Unlock document.
This document is partially blurred.
Unlock all pages and 1 million more documents.
Get Access
Chapter 10: Radio
Engineering
The Radio Station
Chapter 10: Highlights
•AM stations are assigned frequencies between 535 and 1705 kHz, with 10 kHz
separations between frequencies. AM is disrupted by low-frequency emissions,
can be blocked by irregular topography, and can travel hundreds (along surface
level ground waves) or thousands (along nighttime sky waves) of miles.
•To guarantee efficient use of the broadcast spectrum and to minimize
station-to-station interferences, the FCC established three classifications
for AM stations and eight classifications for FM. Lower classification
stations are obligated to avoid interference with higher classification
stations. Recent FCC actions have created more subclassifications.
•Educational opportunities for prospective broadcast engineers include
programs of instruction offered by colleges and universities, trade and
technical schools, and the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE).
•A station’s chief engineer (chief operator) needs experience with basic
broadcast electronics and information technology, as well as a knowledge
•The Emergency Alert System (EAS; formerly the Emergency Broadcast System [EBS]),
implemented after World War II, provides the president of the United States with a means of
communicating with the public in an emergency. Over time, the role of the service has been
expanded to include information about severe weather and, more recently, AMBER alerts.
Stations must follow rigid instructions both during periodic tests of the system and during an
actual emergency.
