Radio frequency (RF) equipment is unfamiliar to many persons entering the electronics industry. Colleges do not routinely teach high-power RF principles, favoring instead digital technology. Unlike other types of products, however, RF equipment often must receive preventive maintenance to achieve its expected reliability. Maintaining RF gear is a predictable, necessary expense that facilities must include in their operating budgets. Tubes (if used in the system) will have to be replaced from time-to-time no matter what the engineer does; components fail every now and then; and time must be allocated for cleaning and adjustments. By planning for these expenses each month, unnecessary downtime can be avoided.

Although the reason generally given for minimum RF maintenance is a lack of time and/or money, the cost of such a policy can be deceptively high. Problems that could be solved for a few dollars may, if left unattended, result in considerable damage to the system and a large repair bill. A standby system often can be a lifesaver, however its usefulness sometimes is overrated. The best standby RF system is a main system in good working order.

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