Definition
A ground-based device that displays the status and signal quality of a television microwave link, which is a high-frequency radio path used to transmit video or surveillance imagery (such as airport surface or weather radar feeds) between fixed sites.
Plain English
A piece of equipment on the ground that shows whether a microwave radio link carrying television signals is working properly and how strong the signal is.
Context Anchor
Seen in FAA abbreviation lists, airport information, or notices to pilots when a television microwave-link site or its indicator is being referenced.
Derivation
Television comes from Greek 'tele' (far) and Latin 'visio' (sight) — seeing at a distance. Microwave refers to very short radio waves used for line-of-sight transmission. Link is the radio path between two points. Indicator simply means a device that shows status. Together: the gauge that tells operators whether the long-distance video radio path is healthy.
Why Pilots Care
Pilots will rarely interact with a TMLI directly, but its outage may appear in NOTAMs affecting surveillance, weather imagery, or remote tower video feeds — so recognizing the acronym helps when scanning NOTAMs for service-affecting equipment.
Intuition Check
Do not assume TMLI is a cockpit display. In this context, it is an FAA abbreviation for a ground-related television microwave-link indicator.
Example Sentence 1
The technician checked the TMLI to confirm the microwave video link to the remote radar site was operating normally.
Example Sentence 2
Controllers referenced the TMLI marker during flight planning to avoid conflicts with broadcast links.