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| NAB Engineering Handbook | |
|---|---|
| Title | NAB Engineering Handbook |
| Publisher | National Association of Broadcasters |
| Pub date | First published 1930s; multiple editions |
| Pages | Varies by edition |
| Isbn | Varies by edition |
NAB Engineering Handbook is a comprehensive reference manual originally produced by the National Association of Broadcasters to support technical professionals in the radio and television industries. The work has been periodically revised to reflect advances in Federal Communications Commission policy, Radio Corporation of America technology, and later developments from firms such as RCA, Westinghouse Electric Corporation, and IEEE. The handbook has served as a bridge between industry practice at organizations like CBS, NBC, and ABC (American Broadcasting Company) and regulatory standards set by agencies including the Federal Communications Commission and international bodies such as the International Telecommunication Union.
The handbook's origins trace to early 20th-century consolidation of technical knowledge after the Radio Act of 1927 and during the era of pioneers like David Sarnoff and engineers at AT&T. Early editions reflected the needs of broadcasters in the Great Depression and wartime engineering challenges encountered during World War II. Subsequent major revisions paralleled milestones such as the postwar expansion of Television in the United States, the introduction of color standards influenced by the National Television System Committee, and the digital transition overseen by the Federal Communications Commission in the 1990s and 2000s. Later editions incorporated input from corporate research labs at Bell Labs, General Electric, and academic institutions including Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.
The handbook traditionally provided practical guidance on station construction used by engineers at facilities operated by companies like Clear Channel Communications and Emmis Communications. It combined technical diagrams, standards summaries referenced by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, and regulatory compliance checklists reflecting requirements from the Federal Communications Commission. Coverage spanned transmitter and antenna design relevant to vendors such as Harris Corporation and Nautel, studio acoustics employed by production houses affiliated with Warner Bros., and infrastructure topics encountered by utilities like Commonwealth Edison when coordinating tower site services.
Technical chapters treated radio-frequency systems used in AM broadcasting, FM broadcasting, and early television broadcasting, referencing developments by engineers at RCA Victor and experiments documented at Bell Telephone Laboratories. Antenna theory sections connected to practice at manufacturers such as Shively Labs and the antenna patterns studied by NIST researchers. Transmission line guidance aligned with material from standards bodies including the American National Standards Institute and the International Electrotechnical Commission. Signal processing and modulation chapters discussed amplitude modulation pioneered in the era of Reginald Fessenden and frequency modulation following work by Edwin Armstrong. Studio engineering entries covered microphones and consoles used in studios at CBS Broadcast Center and production techniques mirrored in manuals from Universal Studios and BBC technical publications.
The handbook influenced operational norms at networks including NBC, CBS, and ABC (American Broadcasting Company), shaping engineering practices that fed into rulemaking at the Federal Communications Commission. Technical recommendations often paralleled standards adopted by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers and compatibility criteria referenced by the International Telecommunication Union for spectrum management. Its engineering guidance affected implementation choices for digital standards such as ATSC and analog legacy systems standardized by committees with participants from Bell Labs and RCA.
Over successive editions, contributors included engineers affiliated with corporate labs like Bell Labs, academic authors from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign, and practitioners from broadcaster engineering departments at KDKA (AM), WOR (AM), and station groups such as Sinclair Broadcast Group. Editors and advisory board members have included prominent figures associated with industry institutions like the National Association of Broadcasters and representatives from standard-setting organizations such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers.
Within the broadcasting community, the handbook has been regarded alongside texts by authors connected to Bell Labs and university curricula at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Iowa State University as an essential professional reference. Its practical orientation made it a staple for engineers in station groups like Entercom Communications and for consultants advising municipal broadcasters and campus stations at institutions such as University of California, Berkeley. The handbook's role in codifying best practices contributed to the professionalization of broadcast engineering and influenced training programs endorsed by organizations like the Society of Broadcast Engineers.