Water Cooled May 2006

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"Water Cooled Newsletter" SBE Chapter 124, Portland, OR

A NOTE ABOUT E-MAIL ADDRESSES

In order to prevent e-mail addresses from being "mined" and then spammed, there are no longer clickable links to e-mail addresses, or intact e-mail addresses. For the addresses shown, substitute "@" for "at." Thanks!

CHAPTER 124 MEETING IN PORTLAND

WHEN:	Tuesday May 9th, 12 Noon

WHERE:	Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery 6835 SW Macadam (at California) Portland 503-244-7111

WHAT:	APT on their multi-channel codec and the apt-X algorithm

Be sure to arrive at the Buffalo Gap before noon, because once their parking lot fills up, you'll be searching for blocks to find a space on the narrow streets. For directions go to http://www.sbe124.org/SBE124_maps.html.

Everyone is welcome at the meetings. For more information on chapter activities, contact Chapter Chair Everett "Ed" Helm W7EEH at 503-977-7752, e-mail him at chairman at sbe124.org .

CHAPTER 76 MEETING IN EUGENE

WHEN:	Wednesday May 10th, 11:30 AM

WHERE:	Sizzler Restaurant 1010 Postal Way Springfield 541-726-9933

WHAT:	APT on their multi-channel codec and the apt-X algorithm

Anyone interested in these monthly programs is welcome to attend whether you're from the Eugene/Springfield area or not, SBE member or not. See http://www.sbe76.org for a map to the meeting location.

NEW CHAPTER MEETING IN MEDFORD

WHEN:	SPECIAL DAY! Monday, May 8^th, noon

WHERE:	KOBI-TV Studio C 125 S. Fir Street Medford 541-779-5555

WHAT:	Taste of NAB Road Show

For more information, call Mike Gary of KMVU-TV at 541-772-2600, or e-mail mgary at kmvu-tv.com. See http://www.sbe76.org/Medford/

PORTLAND CHAPTER 124 MONTHLY MEETING

Art Constantine of APT/Audio Processing Technology will discuss the use of the apt-X algorithm and its relevance in HD Radio broadcasting, and will show and demonstrate APT's new WorldNet Oslo Multi-Channel Codec, including its ability to transport phase-locked multi-channel audio. For more info on apt-X and the APT product line go to www.aptx.com . This presentation is sponsored in part by Bob Trimble of RF Specialties of Washington.

Everyone is welcome to attend the meetings. For more information on Chapter 124 in Portland/Vancouver/Salem, contact Ev Helm, Chair, chairman at sbe124.org, or call 503-977-7752,

EUGENE CHAPTER 76 MONTHLY MEETING

The Eugene meetings are on the Wednesday after the second Tuesday of the month. You do not have to be a member of the SBE or of the local broadcast engineering community to attend these meetings. Anyone with an interest in the subject matter is welcome. For more information e-mail Dennis Hunt dhunt at cmc.net or see www.sbe76.org

NEW MEDFORD SBE CHAPTER MEETING

For information, call Mike Gary at 541-772-2600 ext 209 or e-mail mgary at kmvu-tv.com or see http://www.sbe76.org/Medford/index.html. The regular Medford meetings will be on the Thursday after the second Tuesday of the month.

LAST MONTH'S MEETINGS

Tim Carroll, founder and President of Linear Acoustic, and Lon Newman, Western Regional Sales Manger, did presentations in Portland and Eugene about how their products solve the problems of going back or forth between 2-channel and 5.1 audio and the infamous "dial norm." Linear Acoustic was formed by former employees of Orban and Dolby and has several products to process the audio of analog TV, HDTV, and Digital 5.1 and 2-channel programming. Tim also wrote a monthly column for TV Technology. See http://www.linearacoustic.com .

THE YXZ REPORT

LIFE WITH HD RADIO

Holding at 12 FM HD signals (five with HD2) and one AM HD signal on the air in the Portland market.

Borrowed a Boston Acoustics Receptor HD radio for a weekend. I’m still amazed how much sound and good bottom end this little radio is capable of putting out. Both the AM and FM seem to be pretty sensitive, although the AM section seems to overload easily. The miniature tip-ring-sleeve output jack has the ideal level, controlled by the volume knob, to drive a line input.

From the Broadcast Electronics "BEHDR" e-mail list come two Boston Acoustics tricks.

