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PODCAST

Fully Modulated

Fully Modulated is your backstage pass to the stories and signals that shaped radio, TV, and wireless communication. Join Tyler, a broadcast engineer, as he uncovers the wild moments, quirky legends, and technical breakthroughs that keep the world connected. From vintage radio hacks to the real drama behind today’s digital waves, each episode blends deep research, humor, and storytelling for anyone curious about how media magic happens. Independent, insightful, and made for every fan who loves a

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All Episodes

00:16:30

Ice on Antennas: Winter's Broadcast Challenge

Fully Modulated ·

2025/12/01

In this episode of "Fully Modulated," Tyler Woodward dives into the challenges of radio broadcasting during winter. Learn how ice on antennas can disrupt signals and the innovative solutions engineers use to keep stations operational. From heating systems to radomes, Tyler shares expert insights and stories from the field, highlighting the resilience and ingenuity required to maintain broadcasts in icy conditions. Tune in for a deep dive into radio technology and the engineering feats that ensure

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15:03

Frozen Signals, Unfrozen Airwaves

Fully Modulated ·

2025/12/01

The music keeps playing, but winter is trying its best to silence it. We pull back the curtain on how ice sabotages broadcast antennas and what it takes to keep a reliable signal alive through freezing rain, rime, and brutal wind. From wet-ice detuning that spikes reflected power to the jaw-dropping structural load of a tower turned into a frozen sail, this is the real story of staying on the air when the weather turns hostile. We break down the physics in plain language: why precise element...

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00:05:56

Turkey, Transmitters, And Thanks

Fully Modulated ·

2025/11/27

A quiet moment on a loud day: we step back from schematics and signal paths to say a sincere thank you. This special Thanksgiving bonus is a love letter to radio’s people—the mentors who turned confusion into confidence, the colleagues who answer at 2 a.m., and the listeners whose curiosity fuels every deep dive into transmitters, codecs, and the history that shaped the dial.Tyler traces a path from the first radio job in 2014 to the long nights and longer checklists of broadcast engineering, and

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00:14:20

How FCC Spectrum Auctions Push Broadcasters Toward...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/11/24

The ground under broadcast distribution is moving, and the question isn’t whether C-band was reliable—it’s how we keep that reliability as the FCC clears and auctions more of it. We dive into the real tradeoffs facing stations of every size, from small-market radio shops without diverse fiber routes to major TV groups juggling national feeds. Along the way, we unpack why C-band earned its reputation, where Ku-band helps and hurts, and how to design delivery paths that survive storms, backhoes, and

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21:07

From Crackle To Clarity: The Rise And Fall Of AM Stereo

Fully Modulated ·

2025/11/17

Forget the crackle. We dive into the secret life of AM stereo—the late-night rabbit hole that led us from a Wyoming station’s YouTube clip to the engineering that once promised FM-grade sound on an “old” band. We break down AM versus FM in plain terms, then follow the 1970s and 80s race among Motorola, Magnavox, Harris, and Khan to deliver true stereo on AM without abandoning listeners with mono radios. The result is a story of elegant design, messy standards, and a pivotal FCC misstep that left

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10:58

Why Satellite Radio Sounds Mushy

Fully Modulated ·

2025/11/10

Ever switch sources in your car and feel the sound collapse as soon as you tap over to satellite? We pull back the curtain on why Sirius XM can feel flat and “blanketed,” tracing the problem to low bitrates, legacy codecs, and a hard ceiling on satellite bandwidth that forces tough choices. You’ll hear clear comparisons—48 kbps music channels and even lower talk channels versus 320 kbps streaming and lossless options—and what those numbers mean for stereo width, transient detail, and vocal cl...

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21:29

How to Protect Barix Audio Codecs from Radio...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/11/03

Radio stations across America are getting hacked through vulnerable Barix audio codecs, and your station could be next. In September 2025, hackers hijacked KPOG in Des Moines and KRLL in Missouri during Labor Day weekend, broadcasting explicit content and fake Emergency Alert System messages. Over 600 Barix Instreamer and Exstreamer devices remain exposed on the public internet, discoverable through Shodan searches by anyone with basic technical knowledge. This episode breaks down exactly how...

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19:19

AWS Outage: Why Broadcasters Need Multi-Cloud Like...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/10/27

The October 2025 AWS outage that took down major internet services for hours proves why broadcasters need multi-cloud redundancy and hybrid infrastructure to protect both revenue and emergency alerting capabilities. When automation goes down, commercials don't air, programming stops, listeners tune out, and advertising revenue disappears. Tyler breaks down why radio stations need backup systems using an analogy everyone understands: redundant internet connections. Just like businesses maintai...

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13:18

The Box Music Network: The Interactive TV Channel MTV...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/10/20

The Box Music Network was the interactive TV channel that let viewers pick the music videos — years before YouTube and streaming. Launched in Miami in 1985, The Box gave communities real control over what played next, from underground hip-hop to banned Madonna videos. By the mid-1990s it was reaching 30 million homes and even beating MTV in viewership. So why did MTV buy it in 1999 and shut it down? In this episode of Fully Modulated, we dive into the rise and fall of The Box, the business mo...

