MIRA Mobile Upgrades HD Truck with PESA Cheetah Routing Switcher

PESA, a U.S.-based custom design and build manufacturing company for professional audio and video signal distribution, announced that MIRA Mobile Television has installed a Cheetah 288XE routing switcher (288×576) and DRS digital audio routing system as part of an overhaul of its M-5 53-foot expando truck.

Built in 2004 by Gerling & Associates, M-5 was MIRA Mobile’s first generation HD truck. It was originally built to meet the needs of Fox Sports Northwest (now Root Sports Northwest), and has been used to cover MLB (Seattle Mariners), NBA (Seattle SuperSonics), and various NCAA sporting events. Bill Duncan, MIRA Mobile director of engineering, said the company wanted to upgrade the truck, but only had a tight window for installation last August before sending it to cover an NFL game.

“We only had eight days to install and proof the audio and video router,” Duncan explained. “There was no way we could have done this installation alone on a system that came with a steep learning curve for us. Our familiarity with both PESA hardware and software, coupled with the support of PESA engineers to assist whenever the need arose, enabled us to meet this very tight schedule.”

MIRA Mobile has worked with PESA routing since 2005, and seven of the company’s nine operating mobile units feature PESA routing solutions. PESA’s Cattrax Windows-based system control software was a major selling point. “The control system was one of the defining reasons for choosing PESA for this installation. It has an interface which is familiar, intuitive, yet powerful enough for all our needs,” Duncan added. “Every one of our EICs is familiar with the interface and can feel comfortable with the control system.”

Space is always at a premium on production trucks, and Duncan said the size of the 288XE was an important consideration for the upgrade. “The PESA system replaced an existing routing system in which the space was already defined, cable cut and installed,” he explained. “Not only did the PESA system fit within the space allowed, we gained more capacity and capability at the same time – and actually gained space in the process. The video and audio routing solutions that PESA offers work very well in our industry and, given the footprint, work very well in our designs.”

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