TWiRT 815 - LDMOS Technology in FM Transmitters with Paul Barzizza

How can a modern FM transmitter produce 10,000 watts of RF power from such a surprisingly compact package? On episode 815 of This Week in Radio Tech, GatesAir’s Paul Barzizza joins Kirk Harnack for a close look inside the company’s new GX Series of FM transmitters.

Paul draws on his extensive radio and television engineering background to explain the GX amplifier layout and the powerful LDMOS field-effect transistors at the heart of the design. Because these devices spread heat across a larger area, they can handle substantially more power than earlier generations of transistors—giving transmitter designers a way to produce impressive RF output from a comparatively small cabinet.

This isn’t merely a discussion of specifications and theory. Paul and Kirk recently installed a GatesAir GX10K—a combined FM exciter and 10,000-watt RF amplifier—at WIQQ-FM in Leland, Mississippi. They share photos from the project, examine how the transmitter is assembled, and talk through the technology that makes it work.

Guest:
Paul Barzizza - Southeast Regional Sales Manager at GatesAir

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
Subscribe to Audio:
iTunes
RSS
Stitcher
TuneIn

Subscribe to Video:
iTunes
RSS
YouTube

TWiRT 815 - LDMOS Technology in FM Transmitters with Paul Barzizza

TWiRT 814 - Amanda Hopp - Chief Engineer

Broadcast engineering is a family affair for Amanda Hopp and her father, Cris Alexander. Amanda is Chief Engineer for Crawford Broadcasting’s Denver stations, while Cris serves as Director of Engineering for the entire company. 

On this episode of TWiRT, they share Amanda’s path into engineering—and what her experience might teach others considering a career in the field. We also explore cybersecurity, IT and networking, the challenges of maintaining multiple transmitter sites, and Amanda’s inventive use of Raspberry Pis and other small computers for monitoring, control and automation. Along the way, we hear how Amanda draws on programming expertise from elsewhere within Crawford to create practical engineering solutions. 

Join us for an engaging conversation with two highly accomplished engineers who just happen to be father and daughter.

Show Notes:
Women in Engineering: Amanda Hopp of Crawford Broadcasting - Radio World

Guests:
Amanda Hopp - Chief Engineer at Crawford Broadcasting, Denver
Cris Alexander - Director of Engineering at Crawford Broadcasting

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
Subscribe to Audio:
iTunes
RSS
Stitcher
TuneIn

Subscribe to Video:
iTunes
RSS
YouTube

TWiRT 814 - Amanda Hopp - Chief Engineer

TWiRT 813 - What is a Broadcast Engineer in 2026?

Today’s broadcast facilities depend on far more than transmitters, RF systems and studio audio. Engineers are now responsible for Ethernet networks, Windows and Linux computers, cybersecurity, virtualization, streaming, metadata, AoIP, remote access, cloud services—and countless devices that are essentially computers wearing broadcast-equipment clothing.

In this episode Kirk Harnack explores how the broadcast engineer’s job has evolved with an outstanding panel: Kevin Trueblood of WGCU Media, Geary Morrill, Northern Region Director of Engineering for Connoisseur Media, and Jeff McGinley, Vice President of Engineering at SummitMedia.

How much must one person know about RF, audio and IT? Where should a market engineer’s responsibility end? When hiring, is technical knowledge more important than natural troubleshooting ability? And can a skilled IT professional be developed into a great broadcast engineer?

Our guests bring similar—but distinctly different—perspectives to these increasingly important questions. Check out this episode of This Week in Radio Tech and join us as we ask: What is a broadcast engineer in 2026?

Guests:
Kevin Trueblood - Associate GM, Technology & Operations at WGCU Public Media
Geary S. Morrill - Regional Director of Engineering at Connoisseur Media
Jeff McGinley - VP of Engineering at SummitMedia

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
Subscribe to Audio:
iTunes
RSS
Stitcher
TuneIn

Subscribe to Video:
iTunes
RSS
YouTube

TWiRT 813 - What is a Broadcast Engineer in 2026?

TWiRT 812 - Texas Association of Broadcasters - 2026

This Week in Radio Tech – Episode 812 takes us to Round Rock, Texas, for the 2026 Texas Association of Broadcasters convention! With two full days of engineering sessions, new technology, and plenty of conversations on the expo floor, TAB once again brought together some of our favorite broadcast engineers and industry friends.

We caught up with Michael Patton, Dustin Tatro, David Smedley, Chase Daniels, Fred Morton, and Dave Kerstin for their perspectives on radio engineering, technology, and the industry we all enjoy being part of. It’s a great collection of conversations with the people who keep broadcasting working—and moving forward.

Join us for TWiRT 812, recorded at the Texas Association of Broadcasters convention in Round Rock!

Guests:
Michael Patton - Owner at Michael Patton & Associates
Dustin Tatro, CBRE - GM & Chief Engineer at Radio Abilene
David Smedley - Senior Customer Support Specialist at Aiir
Chase Daniels - Senior Support Specialist at Aiir
Fred Morton - Owner at KMGZ-FM, Lawton, OK
Dave Kerstin - Owner & President at Broadcasters General Store

Host:
Kirk Harnack, MaxxKonnect, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, OMG, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
Subscribe to Audio:
iTunes
RSS
Stitcher
TuneIn

Subscribe to Video:
iTunes
RSS
YouTube

TWiRT 812 - Texas Association of Broadcasters - 2026

TWiRT 811 - Advances in Audio Processing with Matt Levin and Hans van Zutphen

On *This Week in Radio Tech* Marianne Seidler, Matt Levin, and Hans van Zutphen join us for “Advances in Audio Processing”—Episode 811. Marianne adds some class, history, and great advice to the conversation while Matt and Hans explore the latest developments in StereoTool, including an optional approach that combines multiband A‑G‑C, compression, and limiting into a single processing stage. Hans also explains the ingenious RuleBreaker Clipper, which can deliver more than one dB of additional perceived loudness without increasing modulation or sacrificing audio dynamics, by continually optimizing the L-minus-R component of the FM multiplex signal. We also examine the growing worldwide adoption of MicroMPX and coding improvements that now deliver higher-quality performance at lower bit rates. If you care about competitive, efficient, and great-sounding FM audio, don’t miss this episode.

Guests:
Marianne Seidler - Director of Business Development at Thimeo Audio Technology
Matt Levin - Senior Field Engineer at MaxxKonnect
Hans van Zutphen - CEO at Thimeo Audio Technology

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new StereoToolBox audio processor for AM, FM, HD, & Streaming
The new MaxxKonnect RMT416 Multi Tuner - 4 to 16 AM/FM/WB/HD web-connected tuners in 1 RU

 
Subscribe to Audio:
iTunes
RSS
Stitcher
TuneIn

Subscribe to Video:
iTunes
RSS
YouTube

TWiRT 811 - Advances in Audio Processing with Matt Levin and Hans van Zutphen