Design Director Nicole Cobban World ebook explorers what radio
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Paul engineers and managers should know

Senior Business Director & Publisher, Radio World McLane about MPX in 2022.
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MPX Node:
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and still the star on
stage

RNN deploys
18
MicroMPX
for transport in the
Netherlands

Applications
20
for the
Digigram X/LINK
MPX
 MPX in the Digital Age

4 Getty images

MPX in the digital age

How it has evolved and how it is used in today’s airchains

M
Writer ultiplex, also known as composite or
baseband and abbreviated as MPX,
is the 100 kHz-wide combination of
analog signals typically used to modulate
the exciter for FM stereo broadcast
transmission.
While methods to transport discrete and multi-channel
audio, video and control have evolved and adapted as new
Edwin technologies came and old technologies went, the often
Bukont critical link carrying MPX has not been so easily adapted for
CTS, CSRE carriage on modern networks.
Owner, The consolidation of studio and transmitter facilities,
E2 Technical the erosion of protected spectrum for microwave
Services
communications and the availability of relatively
cheap bandwidth in wired and wireless devices are all
considerations in how we continue to use MPX in the
digital age.
We talked with executives and engineers at our sponsors
Telos Alliance, Thimeo, Digigram and WorldCast, as well
as other experts cited in the text, about the practical use
of MPX with current technology. This article focuses on
the composite FM signal of mono, stereo pilot and stereo
subcarrier, in a digital form. This should not be confused
with the ability to also generate, carry or integrate other
subcarrier information at the origin or destination of the
MPX over a digital path as such integration varies by vendor.
How is MPX used?
In spite of its limitations, analog MPX has been the standard
method in the broadcast industry for many years to
combine mono-compatible stereo content, the stereo
pilot, RDS and other SCA content into a single analog
modulation source.
If your studios were collocated with your transmitter,
most of the challenge was in preserving the integrity of the
MPX signal despite the losses in a long run of 50 ohm coax,

