Newsletter
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http://www.sbe124.org
SBE Chapter 124
PO Box 1727
Portland, OR 97207-1727
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"Water Cooled Newsletter" SBE Chapter 124, Portland, OR
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| WHEN: | Tuesday February 13th, Noon. |
| WHERE: | Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery 6835 SW Macadam (at California) Portland 503-244-7111 |
| WHAT: | LP Technologies on their LPT-3000R wide band spectrum analyzer. |
Details below.
Dr. Samuel Lee of LP Technologies will do a presentation on their LPT-3000R wide band (9 kHz to 3 GHz) spectrum analyzer for the Sprint/Nextel 2 GHz Relocation Project. This device is under the allowance of the Broadcaster's 2 GHz Relocation Reimbursement program. See http://www.lptech.com/
The Portland meetings are on the second Tuesday of every month. Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings. When you get to the Buffalo Gap, go in the SW California St. side door, turn left, and go upstairs. We have the whole upper floor. For more information on Chapter 124 in Portland/Vancouver/Salem, contact Chapter Chair Ev Helm, e-mail chairman at sbe124 dot org, or call him at 503-977-7752. For a map see http://www.sbe124.org/SBE124_maps.html .
Doug Woehler of Dialight did a presentation on LED lighting in general and LED obstruction lighting in particular. See http://www.dialight.com/Products/ObstructionLighting.cfm .
Steve Gordoni of Audemat-Aztec speaking about his company's broadcast encoding, metering and monitoring equipment.
by Kent Randles K7YXZ CBRE
Senior Engineer, Entercom-Portland
Co-Chair, Portland/Vancouver LAECC
Chapter Secretary/Newsletter Editor
watercooled at sbe124 dot org
Engineers are to radio stations (and programming formats) as doctors are to people: there at birth, and there again at death.
So it was with most of the Entercom-Portland engineers and the last hour of KISN radio, a station that started as top 40 on AM in 1959, eventually moved to FM as an oldies station, and finally moved back to AM not long ago.
The disk jockeys had been let go weeks before, but on the 31st of January we gave it a good send off, playing songs from the format in the themes of goodbye, the end, etc. The FCC forced the station off the air for four years in the 70s when they yanked the license, so at the end of the last hour we played the last two songs they played back then, "She's Gone" and "Someday We'll Be Together," followed by an edited aircheck of that signoff. The aircheck ends with the carrier dropping and several seconds of distant co-channel stations fluttering. After 30 seconds of silence we faded up audio from Salem's 93.1 KTRO in time for their 12 AM I.D.
Quantegy, the folks who own the Ampex recording media division, have announced that they are discontinuing various products from their magnetic tape lines. Magnetic Tape Product Lines affected by Discontinuation: 400 Series, ADAT and R-DAT audio tapes, and UMATIC, D1/D2, BETA, and VHS video tape products. See http://www.quantegy.com/ .
I wasn't sad to see cart machines go away, but I spent a lot of time with reel to reel machines in the 60s through the 90s, starting with the Sony 4-track I got for my high school graduation present (all the rubber parts have dried up, but I still have it and its microphones), through cases and cases of "pancakes," and ending up with multi-track. Sorry, I guess I’m over-biased.
This year Daylight Savings Time (DST) extends by approximately four weeks. It starts three weeks early on March 11th, and ends one week late on November 4th.
All those Windows PC's will have to be set manually, or have the official update run on them that puts the new dates in the registry. See http://www.microsoft.com/dst2007 .
Holding at 12 FM HD signals (nine with HD2) and two AM HD signals on the air in the Portland market.
I helped set up an HD Radio booth at the Portland International Autoshow in the Portland Convention Center for the Portland Area Radio Council, PARC. Ibiquity sent a listening station with a Kenwood HD car stereo and outputs for four headphones. A Boston Acoustics Receptor HD Radio was set up on a table. Fortunately, through 2nd story windows the booth was line of sight to the 12 HD FM stations at Stonehenge, Sylvan, and Skyline. Melissa Kunde, PARC Executive Director, said most of the people who came by the booth had heard of HD Radio but didn't understand it.
