Bonneville International Upgrades Farnsworth Peak FM System with Dielectric Technology

Bonneville International has completed a major infrastructure upgrade at the Farnsworth Peak broadcast site near Salt Lake City, Utah, in partnership with Dielectric and SCMS. The project modernizes the master antenna system, enhancing FM and HD Radio delivery for 13 stations broadcasting from the peak.

Farnsworth Peak: A Hub for Salt Lake City Broadcasting

Located approximately 9,000 feet above sea level, Farnsworth Peak is a critical transmission site for radio and television in the Salt Lake metropolitan area. It currently hosts 21 FM stations, including translators, according to data from the RadioLand app RadioWorld.

New Dielectric System Improves Performance

The upgrade centers around a Dielectric RingMaster broadband FM and custom manifold combiner system. This new system supports 13 FM stations, including three operated by Bonneville International: KSL-FM (102.7), KSFI-FM (100.3), and KRSP-FM (103.5) InBroadcast. The combiner likewise serves stations for iHeartMedia, Cumulus Media, Capital Broadcasting, KSOP Inc., and Community Radio of Utah RadioWorld.

Addressing the Limitations of the Previous System

The previous master system at Farnsworth Peak was approximately 40 years old and not designed to meet the demands of HD Radio. Aaron Farnham, Bonneville’s regional director of engineering, explained the need for an upgrade, stating the goal was to allow stations to achieve improved coverage with smaller transmitters and support current HD Radio insertion levels RadioWorld.

Dielectric’s Engineering and SCMS Support

Bonneville selected Dielectric due to their consultative engineering approach, which considered both RF performance and the physical constraints of the site. Dielectric’s RingMaster technology utilizes spaced arrays to maintain bandwidth performance with fewer radiating elements and greater control over directional elevation patterns RedTech. SCMS provided procurement and customer support throughout the project, helping to maintain it on schedule InBroadcast.

Improved Reception and Efficiency

Early results indicate significant improvements in both analog FM and HD Radio reception across the Salt Lake City market. The system is operating with HD Radio at –14 dBc, exceeding expectations and demonstrating improved audio quality RadioWorld.

System Redundancy and Future-Proofing

The new Dielectric RingMaster antenna is side-mounted on the tower, and the existing combined antenna system remains in place as a backup. Dielectric also conducted tower surveys and modeling to ensure optimal coverage patterns RadioWorld.