1. Turn off the radio and turn it back on until the freq. is displayed.
2. Hold down the CLOCK button for about 5-10 seconds.
3. You should see a list of items.
4. Scroll down the list using the frequency knob on the left until you come to SPLIT MODE.
5. Press the Freq. knob.
6. Now scroll up to SPLIT MODE ON and press knob again. (Make sure you have the volume where you want it before going into this mode, because the volume control will be disabled.
7. You should now have the digital in the left channel and the analog in the right channel. Of course you’ll need the optional stereo speaker in this mode or you can use the stereo headphone jack in the back.
8. To get out of this mode, scroll down to SPLIT MODE OFF and press the freq. knob again.

To lock the Boston Acoustics Receptor HD Radio in the analog mode until you tune away, press the alarm 1 & alarm 2 buttons simultaneously.

Radiosophy released some news: "We have some good news to share. As many of you may already know, manufacturing of the MultiStream HD has been on hold as we worked through sensitivity issues. We're happy to report that these issues are now resolved, and testing last week confirmed that our new design exceeds our target numbers by 6 dBm on both AM and FM!

The manufacturing process has begun. This typically takes 10 to 12 weeks. Backorder deliveries are expected to begin early summer. Orders placed today will be an additional 4 to 6 weeks from our first ship date. Our manufacturing team will put together a schedule in the next couple of weeks and we'll post it at http://www.radiosophy.com/status as soon as it's available."

Further on in this newsletter are articles from the CGC Communicator about HD Radio.

HIDE YOUR COPPER

Now that the price of copper has doubled in the past year to over $3 a pound, make sure any strap, screen, or feedline is out of sight at your site, or very hard to get to.

Nothing hoses an AM array like the removal of the strap and screen around the tower base(s). Gravel covers, and Cold Galvanizing Spray does indeed instantly make exposed new copper strap look 30 years older.

COOL STUFF FROM:

THE CGC COMMUNICATOR

NAB 2006

Herculean changes are underway for the radio and television broadcast industries as graphically displayed at the just-concluded NAB Convention in Las Vegas, Nevada. Multiple platforms now compete for viewers' eyes and ears where MoTV (mobile TV) receivers tuned to proprietary data streams are about to become the latest assault to the traditional viewing model. In the radio arena, iPods, satellite radio and Internet audio continue to siphon off valuable ears. And the changes are coming at a breathtaking pace.

For example, a draft Report and Order to allow all U.S. AM stations to use HD Radio at night is reportedly sitting on the FCC Chairman's desk. Insiders say the document will allow all stations (with equipment in place) to light up simultaneously. Hopefully an interference resolution mechanism is included in the paperwork. Broadcast engineers surveyed on the floor of the NAB were not optimistic about the long-term prospects of AM HD at night, but iBiquity investors will undoubtedly make a concerted effort to make it work.

NAB estimates that 105,046 people attended this year's Las Vegas convention as opposed to 104,427 last year. The NAB convention is billed as the world's largest media show, and almost 25% of this year's attendees were international.

CLEAR CHANNEL CE COMMENTS ON AM IBOC POWER LEVEL

The following letter, reportedly from Steve Davis, Chief Engineer, Clear Channel Radio, is posted on the radiolists.net website to resolve a controversy associated with AM IBOC sideband power levels. While it is one thing to quote the power of an individual carrier within an IBOC sideband, it is another to quote the aggregate power of all the IBOC carriers.

For a 50 kW AM station, the aggregate IBOC power amounts to 2.4 kW according to the Davis letter, not 500 watts as had apparently been claimed in an earlier posting. http://tinyurl.com/q6kn7

VENTURA COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL WILL TRAIN STUDENTS IN HAM RADIO

More than 60 students attending Moorpark High School in Ventura County [California] have signed up for a yearlong class called "Radio Amateurs and Disaster Operations" where they'll study for amateur radio licenses while acquiring the necessary skills to assist in communications during disaster responses. Championed by law enforcement and fire department personnel, the prospects for the offering seem outstanding, particularly since Moorpark High's curriculum already includes the National Incident Management System (NIMS) and Incident Command System (ICS). http://tinyurl.com/etkkf (Ventura County Star).

ROUTINE COMPUTER MAINTENANCE

If you spend any of your time maintaining computers, here's a decent once-over of what needs to be done on a (semi) regular basis. (It strikes me that a lot of this applies equally to broadcast equipment.) We all know this stuff, but a reminder is always good -- I don't know about the rest of you guys, but this is the sort of work that almost always finds its way to the bottom of my "to do" list because there's always a bigger fire to fight. Book excerpt posted by Tech Republic. Thanks to Doug Herman, Promotional Broadcast Network, Inc., San Diego. http://tinyurl.com/pxusv

PEM FARNSWORTH, "MOTHER OF TV," PASSES AWAY AT 98

Pem Farnsworth, also known as the "mother of TV," has passed away in Utah at the age of 98. Ms. Farnsworth married Philo T. Farnsworth in 1926. On Sept. 7, 1927, Mr. Farnsworth transmitted the first image on television, in San Francisco, using the concept he conjured up while plowing his father’s Idaho potato field at age 14.

