LO2 - Investigate technologies for multi-platform radio broadcasting.
There is a lot of important equipment that is key to a radio broadcast, with each component being essential in the broadcast of data in the form of radio waves or digital code transitions. Branching from this, the first piece of equipment I will be looking into is a transmitter, which is a key component to any radio broadcast regardless of the type of radio, this is because it will take the signal and encode it for distribution. When distributed it transmits the signals as waves which are to be picked up and translated by a receiver. There are different types of transmitters, typically large FM transmitters are utilised by full power radio stations, and there are medium or even low power FM transmitters that are utilised by LPFM radio stations.
Then there is the receiver which was briefly mentioned in the previous paragraph, as stated a receiver is what picks up the encoded signals distributed from a transmitter, it's job being to be able to translate the encoded transmissions into sound which can be played. Essentially, this is the piece of equipment allows for your radio or digital device to pick up the signals for playback.
There is also a piece of equipment used with both the transmitter and receiver, this being the antenna. An antenna is used to both transmit and receive signals. However, different antennae are used for different applications so it is advised that you refer to Progressive Concepts to help determine the most suitable for your particular application.
There's also the discussion on the equipment used to transmit the signals between the hardware through physical connections. These are known as transmission lines, these are used to locally transport signals between components, usually this is in the form of coaxial cables as it is quicker to transfer data through a physical connection than wireless ones. An example in which these lines are used is connecting a studio to a transmitter, known as an STL transmitter (Studio to Transmitter Link).
Next I will be looking into audio processors, these are used to improve and optimise the sound quality. Progressive Concepts provides a variety of audio processors with most being stand alone processors which are found connected to the FM transmitter. This component can be replaced by software when using computer-based radio broadcasts.
There is also a mixer which allows the operator to combine and mix audio signals and tracks to allow you to control the various aspects such as sound, the level and equalisation.
Speakers will also be required to allow you to hear the contents of your broadcast. However you will need specialised speakers designed for a studio setup to give the best representation of the signal. However, a headset would also be a good substitute as they have noise cancelation and you will not need to worry about any sound being picked up by the microphone to generate an echo effect.
Cables are also needed in order to link all of the components within the studio to each other to be able to be used synoptically, it is usually in the form of AUX cables which are specific for sound and allows for the signal to easily flow between pieces of equipment.
There also must be consideration about audio playback there are various options available and these allow for existing audio, typically songs to be played on a broadcast. Usually they are seen as CD players, tape machines or vinyl record players. However, most modern radio stations typically use a computer in conjunction witht he previously stated devices.
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