Workbench
Lights, Camera … Chainsaw!
If you maintain an older tower, lit with traditional red lighting, you might want...
A Story of Radio Mice and Men
How does that nursery rhyme go, "Hickory, dickory, doc-tor ... the mouse climbed up...
Protection Inside the ATU
Tower light monitoring is still high on the "hit lists" of the FCC and...
The Buck Stops With You
Budgeting; doing more with less; saving money...These are the "new" rules of radio engineering
He Found the Fix in the Drawer
In this era of consolidation, things are done a little differently. Instead of one...
How to Expand Scrunched Screens
We'll start off with a simple yet effective tip from Fred Greaves Jr., director...
‘Old’ Tricks for New Engineers
Brent Barber, station manager and chief engineer for WDSO(FM) in Chesteron, Ind., read the...
Lightning Strikes; So Do Thieves
John Stortz of the Moody stations in Florida protects his VRC-2000 remote control from...
Stupid-Proof the Lockup
You may remember last year's photo of all the gate locks, looped through each...
Modulation and the Older Tx
Like it or not, at some point in your career you'll probably need to...
Install This Insurance Tray
Now that summer is in full swing, consider adding a safety "insurance" tray designed...
Understand the Rules on RFI
It's probably one of the most disturbing phone calls you'll receive as a chief...
It’s a Bird, It’s a Plane …
Pulling cable? Make sure you place two labels on the cable runs, as shown...
Wasps, Pine Trees and Meter Bulbs
A recent inquiry comes from an engineer in charge of three AM stations, with...
Digital Cameras Are a Big Help
Damian Centraf is the chief engineer for Herald Broadcasting's WSHB Shortwave station in Pineland,...
Doing It Right!
Longtime friend John Francioni with Capitol Broadcasting in Raleigh, N.C., loves all the "how...
Hot Numbers You Need to Have
When was the last time you checked backup items like surge suppressors, the UPS...
Emergency-Proofing the Tx Site
Do you work for a station ownership that understands the importance of keeping a...
Got Your Sterno and Spaghetti-Os?
One of the benefits of doing contract engineering and project work is the breadth...
Let’s Play ‘Spot the Problems’
Damian Centgraf is with WSHB Shortwave of the Herald Broadcasting Syndicate Inc. He needed...
Dodge PC Problems Ahead of Time
After building computers for critical broadcast applications for more than 15 years, Jeff Allen,...
Can’t See the Tower for the Trees
Backups are great – when they work!...Winter’s elements can force dependence on a generator....
Keep Your Transmitter Healthy
Robert Gonsett's CGC Communicator recently spoke of white-colored light-emitting diodes (LEDs) being incorporated into...
Tones to Troubleshoot AM Xmitters
Engineers are perhaps the most resourceful members at a radio station - quick to...
Last-Minute Gift Ideas for Work
Here’s a column you’ll want to cut out and give to your friends and...
Nice Things for the Staff and You
Figure 1 begs the question, "Will lightning run backward?" It’s always a good idea...
Deadbeats
If you’ve spent some of your nice fall days cleaning your transmitter site, watch...
How to Find Old Xmitter Parts
We’ve all worked for owners who thought transmitters last forever, but the truth is...
Whose Standards Are Being Compromised
As I inspected a site where a bush hog operator had bent a guy...
Infrared Finds Your Hot Spots
If you maintain stations and are planning your budget, visit the Web site of...
Care and Feeding of a Dehydrator
One of my biggest disappointments watching broadcasting evolve is the lack of mentoring programs...
Take the Sting Out of Your Site
Fall is a beautiful season in much of the United States, and it gives...
Be the Windshield, Not the Bug
Sometimes you’re the windshield, sometimes you’re the bug. Good planning can make the difference.
What to Do When You Inherit a Dump
Some good news to report. The station that allowed tower tenants to share their...
Cords, Columns and More Ground Rods
Keeping things clean is the bane of the broadcast engineer.
Take This Rod and Shove It!
Great summertime weather means it’s time to follow through with the ground-rod projects we...
Now You See It, Now You Don’t!
Remember the pesky problem of infrared remotes not working in fluorescent light environments?
Nigerian Scam: Too Good to Be True
It was probably 10 years ago that I received a fax that was too...
2 Rms, 20 kW, Meter Brdg Vu
If you have responsibility for multiple sites, you may find it hard to make...
Knicknacks for Your Tool Kit
Every once in a while, peruse those non-broadcast catalogs and you’ll come up with...
I Ain’t Climbin’ That Thing!
A tower owner calls in a rigger to climb his tower. Before he even...