radioworld.com | February 2022

 MPX in the Digital Age
as might happen between the processing and transmitter
locations.
If the studios were more than a few hundred feet
from the transmitter, the methods to convey MPX to the
transmitter in a studio-to-transmitter link or STL became
more convoluted and usually quite expensive.
Use of telephone circuits to bring the content to the
transmitter meant locating the audio processing, RDS, SCA
content and stereo generator at the transmitter. Operators
find it hard to adjust processing in that environment, and it
is often expensive for subcarrier users to send program to
the transmitter site.
To keep the processor at the studio, stations might erect
a suitable tower at each end and use MPX I/O equipped
microwave equipment to connect between the sites. Yes,
there were hybrids that let you send the multiple sources
over the microwave, with a stereo generator located at the
receiving end, but that would then not be carrying MPX,
and presented many of the same issues noted above.
After the expense to erect and maintain the towers,
dishes and coax used for microwave, the problems
associated with the transmission of analog MPX gave rise
to many problem-solving products that try to maximize
loudness and preserve fidelity without causing modulation
artifacts.
The leased lines and microwave approaches present
cost and logistical issues as facility consolidation has
moved stations from standalone buildings in the suburbs
to combined facilities in office parks. Quite often, a station
would have to rent additional space in the building
to house a rack of microwave equipment and reach
connections to the antennas.
That, of course, assumes the building could host a shot
“
to one or more of the transmitter sites, which might require
multiple hops.
Many stations have maximized the limited bandwidth
of leased T-1 lines through the use of lossy audio codecs
to recover bandwidth for other services in the 1.54
Mbps provided by the T-1. (Outside the United States,
the leased circuit might be an E-1, with a slightly more
generous bandwidth of 2 Mbps, which may still not be
enough for MPX.)
Those limited-bandwidth circuits now are being
deprecated under many carriers.
CAT-LINK and the Reciter
One of the earliest products to attempt conveyance of
analog MPX over modern transmission channels was
the QEI CATLink, which allowed a single MPX circuit to be
extended over a T-1 line.
While this allowed the processing and stereo generator
to remain at the studio without using a microwave dish
and associated equipment, the process did not convey the
actual MPX. Rather, the system de-muxed the content to
send over the T1, and recreated the mux at the other end.
radioworld.com | February 2022
Readers may remember the TFT Reciter that combined
the STL receiver and exciter into one homogeneous unit to
address concerns associated with integration of discrete
boxes and long chains for MPX interconnect.
All of these approaches were typically Single Channel per
Carrier (SCPC). Redundancy was achieved only by building
complete parallel systems plus a system to switch between
them. Some stations used leased lines and microwave
for path redundancy, with each system being a unique
combination of products. While these systems were often
quite reliable, they were not efficient.
The evolution of communications technologies
introduced new methods and provided bandwidth efficient
ways to achieve an STL in the digital domain, which avoided
some of analog’s limitations.
Audio, video and data transmission systems matured
in the 1990s and became easier to deploy at large scale in
the 2000s. The fragility of the analog MPX signal became a
concern when moving MPX into the digital age.
The goal has been to deploy MPX across the enterprise in
the same way that competing technologies offer to deploy
content, while preserving that which has made MPX the
desired modulation source.
The history of MPX
The base technology of analog MPX has existed since
at least 1934. Use to carry stereo content began in
approximately 1955. Thus radio broadcasters have been 5
using MPX for 65+ years.
So are we trying to fix what isn’t broke? Not at all.
Conveyance of MPX in the analog domain is expensive
and fraught with errors. Those who make chipsets are
deprecating analog technologies. Modern data networks
since approximately 2006 offer generally less expensive
yet diverse and reliable ways to convey content with
predictable modulation. Most modern data multiplex
Modern data
networks since
approximately 2006
offer generally less expensive
yet diverse and reliable
”
ways to convey content with
predictable modulation.
 MPX in the Digital Age
systems (as distinct from the MPX used in broadcast)
use “digital” packets, which are samples of the baseband
content with a wrapper, clocked to a carrier of some sort.
Since roughly 1995, the most popular carrier has been
copper Ethernet using twisted pair cabling. Where there
are multiple carriers, multiplexing techniques are used to
aggregate the different carriers so they can use the same
physical medium.
Analog MPX, however, uses frequency multiplexing at
the baseband level. Each carrier is offset from a center
frequency, and it is quite common for the multiple
carriers to be generated by separate physical devices of
different manufacture. Being analog, the multiple signals
are continuous wave, which presents further concerns of
artifacts when sharing a transmission system.
To reduce that concern, the multiple carriers are
supposed to be locked to the stereo pilot for frequency
and phase relationship to the FM content. In practice,
many users do not adhere to this constraint. Thus the
multiplexing occurs under constraints of both time and
frequency. The fully developed multiplex can include
up to six different carriers on the same physical cable
representing:
[L+R sum audio (10–15 kHz), >Stereo Pilot (19 kHz). >L-R
difference audio (38 kHz) = 53 kHz]
RDS (57 kHz)
6 SCA-1 (67 kHz)
SCA-2 (92 kHz)
Total: 96 kHz
The baseband signal thus is a multiplex of analog signals.
The complexity of options for SCA injection is beyond
this article, yet a station needs to be aware that not all
SCA content options are suitable for all of the methods
of transmission from source to exciter. As the MPX goes
through many stages of conversion and connection in the
analog process, the output result to the exciter may not
be an accurate representation of the input. The primary
concern is the difference in relative and peak levels from
source to destination may cause an “overshoot,” resulting
in over-modulation and other undesirable artifacts. Audio
processors and composite clippers are then used to
massage a useable MPX into the exciter, which preserves
the station sound, satisfies the regulatory modulation
constraints and does not exceed the modulation limits
of the equipment at the transmitting and receiving
equipment.
Methods for combining these analog carriers include:
• passive approaches using splitters and couplers in
best effort;
• internal summing where external carriers are presented
to one device to create the MPX as a single output;
radioworld.com | February 2022
• internally generated with dedicated summing;
• directly generated where the FM analog multiplex is
digitally generated at the exciter, thus absent of the
physical summing and arbitrary means of locking to the
stereo pilot.
The question: Can we support MPX in the
digital age?
It may be obvious to a reader familiar with digital coding
that the first concern of how to transport analog MPX over
a digital medium is, what would the sampling frequency be
according to the Nyquist theorem?
As the total baseband is allowed at 99 kHz, the Nyquist
theorem requirement of two times highest frequency
means digitization requires an198 kHz sample rate. In
practice, this is usually not more than 192 kHz, as the third
