Some Common Abbreviations used in Broadcasting

A reference list of commonly used abbreviations that are often used without thought (we can be a guilty
as the rest!), some of which are very rarely spelled out in full.

µ micro - SI prefix that multiplies unit by 10-6 (unit divided by 1 million)

λ Lambda - Greek letter used as an abbreviation for wavelength.
AC Alternating Current (ie 240 Volt AC mains electricity).
AF 1: Alternative Frequency - part of RDS
2: Audio Frequency
AFC Automatic Frequency Control - for stable reception.
AGC Automatic Gain Control - term usually applied to TV and Radio receivers
ALC/AVC Automatic Level Control or Automatic Volume Control - usually in tape recorders.
AM Amplitude Modulation - the signal carrying process used in long and medium wave
broadcasting also, incorrectly used to describe those bands.
CAM Conditional Access Module - for 'set top boxes' without a decoder.
CI Common Interface - for plugging a CAM into.
COFDM Coded Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex (used for DTT and DAB).
CW Continuous Wave - On/off switching of a plain radio signal, eg morse code.
DAB Digital Audio Broadcasting - now called Digital Radio.
dB Deci-Bel (or more commonly) decibel - unit of ratio, literally a tenth of a Bel, which itself is a
rather inconveniently large unit. Should always be expressed as dB relative to something as it is
by definition an expression of ratio.
DC Direct Current (eg a torch battery, 1.5 volts DC).
DRM Digital Radio Mondiale - the new system for digital radio on MW and SW
DSat Digital Satellite Television.
DTTV Digital Terrestrial Television.
DTV Digital Television.
DVB Digital Video Broadcasting
DVD Digital Versatile Disc but sometimes quoted (wrongly) as Digital Video Disc.
EON Extended Other Networks - an RDS term.
EPG Electronic Programme Guide - used in DTV.
ERP Effective Radiated Power - power of a transmitting station taking into account the aerial gain
(always quoted as the maximum, even for aerials that radiate more in some directions
compared to others).
FM Frequency Modulation - universally (and wrongly -from a technical point of view) applied as to
mean the 87.5 to 108 MHz broadcast band.
G Giga - SI prefix that multiplies unit by 109 (or one thousand million)
HF High Frequencies - 3 MHz to 30 MHz.
HTML HyperText Mark up Language - (language that web pages are written in).
Hz Hertz - fundamental unit of frequency (1 Hz = 1 cycle per second).
IDTV Integrated Digital TeleVision set - A television set with a built in digital receiver
LF Low Frequencies - 30 to 300 kHz
LNB Low Noise Block - the converter unit sitting at the front of a satellite dish.
LW Long Wave - broadcast band in Europe, 148.5-283.5 kHz.
m SI abbreviation for metre and milli - SI prefix that multiplies by 10-3 (divided by 1000)
M Mega - SI prefix that multiplies by 106 (a million)
MF Medium Frequencies - 300 kHz to 3 MHz
MPEG Motion Picture Experts Group - who developed the compression/coding standard
MUSICAM Masking pattern adapted Universal Sub-band Integrated Coding And Multiplexing -
compression technique used in DAB and other digital audio
Mux Multiplex - group of channels/programmes in DAB or DTV.
MW Medium Wave - 526.5-1606.5 kHz in Europe.
NICAM Near Instantaneous Companded Audio Multiplex - as used in the tv stereo system.
NTSC National Television Standards Committee - the US system of television
PAL Phase Alternate Line - version I is the UK system of television (versions B and G most of
Europe)
QPSK Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (used for DSat)
RDS Radio Data System
RF Radio Frequency
SCART Syndicat des Constructeurs d’Appareils Radio Recepteurs et Televisieurs - the connecting
plug system most commonly used with video recorders and set top boxes
SECAM Séquentiel Couleur à Mémoire - French system of colour television, used in some other
countries, mostly of French influence also some former USSR countries.
SFN Single Frequency Network - DAB is one.
SSB Single Side Band - a type of radio modulation - mostly used by amateurs - was thought it
might be used for short wave broadcasting in the future.
STB Set Top Box.
SW Short Wave - 1.6065 MHz-30 MHz.
TA Travel Announcement - an RDS term.
TP Travel Programme - RDS feature - a programme that does travel announcements.
UHF Ultra High Frequencies - 300 MHz to 3 GHz.
VHF Very High Frequencies - 30-300 MHz strictly - also used to describe 87.5-108 MHz band,
FM more common usage.
VHS Video Home System - video recording system developed by JVC, ousted Video 2000 and
Betamax from home market.
WAP Wireless Access Protocol - First internet like system for mobile phones

Published by BBC Reception Advice

http://www.bbc.co.uk/reception