Tall AM towers
Usually, bigger is better. But in the case of AM towers, taller is not always better. A very tall AM radiator is not always the best radiator. In fact,
Transmitters, towers and antennas at NAB2001
Discussions with FM engineers unearthed concerns about radio's future when considered with reference to streaming, DAB/IBOC, RBDS, satellite radio, and
The licensing process
Whoever said, the more things change, the more they remain the same, must have had the FCC in mind. More than 50 years ago, Form 301 was thin and did
The Transition To Digital
Incrementally or all at once, the transition is coming. How digital is your facility?
Detuning unwanted reradiators
Like mushrooms after a heavy rain, unwanted reradiators sometimes appear almost overnight in the near field of AM antennas.
Field Report: Audemat FM-MC3.2 with Goldenear
At some point in an engineer's career, questions such as How does our signal compare to so-and-so? or, Have we increased multipath along the highway lately?
Mutual impedance
Matters of impedance are deeply significant in radio engineering. In audio, with lower frequencies, the actual component values are generally considerably
Transmission - Transmitters
Antenna basics
The author Gertrude Stein once said a rose is a rose, is a rose is a rose. Maybe an antenna is an antenna, is an antenna also applies, but an AM antenna
AM tower installation
If you have the good fortune to be responsible for the installation of a directional AM station, you will find that there are many important details that
Parasitic radiators
A look at the theory of controlled parasitic reradiators and possible directional arrays using parasitic elements.
Care of transmission lines
Most radio engineers will agree that after the antenna and ground system, transmission lines are probably the most neglected item. For both AM and FM,
Dehydrator
Andrew PMT200 DryLine: A fully automatic device that covers systems with volumes from 0.01 to 1700 liters (0.01 to 60ft superscript 3), this dehydrator
Using the operating impedance bridge
Many test instruments have been developed in the history of broadcast engineering. Some have had brief lives; others simply filled the needs that many
Parasitic radiators
A radio engineer's definition of a parasite might be something that obtains its power from another's energy. In other areas of broadcast engineering it
How is your VSWR?
One phenomenon common to transmitter installations does not always receive the attention it warrants. Voltage standing wave ratio (VSWR) can wreak havoc
Tower maintenance
Tower maintenance may not rank up there with your top 10 engineering duties: It's costly and time-consuming. Tower work is usually contracted, so engineers