SCA at 92 kHz does not require bandwidth beyond 96 kHz.
The sample is a voltage in steps of either 16 or 24 bits
(bit depth) that represent the size of the sample at that
moment in time. Therefore, the data rate is calculated
as 96 x 2 x 16 (or 24) = 3,072 Mbps (or 4,608 Mbps). The
difference in bit depth determines the precision with which
the voltage is sampled. A higher bit depth allows greater
precision and the greater number of steps improves the
dynamic range that may be achieved. We are not going to
fit that data rate for a digitally quantized MPX into a typical
950 MHz microwave STL channel.
There are “digital” STLs such as the Harris CD Link that
offered an AES-3 input with the audio restricted to 15 kHz
and 32 kHz SR, producing a data rate <1 Mbps.
The use of a 32 kHz sample rate or SR to produce a
baseband that was just accurate enough for FM and that
could be carried on a fairly narrowband microwave channel
would fill another article discussing its merits and demerits.
The CD Link and similar products did not carry the
total MPX in a digital form but rather passed the SCA
or low baud serial data at a very low SR, then offered a
stereo generator at the microwave receiver to create the
total MPX.
Since the early 2000s or sooner, 48 kHz has been
recognized as the minimum sample rate for PCM
(uncompressed) 2 channel x 20 kHz digital audio. The use
of 32 kHz and 44.1 kHz SR in professional applications has
been for specific product markets.
Getting MPX into a digital format
The first approach to carrying MPX over a digital medium is
to simply use an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) to sample
the incoming analog MPX presented on the BNC connector,
convey it in the digital realm and then reconstruct it using a
digital-to-audio converter (DAC) at the other end, presented
on another BNC.
This is a “fat pipe” approach that requires a very large
amount of bandwidth. The problem here is that the signal
is still analog, subject to the noise, tilt and overshoot
 MPX in the Digital Age
Above concerns of analog and carried the last mile at either
Block diagram of end over unbalanced circuits, which introduce their own
a “digital” exciter
with discrete AES3 concerns of ground reference, surge and noise.
and analog MPX Regulatory constraints rather than technology choices
inputs. Courtesy usually dictate the frequency, bandwidth and technology
Telos Alliance.
parameters used by a radio station STL. While the
signal-to-noise ratio of the recovered MPX may offer an
improvement over analog STL, anything that can impair
the MPX is still likely to do so and requires a wideband
communications channel, usually using radios with an RF
carrier above 1 GHz.
Video transport devices did offer wider bandwidth but
were not necessarily practical due to their higher-than-
necessary bandwidth, clocking complexity and much
higher cost. Note that video STLs were used to carry
uncompressed (PCM) digital audio as baseband black and
white video from studio to transmitter even 50 years ago,
often via the Sony PCM F-1 products. Boutique technology
does not however create a standard that can be employed
by every station.
Great minds often think alike, as is the case in discovering
a first fully digital solution in audio’s own backyard to
the challenge of providing a digital transport for MPX
that would be mindful of the analog multiplex timing
relationships.
radioworld.com | February 2022
MPX in the digital age occurs in primarily three forms:
1. MPX over traditional digital technologies, where suitable
bandwidth is available.
This uses all the basics of analog-to-digital conveyance,
where suitable codecs receive input from discrete sources
or a traditional analog composite source, convert (ADC)
to digital, convey on a wideband carrier, then covert
again (DAC) to the analog domain either as discrete or
analog multiplex. Products for wideband conversion
of MPX to Ethernet and IP have existed since the turn
of the century. They relied however on other external
products to generate the multiplex in analog or use very
high bandwidth channels. Variations using audio data
compression to reduce overall bandwidth have existed for
25+ years, but those did not accept baseband MPX. These
are described in some degree above. The information here
is included in and expanded on in a white paper by Junius
Kim and Keyur Parikh of GatesAir.
While data reduction for the transmission of MPX is
discussed further below, the answer is not applied as
readily in MPX as it has been in discrete audio. Unlike
psychoacoustic perceptual codecs used in audio data
reduction, whereby the recovered content may not look
exactly like the original, the content recovered from MPX
 MPX in the Digital Age
must faithfully reproduce the frequency and carrier
relationships if the exciter is to be properly modulated
into the transmitter within legal specifications and be
demodulated at the receivers.
2. MPX using AES192 introduced the practical idea of a
digital MPX.
Revisions to the AES3 Standard (AES/EBU Digital Audio
Interface 1985) offer a clock at 192 kHz that creates
subframes of equal 96 kHz wide partition with an
expectation of uncompressed or PCM audio content in an
eventual 4 MBps stream. In this author’s opinion, using
the AES192 standard was a logical choice to create a digital
representation of MPX, as it would respect the boundaries
between the audio content and SCA, while offering the
security of a digital transmission. Note that the AES192
application discussed further in this article is not baseband
AES3 audio, which would require sample rate converters
(SRC) and have some expected concerns. The technology
utilizes the AES192 methodology for carriage over suitable
AES3 transceiver paths.
3. MPX over IP or MPX over AES192 with data reduction
of the MPX is provided by several manufacturers and
discussed further below.
These schemes usually work on the overall MPX, not
its component parts, and the reader is cautioned to
understand that the nature of multiplex and its practical
use does not always calculate the math and its products in
the same manner as discrete channels.
Why AES at 192 kHz?
Let us look first at the AES3 signal.
“
The physical part of the standard calls for a balanced,
twisted pair at 110 ohms in a shielded jacket. The
termination is a three-pin connector in the familiar XLR
configuration. (Note that AES3id, using an unbalanced 75-
ohm coax and BNC connector, is not a supported method
for AES192 in the MPX world.)
Belden’s 1800 cable series, famous in a purple jacket,
has been perhaps the most popular offering for AES3
cabling since the 1990s. This is an easily achieved physical
requirement that also can be met using other 110-ohm
twisted pair conveyance such as Cat-5 or higher STP.
Alex Hartman of OptimizedMedia suggests however that
due to the concerns of preserving the integrity of a digital
signal over long cable runs, proper AES3 STP cabling is
preferred rather than Cat-5/6 STP and should not exceed a
few hundred feet. The AES3 standard indicates a cable run
should not exceed 490 feet or 150 meters.
AES3 was designed primarily to support stereo PCM
encoded audio in either DAT format at 48 kHz or CD format
at 44.1 kHz. Two subframes (A and B, normally used for
left and right audio channels) make a frame. At the highest
level, each 192 consecutive frames are grouped into an
radioworld.com | February 2022
audio block. At 48 kHz sample rate, there are 250 audio
blocks per second, and 3,072,000 time slots per second
supported by a 6.144 MHz biphase clock. [Read more
about AES3.]
As every good Italian knows, sauce is not gravy. Gravy is
simple. Sauce is not. MPX is a sauce.
The origin of a digital implementation of MPX was
suggested in an NAB paper by Frank Foti of Telos Omnia in
1998 but it was not practical over the prevailing technology.
