Radio Transmitters
Modern day radio transmitters (and some TV transmitters as well) use high power RF transistor power modules instead of tubes. Hot swapping power modules is not a new technology, as many of the radio transmitters manufactured in the 1930s were capable of having power tubes swapped out while the transmitter was running—but this feature was not universally adopted due to the introduction of more reliable high power tubes.
In the mid-1990s, several radio transmitter manufactures in the US started offering swappable high power RF transistor modules.
- There was no industry standard for the design of the swappable power modules at the time.
- Early module designs had only limited patent protection.
- By the early 2000s, many transmitter models were available that used many different kinds of power modules.
The reintroduction of power modules has been good for the radio transmitter industry, as it has fostered innovation. Modular transmitters have proven to be more reliable than tube transmitters, when the transmitter is properly chosen for the conditions at the transmitting site.
Power limitations
- lowest power modular transmitter: generally 1.0 kW, using 600 W modules.
- highest power modular transmitter: 1.0 MW (for LW, MW).
- highest power modular transmitter: 45 kW (FM, TV).
Companies that produce transmitters using power modules
- Harris Broadcast (US)
- Telefunken (Germany)
- Thales (Western Europe)
- RIZ (Croatia)
Read more about this topic: Hot Swapping
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