I found a great resource for learning about test and measurement on Rohde Schwarz’s YouTube channel. Each video is about 5 to 15 minutes long and covers the basics of RF test equipment, measurement parameters, and definitions. Rohde Schwarz Test and Measurement Fundamentals Measuring RF systems is an important part of Broadcast Engineering. Many folks … Related Posts: Transmitter readings Coast Guard Radio Guam/NRV, part I Analog Sauce: The Audioromy M828-A All digital Medium Wave transmission A broadcast console makers perspective ..read more

That is indeed a good question. There may be several explanations; a pirate, somebody’s Part 15 device, or atmospheric ducting. If the weather is good, tropospheric ducting can cause VHF (FM broadcast) and UHF (TV broadcast as well as Remote Pickup units and STLs) signals to travel far beyond their intended reception areas. The Troposphere … Related Posts: E-skip, tropospheric ducting and other VHF… Burning Telegraph Wires and other Irregularities Zonecasting; the Technical Details FCC seeks further comment on Low Power FM (LPFM) Coast Guard Radio Guam/NRV, part II ..read more

This is an adjunct to my previous post on creating a Stratum 1 NTP time server with a Raspberry Pi. I finished this project about a year ago, and I have to say it has been running flawlessly since then. I thought that perhaps the inexpensive GPS module designed to work with drones might not … Related Posts: What time is it? Repairing a solid state FM transmitter module Stereo Tool Box One Burk Autopilot, DOS version ..read more

One of our clients needs to move to another transmitter site because their lease is expiring at the old site. We have been working on this for several months now. One of the nice features of this project is the panel antenna. This is installed in a 2-bay 3-around configuration. I don’t see this particular … Related Posts: North Adams Tower Collapse FCC seeks further comment on Low Power FM (LPFM) The unitless coefficient of Zorch HF VHF receiver diplexer Moving and upgrading a translator ..read more

Several companies make variations of this antenna; Scale FM-CL is a lower-power version that is used mostly by translators. They are highly directional and can be installed in a vertical, horizontal, or cross-polarized (45-degree slant) manner. This model input power is 5 KW per bay and the manufacturer’s specification is for 1.28:1 or less VSWR … Related Posts: Transmitter readings The unitless coefficient of Zorch The Shively 6810 FM antenna Coast Guard Radio Guam/NRV, part I The Emergency FM Replacement Antenna ..read more

I receive several emails a week from interested readers. One noted that the blog seems to be focused on RF. Yes, that is what I do most, but the company does studio installs as well. This was from a few years ago. WDST moved out of their Bearsville studio location into the former Methodist Church … Related Posts: Backing up the UPS WDST, Woodstock, New York WEBE WICC studio build out Building the FM band New Studio project ..read more

I Finished up this installation of a J-1000 in Brookfield, Connecticut for Nossa Radio. That is a Portuguese broadcaster that owns three other stations in the US. These Nautels are fairly simple affairs; a controller and two RF amps with incumbent power supplies. Be sure to install the surge suppressor that comes with the transmitter. … Related Posts: Update: WINE WRKI transmitter site move Moving the WRKI and WINE transmitter site The Harris MW1A Series surge suppressor Burning Telegraph Wires and other Irregularities ..read more

One of the many projects we are currently finishing up. Over-The-Air TV is making a comeback. A few things about LPTV; These stations usually have an ERP of 15 KW or less, and they are a secondary service, like FM translators, which a full-power TV station can displace. This is an ATT microwave site built … Related Posts: Cold War Relic, ATT long lines microwave site Kingston, NY ATT Long Lines Site, Rock City NY A little bit of catching up... Radio Before Broadcasting HF VHF receiver diplexer ..read more

My apologies for the lack of posts; I have been extremely busy with the end-of-year business administration things; contracts to renew, taxes to file, new business to acquire, etc. A few projects are going on but nothing exciting or blog-worthy. There are a few things in the works that when finished, would make some interesting … Related Posts: Coast Guard Radio Guam/NRV, part I Box One Old Year SWR More news talk migrates to the FM band Happy New Year ..read more

Anytime a new transmitter is installed or major changes to an FM transmission system are implemented, the performance measurements described in FCC 73.317 should be completed to ensure no interference to other radio services. This is becoming a larger issue with the advent of LTE and 5G mobile data. These services along with E911 and … Related Posts: A tale of five signals Transmitter readings Analog Sauce: The Audioromy M828-A The curious case of the WKZE Notice Of Violation Filtering for co-located FM transmitters ..read more