MPX as a digital signal at 96 kHz, sampled at 192 kHz and
carried over an AES3 connection at 2 to 6 Mbps to directly
integrate the output of a processor to the input of the
modulator of an exciter, was eventually sketched out on
the back of a cocktail napkin by Foti with Jeff Welton and
Chuck Kelly of Nautel as they shared a meal at Vin Santo,
an Italian restaurant in Middletown, Wis., during the 2012
Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic.
Foti described what happened a few months later at the
2013 NAB Show, when Nautel and Omnia held a joint press
conference on the topic.
“Within minutes of it ending, other transmitter
manufacturers were asking me if they could adopt the tech,
and at the same time, other processing companies were
pleading with Peter Conlon of Nautel to give them access
to the tech. So Peter and I together made the decision, on
the fly, right then and there, to offer the [MPX over AES192]
tech to everyone.”
9
MPX over AES192
Built on the AES3 standard, the MPX “Left Channel Only”
over AES192 concept developed by Omnia and Nautel met
a few specific goals, mostly concerned with eliminating
the problems associated with analog conveyance and the
necessity of multiple sample rate conversions between
processors, STLs and the exciter input.
The intent was to create in the digital domain a direct
Alex Hartman
suggests that due
to the concerns of
preserving the integrity of a
digital signal over long cable
runs, proper AES3 STP cabling
is preferred rather than Cat-5/6
STP and should not exceed a
few hundred feet.
 MPX in the Digital Age
Above connection from processor to exciter in the same essence
The diagram as analog composite baseband provides. There were some
shows the direct
connections of implementations that generated MPX over AES192, but no
AES3 and AES192 method for applying same to the exciter.
in an air chain The technique uses the payload allocation of the left
from source to
exciter when using channel to clock the nominally 100 kHz of FM multiplex into
MPX over AES192. the 96 kHz packet payload available. This is sufficient as the
Courtesy Telos FM baseband is only 53 kHz wide, such that 96 kHz meets
Alliance.
10 the Nyquist requirement. This is not done with an OTS
chipset nor on older AES3 chipsets that do not support 192
kHz, the total allocation of the L&R payload. Because of the
slope of anti-aisling filters, 80 kHz is the limit for carried at
192 kHz, thus limiting SCA carriage to 67 kHz.
Note that the artifacts of concern in transporting analog
multiplex over digital channels are not just the familiar
higher-frequency aliasing that may occur in ADC sampling,
but rather that sample rate conversion artifacts begin at
1/3 of the sampled frequency. Thus an SRC for 15 kHz used
in broadcast has artifacts beginning well within normal
hearing at 5 kHz, not at 15 kHz which often exceeds casual
listening as might be otherwise expected.
MPX over AES192 interconnection provides the
multiplexed signal at the output of the audio processor as
an AES3 (not AES3id) format at 192 kHz/fs (fs = Sampling
Frequency) for connection via XLR-3 connector and STP
cable to the exciter and directly modulates the exciter. This
is not just a variation from having a traditional analog or
AES3-baseband audio input stage at the audio processor,
or the exciter, with composite analog baseband output
presented to the exciter.
Marketed as Omnia Direct, the method provides
the digital information directly to the modulator, such
that there is a very tight, predictable and controllable
relationship between audio peaks and modulation that is
devoid of overshoots. (Much of this information is taken
from a Nautel/Omnia spec sheet on the topic.)
radioworld.com | February 2022
Geoff Steadman of Omnia describes MPX over AES192 as
the “first step into the model of processing being the front
end of the STL.” For a deeper dive into the tech, the reader
may consider an NAB presentation by Foti and Scott Martin
of Nautel, “Enhancing the Digital Path: Digital Multiplex
(D-MPX) Connectivity.”
Several manufacturers have incorporated MPX over
AES192 technology into their products. It is in use on
processors by Orban, Wheatstone and others as well as
transmitter products from GatesAir, Elenos and others.
Orban offers a variation that operates at 384 kHz, utilizing
the right channel data payload of the MPX for carriage
including the full SCA spectrum on the AES3 high rate
interface.
The MPX over AES192 methodology is a natural
extension of use for the AES3 format and introduces the
possibility of using other packet technologies including
Ethernet and IP to scale the replication of content for
distribution and redundancy purposes at a much lower
cost and complexity than available using analog methods.
Use of this tech does not necessarily mean that all
manufacturers are using the same codec for conversion
or generation of the content itself. There is interoperability
between some manufacturers, but not necessarily all, to
the extent that some manufacturers are licensing their
variants and enhancements to others.
MPX over AES192 does adapt well to conveyance on IP
networks. WorldCast Systems, Digigram, GatesAir, 2wcom
and others offer products that take the digital MPX over
AES192 or the analog composite input and apply it to the
packet-generation mechanism familiar to Ethernet and IP
networks at varying rates, usually 3–6 Mbps uncompressed
data and one-tenth of that rate for compressed data. Data
compression schemes are discussed further below.
Orban offers the ability to transport both 67 and 92
kHz subcarriers at 384 kHz, a higher sample rate that
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 MPX in the Digital Age
“
In this author’s experience, packet loss tends
to occur more in the last 300 feet from a patch
point to the device than in the miles between. IP
is a reliable transport medium in 2022.
utilizes the right channel data payload. This “superset” is
backwards compatible with the 192 kHz system, “although
its full benefits can only be enjoyed if the hardware
receiving the signal is designed to take advantage of it,” as
noted in a dealer discussion of the Orban 8700i.
The Intraplex division of GatesAir provides its MPX over
IP solution in the IPL product line that offers many options
for multiple and uncompressed low-bit rate connections,
management and redundancy including GPS reference and
functions necessary for single frequency networks (SFN)
and HD Radio.
12 MPX Digital: Doing so with IP
With all digital schemes under the OSI model, data may
be carried using TCP or UDP packets and there’s the
consideration of tradeoffs between data throughput and
reliability at a given bandwidth (data rate) that may include
data overhead and latency necessary for error correction.
As a general rule, higher bandwidth results in lower
latency but may be less reliable unless prioritization and
error correction are used. Error correction generally
increases latency, especially if the codec intends to
maintain fidelity. Error correction schemes that transmit
audio as UDP but which maintain a separate TCP path for
error correction are not always practical in a distribution
model beyond two end points.
In this author’s experience, packet loss tends to occur
more in the last 300 feet from a patch point to the device
than in the miles between. IP is a reliable transport
medium in 2022 and often available where other legacy
technologies may not be.
These approaches offer a variety of methods to convey
MPX in a networked fashion that has become widely
accepted. Imagine one box that outputs multiplex in
analog, AES192 and streaming data at the same time, with
redundancy. The audio processor can now be at the studio
and take advantage of multiple paths to the transmitter(s).
The (s) is because a single physical connection may very
well provide streams to multiple sites.
