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Broadcast Technician Overview

Are you a lot into amps, watts and voltages of stereo systems? Can you make out the subtle differences between a short wave transmission and a medium wave transmission? If your answer is in the affirmative then a career as a broadcast technician is the right career for you.

A broadcast cast technician  and sound technician install, test, repair, set up and operate the electronic equipment used to record and transmit radio and television programmes, cable programmes, and motion pictures. They work with television cameras, microphones, tape recorders, lighting, sound effects, transmitters, antennas, and other equipment.

Some broadcast technicians and sound technicians even produce movie sound tracks in motion picture production studios, control the sound of live events, such as concerts, or record music in a recording studio.

In the control room of a radio or television broadcasting studio, sound technicians operate equipment that regulates the signal strength, clarity, and range of sounds and colors of recordings or broadcasts. As broadcast technicians, they also operate control panels to select the source of the material.

Technicians may switch from one camera or studio to another, from films to live programming, or from network to local programming. By means of hand signals and, in television, telephone headsets, they give technical directions to other studio personnel.

Broadcast technicians and sound technicians in small stations perform a variety of duties. In large stations and networks, broadcast technicians are more specialized, although job assignments may change from day to day. The terms 'operator,' 'engineer,' and 'technician' often are used interchangeably to describe these jobs. 

Transmitter operators monitor and log outgoing signals and operate transmitters. Maintenance technicians set up, adjust, service, and repair electronic broadcasting equipment.

Audio control engineers regulate volume and sound quality of television broadcasts, while Video control engineers regulate their fidelity, brightness, and contrast.

Recording engineers operate and maintain video and sound recording equipment. They may operate equipment designed to produce special effects, such as the illusions of a bolt of lightning or a police siren.

Sound mixers or rerecording mixers produce the sound track of a movie, television, or radio programme. After filming or recording, they may use a process called dubbing to insert sounds.

Field technicians set up and operate broadcasting portable field transmission equipment outside the studio. Television news coverage requires so much electronic equipment, and the technology is changing so rapidly, that many stations assign technicians exclusively to news.

Chief engineers, transmission engineers, and broadcast field supervisors supervise the technicians who operate and maintain broadcasting equipment. Broadcast and sound technicians generally work indoors in pleasant surroundings. However, those who broadcast news and other programmes from locations outside the studio may work outdoors in all types of weather.

Technicians doing maintenance may climb poles or antenna towers, while those setting up equipment do heavy lifting. Technicians in large stations and the networks usually work long hours under great pressure to meet broadcast deadlines, and occasionally work overtime. Broadcast technicians who work on motion pictures may be on a tight schedule to finish according to contract agreements.

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