Inovonics AARON 656 is a dual-tuner FM/HD Radio rebroadcast receiver with MRC reception, five-band processing and RDS encoding.
Inovonics AARON 656 is a professional FM/HD Radio™ dual-tuner rebroadcast receiver for translator, relay and transmitter sites. It receives a parent station off-air, selects the cleanest available signal and delivers programme audio or composite MPX to the local FM exciter for retransmission.
Its SDR-based dual tuner supports analogue FM and HD Radio programme services from HD1 to HD8. Maximum-Ratio Combining continuously compares the signal-to-noise ratio from Antenna 1, Antenna 2 and the combined antenna signal, automatically selecting the best reception path. This helps maintain reliable programme delivery at sites affected by weak signals, multipath or changing RF conditions.
The Inovonics AARON 656 is designed to provide a clean, correctly controlled feed for the transmitter. Its adjustable 75-ohm BNC MPX output can connect directly to an exciter input, carrying the composite signal required for stereo FM broadcasting. Balanced analogue and AES digital line outputs are also available for installations that process or generate the MPX signal elsewhere in the transmission chain.
An integrated five-band audio processor can optimise line-level programme feeds before transmission, while the built-in RDS/RBDS encoder supports static and dynamic data. The AARON 656 can also use analogue, AES-digital, streaming or internal audio sources as backups. Its priority-based failover system changes source automatically when the primary off-air programme is unavailable, helping the transmitter remain on air.
Inovonics AARON 656 is typically installed between the receive antenna system and the local FM transmitter or exciter. It can be used with a compatible MPX codec system where a composite STL backup path is required, or with an external audio processor and RDS encoder when station engineering standards call for separate processing and data-generation stages.