Tim Tushla of Radiosophy tells us "Product is en route. We will begin shipping the second week of February. Thanks for your patience."
From Mark Humphrey K3XY
Chairman, SBE Chapter 18 - Philadelphia, Wilmington, South Jersey
Our SBE group (Chapter 18) traditionally holds an "FCC Update" meeting every January. Last night, Gene Stanbro and Dave Dombrowski of the Philadelphia field office were our guest speakers, and presented a very informative program. These are some of the broadcast enforcement priorities this year:
Compliance with Main Studio rule (minimum staffing, local phone number, location, etc.)
Public File - of course
EAS: The Philadelphia office is now evaluating the "EAS EAR" made by MTS: http://www.mts-comm.com/ . This monitors all EAS activity on a particular station and sends a detailed log -- and an audio recording of any EAS message -- to an attached PC. EB agents will monitor stations for at least a week before an inspection and will compare their log against the station's log, noting any discrepancies. Basically, they want to know if you're actually sending the tests as required by the rules, or just logging them as sent.
Tower lighting and registration - as usual
AM Tower fencing has become a very high priority. All hot towers must be fenced with *locked* gates. RFR compliance on rooftops and at multi-tenant sites is also a "hot" topic. (On this subject, one of our chapter members who owns a tower service company voiced his frustration at asking stations to power down during tower maintenance. In his opinion, some engineers fear they will be fired if the GM learns they are reducing power or switching to backup sites during the daytime, so the problem really rests with management. He finds this to be a bigger problem in smaller outlying markets than in the Philadelphia metro.)
LPFM stations will be targeted for compliance with enhanced underwriting rules. The FCC suspects the "underwriting" on some of these stations has crossed the line to commercial content. Also, LPFMs will be inspected to make sure they have working EAS decoders and type-certified transmitters.
Class A TV stations will be targeted for compliance with EAS, Main Studio, and Public File rules.
Pirate broadcasting has not been a recent major issue in the Philadelphia district (which includes the entire state of Pennsylvania and the southern counties of New Jersey) Only five pirate stations were shut down in 2006, but two are currently active and awaiting due process. Gene and Dave mentioned this is a much bigger problem in the New York district.
Their budget for test equipment has increased significantly in recent years. They are using the R&S FSH-6 and Agilent E4440A spectrum analyzers, the Z-Technology R-507 field strength meter, but their AM workhorse is still the Potomac FIM-41.
For RFR compliance testing, they use the Narda Radman, EMR-300, and SRM-3000.
Enforcement Bureau engineers continue to develop remote-controlled receivers that can be monitored through the Internet. These are usually installed atop Federal buildings and have directional antennas to aid in DF-ing unlicensed stations or sources of interference. A recent item is something called the "Ram Rotor", developed in Kansas City, that uses the Icom PCR-1000 and a rotor-mounted antenna.
One interesting point: The EB has found many Sirius terrestrial repeaters operating at unauthorized locations or with unauthorized antenna patterns and excessive power. However, after these were shut down, the EB office would then receive complaints from disgruntled Sirius subscribers who no longer could receive a signal!
I raised the question of the legality of inserting an "-HD" callsign between the licensed callsign and community of license, as has become common practice on several stations in this area. (Example, W$$$ and W$$$-HD, Philadelphia.) Gene Stanbro promised he will look into this.
From Jack Roland KEØVH
The net meets on the 1st and 3rd Saturdays of the month at 11 AM Mountain time. Locally in Denver on the WA2YZT repeater, on 146.805 and 447.175 with a pl of 186.2. AND, through the Internet Radio Linking Project on the Denver Reflector Node #9874.