Almost every manufacturer offers some form of
radioworld.com | February 2022
”
diversity in packet reception as a means for resiliency
of connection. Because traversing the network itself
is generally beyond the end user’s control, it is of little
benefit to control UDP transmission unless there is
a feedback (TCP) path, which is not always practical.
Typically packet data is sent as best effort to the
network(s). Such networks may include one or more
paths using wired and wireless topologies over private
and leased services. The resiliency is in the reception.
Time diversity is the newer method that sends the same
packet more than once, with delay between sending
of the packets. The rate, recurrence and delay may be
adjustable. Note that time diversity can be achieved even
if there is only one network connection. Path diversity (aka
as network diversity) sends the same packets over several
connections. This too may begin as a single connection to
the ISP, which is then responsible for forwarding packets
to the proper address over a valid path. Path diversity
may include time diversity as well.
The highway analogy is that time diversity is the cars
while path diversity is the roads. Packets are what is
carried in the car. At the receiver, buffering technology
looks at the sequence and time stamp of each packet on
a per-connection basis to decide which packets to use and
which to discard in reassembly of the data stream. There is
latency to this diversity technique, but the user can usually
adjust the amount of buffer vs. robustness.
MPX Digital: Doing more with less
Thus far we have considered primarily uncompressed
analog MPX and digital MPX. Yet fat-pipe techniques are not
suitable for all broadcasters. The AES192 concept has been
extrapolated into techniques that allow for digital MPX with
data reduction to use limited bandwidth.
MicroMPX, developed by Hans van Zutphen of Thimeo,
provides the mechanism to generate directly a reduced
data rate MPX or create one from incoming analog MPX
and to do so in software or a very small physical package.
Telos, 2wcom and Digigram are among companies that
have licensed this technology, which will also support GPS
 MPX in the Digital Age
synchronization for SFN. With data rates as lows as 320
kbps, MicroMPX was designed for FM, which, Van Zutphen
says, “means that we know that the signal is going to be
sent over a noisy connection.”
Understanding how noise relates to the analog MPX is
a key to the workings of the codec. MicroMPX supports
multicast and broadcast protocols. It can be generated and
received in software, exported from a desktop computer
using suitable soundcards or directly onto a network.
WorldCast Systems offers a suite of MPX over IP options
using APT codecs at varying data rates of less than 1 Mbps
down to as low as 300 kbps. These do not deconstruct and
reconstruct the MPX but rather treat the entire MPX out to
64 kHz in a “holistic” manner.
Tony Peterle of Worldcast said, “We chose to sample and
compress the entire MPX bandwidth as a single entity. This
resulted in an absolutely perfect transmission of the MPX,
with all level and phase relationships exactly as they were
at the sending end.” APT SureStream and Worldcast’s Over
Modulation Cancellation algorithm are used to address
issues of packet loss and potential overmodulation due to
packet loss. WorldCast also offers MPX over AES192 in high-
density form that handles eight channels in 1 RU.
Digigram offers the IQOYA X/LINK-MPX product line,
which uses the uMPX technology with enhancements that
also allow for local backup audio, lower sample rates and
return of baseband audio over the same link.
2wcom offers a variety of single and multi-channel
encoders and decoders in their MPX line using full MPX and
uMPX for distribution over IP with a return channel.
All together now or not?
One concern for broadcasters adopting MPX over digital
is that the history with promising digital audio technology
appears to be repeating itself.
Some will remember the enthusiasm around
adopting ISDN in the late 1980s and early 1990s. All
the manufacturers were using the same standards to
utilize the public switched telephone network (PSTN)
communications channel, but often with little tweaks that
limited interoperability or required such interoperable
mode to occur at only a basic level sufficient to transfer
speech audio only.
Most of the manufacturers we talked for this article
indicated that they are aware of the interoperability
question and there is some growing cooperation on the
technology side even if products remain competitive. One
manufacturer noted that its support logs show calls from
stations “we are using the other guy’s tech, but we use
your stuff too, can you help us with the other guy’s stuff?”
and they do.
A use case for uMPX
The author has a client in the United States, not in a major
market and new to the broadcast world, who leased a
radioworld.com | February 2022
studio site without being fully aware of STL requirements.
The cost for an STL tower of suitable height on Main
Street in a small town wasn’t the only concern; fitting a
tower on the available street corner just wasn’t in the cards.
We are using two MicroMPX-equipped codecs and about
to buy more for added stations. These connect to the
enterprise wired network at the office — the same network
that hosts a newspaper and digital content service, along
with VoIP phones, computers, streams to CDN and streams
from satellite content providers (no sat dish either, all
content is via IP).
No fancy network switch required beyond what one
would expect in a properly managed office facility inclusive
of hardware firewall. The local ISP was already providing
internet to two transmitter sites at a data rate sufficient for
this technology, at 500 kbps per site. The studio connection
is only 300 Mbps. The ISP has created VLANs to each site.
The four codecs together cost less than a tower service
would have charged to install dishes that we had and new
coax. The operating cost of the links is significantly lower
than any calculation favorable to a fixed asset and its
depreciation such as a tower.
With some coming format changes, one codec will now
feed two sites, including a translator. The effort required for
these changes is minimal. At the studio end, there is zero
new wiring. To enter an added IP address in the existing
codecs is all that is required at the studio. At the translator,
a single Cat-6 patch cord is added to the existing cable 13
modem to feed the new codec and then move a cable
feeding the translator.
The joke used to be it was so easy the engineer could
do it. Now it’s so easy the IT guy can do it! Including my
services, adding this one additional node provides an STL
for less than $3,000. Easy-peasy, but planning is required.
Winging it won’t work for networking MPX in the digital age.
Answer: Yes, we can use
MPX in the digital age
Until recent advances in codec and connection technologies
addressed its concerns, the fragility of MPX has presented
challenges to its continued use in the digital age.
We have shown here several methodologies that
handle MPX in a manner of cost, complexity and reliability,
which will allow it to continue to be used as the preferred
method of conveyance between the processor and the
exciter, directly or over IP networks, ideally with no other
conversions in between those devices.
Provided suitable bandwidth is available (also true
in the analog world), MPX may be carried over digital
channels using wired and wireless technologies, in variants
of uncompressed and compressed that offer reliable,
scalable, adaptable and affordable solutions to connect the
audio processor and exciter as close together as possible
with less in between while preserving the integrity of the
content carried via MPX.
 MPX in the Digital Age