Pem Farnsworth also was the first person whose image appeared on TV. And she was someone who really lived from the heart and spoke frequently on having children know that anything they can dream, they can do. http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/fortwayne/news/local/14450778.htm

THE SELF-RIGHTING TOWER

After the cables inside a cell tower caught on fire, this video/still photograph sequence shows the monopole bending over under an intense heat load (Temple Hills, MD). Then, stunningly, the tower rights itself when the fire department sprays water on the right spot - and the witnesses are dumbfounded. Give the guy on the hose a gold star even though the tower was undoubtedly a total loss. Load this URL, then click on the e-video: http://www.wjla.com/news/stories/0406/319299.html

OREGON EAS

FREQUENCY COORDINATION
& OTHER STUFF

PDX RADIO WAVES

JOBS

IN PORTLAND

Job Title: Product Marketing Manager - Video Test Segment
Location: Beaverton, OR
Post Date: 4/19/2006
SBE Job #: 580
Job Description: We have an immediate opening for a product marketing professional to join this product planning and management team. In this role, you will have operational responsibility for product lifecycle management. You will manage the product positioning for introductions and contribute to launch plans, evaluate and ensure product success in the market, and recommend and execute end of life activities.

Furthermore, you will recommend future investments for a portfolio or video test products. Therefore, you will anticipate current and future business opportunities worldwide and periodically serve as the marketing lead for product development teams. The most important contribution for product development is to successfully translate the voice and environment of the customer into product concepts for the broader team.

You will be asked to recommend both tactical and strategic actions to senior management, through the VP level.

The successful candidate will have an advanced degree in technical/business areas with 4+ years significant industry related experience or BS degree with 8+ years experience or equivalent. Direct involvement/ experience in an environment requiring a multinational perspective is strongly desired. The candidate should be able to demonstrate practical success in the job responsibilities described above.

The candidate should also have expert knowledge of video (equipment design, content transmission, distribution, or production) applications and interpretation of marketing principles and practices in technical and business environments. Experience with video test and measurement is not required, but is preferred.

This position requires approximately 25% domestic and international travel. All employment offers are contingent upon successful completion of our pre-employment drug screening and background/criminal check.

Job Title: Facility Maintenance Technician
Location: Beaverton, OR
Post Date: 4/5/2006
SBE Job #: 555
Job Description: Individual will be responsible for building and facility maintenance issues under the supervision of Engineering.

Duties and Responsibilities include: Under the direct oversight of supervisor, work with HVAC contractors, electricians, plumbers, locksmiths, building cleaners, roofers, groundskeepers, etc. in order to coordinate their required work in or around the facility. Keeps supervisor and other managers and building occupants informed about vendor requirements during service work. Obtains quotes and estimates for needed work and generated PO requests. Work with management during vendor contract negotiations to suggest needed changes to contracts. Under the direct oversight of supervisor, responsible for light maintenance around the facility, at the stations’ two transmitter sites and at offsite storage facilities. This includes light carpentry, "patch and paint", installing shelves and other small office items such as keyboard trays, etc., occasional cleanup (sweeping, pressure washing, trash pickup, etc.), light hauling with station pickup truck, oversight of and assistance with basic vehicle tracking and maintenance. Answer calls from building occupants for needed maintenance items in office and control rooms. Responsible for coordinating office moves and reconfigurations. Responsible for daily facility inspections and log keeping for safety, function, and needed maintenance. Provide weekly report to supervisor. Serve on the safety committee. Other duties as assigned by supervisor/manager.

Education/Experience: High school diploma or GED required. 2-year trade school diploma in a building trade desired. 2 years experience in building/facilities supervision or custodial supervision.

Skills and Abilities: Basic carpentry skills are a big plus. Must be able to, or be trainable to operate self propelled aerial lift platforms. Must have excellent communication skills and be committed to superior customer service. Theater background, experience in studio operations, or similar desired. Some basic knowledge of Microsoft products and systems, basic PC architecture, computer hookup and troubleshooting desired. Meet Company’s minimum standards for fleet safety and driver selection.

