Aqua Broadcast Cobalt C‑10 10W Digital FM Transmitter

Product Overview

The Aqua Cobalt C-10 is a compact 10W digital FM broadcast transmitter designed for low-power on-air sites, drive-in events and exciter duty in larger systems. Direct-to-channel DDS modulation and a customised Linux OS deliver very clean audio with tight RF stability, while the built-in stereo encoder, dynamic RDS generator and 4‑band audio processor provide a complete on-air solution in just 1U. Multiple inputs including analogue stereo, AES/EBU and digital MPX (AES192), plus Ethernet, USB, GPIO and GPS sync, make the Aqua Cobalt C-10 easy to integrate into modern analogue or AoIP-based plants.

Key Features

• • 10W solid-state FM stereo transmitter using direct-to-channel DDS modulation for low distortion and excellent spectral performance.

• • Adjustable RF output typically across the 1–10W range with N-type RF connector and high AC efficiency.

• • VHF Band II operation from 87–108MHz with fine frequency steps and high-stability 10MHz reference oscillator.

• • Integrated stereo encoder and fully dynamic RDS/RBDS generator with support for advanced data and UECP/ASCII control.

• • Analogue stereo, AES/EBU digital audio and digital MPX inputs, plus wideband analogue/digital MPX I/O on BNC for external processing chains.

• • Onboard 4‑band audio processor with bass enhancement, pilot protection, wideband AGC and modern loudness presets.

• • GPS sync and SFN-ready operation, with BS412 limiter, scheduler, audio failover, silence detection and USB backup player.

• • Remote management via secure web interface, SNMP, email alerts and flexible GPIO for full off-site monitoring and control.

• • Mono performance to 20Hz–15kHz ±0.02dB with mono SNR ≥75dB (AES/EBU) and THD+N as low as 0.001% on digital input.

Applications

Use the Aqua Cobalt C-10 as the main transmitter for community, campus or drive-in stations, as a gap-filler in larger SFN networks, or as a high-quality exciter feeding external RF amplifiers. Its combination of DDS exciter, integrated processing, dynamic RDS and SFN-ready GPS sync makes the Aqua Cobalt C-10 a strong choice wherever low-power transmission and premium audio quality are required in a compact, remotely manageable package.

Pair the Aqua Cobalt C-10 with suitable antennas and RF amplifiers in our FM Antennas and RF amplifiers categories to build scalable systems from 10W upwards. To explore more Aqua Broadcast products related to the Aqua Cobalt C-10, visit our Aqua Broadcast brand page and the main FM audio processors category for compatible processors and STL codecs.