AML links continue to be used by many Cable TV operators to transport off-air TV signals from nearby cities to the cable system Headend.

Cable One wanted to transport TV off-airs from the Houston TV stations to the cable system in Fort Lavaca (Texas), about 140 miles away. Due to the large distance between the two sites and the difficult propagation environment in the area, the reliability of the direct pick up signals was poor, which is why Cable One had been using a 6 GHz FM Common Carrier Link with 3-channel capacity to transport analog signals from an intermediate point between the two locations.

When the need arose to transport the new HDTV channels and to add additional analog channels, the 6 GHz link was no longer a feasible solution. Cable AML has provided an enhanced 13 GHz digital AML link that transports the added channel load as well as the HDTV channels.

Martin Schooley, Technical Operations Manager of Cable One, said he is very much looking forward to this upgrade of the old analog link, “It is something I have fought over for a long time,” he said.