Ground systems
The average ground system is quiet, dependable and retiring, performing its work efficiently, without demand for attention. Unfortunately, too many stations try to economize when installing or maintaining ground systems.
Field Report: Armstrong X-1000B
While he was at first reluctant to consider Armstrong because he was not familiar with the company's products, Terry Suggs' extensive search showed that Armstrong offered the best in pricing and packaging. The transmitter was shipped within a week and installation was seamless.
Tweaking the antenna system
The last link in the broadcast chain under the control of the broadcast engineer is the transmitter and antenna system. From then on quality of reception is left in the hands of the listeners. Thus it puts the onus of transmitting the best possible signal on the station engineer.
Higher-powered Sidebands
The first difficulty in accommodating increased IBOC sideband levels is that, because of the higher peak-to-average AM component of the IBOC carriers, the transmitter must be derated from Class C saturated FM operation.
Taming a wild monitor point
When monitor points suddenly exhibit surprisingly high field strength, one's first inclination is to look at the previous logs and ask the technical staff about the monitoring point's history
Forgotten modulation methods
Early in the 1930s French engineer Henri Chireix devised an ingenious method of modulation that he named most appropriately out phasing. It was based on the result of combining two out-of-phase voltages. This produces a fluctuating signal voltage that varies in amplitude as the audio signals change. This voltage, after amplification, drives a power amplifier stage with properly amplitude-modulated RF.
Tennessee Turnaround
WKNO-FM, an NPR member station in Memphis, began operations on April 1, 1972, on 91.1MHz with 40kW of effective radiated power. The station launched its HD Radio signal in the fall of 2007. Up to that point, we underwent incremental upgrades and adjustments to the original installation.
Radio broadcasting and 700MHz
The FCC is auctioning what may be the most important spectrum allocations of our time. This portion of spectrum will be available as a result of the FCC mandate for traditional analog broadcast television to migrate to the new digital HDTV system by Feb. 17, 2009, specifically the portion previously occupied by channels 60-69.
Don't become a statistic
There are many lists extant of precautions to take before working with high voltage pieces of equipment. Lethal incidents may be more often caused by completely unexpected circumstances than from pure, careless accidents.
A break from Tradition: Using IP for an STL
A station's studio to transmitter link (STL) is an integral part of its mission-critical transmission system, linking the site that generates the program material to the transmitter location itself. As such, the quality and reliability of STL equipment has always been of paramount importance. One critical aspect of an STL system has historically been lack of contention in its use.
Harris Donates Transmitter to SAIT Broadcast Training School
Harris has donated a high-power FM radio transmitter and digital exciter to the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology (SAIT) in Calgary.
Performance evaluation
With HD Radio, it's important to monitor and measure the time alignment and level alignment between the analog modulation and the MPS, and stations will likely want to monitor the RBDS on the analog channel along with PAD data for both the MPS and SPS. Fortunately, there are now multiple monitoring devices made specifically for HD Radio, and each of these devices gives the end user options about which parameters are to be measured, and how the device is to alert the user once a problem is detected.
NAB Trains Engineers at NAB AM Antenna Computer Modeling Seminar
The NAB AM Antenna Computer Modeling Seminar held at the NAB headquarters in Washington, DC, the week of Nov. 12, 2007 attracted 45 engineers.
RF filters
Radio-engineering work is very involved with filters of one kind or another. The science of broadcasting depends on the correct passage of various frequencies through differing pieces of equipment. Some frequencies are in the audio range and others are in the RF domain.
Wi-fi antennas
In recent years, the introduction of wireless networks allows users to work anywhere within a defined location. The technology behind wireless networks changes almost yearly, but one thing remains the same: the antenna.
LEDs Are Here to Stay
Tower lighting requirements, which are specified in part 17 of the Commission’s rules, sometimes come as a financial shock.
Towerswitch Collocom-2
Simply put, the Collocom-2 is an easy-to-install, solar-powered device used to play an audio warning or safety message at a tower site.
New directional measurement techniques proposed
A group of broadcasters, consultants and manufacturers have petitioned the FCC to allow moment method modeling of AM directional arrays as a ways to reduce the burden of taking field strength readings in determining coverage.
Being duly diligent in station operations
Take some time to ensure that basic legal and FCC rule obligations are met when taking over as the chief operator at a station.
Sign Off
WHK celebrates its 85th year this year, the original Media Touch system is revisited, and the next wave of radio listeners are listening to radio at all.
Sign Off
Do you remember? The first Continental Electronics 317C 50kW AM transmitter was installed in 1965. The transmitter was mostly solid-state and featured
BE Receives Multiple Transmitter Orders at NAB2007
Broadcast Electronics (BE) returned from the NAB convention with a number of transmitter sales, including some from Univision and Regent Communications.
BE HD Radio Transmitters Reach New Benchmarks
Broadcast Electronics (BE) reports that its line of solid-state FM HD Radio transmitters now exceed the previous benchmarks for output power and spectral performance.
LPFM and FM translators given new latitude
The commission has always been subject to political influence—as an agency created and funded by Congress, this is to be expected—but a blatant rule override to accommodate a politically connected illegal operator is discouraging to the honest broadcasters.
A Foundation for the Future
In its most basic description, this project entailed the addition of a 40 feet by 60 feet space attached to an older, steel-framed transmission facility, but the story extends far beyond the basics.
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