Monday Morning Coffee and Technical Notes

May 4, 2026 View as Webpage

ABA Engineering Academy

The Alabama Broadcasters Association established the ABA Engineering Academy thirteen years ago. Since its inception, students from various regions across the United States have participated in the program.

These courses are intended for individuals at all levels of experience, including newcomers and experienced engineers, as well as those seeking to deepen their understanding of the technical aspects of broadcasting.

The classes cover an overview of basic electronics, analog and digital audio, history of radio and television technology, creating audio and video streams, RF systems for radio and television along with basic studio operation and FCC rules and regulations.

We’re currently updating our study guides and program to include more relevant material for broadcast engineers, as well as new information about emerging technologies like IP for broadcasting, digital audio and video, SMPTE 2110, and ATSC 3.0.

The next radio class will be held the week of September 28^th – October 2^nd.  Our television class is scheduled October 26^th – 30^th.

We also offer students the opportunity to take the SBE Certification exam on Friday if desired.



This 5-day class in held at the ABA Training Center in Hoover, AL (Birmingham). Discount rates for students are available at area hotels. More information about daily subjects covered and online registration is available here.

Transmitter Site Inspections

With summer on its way, along with it also comes vegetation growth. Start early to keep it in check, because if you don’t the growth will get ahead of you and be harder to handle.

Key areas include, around tower bases and guy anchors, inside fences around AM tower fences and don’t forget the transmitter building itself. Excessive growth can create maintenance issues plus it can be a hiding place for various critters (some dangerous).

It’s also a good idea to spray regularly with a strong weed killer to help with site management. While conducting the quarterly site walk around observe any growth along all the tower paths.

Broadcast Facility Safety

As a Chief Engineer, your responsibilities include overseeing the technical performance of the station as well as ensuring that both the studio and transmitter site maintain a safe environment for all employees.

At the studio, ensure that all facilities are free of potential safety hazards for employees. Remove any cables that are laid across the floor or hanging low, confirm that all equipment is securely mounted in racks or cabinets rather than placed on the floor, and verify that walkways remain unobstructed. Additionally, provide adequate lighting throughout all areas, with particular attention to exit routes.

While the transmitter site experiences less traffic than the studio, the concerns outlined above remain relevant. Additional considerations at the transmitter site include ensuring that all power panels are securely enclosed, power disconnect switches are accurately labeled, emergency lighting functions properly, and fire extinguishers are accessible. Most importantly, when conducting repairs or maintenance on high voltage equipment, it is essential to have another individual present for safety purposes.



Use warning and safety signage at all locations. Safety First is key!

Increase Your Word Power – 4K Upscaling

If you were to play a 1080p video on a compatible 4K display, then upscaling would seek to improve the resolution of the video to be closer to 4K.

The processor will attempt to fill in with additional pixels to match 4K. Fiction writer, and playwright Etgar Keret once said “Creating something out of nothing means making something up”. Unfortunately, as excellent as upscaling is, it is important to keep in mind that upscaled content is not true 4K.

Gavin McCarron Technical Marketing with Sony says "When you're upscaling from Full HD to 4K there is a lot of guesswork, and what we're trying to do is to remove as much of the guesswork as possible.

Picture processors, upscales at a pixel level. It doesn't just look at the pixel in isolation, it looks at the pixels around it, and on each diagonal, and also it will look up the pixels across multiple frames, to give a consistency in the picture quality".

Back to the Basics – Tower Lighting

   

 Section 17.48(a) of the FCC’s Rules requires that lighting outages be reported to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) so that the FAA can issue a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) warning of the danger. 

If the lighting outage cannot be repaired during the period the NOTAM is in effect, the tower owner must again notify the FAA and provide a return-to-service date so that a further NOTAM can be issued. This process must be repeated until the tower lighting is repaired.  

Pro Audio –Becoming Successful

Some years ago I attended a church sound seminar where the presenter said “ there are three traits a sound engineer should develop to become successful”.

1. Technical ability ( knowing your equipment and tools)

2. Technical Skills ( knowing how to install, maintain and operate the equipment)

3. People Skills ( knowing how to communicate with others intelligently)

I feel these traits apply equally well to broadcast engineers.

Understanding why each piece of equipment is in you broadcast plant, what it does and how to adjust it correctly so that it has a positive effect on the listeners or viewers experiences.

I would add that if you find a piece of equipment that doesn’t increase the quality of the program material or improves the efficiency of station operation, then remove it. To borrow another slogan from the Pro Audio side “Less is More”

When communicating with non-technical staff don’t confuse them with technical acronyms, just try to explain things on their level. This is especially important when discussing a needed purchase with management.



We might even one more trait, develop self confidence in your abilities. As you build the first three the fourth comes automatically. 

Earl we are less than one hour to air...speed it up!