CUFBRT402A
Maintain broadcast equipment and facilities

This unit describes the skills and knowledge required to diagnose faults in and repair radio or television broadcasting facilities and equipment.No licensing, legislative, regulatory or certification requirements apply to this unit at the time of endorsement.

Application

Broadcast technicians or technologists apply the skills and knowledge described in this unit. Although they work under the direction of a senior technologist or broadcast engineer, they are expected to work with minimum supervision and may, on occasions, be responsible for supervising others.

This unit covers the maintenance of equipment in both television and radio studios. The scope of work varies from working with a single piece of equipment to maintenance of a whole studio or facility, including outside broadcast vehicles.

Skills associated with the installation of equipment and facilities are covered in:

CUFBRT401A Install or upgrade broadcasting equipment and facilities.

Note: To meet the requirements of this unit, candidates need to demonstrate competency in the maintenance of facilities and equipment for either television or radio. The Required Skills and Knowledge section should be tailored accordingly.


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENT

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Locate and repair faults.

1. Use diagnostic techniques and reference material to isolate faults to specific equipment or parts of equipment

2. Use appropriate test equipment to carry out diagnostic activities methodically, safely and in a manner suitable for system and problem type, obtaining specialist advice where required

3. Consult with relevant personnel to determine the impact of repairs or maintenance on broadcast operations

4. Document maintenance requirements in accordance with enterprise procedures, including reference to the impact of maintenance on broadcast operations

5. Provide temporary service, if necessary, ensuring it meets the standards of existing equipment

6. Carry out equipment repairs within scope of own job role or organise repair of faulty equipment in accordance with enterprise procedures and regulatory and industry standards

7. Test performance of system/equipment for satisfactory operation on completion of repairs

Undertake routine maintenance

8. Implement manufacturer upgrades, as required, and align systems to manufacturer standards and broadcast specifications

9. Carry out routine alignment on broadcast systems, including scheduled replacement of mechanical parts

10. Advise relevant personnel if maintenance activities cannot be completed or faults outside the planned maintenance schedule have been found

11. Ensure that interconnection between equipment is compatible and logical

12. Implement established preventative maintenance routines and carry out repairs and alterations as required

13. Check, update and maintain system logbooks and fault reports

14. Monitor system/equipment faults for trends in device/component failures

15. Consult with relevant personnel to ensure satisfaction with the outcome of completed maintenance and maintenance procedures

16. Complete work in a safe manner, remove waste and debris from the worksite, and remove obsolete equipment according to enterprise guidelines and regulatory and industry standards

Provide general technical support

17. Assist relevant personnel with facility-related queries

18. Communicate with clients about facilities and equipment without over-use of jargon and technical language

19. Devise alternate configurations to meet the needs of relevant personnel as required

Required Skills

Required skills

communication, teamwork and literacy skills sufficient to:

interpret information from system drawings, equipment specifications and technical handbooks

liaise effectively with customers/clients on the job, including ability to communicate technical terminology

complete workplace documentation

work and communicate effectively as a team member, including seeking advice and assistance with non-routine equipment malfunction

planning and problem solving skills sufficient to:

diagnose electronic faults in specified equipment and broadcast system

plan maintenance activities to cause minimum disruption to normal work flows

identify the benefits, weaknesses and implications of different solutions to maintenance issues

plan for contingencies in the context of organising maintenance activities

propose maintenance solutions that are practicable and meet technical requirements

technical skills sufficient to:

use hand and power tools and test equipment in a safe manner to undertake maintenance of broadcasting equipment and facilities

solder components

carry out measurements and adjustments, such as amplitude and frequency response, distortion, noise performance, phase, timing, bit error rate (BER), data network performance and mechanical performance

self-management skills sufficient to:

prioritise work tasks

meet deadlines

seek expert assistance as required

numeracy skills sufficient to interpret and record test measurement data

Required knowledge

features of test measurement equipment, including:

waveform monitor

peam program meter (PPM)

reference signals, e.g. video or audio line-up signals

performance limitations of signal paths, e.g. cliff effect

variations of test methods, e.g. waveform display errors, meter errors

effect of the measurement equipment itself on the measured system

television standards, e.g. PAL, NTSC, SECAM, digital

industry knowledge, including:

structure of the broadcasting industry

roles and responsibilities of personnel in the broadcasting industry

impact of technological changes on maintenance procedures

correct terminology, e.g. symbols, terminology and conventions used for electrical, mechanical and electronic drawings and specifications

regulatory and industry standards relevant to field of work (see range statement for examples)

product knowledge, e.g. manufacturer standards and specifications

sources of advice, information, and technical support

issues and challenges that arise in the context of maintaining broadcasting facilities and equipment