MPX Node: Best way to

there from hear
The nice neat STL category of 20 years ago is gone

T
Writer ransporting the FM-stereo composite
MPX signal from a studio location to the
transmission point (STL) can be accomplished
numerous ways. Most are familiar with the
analog microwave radio system, as that
has been used for decades. There are a
few discrete digital methods, which offer a form of MPX
generator, at the remote location.
Frank Foti Now, we have taken MPX transport to a new level with
Founder, the Omnia MPX Node. This is especially beneficial for those
Omnia Audio who need to distribute the MPX signal to multiple locations,
& Executive as would be a point-to-multipoint configuration.
Chairman of
the Board, Telos Our method accomplishes this with a variety of
Alliance configurations, that relates to data usage. MPX Node
operates at bit rates that can be as low as 384 kbps, and
this is done without sonic degradation, and precise peak
levels are maintained.
14 MPX Node was a natural progression for the Telos
improve, the Telos Alliance is well-positioned to
provide them. 
• We see increasing interest in hosted solutions. Audio
processing running on servers, either permanent or
hosted/cloud. MPX Node is suited to seamlessly support
this infrastructure.
• We are working on some interesting projects with some
very forward-thinking broadcasters, stay tuned.
• As you can see, it’s all about ecosystems in this
evolving world, the Telos Alliance is uniquely positioned.
Many years ago, Steve Church and I had a vision for the
future of the broadcast facility. We envisioned many of our
products we had, at that time, operating in a single system,
with basically a cable connected to a transmitter. A radio

“
Alliance. Why? Well, let’s look at some interesting station in a box. Suffice it to say, what has transpired is a
data points: bit different, but not too far off from that original thought
experiment we had long ago!
• We invented AoIP (audio over IP). MPX over IP is a natural
extension of the revolution we started 20 years ago.
Add to that we were the group who were finally able to
introduce a reliable digital MPX method of connectivity, MPX Node
operates
with our MPX-over-AES. Other vendors then scrambled to
clone our tech. MPX Node is the next step in that domain.

