Broadcasting has encountered more technology change over the past thirty years than many of us care to think about. Analog has changed to digital delivery, SD has changed to HD and 4K, and sound is transitioning to deliver higher levels of immersive experience through object and surround sound. But the one consistent technology that has stood the test of time is RF.

RF differs from most other broadcast technology as it’s fundamentally analog. As the laws of physics haven’t changed in the past hundred years, then the underlying rules that govern all RF systems haven’t changed either. But what has changed is how we use RF in the context of modern broadcasting along with our understanding of how waves propagate through the universe.

Broadcasting has always driven technology to its limits, and this is certainly the case with RF. Morse devised the first channel coding system ninety years before Shannon formalized his achievements through information theory. And this in turn led to the development of the highly efficient coding systems that we use in modern broadcasting such as CODFM and 5G-NS.

Our RF understanding is sure to improve for as long as users continue to use mobile devices.

The free PDF download contains all 12 articles in this series - and all the articles are available as individual web pages:

Article 1 : The History Of Broadcast RF Technology
We start at the beginning... Wireless delivery of news, messages and data is older than wire itself!

Article 2 : RF Modulation
Defining the different types of RF modulation, power levels, regulatory standards and licensing for CW, AM, FM, and TV RF transmission.

Article 3 : Government Spectrum Regulation
The regulatory bodies such as the FCC, ITU and national governments, and how RF standards and regulations are set and enforced.

Article 4 : RF Spectrum Bands
What they are used for and why, and RF propagation as it relates to frequency.

Article 5 : Transmitter & Receiver Fundamentals
Mastering and managing the electromagnetic spectrum while complying with government technical regulations and industry standards.

Article 6 : The Principles Of RF Radiation
Choices of broadcast TV towers, antennas, feedline and filters, how to determine your needs.

Article 7 : Transmitter Plant Planning
Broadcast transmitter facility planning, design and construction. What an engineering consultant can help with.

Article 8 : Tuning & Monitoring Transmitters
How to tune for legal &standards compliance and performance, during installation and daily operations.

Article 9 : Monitoring RF Systems
Studio Transmitter Links, remote monitoring, QoS probes, and other OTA signal monitoring solutions. Verifying signal coverage stability.

Article 10 : Codecs & Encoding
Codecs & encoding for digital RF modulation such as ATSC 3.0, DVB & other OTA standards. Encoding and delivering streaming internet video.

Article 11 : Other Radios In TV Stations
More than cellphones, Wi-Fi and BAS microwave relays. Managing facility spectrum and Wi-Fi starts with using static IP addresses.

Article 12 : The Future Of OTA TV In The USA
The state of ATSC 3.0, NextGen TV receiver population growth, and other uses for high power and tall towers such as the broadcast internet.