DTG prepares R-Book update

The DTG has received a request from Ofcom that R-Books 2 and 5 be updated to provide guidance to installers to promote the use of ‘wideband’ aerials that would not need replacing should a change of use of 700MHz occur.

The old R-Books were long out of date and included references to analogue services. Also, with the increasing potential for interference from services such as LTE 800 and TVWS as well as the changes to DTT services such as local TV, it was thought that it would be useful to include guidance on some of these issues.

The new R-Book will be in 2 sections: the first will provide an overview of the current position of DTT and prospects for the next 10-20 years as well as future technologies and spectrum changes that will have an impact on DTT and how this might then impact installers.

The second section will provide some more practical details such as guidance on aerials, faceplates, cabling, interference mitigation, de-rating for amplifiers and such like.

It is not intended to include detail of to how to carry out DTT installations—whereas the previous R-Books did—there are existing CAI documents and guidance on this and DTG does not want to re-invent the wheel.

There were previously two R-Books—one for communal installations and one for domestic—this has now been consolidated into one document.