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AN AUDIO TEST CAN SIMPLY BE AN ON THE AIR RADIO CHECK WITH A FRIEND.  DATA
INTERFACES CAN BE VERIFIED TO FUNCTION PROPERLY BY MAKING A CONTACT OR BY
EXERCISING A CONTROL OR MONITORING FUNCTION.  TABLE 2 LISTS TYPICAL
EQUIPMENT AND SOME OF THE TESTS YOU CAN PERFORM FOR IT.  START SIMPLE AND
MODIFY THE LIST AND TESTS AS NEEDED.  DONT FORGET THAT YOUR TEST EQUIPMENT
NEEDS TO BE CHECKED, AS WELL.  IF YOU HAVE A DIRECTIONAL RF POWER METER OR
ANTENNA ANALYZER, CHECK IT AGAINST A FRI

PROBABLY MORE REASONABLE TO ASSUME THE OPPOSITE.  RADIO MAGAZINE HAS
SCANNED AND PUBLISHED ONLINE TWO 1970S ERA PROOF OF PERFORMANCE MANUALS ONE
FOR AM STATIONS AND ONE FOR FM STATIONS.  THESE MANUALS WERE TYPICAL OF THE
DOCUMENTATION THAT GUIDED THOUSANDS OF CHIEFS CHIEF ENGINEERS AS THEY
CONDUCTED THE NECESSARY TESTING, QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST IMPORTANT
ENGINEERING ASSIGNMENT THAT MOST RADIO STATION CHIEF ENGINEERS HAVE FIRST
OF ALL, IT DEMONSTRATES TO THE FCC THAT THE STATION IS AT LEAST ABLE TO
MEET MINIMUM TECHNICAL STANDARDS OR FAR EXCEED THEM.  A SATISFACTORY PROOF
ALSO ASSURES THE BROADCASTER THAT THE FACILITY IS DOING WHAT IT IS SUPPOSED
TO DO, AT LEAST TECHNICALLY.  THE MANUALS GO ON TO SHOW THE REQUIRED TEST
EQUIPMENT AND ITS CONFIGURATION, WHAT TESTS ARE NEEDED AND HOW TO PERFORM
THEM, AND PROVIDES FORMS FOR THE NECESSARY DATA.  THE GOAL OF A BROADCAST
FACILITY PROOF IS TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ENTIRE PROGRAMMING CHAIN, FROM THE
MICROPHONES AND AUDIO INPUTS TO THE TRANSMITTED SIGNAL, WERE IN GOOD ORDER.
SUCH TESTING CHECKS NOISE, DISTORTION, AND FREQUENCY RESPONSE OF ALL AUDIO
HANDLING EQUIPMENT.  TV STATIONS HAVE SIMILAR REQUIREMENTS FOR VIDEO

HANDS ON RADIO H. WARD SILVER, N0AX, N0AX ARRL. ORG  EXPERIMENT 148 PROOF
OF PERFORMANCE YOU WANT TRUTH?  YOU CANT HANDLE THE TRUTH.  GOES THE
COURTROOM OUTBURST FROM JACK NICHOLSON IN A FEW GOOD MEN.  THE SAME CAN
OCCASIONALLY BE SAID FOR FINDING OUT ABOUT HOW OUR STATION REALLY PERFORMS.
UNTIL WE GET AN UNEXPECTED SURPRISE ON THE AIR OR IN OUR MAILBOXES IN THE
FORM OF AN OFFICIAL OBSERVER REPORT, MANY OF US MIGHT NOT REALLY KNOW IF
OUR STATIONS ARE DOING WHAT WE THINK THEY ARE DOING.  HOW TO FIND OUT?  THE
BROADCASTERS PROOF OF PERFORMANCE CAN BE A POWERFUL FRIEND TO THE AMATEUR
STATION OWNER, AND ITS NOT AS DIFFICULT TO UNDERTAKE AS YOU MAY THINK,
EITHER.  WHAT IS A PROOF OF PERFORMANCE?  EVERY BROADCAST AND COMMERCIAL
STATION IS REQUIRED TO REGULARLY CERTIFY THAT IT MEETS THE TECHNICAL
STANDARDS REQUIRED BY THE RULES FOR THE SERVICE UNDER WHICH ITS LICENSE IS
GRANTED.  PERFORMING THAT ONGOING CERTIFICATION CALLED A PROOF OF
PERFORMANCE IS PART OF WHAT ALLOWS THESE POWERFUL STATIONS TO TRANSMIT
WITHOUT CONSTANT ENGINEERING SUPERVISION.  AS WE ALL KNOW, THINGS BREAK,
WEAR OUT, COME LOOSE, GET WATER IN THEM OR LET THE WATER OUT, CORRODE, ARE
DAMAGED THE WAYS IN WHICH RADIOS AND ANTENNAS CAN BECOME DEFECTIVE ARE
SEEMINGLY WITHOUT NUMBER.  WITHOUT AN OCCASIONAL INSPECTION, IT WOULD BE
ILLOGICAL TO ASSUME EVERYTHING IS FUNCTIONING JUST FINE.  IN FACT, ITS
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