features and operational standards for enterprise-specific equipment and facilities, e.g:

microphones, e.g. types, polar response characteristics, electrical operation, phantom powering, applications in program making

amplifiers

loudspeakers, e.g. electronic operation, cabinet construction, crossovers, placement in studio environment

dynamic range, e.g. compression principles, expansion principles, multi-band compression, noise reduction

analogue audio recorders

digital recording and replay systems

digital compression, e.g. characteristics of different file formats

television cameras, e.g. light splitting, functions and operating principles of charge coupled devices (CCDs), signal processing, luminance and colour difference signals, PAL encoding, triax theory

digitising video signals

video compression, e.g. lossless and lossy, intra-frame and inter-frame, characteristics of file formats

editing facilities and software applications

OHS requirements as they relate to maintenance operations, e.g. protective clothing and personal safety systems; safe isolation of equipment, such as mechanical, electricity, gas, air or fluids; weight loading; and manual handling

Evidence Required

The Evidence Guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for the Training Package.

Overview of assessment

Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit

Evidence of the following is essential:

correct interpretation of manufacturer specifications to diagnose and repair faults in either radio or television broadcasting facilities and equipment

ability to work as a team member with minimum supervision

efficient repair and maintenance of either radio or television broadcasting equipment and facilities according to enterprise requirements

ability to complete scheduled work on time.

Context of and specific resources for assessment

Assessment must ensure:

access to a range of equipment used in either radio or television broadcasting facilities

access to regulatory and industry standards

access to appropriate learning and assessment support when required

use of culturally appropriate processes and techniques appropriate to the language and literacy capacity of learners and the work being performed.

Method of assessment

A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit:

direct questioning combined with review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance

observation of the candidate repairing or maintaining equipment

written or verbal questioning to test knowledge as listed in the required skills and knowledge section of this unit.

Guidance information for assessment

Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example:

CUFBRT401A Install or upgrade broadcasting equipment and facilities

CUFBRT403A Ensure quality of broadcast output

ICTTC101C Locate and diagnose electronic faults.


Range Statement

The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording, if used in the performance criteria, is detailed below. Essential operating conditions that may be present with training and assessment (depending on the work situation, needs of the candidate, accessibility of the item, and local industry and regional contexts) may also be included.

Diagnostic techniques may include:

comparison of measured readings for equipment and system performance against manufacturer or site specifications

comparison of results against past performance in the same piece of equipment

comparison of results against similar pieces of equipment or systems

operational checks against normal operating specifications.

Reference material may include:

circuit schematics

design plan

drawings

equipment manuals

equipment warranties

fault reports

instruction sheets

logbooks

manufacturer support data

previous history of equipment

purchase orders

system interconnection information

system/equipment specifications and manuals.

Test equipment may include:

audio test set

automatic measuring equipment

computer

digital analysis equipment

multimeter

oscilloscope

RF measurement test set

test signal generator

video waveform monitor.

Relevant personnel may include:

architects

building personnel

client

designers

floor manager

head of department

operators of the equipment

other specialist personnel

other technical personnel

producer

production assistant

production designer

production manager

station manager

subcontracted personnel

supervisor

technical director.

Repairs or maintenance may impact:

budgets

end users/audience

legal requirements

maintenance systems

operational procedures

personnel

physical

production schedules

quality of broadcast signal

technical systems

the environment

work.

Maintenance may involve:

entire broadcast facility

multiple pieces of equipment

one piece of equipment

outside broadcast vehicle.

Equipment may include:

analogue

broadcast-specific systems

communication or RF equipment, e.g. ISDN, RF links

computers

digital

display devices, e.g. monitors

line equipment, e.g. audio/video DAs

production video and audio equipment, e.g. sound/vision mixer

record/replay machines, e.g. cameras, audio recorders.

Regulatory and industry standards may include:

ACMA technical standards

Australian and international standards

Australian building codes and regulations

confined spaces regulations

environmental legislation

fire regulations

heritage legislation

industry codes of practice

noise abatement

OHS

trade practices legislation.

Performance tests may include:

assessing error performance levels

checking alarms

checking compliance with equipment parameters, e.g.:

amplitude response

frequency response

distortion

noise performance

phase

timing

data network performance

bit error rate (BER)

mechanical performance

working temperature

checking that performance measurements:

accord with predetermined specifications

meet approved operating margins

testing of protection mechanisms.

Maintenance procedures may include:

in situ performance, e.g.:

monitor alignment

hard disk defragmentation

replacement of parts

alignment or calibration and measurement

software upgrade

software reinstallation.


Sectors

Unit sector


Competency Field

Media and entertainment production - broadcast technology


Employability Skills

This unit contains employability skills.


Licensing Information

Not applicable.