CommScope has designed DryLine Sahara, a dehydrator for the broadcast industry, which provides a highly reliable, more cost-effective way to get a handle on humidity.

Regulating moisture levels in broadcast transmission lines usually requires expensive, maintenance-intensive gear like bottled nitrogen tanks and dry desiccants, but now there’s a membrane-based dehydration option.

Sahara represents the latest innovation in the Andrew Solutions pressurization and drying technology portfolio. Similar to its peer dehydrator, DryLine Mojave, Sahara features a one of a kind, patented air circuit path that can support large volume systems in a fraction of the space or cost of traditional solutions.

“We developed the Sahara dehydrator to fill a gap in the market that has yearned for a smaller unit that can handle large volume systems,” said Paul Bell, senior vice president, Microwave, CommScope. “Sahara is sized right, runs quietly compared with most dehydrators, comes equipped with alarm functions and is virtually maintenance free. Strong, reliable performance, plus fewer capital and operational expenses equals a lower total cost of ownership.”

Sahara works by using automatic pressure sensing and microprocessor control circuitry to activate and deactivate an air compressor. The compressor operates only when needed to maintain transmission line pressure, which reduces wear and maintenance. Sahara doesn’t rely on internal tanks and regulators, so it constantly changes the air inside the cable to ensure maximum system performance.