Out of all the equipment needed for radio broadcasting, there is no piece more important than the FM radio broadcast transmitter or FM Transmitter. Sure, the microphone picks up your voice, the audio processor makes it sound better, and the mixer allows you to control various aspects of the sound, but the most important piece of equipment is the radio transmitter because it is responsible for taking the sound from your studio and broadcasting it through an antenna to receivers throughout your listening area.
An FM radio transmitter consists of several pieces that work together to transmit information (in the case of radio broadcasting, sound is that information). A typical FM radio broadcast transmitter that is used in FM broadcasting contains the following components:
The power supply provides an electrical signal to operate the transmitter.
The oscillator creates the alternating current, a carrier wave, that the transmitter sends through the antenna.
The modulator adds information to the carrier wave. In the case of FM (frequency modulation), the modulator either slightly increases or decreases the frequency of the carrier wave.
The amplifier increases the power of the wave. More powerful amplifiers allow for a larger broadcast area.
Finally, the antenna converts the amplified signal to radio waves.
While the components of an FM radio transmitter may seem confusing to some, they are actually quite simple. Radio transmitters are used in a variety of applications, from radio and TV to electronic devices, such as wireless internet routers, and they are often built in schools as a project for science or electronics classes. These types of transmitters, however, are far less powerful than those that power your favorite FM radio stations.
If you’re putting together your own radio station, or you just enjoy tinkering around with radio broadcasting transmitters, contact the experts at Progressive Concepts who can help you gather everything you need to navigate the airwaves.