Professional Radio Station Equipment

It's always a challenge to create a radio broadcast, but it's flat out impossible if you don't have the proper radio broadcasting equipment. When you use high-quality equipment, you have the tools you need to produce a professional radio broadcast. Here's a look at some of the essential gear a radio station needs to create a high-quality on-air broadcast.

Studio Equipment

The production center of a radio station is its studio, where you'll find most of a radio station's broadcasting equipment, including microphones, audio consoles and audio processors.

Microphones

Most radio stations prefer high-quality dynamic microphones (as opposed to condenser microphones, which, because of their greater sensitivity, are more likely to pick up unwanted ambient room and handling noises). Dynamic microphones are generally more rugged and durable than condenser microphones as well. A high-quality dynamic microphone will add a pleasing condenser-like brightness to both male and female voices while requiring much less maintenance than a condenser microphone.

Audio Consoles

A radio broadcast console is essentially a sophisticated (yet easy for the talent to use) audio interface, with multiple channels for inputting and mixing audio signals from microphones, CD players, computers, telephones and more, and then usually outputting them to an audio processor for further sonic tweaking.

Audio Processors

An audio processor will offer equalization (EQ) to balance high, low and midrange frequencies, compression to make the overall volume of the signal louder, limiting to keep volume spikes and distortion at bay, as well as other effects to optimize the original audio signal.

Transmission Gear

To get your radio broadcast to the outside world, you'll need a broadcast transmitter.

Transmitters

A transmitter sends the broadcast's processed audio signal via carrier wave to the station's antenna, which sends it over the air as radio waves in a specific frequency band to listeners' radios within the transmitters geographical range.

Antenna Array

Although it is possible to transmit FM transmissions with a single antenna, it's preferable to employ an array of multiple antennas to increase power without requiring a larger transmitter.

Broadcast Gear You Can Trust

For smooth radio broadcast transmission, all this equipment is necessary (other essential equipment not covered in this post include headphones, headsets, microphone stands/arms, studio furniture, equipment racks, codecs, modulation monitors and more).

Do you need radio broadcasting equipment? Give us a call today to purchase high-quality radio broadcast gear you can trust.

TRANSMITTERS | AUDIO PROCESSING | CODECS | MICROPHONES | HEADPHONES | RF EQUIPMENT | CONSOLES | ANTENNAS