CAT Entertainment Services Powers Multiple Major Summer Sports Broadcast Events

It has been a busy start to the summer for CAT Entertainment Services. From coast to coast CAT Entertainment Services has powered some of the summer’s biggest sports broadcasting events.

Powering Up the NBA Finals
In June, CES was tasked with managing prime power and technical services for the six game NBA Finals broadcast, with tech staff and equipment in Oakland and Cleveland. Two paralleled 800s were used for the ABC broadcast of games one, two and five from Oakland. Games three, four and six in Cleveland required two 800s paralleled and two 125kws. The Finals were the most watched & highest rated NBA Finals ever on ABC.

CES Goes Green for FIFA Women’s World Cup
June also saw CAT Entertainment Services travel to Vancouver for Fox Sports broadcast of the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Vancouver, noted for being a very “Green” city, presented unique challenges. CES was responsible for providing 600A 3P of 208V for FOX Sports critical broadcast path at the main studio and set for coverage of the 2015 Women’s World Cup, all while adhering to Vancouver’s environmental requirements.

The solution was to use a 375kva UPS tied directly into a BC Hydro 600V service. This provided conditioned and regulated 208V to FOX Sports, with several minutes of operational capacity on battery power. A standby generator could then be started only upon complete failure of the BC Hydro grid. This system is operational 24/7 due to the UPS’s smart electronics which can remotely start the backup generator if the utility fails for longer than the allowed for window. The completed system is very environmentally friendly and still provided FOX Sports with the power security they need for on air live sports broadcasts.

One installation challenge was setting up the standby generator to be able to run in an underground loading dock. Proper exhaust ventilation and redirecting exhaust heat away from the overhead fire suppression system were both important requirements. A custom fabricated exhaust extension with a thermal covering provided the exhaust path to clear the docks and using Thermal Imaging while the generator was tested demonstrated that exhaust heat was kept well away from the sprinkler system.

CAT Entertainment Services’ mobile UPS systems are perfectly adapted to this type of broadcast event, so much so that a second 50kva UPS has been installed at the FOX Sports IBC engineering compound to condition and provide adequate time to power down in case of a utility failure at this off site location.

CES Powers Massive Compound at U.S. Open
In addition to the NBA Finals and Women’s World Cup broadcast, CES provided power for another major sports broadcasting event in June: the U.S. Open for golf. CES provided over three megawatts of generator power for FOX Sports’ first ever broadcast of the USGA U.S. Open Golf at Chambers Bay Washington.

The newly designed remote broadcast sets around the Washington state course presented unique challenges in the provision of temperature control, but the CES team ensured everything went off without a hitch. There were a total of 22 mobile units, 25 temporary office trailers, three uplinks, and 42 remote generators to support camera and drone positions for FOX Sports, The Golf Channel, and other international broadcasters that drew in a record number of broadcast viewers for the U.S. Open.

All in all, June’s been a banner month for CAT Entertainment Services. From coast to coast, the CES team has been living up to their motto: Embrace the challenge. Power the solution.

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