| 60 Cycle Hum: |
These hum bars at 60 cycles are normally a result of dc power on the line. See dcBlocker. |
| A/B Switch: |
A switch that selects one of two inputs (A or B) for routing to a common output while providing adequate isolation between the two signals. |
| Adjacent Channel: |
An adjacent channel is one which is immediately next to another channel. |
| AFC: |
A circuit which locks an electronic component onto a chosen frequency. |
| AGC: |
Controlling the gain of a device by the signal level through the device (using a high gain feedback loop circuit). A rising input signal level produces a negative feedback signal, which lowers the gain. A circuit that uses feedback to maintain the output of an electronic component at a constant level. |
| Agile Component: |
A component which can be tuned to any desired channel. |
| Amplifier: |
A device used to increase the power of a signal. |
| Analog: |
A system in which signals vary continuously in contrast to a digital system in which signals vary in discrete steps. |
| Antenna: |
A device that contributes an energy gain. Satellite dishes, broadband antenna and cut-to-channel antennas are some types of antennas encountered in private cable systems. |
| Antenna Pre-Amplifier: |
An amplifier located in the immediate vicinity of the antenna, used to amplify extremely weak signals, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of a system. |
