The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource

A Sharp Eye Needed

[August 2017] It is important for a good radio engineer to be able to size up a situation quickly and make corrections where necessary.

This picture is shared with us from a translator site that will have to remain anonymous – our goal is not to embarrass someone, but to learn from the mistakes we see.

Can you tell what is wrong here? One more hint is the license: .099 kW and 2-bay antenna,

The ABIP Inspector who sent this in, says: “I don’t remember what gain of the antenna and the possible line losses but I did the math and the station was being run at almost 4x the authorized power levels.

“It was also operating while the parent was off the air which is what really got my attention.”

A lot of folks noted the remote control disable but that was not the issue. In fact, it is much safer to disable that when you are on site.

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