• The nice neat STL category of 20 years ago is gone. Sure, at bit rates
there are still tried-and-true analog/digital STL systems
in use, but the mission-specific distinctions are blurring. that can be as low as
When you consider that your Omnia 9 audio processor
384 kbps, and this is

”
can be the front end of your IP STL with an MPX Node
as the end point, you see where the Telos Alliance is
blazing a trail.
done without sonic
• No one can debate the practice of leveraging the ever-
degradation.
expanding juggernaut of IT connectivity. As capabilities

radioworld.com | February 2022

 MPX in the Digital Age

As old as stereo FM and

still the star on stage
It is a valuable thing, this MPX signal

W
Writer ith the introduction of stereo FM, the
MPX signal was born, or was it the
other way around? Regardless, the
fact is that the multiplexed broadcast
signal to this day represents all the
artistic and technical efforts of radio
production as an electrical signal. So, it is a valuable thing,
this MPX signal.
Hartmut In the pre-digital era, analog MPX demanded a lot
Foerster of attention. Only proven experts were entrusted with
APT Product monitoring and distributing MPX, which relentlessly relayed
Manager, the effects of any error to all listeners.
WorldCast This is the reason for the continuous effort to keep
Systems
interference away and to reduce the components within
the MPX signal path. As a result, the time axis shows that
there was and is an increasing integration density across
both signal domains.
Digitization was a milestone in MPX signal creation
and processing and resulted in the AES192 format. In the
The advantages of such an approach to FM-MPX
transmission are many. Most importantly, all MPX
generation equipment can be located in the studio.
Furthermore, if the STL, including the codecs, already
supports AES192, only an AES192-capable exciter is needed
at the transmitter site.
For good reasons, central signal processing is steadily
expanding and being used in many places. As a result, the
potential of saving hardware for signal processing and its
support at each broadcasting site is enormous. Another
advantage is that the station sound can be easily replicated
as a sonic signature at all transmitter sites by central signal
processing.
The conversion of signal distribution to the robust digital
MPX/AES192 signal is not only a trend, but has the potential
to become the standard.
Nevertheless, for many broadcasters, the high bandwidth
required by the AES192 signal on the transmission path 15
is an unwanted factor, even a real problem. Primary and

“
broadcast world, it describes the AES format sampled at backup paths need to provide 2–4 Mbps per broadcast.
192 kHz. It allows the transport of the entire MPX spectrum STL suppliers and codec manufacturers have found ways
in the digital domain. to reduce the bandwidth of the linear digital MPX. This is
achieved by limiting the MPX spectrum to, for example, 64
kHz, or reducing the 24/16/14/12-bit resolution; a reduced
MPX signal can be transmitted at less than 2 Mbps. This is
The demand regularly used today.
The distribution of radio programs as MPX over IP could
for low bit- eventually replace traditional broadcast feeds if MPX

rate formats
transmission is possible with similar network requirements
as L/R audio transmission by maintaining high

for compressed MPX signal fidelity.

Recent industry efforts show promising approaches to

transmission is high, new MPX compression algorithms. The demand for low
bit-rate formats for compressed MPX transmission is high,

so the trend towards so the trend towards centralized signal processing could
prevail and become the standard.

centralized signal Learn about ATPmpX.

processing could
prevail and become the
standard.

