Computerized planning and station engineering
In the early days of radio engineering, it was necessary to calculate every value used in determining coverage and antenna design manually. Slide rules were the norm, and many engineers carried one in a hip holster -- well, almost. My slide-rule case certainly had a belt slot in it.
Thoughts on FM
I often wonder if Major Armstrong knew what he was giving to the world when he began developing frequency modulation as a public service.
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,
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
Detuning unwanted reradiators
Like mushrooms after a heavy rain, unwanted reradiators sometimes appear almost overnight in the near field of AM antennas.
Mutual impedance
Matters of impedance are deeply significant in radio engineering. In audio, with lower frequencies, the actual component values are generally considerably
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
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,
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
