Ask Tony and Tucker: What is a TV live truck?

WASHINGTON - After joining the station in the 1990s, FOX 5's Tony Perkins did thousands of live shots a year in and around Washington, D.C. all with the help of a television live truck. But what goes into a live truck that let's reporters like Perkins bring their live reports to the viewers? A little bit of everything!

Photojournalists Dave Rysak and Max Giammetta gave us a breakdown of some of the live trucks FOX 5 uses everyday starting with the reliable microwave /satellite truck.

"We do still use these trucks," Rysak explained. "These are more of a back-up truck but they're also guaranteed because we have a designated channel that we go up on the satellite and a designated channel for the microwave. So it will be almost guaranteed that we get back to the station with this truck." Rysak said the technology has progressed from microwave and satellite to Internet Protocol transmissions. IP trucks, he said, are now commonly used to transmit shots using an internet data stream.

But that's not all! "Now we've moved to what we call 'The Beast,'" Rysak said as he showed Tony and Tucker Barnes a new truck in the FOX 5 arsenal that uses both IP and microwave transmissions to get the shot in.

Last but not least, Rysak showed us Giammetta's portable backpack that uses cellular based technology making the ability to transmit possible from just about anywhere!

Now - the next time you're watching a news report - you'll know what it takes to get that live shot back to you!

If you've got a question to ask them, post it on social media and be sure to use the hashtag #AskTonyandTucker! We'll answer them every Friday morning.