ABSTRACT
For many years, and for both radio and television broadcasters, the typical studio-to-transmitter link (STL) has been a privately owned microwave system, with leased telephone lines being a popular option for radio stations. The last decade of the twentieth century saw a marked increase in alternative choices, with fiber-optic and digital carrier circuits gaining steadily in popularity. The dawn of digital broadcasting has spawned the need for even greater diversity in connecting the studio to the transmitter. In some cases, radio and TV broadcasters have turned to unlicensed, spread spectrum microwave for STLs or data links, while more than a few radio stations have deployed Internet protocol (IP) over digital subscriber lines (DSLs) as an STL.