radioworld.com | February 2022

 MPX in the Digital Age
RNN deploys MicroMPX for
transport in the Netherlands
Composite signals are streamed to 62 decoders at transmitter sites
R
Writer adio Netwerk Nederland (RNN) serves a large
part of the Dutch regional radio market,
managing FM and DAB+ distribution, IP
connections and audio processing for dozens
of radio stations.
In late 2019, they started looking for a
new solution for their audio processing and streaming
that needed to be scalable, due to the large variety of
Hans van stations. They kept ending up at the combination of
Zutphen Thimeo Stereo Tool as the FM processor and MicroMPX
Founder, to transport the signal to the transmitters.
Thimeo Audio In their centralized studio complex, 40 instances of the
Technology Thimeo Stereo Tool FM processor software are running
on 10 computers. They generate composite MPX signals
that are directly streamed to 62 MicroMPX decoders at
FM transmitter sites. DAB+ and internet streams are
directly fed by Stereo Tools streaming outputs.
18
radioworld.com | February 2022
Listeners have noticed the change.
“We regularly get compliments about the audio
processing, both from listeners and industry
professionals,” said says Hessel-Jan Rintjema, broadcast
engineer at RNN.
“Compared to what we used before, there’s far more
dynamics, and the lows sound much better. We are also
relatively loud compared to other stations, and precisely
within regulations. We expected that when we switched.
What we did not expect is that our reception would
also improve.
“For example, where I live, my car radio used to blend
to mono much of the time. It is now stereo much more
often, and I can receive it further away as well. We also
got many positive responses that switching between
transmitters is much smoother.”
This behavior does not come as a surprise. You could
 MPX in the Digital Age
send processed left/right audio to a transmitter site and
add the pilot and RDS there. But Stereo Tool optimizes
the full composite signal for loudness and reception. It
takes the pilot and RDS into account during processing.
This means the audio can be several dB’s louder, while
reducing the RF bandwidth that the transmitter will
output, improving reception.
This is exactly what MicroMPX was designed for.
Using MicroMPX, it’s no longer necessary to put an
expensive processor at every transmitter site. It allows
stations to generate their composite signal once,
in the studio, and send it to all of their transmitter
sites without loss in quality. Transmitters only need a
simple, inexpensive decoder to retrieve the complete
composite signal.
MicroMPX simplifies things as well. At RNN, the most
complex setup is that of the biggest station, RADIONL,
with 24 regional editions that are transmitted from 42
transmitters. The programming is usually shared, but
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some programs and ads differ between editions.
The playout software sends commands to Stereo
Tool’s RDS encoder, and instructs it to dynamically tell
receivers when they are allowed to switch to stronger
frequencies. Before the update to MicroMPX, dozens of
encoders were sending commands to RDS encoders at
all the transmitter sites. Now all of this happens inside
the studio, the RDS signal is part of the MPX signal.
MicroMPX also keeps the transmitters in sync, even
between editions.
RNN often deals with transmitter sites in remote
areas, connected through unreliable DSL lines. A large
monitor in the studio complex shows live data from all
62 MicroMPX decoders.
Hessel-Jan Rintjema said, “We’re really making use of
the error recovery features of MicroMPX, and are now
able to provide a full disruption free program, even on
less reliable internet lines.” If the connection fails
outright, a built-in backup player can take over.
19
 MPX in the Digital Age
Applications for the
Digigram X/LINK MPX
FM STL installation at Levira is an example of what it can do
20
F
or more than two decades, digital transformation
has been a topic of discussion across all
industries. In broadcast and media, much of our
central infrastructure is digital by now, and we
are already dealing with the next transformation,
turning away from SDI, AES3, MADI etc. to IP-
based technologies like SMPTE ST- 2110, AES67 etc.
IP is also widely used to transport live programs
(audio and video) between distant sites (studios, event
venues, transmitter sites), through managed and
unmanaged networks.
More globally, IP brings flexibility, scalability and cost
reduction.
Concerning FM radio, we now see a growing demand
for generating the MPX signal at the studio side and
distributing it over IP to all the transmitter sites. Given the
latest developments, transporting MPX signals over private
WAN or even internet connections has become a more and
more common option for broadcasters, as it allows for cost
reduction. FM broadcasting is still the most widely used
technology to reach listeners in cars or at home, and will be
a relevant technology for years to come.
With the IQOYA X/LINK-MPX, Digigram developed a
product that meets these requirements.
IQOYA IP codecs are already well known for their
feature-rich transmission capabilities and rock-solid
reliability, thanks to outstanding redundancy concepts
radioworld.com | February 2022
9000
and possibilities. The X/LINK-MPX features analog and
digital input and output interfaces, so that on top of using
the codec for MPX encoding or decoding, it is possible to
send baseband return audio back to the MPX encoder in
the studio. Analog and digital interfaces also mean that it
is possible to realize A/A, A/D, D/D or D/A transmissions,
making it suitable for integration into any existing
infrastructure.
It is designed to stream one MPX signal, either
uncompressed or compressed with μMPX to the
transmitter side. Uncompressed, it is possible to adjust
the quantization optimized to the characteristics of the
transmission path. For analog MPX inputs, it is even
possible to specify the sampling rate, either 44.1 kHz for
audio and RDS data or 192 kHz if additional SCA data are
required as well. This gives a lot of choices to fine-tune the
resulting final bitrate.
Writer Use case
Levira, a major digital services provider in Estonia, adopted
the transport of MPX signals over IP for its FM STL in 2017.
It chose IQOYA *LINK codecs, which allow for a local MPX
backup in case the IP MPX stream is lost. The backup is a
192 kHz MPX file stored on an SD card.
“We have six X/LINK-MPX codecs at the transmitter
sites, and a model (IQOYA*Link/LE) at the studio site,” said
Andrus Tamm of Levira. “The X/LINK-MPX works great with
Stéphane
the older ones, I would definitely recommend it.”
Bert
They have recently extended the numbers of codecs
Pre-Sales
Manager and have selected IQOYA X/LINK-MPX because of its full
Digigram compatibility with previous *LINK series, the support of
redundant dual streaming, and the automatic failover to an
MPX file stored on the SD card. The fleet of IQOYA codecs is
monitored via an SNMP supervisor.
As we all know, digital radio is supposed to replace
traditional analog AM and FM transmission completely.
There are countries where this transition is complete.
Nevertheless, this is not the case everywhere, and FM
transmission will be required and must be maintained at
least for the next decade. This means we still need ways to
optimize the systems.
We are happy that we can help to provide an optimized
solution for this kind of use case. The solution is demanded
by a lot of our partners and clients, and we are proud to
show our newest development, the IQOYA X/LINK-MPX.