Tower Climb Prep and Planning

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This episode covers some of the aspects you need to consider BEFORE the tower climber arrives to install or modify your on-tower-systems.

Too often the broadcaster neglects some critical component that stops the job in its tracks, making for costly delays and a reschedule of the job.

In most parts of the country, it’s hard enough getting a tower climber to actually show up on a day that is fit-for-climbing.   Tower crews are not plentiful and their schedules is very much affected by the weather.

The last thing any broadcast engineer wants to hear is that they overlooked a needed part, or that what was procured doesn’t fit in their particular application.   Proper planning is not rocket-science, but is essential.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 30:04 — 27.5MB)

Why grounding is important

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Grounding is important for a few very distinct reasons, personal safety being paramount.

Building codes are written for good reason and we are all admonished to become informed on what the codes say and proper wiring techniques.

Covered topics include an overview of protective grounding, tower lightning mediation grounding, and interference reduction grounding.

73,

John

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 24:24 — 22.3MB)

Transmitter Remote Control

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This episode touches on the considerations of the ‘operating ergonomics’ in transmitter controls.   It’s not us engineers that use the remote controls the most– it’s the often non-technical staff who need to use the system– and we need to build it so it’s workable and not an intimidating geeky mess.

Paying attention to the FCC regulations relating to transmitter control and some ancillary, but important, functionality is also pondered.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 33:39 — 30.8MB)

Compressed vs Uncompressed media

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Digital sample rates, bit depth, compression, packetization and distribution are the topics touched upon.   SDI vs ASI, etc.

 

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 23:44 — 21.7MB)

Welcome and introduction

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The Broadcast Engineer Podcast is now ‘on the air’.

You would think that in our modern digital world that it would be a simple task to keep a broadcast radio or television facility operating at it’s best.   Yea, you would– and so many non-technical mangers feel that way too.

Sadly, the reality is that the field of broadcast engineering has evolved into a highly complex, often undocumented, constantly evolving moving target.  A moving target that requires the constant use of ‘MacGuyver-ish’ skills to ferret out ways to repair some of the most highly technical equipment known to mankind– even without any documentation or factory tech support!

This is the first episode of what should be a long, casual journey into the technical realm behind the scenes of modern digital TV and radio broadcasting in the US.

Welcome!

John

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 9:54 — 9.1MB)