To find a node in your area you can go to the www.irlp.net website, click on the "Node Info" on the left, then click on the "List of nodes and frequencies" in the middle of the page. In a moment a full list of node numbers, cities, countries and the like will appear and do a page search for you city. When the node is highlighted click on the node number and that repeater information will appear, usually with contact information of the trustee/repeater owner. When you have done this and are able to access your node (usually at 4 digit code on the local repeater unless it is a closed club system), you will want to connect to the Denver Reflector Node #9874. . See also www.wa2yzt.com
If you need further help contact me at KEØVH at qsl dot net .
[The participating Portland node is 3420, N7PIR at 440.450 with a PL of 103.5 Hz, located on the Stonehenge Tower. Our own Mike Steiner KD6LVP is the trustee. See http://www.qsl.net/n7pir .]
by Chris Murray
Co-Chair, Oregon EAS (SECC)
Director of Engineering
McKenzie River Broadcasting, Eugene
ichabod at kknu dot fm
(See http://www.broadcast.net/mailman/listinfo/eas-or)
More from Chris next month.
by Everett E. Helm W7EEH CPBE
Director of RF Engineering
Oregon Public Broadcasting, Portland
>1 GHz Frequency Coordinator, Oregon and SW WA
Chapter Chair
chairman at sbe124 dot org
It is with great sadness that I report the passing on January 30th of Mike Tondreau, W7BBR. Mike had been fighting cancer the last few months.
Michael A. Tondreau was Vice President of Engineering at Oregon Public Broadcasting. He had been at OPB, or it's predecessors for 42 years. Mike was active in the expansion of our public broadcasting service from it's humble roots at KOAC in Corvallis to the present facilities that include 5 TV and DTV stations, 40 TV translators, 6 full service FM stations, 1 AM station, 18 FM translators, almost 1,000 miles of terrestrial microwave, and bidirectional long haul digital fiber optic systems. Mike guided the Engineering department during the difficult transition from a State agency to the successful private non-profit organization we all recognize today.
Mike was instrumental in the construction of one of the first digital TV stations in the country, which was built on an Experimental license in 1997. In the earlier days of Broadcasting, Mike often designed and built many electronic circuits for use around the station, such as video distribution amplifiers, etc. He was instrumental in converting the then B&W videotape machines that the station had to color. Mike saw at least 5 generations of TV cameras over the years. He loved to design and build things.
He served for many years on the PBS Engineering Committee. Mike was well liked and respected by all of his peers. He was a genuine nice guy. He had a special ability to take a complex subject and explain it to non-technical people in a clear and understandable way.
He was an Amateur Extra class operator, licensed W7BBR, and trustee of the OPB Amateur Radio Club call sign, K7OPB. Mike really enjoyed CW and was a "true" Extra having passed the 20 wpm code exam years ago.
Mike was devoted to his family and active in his Church.
We will truly miss him at OPB, as will the Broadcast Engineering community everywhere.
A Memorial service is scheduled for Friday, February 16th at the OPB Network Center on Macadam in Portland at 4 pm. All are welcome. We’d like an approximate count, so please RSVP to Don McKay at: dmckay at opb dot org. Parking is limited, carpooling is encouraged. Parking in Willamette Park at the foot of SW Nebraska, north of OPB, is suggested.
The following day on February 17th a service will be held at Mike’s church in Oregon City.
CUL, & 73 to you, Mike SK
SBE Chapter 43 is sponsoring an Ennes workshop on February 24th. This is a great opportunity to bring yourself up to date on some new technology. More details at the following link: http://www.sbe.org/documents/SacramentoBROCHURE2007.pdf
SBE Chapter 16 in Seattle is sponsoring the "ATSC Digtal 8VSB Measurements" seminar on Tuesday, February 13th at the University of Washington in Seattle. This is a follow on to the 8VSB seminar we held in Portland a few years ago. Another great opportunity to further your Engineering knowledge & skills. More details at the following link: http://www.sbe16.org/SBE16SeminarFlye021307.pdf .
