Burst’s future-proof design created efficiencies, streamlined move
When Burst claims they have the know-how to design future-proof broadcast solutions, they know what they’re talking about. Burst recently completed a two-part project for Christian Television Network (CTN) when they moved the master control room they designed and built in 2015 to a new site, and had the station up and running in record time.
In the spring of 2015, Burst was contracted by CTN to provide design and integration services for their recently acquired Colorado station KQCK-TV. It seemed like a straightforward project until CTN added a caveat; the master control room would need to be moved to a new location in two to three years. Burst reviewed the parameters of the project and designed and constructed a solution to control and monitor one HD and two SD streams.
The design featured bulkhead connector panels at the rear of every rack. All wiring that was connected internal to a rack were home runs within that rack. Any rack-to-rack connectivity was via the bulkheads in each rack. Initially this increased the total number of cables needed for the project.
The project was completed in the summer of 2015.
Skip forward to the spring of 2018. CTN was ready to move to their new Greenwood Village, Colorado and called on Burst to complete what they’d started three years previously. Burst simply removed the interconnecting cables between racks, then moved the racks, connecting cables and any console mounted equipment. Once the racks were placed in the new facility Burst re-used the interconnecting cables to re-join the racks.
“Don’s very creative design of the original KQCK Master Control room installation compressed a week long moving project into one day,” explains Paul Garber, Assistant to the President at KCQK. “By bringing all of the connections to a bulkhead mounted at the back of each rack and attaching wheels to each rack, we were able to simply disconnect the interconnecting cables and move each rack without removing any equipment.”
Burst completed the move and had KQCK up and running in less than a week. “The savings realized in minimal lost airtime along with the savings in labor amounted to thousands of dollars,” Garber notes. “Working with Burst Communications has always been a very positive experience. They demonstrate more concern for their customer, than for their profits.”