Bob Kovacs

There used to be just a couple of ways for a broadcaster to get a good quality signal from outside the studio: microwave and satellite.

Most of the best gear in the world is worthless without the means to connect to other devices, so paying attention to the seemingly mundane topic of cables and connectors is important.

High-power transmitters continue their evolution from IOT devices of 15-20 years ago to increasingly solid-state devices.

Helped along by the IP and cellular revolution, there are more ways than ever to get a broadcast-quality signal from Point A to Point B.

Broadcast test gear has traditionally been discrete devices, such as waveform monitors, vectorscopes, spectrum analyzers and field-strength meters.

Less than four years ago, a well-regarded expert on the subject of coaxial cable told me that creating affordable and practical 12G coax was not going to happen.

If there were any television transmitters on the NAB Show floor that used IOTs or other tubes, I did not see them.