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13:06

Charlie Ergen’s $23 Billion Spectrum Gamble: How Dish...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/10/13

What happens when a professional poker player spends decades hoarding billions of dollars in spectrum licenses? In this episode of Fully Modulated, we follow Charlie Ergen’s incredible rise from selling backyard satellite dishes to running Dish Network, his bold $13 billion bet on 5G, and the $23 billion spectrum sale that just ended his dream of becoming America’s fourth wireless carrier.You’ll hear how the FCC, AT&T, T-Mobile, and even Elon Musk’s SpaceX all played a role in this high-stakes

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17:52

When Metallica Discovered Their Own Song on Radio...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/10/06

In 2000, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich got the shock of his life: their unreleased song "I Disappear" was playing on radio stations across America - before they'd even finished recording it. This is the wild story of how a leaked demo ended up on Napster, radio DJs started downloading it illegally, and one phone call triggered the biggest lawsuit in digital music history. Discover how radio stations accidentally became pirates, why Metallica sued 335,000 fans, and how this single incide...

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21:04

When Radio Stations Go Wild - The Art of Stunting

Fully Modulated ·

2025/09/29

Ever tune into a radio station and hear the same song playing... for hours? That's called radio stunting, and it's one of the weirdest, most effective tricks in broadcasting history.This episode digs into the crazy world of radio stunts - from a Louisiana governor who played an obscure song for almost 60 hours straight in 1955, to the California station that somehow found 823 different versions of "Louie Louie" to play back-to-back.But the real story here is personal. Back in

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16:04

The Complete Guide to Radio Microphones: From 1930s...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/09/22

Ever wonder what's behind that perfect radio voice that draws you in during your morning commute? This episode takes you on a fascinating journey through nearly a century of radio microphone technology, from the massive, temperamental ribbon microphones of the 1930s to the sleek digital mics powering today's podcasts and broadcasts.You'll discover why early radio hosts had to stand perfectly still like statues, how the introduction of dynamic microphones in the late 1930s

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17:01

When the Last Voice Goes Silent: How Budget Cuts...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/09/15

KSDP 830 AM serves just 600 people in Sand Point, Alaska—one of America's most isolated communities. But this tiny radio station is a lifeline, broadcasting everything from tsunami warnings to local fishing reports across the Aleutian Islands. Now, federal budget cuts threaten to silence KSDP forever, potentially leaving an entire community without their main connection to the outside world. Join Tyler as he explores the 40-year history of this remarkable station, the current funding crisis f...

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9:37

Howard Stern’s SiriusXM Prank: How He Fooled Fans and...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/09/09

Send me a text message with your thoughts, questions, or feedback Howard Stern just reminded the world why he’s still the master of media. After months off the air, Stern’s return to SiriusXM started with a prank that had Andy Cohen taking over his channel, news outlets reporting he was gone, and fans convinced it was the end. But it was all Stern’s idea, a perfectly timed stunt that exposed how fast rumors spread and how easily the press can be fooled. In this episode, we break down what hap...

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18:59

Midwest Broadcasters Clinic Conference Preview

Fully Modulated ·

2025/09/08

Send me a text message with your thoughts, questions, or feedback Tyler previews the upcoming Midwest Regional Broadcasters Clinic in Madison, Wisconsin (September 15-17, 2025), highlighting the sessions he's most excited to attend in his professional capacity. Topics Covered: Audio Processing: Finding That Elusive Signature Sound with Mike Erickson (Orban Labs)Workbench Tips to Improve Engineering Efficiency with Kirk HarnackHardening the Transmitter Site for reliability and protectionThe Ca...

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13:02

HD Radio's Hidden Success Story: How America's Failed...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/09/05

Send me a text message with your thoughts, questions, or feedback Got pushback on my last episode calling HD Radio a complete failure? You were right to call me out. While HD Radio's original consumer vision crashed and burned spectacularly, the technology quietly found success in ways nobody predicted. In this follow-up episode, I break down where HD Radio actually succeeded after failing as a consumer product: FM Translator Revolution - How one radio station can become four different ...

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21:20

HD Radio: Why America's $3 Billion Digital Radio...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/09/01

Send me a text message with your thoughts, questions, or feedback Ever wondered why HD Radio never took off despite being technically superior to regular FM? This might be the most tragic story in broadcasting history - a technology that had everything going for it but still managed to fail spectacularly. In this episode, we explore how HD Radio went from revolutionary promise to comprehensive disaster. We'll cover the brilliant engineering behind OFDM technology, why it cost stations up to $...

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18:32

The Wild History of Pirate Radio: How Offshore Ships...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/08/25

Send me a text message with your thoughts, questions, or feedback Ever wondered how rock and roll conquered British radio? It all started with rebellious DJs broadcasting from ships in the North Sea. In this episode, we dive into the wild world of pirate radio - from Radio Caroline's first broadcast in 1964 to the underground stations that introduced reggae, house music, and hip-hop to British audiences. We'll explore how a loophole in international law led to floating radio stations, why the...

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23:07

Is Radio’s Birthday a Lie? The Bizarre Origins of...

Fully Modulated ·

2025/08/20

Send me a text! On this bonus episode of Fully Modulated, Tyler drops the curtain on the weirdest holiday in broadcasting: National Radio Day. Why August 20th? Who actually invented radio? And what happens when the whole country suddenly remembers the tower selfie folder on their phones? Tyler digs into the chaotic, disputed origins of National Radio Day, spins stories about how radio became the most personal mass medium on the planet, and shares why radio still matters in a world ruled by sc...

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