Maximizing Coverage of a Single Frequency Network for Digital Television Services

This paper approaches the problem of maximising Single Frequency Network (SFN) coverage for digital terrestrial television (DTT) based on the ISDB-T standard. An important issue to face up deals with the prioritization of specific zones in the study region (of high population density) with the aim of covering the most users possible. The optimization-based approach introduces directive receiving antennas along with transmitting sector antennas to make the network more realistic. Moreover, the ITU-R P. 1546 propagation prediction method is used and applied to digital terrain maps (DTM) and the transmitters useful and interfering contributions are estimated at every receiver point within the region. The parameters to be optimized for every transmitter using the simulated annealing algorithm include static delays, the effective radiated power (ERP) and the relative azimuth orientation for sector antennas. Representative results considering a region in northern Spain with a topography similar to any coastal region in Chile surrounded by mountain ranges, are included and discussed.