Automatic transmission system

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Not to be confused with automatic transmission.

An automatic transmission system (ATS) is an

automobile
.

History

Traditionally, radio and television stations were required to have a licensed

distorted or off-frequency transmission) that could interfere with other broadcast services would require immediate manual intervention to correct the fault or take the transmitter off the air. Facilities also had to be monitored for any fault conditions which could impair the transmitted signal or cause damage to the transmitting equipment.[1]

Because broadcast transmitters were often at a different location from the broadcast studios, attended operation required an operator to be physically located at the transmitter site. In the 1950s and 1960s, remote control systems were introduced to allow an operator at the studio to power the transmitter on or off.[1] At the same time, an early remote control system, the Automon, was developed by RCA engineers in Montréal that included a relay system that automatically detected if the transmitter was operating outside of its allowed parameters. The Automon could send the studio an alarm if the transmitter was out of tolerance and, if contact to the studio was lost, it could automatically power down the transmitter.[2] A similar system was developed in 1953 by Paul Schafer in California, using a rotary telephone to raise or lower transmitter parameters remotely.[3]

As

U.S. Federal Communications Commission loosened operation rules to allow stations in the United States with ATSes to automatically monitor transmitter operation and allow the ATS to automatically adjust modulation or shutdown the transmitter if operation was out of tolerance,[1][5] although the specific rules have continued to evolve with changes to the Emergency Alert System and the introduction of digital radio.[6]

Theory of operation

An ATS monitors conditions such as

current, and temperature within the transmitter cabinet or enclosure, and often has external sensors as well, particularly on the antenna. Some systems have remote monitoring points which report back to the main unit through telemetry links.[7]

Advanced systems can monitor and often correct other problems which are considered

batteries, and incoming electricity can also be monitored.[7]

If anything goes wrong which the ATS cannot handle, it can send out calls for help, via

transmitter plant".[7]

An ATS can also be used to automate scheduled tasks, such as lowering an

AM radio station's transmission power at sundown and raising it at sunrise to meeting license requirements for different propagation patterns at day and night.[1]

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 41334048
    .
  2. ^ Potts, Lyman; Norton, Robert (2003). "Unattended Transmitter Operation — The Automon". History of Canadian Broadcasting. Canadian Communications Foundation. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  3. ^ Stine, Randy J. (June 1, 2016) [2002-04-10]. "From the Archives: NAB Honors 'Father of Automation'". Radio World.
  4. ^ "The Unattended Operation of U.H.F. Broadcasting Transmitters". BBC Engineering. No. 85. January 1971. pp. 2–3 – via Internet Archive.
  5. ^ "Unattended Operation of Radio and Television Stations". Federal Communications Commission. December 13, 2015. Retrieved October 30, 2022.
  6. ^ Stimson, Leslie (July 4, 2007). "FCC Looks at Changes to Rules Covering Unintended Operation" (PDF). Radio World. p. 3 – via World Radio History.
  7. ^
    OCLC 858995417
    .

See also
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