Picking the right test gear requires comparing the capabilities and limitations of the gear being evaluated. Folks wishing to do their own NRSC measurements are often put out by the cost of spectrum analyzers. Recently a very affordable unit has come on the market: the Rigol DSA-815. Will it do the job? Burt […]

Keeping an older transmitter on line is always a bit of a dance – balancing operating and parts costs versus the amortized costs of a new unit. But when the transmitter has been reliable and relatively inexpensive to operate, a decision to repair is easier in many cases. Mike Patton has a solution […]

We all have favorite “go-to” solutions for the problems that crop up from time to time in any broadcast facility. Even after four decades, David Rose still finds 555 chips to be his friend. Back in 1976, when I started in broadcasting, the little 555 timer chip was already proving to be a […]

Sometimes all it takes is a deceptively simple test to discover if an active part is good or bad. Burt Weiner offers such a quick test to help troubleshoot a FET you may have seen. – – – Burt I. Weiner Associates has been serving the Los Angeles broadcast community for many years. […]

When setting up a transmission system, the goal is always to achieve the lowest reflected power (or VSWR – Voltage Standing Wave Ratio), which indicates how efficiently the signal gets from the transmitter to the antenna. Sometimes you can accomplish the goal … and yet strange things still happen. Burt Weiner explains. A […]

There are many stresses on the broadcast transmission system, winter weather being but one of them. One critical part that needs attention at many stations is the contactor. Here is some information that may provide the answers you need. The contactor is a workhorse at the heart of most directional antennas, where they […]

Repairing gear on the workbench has become a bit of a lost art at many stations. The tools to diagnose and troubleshoot equipment are not always available, nor enough time to do the job properly. In fact, at many stations, the workbench essentially has become little more than a multi-layered storage pile. Nevertheless, […]

Among the important ways to keep an FM transmitter happy is to ensure the match to the transmission line and antenna is optimal, as measured by the Voltage Standing Wave Ratio (VSWR). How much VSWR is too much depends upon many factors. That is why you need to make sure your sampling and […]

Previously, Gary Minker discussed how technicians could better understand rectifiers and how to troubleshoot them in circuits. By putting that knowledge to work with the right test gear, it is possible to save time, money and lost airtime. Now, Gary puts it all together. Unless your technical abilities are limited to swapping modules, […]

When a station is off the air, the pressure is on to find and fix the problem immediately – or at the least, get back on the air with as much power as possible. Unfortunately, that approach can lead the engineer to overlook the real cause of the problem. Alan Alsobrook has been […]