A new bill has been introduced in the Oregon Legislature that would make it a crime to talk on a "mobile communication device," while operating a motor vehicle unless a "hands free device" is used that will allow both hands to be on the steering wheel at all times. Obviously, this was intended to restrain the use of cell phones while driving, but the proposed law is written so broadly that it would also apply to Amateur Radio or Broadcast Auxiliary services. For a more complete text of the proposal see: http://www.leg.state.or.us/07reg/measures/sb0200.dir/sb0293.intro.html .
It will allow up to a $750.00 fine for first offenders if you are caught talking on your Two-way radio.
Maybe they should outlaw listening to the radio or other entertainment sources too? What about all these fancy in-dash displays that provide GPS tracking? How distracting are those?
I’m not sure where in the process this bill is, but maybe we all need to make contact with your local State Senator.
All for now.
Thanks, CUL, & 73,
Ev
by Michael D. Brown N7AXC CSRE
Brown Broadcast Services, Inc., Portland
mike at brownbroadcast dot com
W7BBR SK . It’s not often that someone can find a broadcast "home" and stick around for 42 years, but Mike Tondreau did just that at OPB. Mike grew up in Nebraska, and came to Portland to live near his grandparents while his father served in the Navy. He started at OPB as a studio and transmitter tech, after attending Portland State. With his help and eventually under his leadership as VP for Engineering, OPB has grown to be the successful non-commercial broadcast entity is it today. In 1998, KOPB-TV became one of the first in the country to broadcast in HDTV – before there were any commercially-available receivers. Mike left us all too soon on Jan 30, after a battle with cancer.
KNRQ 97.9 Eugene has applied to move to Tualatin/Portland, under the newly implemented FCC Rules that allow most city-of-license changes as a minor-change. The station would become a 200 watt Class A, from the KGW TV tower. Also, 96.3 KWLZ Warm Springs has applied to move to West Linn/Portland as a C3, with a directional antenna at the Stonehenge Tower. Dozens of similarly bold moves were filed elsewhere in the country in the opening hours of the Rule change last month. These moves would apparently displace all the LPFMs in the metro area, and Reed College's Class D station. With these proposals, Portland FM radio would be officially fully "saturated".
Congressman Greg Walden and his wife Mylene Walden have agreed to sell their 5 stations in Hood River and The Dalles to Bicoastal Media Columbia River LLC. Terms were not immediately revealed. As Greg’s occasional engineering consultant, there were several times this writer would find him working on the transmitters or rebuilding a studio into the wee hours, just after flying cross country back home for the weekend - as he has been doing some three-dozen times a year. Despite a busy political schedule, Greg’s heart has always been in radio. It must have been tough to make this choice. He’s been one of the few, if not the only U.S. representative who was both a ham and a small-market broadcaster.
Also being sold is 910 KKSN Vancouver from Entercom to Salem for an undisclosed sum. For the moment, KKSN is simulcasting Salem’s 93.1 KTRO. Observers expect that KKSN will retain KTRO’s talk format, and KTRO will eventually flip to a music format. After a 40+ year run in various AM and FM iterations, will the "KISN" moniker finally be retired from Portland radio completely? History turns the page... [On February 12th 910 KKSN will become KTRO, and 1390 KSLM will become KKSN].
In a move that has raised a lot of eyebrows, the FCC is allowing a former pirate station in Goldfield/Parumph Nevada to continue operation under an STA, until it can apply for an LPFM license in the next filing window. Published reports credited heavy pressure from Senate Majority leader Harry Reid for the move. In this case, the pirate apparently ceased operations after the first FCC visit, so it was never officially cited for the violation. We don’t expect this to set a trend, but stranger things have happened on 12th Street in recent years.
This month’s chuckle is a recycled sales video from Rockwell automation, that is making the rounds once again. Enjoy: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5125780462773187994
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