TWiRT 353 - The Beauty and Value of a Bird's Eye View 

Small Unmanned Aerial Systems or “drones” are quickly getting popular with broadcast engineers and consultants.  A bird’s eye view can help us better visualize our antenna systems, plus there’s real value in catching visible problems before sending a tower crew to troubleshoot.

Chris and Kirk show video examples of aerial tower shots, plus Chris describes bringing Internet access to a Boy Scout camp in New York State.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 352 - Streaming Challenges & Solutions with Matt Kellogg

Streaming audio is bringing a whole new lexicon - geo-targeting, geo-fencing, interstitials, pre-rolls, adaptive bit-rates, video, and virtualization. Matt Kellogg - a guy with a solid radio background - joins us from StreamGuys to sort it all out.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, Streaming Audio, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 351 - Virtualizing Automation with Dub Irvin

Virtual Machines and Virtualization in general are becoming popular techniques in the IT world.  Now, broadcasters are adopting virtualization for their automation systems.  How does this work, and what are the pros and cons? Dub Irvin from WideOrbit joins us to explain.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 349 - Translators and Main Studios with Larry Fuss

The FCC is proposing to eliminate the Main Studio Rule. Sounds good to many, but what are the consequences? And FM translators are in the news again, with a window opening this summer for AM stations to apply. Larry Fuss is with us to explain what this means. And - as is often the case - you won’t believe where Chris Tobin is!

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 348 - VO Mics & Studios with Joe Cipriano

How does a top-shelf voice-over artist work on the road?  He makes a “MacGyver studio”! Joe Cipriano joins us to talk mics, pre-amps, processing, and how voice-over work gets done today.

Chris Tobin is here, too, from a hot transmitter room!

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 347 - Jeff Welton - IT Security and 400 Kilowatts

Canadians may be polite, but most don’t want you hacking their Internet-connected stuff.  Jeff Welton from Nautel offers advice for IT security at the transmitter site, plus describes hand-on a 400 kW AM transmitter, and what tools to keep handy nowadays for solid-state transmitter maintenance.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 346 - Live at NAB 2017

It was the last day of NAB 2017, but before it was over, Kirk Harnack and Chris Tobin brought us some of the best radio broadcast tech at the show. Simon Jackson with flow batteries at transmitter sites in Fiji, Telos Alliance CEO Frank Foti, Mark Persons, Fritz Golman, and more!

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 345 - NAB 2017 Show Setup

Behind the scenes, we’re on location at the Las Vegas Convention Center during setup for the NAB Show.  Chris Tobin takes us on a tour of booths being set up, while Joe Talbot and Juan Punyed talk about why we get together every year in the desert.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 344 - Swedish Thai Radio with Kennet Andhersån

Kennet Andhersån grew up in Sweden, and worked in Swedish radio stations. Now he’s building and consulting stations in Thailand, plus developing software for broadcasters. Get a new perspective on radio engineering as Kennet joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for This Week in Radio Tech.

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality

TWiRT 343 - Where's that Satellite with John Bisset

John Bisset is here! He’s the guy who writes the “Workbench” column in Radio World. Always quick with great ideas for radio engineers, John joins us to talk about moving your satellite dish, preparing for the worst when that doesn’t work, and more tips from the master of the workbench!

Topics: Broadcast Engineering, audio, audio quality