Monday Morning Coffee and Technical Notes

April 7, 2025 View as Webpage

ABA Television Engineering Class

A quick reminder to television engineers or anyone interested in learning more about the technical side of television broadcasting, the ABA Engineering Academy is offering the Televisión Engineering class the week of April 28 – May 2.

This class will cover basic electronics, audio (analog/digital), history of television, black and white, color, NTSC, ATSC-1, ATSC-3, and SMPTE 2110. In addition, a review of station operation (EAS, FCC rules, good engineering practices, etc.).

 It is designed for engineers just getting started and seasoned engineers as well. Classes are being held at the ABA training center 2180 Parkway Lake Dr, Hoover, AL (Birmingham)

Visit our web site for more information and online registration. Best of all there is no cost for the class. We offer an opportunity for students to take the SBE certification exam on Friday (not required to attend the class). The SBE does have a charge for the exam.



The schedule for the fall classes is Radio September 22 – 26 and Television November 3 

Transmitter Site Walk Around

As we continue to review items that need to be observed during the transmitter site visits, we can’t overlook an obvious …the transmitter building itself.

As I travel around during ABIP inspections we encounter some buildings that are well kept, while others are about to fall down. As engineers we should take pride in having a clean and properly maintained transmitter building.



Some of the items to observe are:

 a)  Clean inside and outside of building (trash cans, vegetation around building)

 b)  Check all the lights inside and out

 c)  Check back up lighting (flashlights, emergency lights, exit signs)

 d)  Fire extinguisher/first aid kit

 e)  Check for insects and rodents (seal all entrances, traps)

 f)   Check for roof or plumbing leaks

 g)  Observe the general condition of transmitter and other buildings

 h)  Check all Locks on gates and doors

 i)   Test any building alarms (doors, temperature, line pressure, cameras)

j)      Check supply of bottled water and non-perishable snacks

Above all, make sure the site is SAFE! Covers are in place on all power panels, floor is free of cables or items that can create tripping issues. Observe proper head clearance, low hanging cables, transmission lines, lights can give a nasty bump if you run into these items.

From Washington

April 10 is the deadline for all full power and Class A television stations and commercial and noncommercial full power AM and FM radio stations to upload their Quarterly Issues/Program lists for the first quarter of 2025 to their OPIFs.



The Commission proposing a review of its rules implementing the Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation Act of 2010 (CALM Act). The FCC seeks comment on whether loud commercials remain problematic and, if so, how its CALM Act rules should be modified. The FCC also asks whether loud commercials are an issue on streaming platforms and whether the FCC has authority to regulate these platforms.

Back to Basics – Diodes

If you have been in engineering for any length of time, you have heard of diodes. 

The most common is the PN junction (or rectifier) used to allow current to flow in just one direction. But there are a lot of other types of diodes.

Schottky diode: Like a regular diode, the Schottky diode allows current to flow in the forward direction when enough forward voltage is applied. It has a very low forward voltage which enables it to switch on and off much faster than traditional PN junction diodes.

Zener Diode: The Zener diode is basically the same as the standard PN junction diode. However, it is specially designed to work in reverse bias with a low and specified reverse breakdown voltage.

This means a Zener diode can act as a voltage regulator because it keeps the breakdown voltage at a nearly constant value across its terminals.

Light Emitting Diode: LEDs (Light Emitting Diodes) are semiconductor light sources that combine a P-type semiconductor (larger hole concentration) with an N-type semiconductor (larger electron concentration). Applying a sufficient forward voltage will cause the electrons and holes to recombine at the P-N junction, releasing energy in the form of light.

Tunnel Diode: A tunnel diode is a very heavily doped p-n junction diode. In a Tunnel diode electric current decreases as the applied voltage increases, and at high voltage, it works as an ordinary p-n junction diode. In the Tunnel Diode, electric current is due to the "Tunneling effect". Due to its fast-switching ability, it is used in high-frequency oscillators and amplifiers.

Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR): By definition an SCR is not a diode, however it does use PN junctions like diodes. It is a three-terminal, four-layer and three-junction semiconductor device used for switching in electronic circuits.

These are just a sample of different types of diodes. Diodes of one kind or another are used in all types of equipment. 

Pro Audio – Gain vs Volume

The difference between these two terms might seem simple, though people often confuse them. To make it simple for you, gain is the level of your audio going into a system while the volume is the level going out of your system.

Understanding the difference is crucial, and can knowing that difference can help you improve your audio mix. Gain gives us the ability to alter the sound of a voice or instrument by driving the circuit in which it is entering, while the volume control allows us to adjust the overall loudness of your audio without changing the tone.

 Volume, sometimes referred to as “amplitude,” is a sound system’s dB output. Essentially, it is the level of the music coming out of your speakers. After a signal has been processed and makes its way out of a sound system, the volume is how loud it is.



Gain is used for a variety of things in the world of audio, but one of the most important things that gain control is used for is getting the right level going into a system. That’s the difference between it and volume.

Courtesy of Bill Di Paolo Worship Facility

Your so right Carl!!