IN WASHINGTON

Job Title: Principal Systems Engineer, RF Communications
Location: Kent, WA
Post Date: 3/15/2006
SBE Job #: 498
Job Description: Job responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

- Product performance improvement of the dNTSC modulator, which may include:
- Algorithms to compensate for non-linear amplifier distortion
- Assessment of the impact of channel impairment on recovery of dNTSC signal
- Product performance of the dNTSC receiver SoC, which may include:
- IF & down conversion filter tuning.
- Adaptive Equalizer algorithm tuning.
- Third generation receiver SoC architecture.
- Overall dNTSC link budget construction and maintenance.
- Design and implementation of RF data capture systems
- Development of advanced synchronization algorithms including blind and data-directed timing recovery approaches.
- Development of carrier recovery algorithms for use in data-assisted quasi-synchronous systems.
- Fourth generation receiver architecture.
- Responsibility for potential patent applications.
- Assume responsibility for oversight of antenna subsystem.

MS or Ph.D., in Electrical Engineering or related discipline, and 10 or more years industrial experience in signal processing architectures for digital/RF communication systems. Proven experience in architectural design of RF products, which includes thorough understanding of modulation/demodulation techniques, RF & IF amplifiers, mixers, couplers and filters.

Experience must include decision feedback equalizer (DFE) design where adaptation is controlled by a combination of error estimating algorithms such as CMA and DD-LMS, which could jointly control timing and carrier recovery, as well as digital signal processing including PLL design, FIR and Adaptive IIR filters, and forward error correction.

Experience in ASIC development. Familiarity with broadcast television or satellite transmitters. Experience with NTSC/CATV test equipment. Familiarity with ATSC television transmitters and receivers. Background with MATLAB computing, or C programming languages. Experience with manufacturing of complex systems. Strong written and oral communication skills. Ability to work with small design team under aggressive schedule.

OREGON EAS MONITORING REQUIREMENTS

All the broadcast stations in Oregon, and the Washington stations that are part of Oregon EAS Operational Areas, are listed at http://www.sbe124.org/or_eas/Oregon_EAS_Monitoring_Assignments.html. We note which stations are ready for the "CAE" Child Abduction Emergency or Amber Alerts.

The Oregon State Relay (Oregon Public Broadcasting) is now ready for the EAS CAE event code, so we won't be seeing any "CEM" (Civil Emergency Message) alerts for Amber Alerts again.

RESUME SERVICE GOES ON-LINE

The SBE Resume Service is now online at http://www.sbe.org/sbe_resume_service.htm ! With increased visibility and ease of use, the Resume Service is the perfect companion to JobsOnline for SBE members searching for new positions and for employers searching for the right candidates.

At no cost, SBE members complete a questionnaire and send the national office copies of their resumes. This information is used to compile an anonymous profile that is posted (not the resume) on the SBE website for employers to browse. Employers interested in one or more profiles will contact the national office and pay a small fee to access the actual resumes.

Only SBE Members may use this service and any broadcast related employer may participate. For more information Contact Angel D. Bates at abates at sbe.org, 317-846-9000 or go to http://www.sbe.org.

E-MAIL LISTS

There are three Oregon e-mail lists you may be interested in: SBE-PDX, which distributes the unabridged e-mail version of this newsletter plus other news and announcements; EAS-OR, for announcements, news, and help on EAS-related topics; and OR-ENG for everything else that interests broadcast engineers, including frequency coordination.

If you have World Wide Web access, you can use it any time to unsubscribe from the lists, to switch to and from digest mode, to check back issues of the list (which will be available after the list has been getting posts for a day or so), etc. The Web addresses for these resources are:

If you do not have WWW access, you can do these same things via email. Send mail to "list name"-request at broadcast.net" (without the quotes and with an "@" instead of "at") with the subject or body containing just the word "help" (also without the quotes). You will receive an automated reply giving you further directions. Or, just send an e-mail message to kent at randles.com, who moderates these three Oregon lists.

CERTIFICATION

The Society of Broadcast Engineers offers a program of certification for broadcast engineers ranging from the entry-level Broadcast Technologist to the 20-plus-years-of-experience-needed Professional Broadcast Engineer. The program includes certification for Audio and Video Engineers, and Broadcast Network Technologist which does not include any RF related questions.

SBE Certification provides recognition of your experience and knowledge in the field of broadcast engineering. It also shows others that you have made a serious commitment to stay current with new technology, regulations, and practices. Application and test dates are listed below in the calendar section of this newsletter.

For more information, contact Chapter 124 Certification Chair Eric Margeson W7OSN CPBE at 503-464-0860 or e-mail certification at sbe124.org.

SBE MEMBERSHIP

WHAT IS SBE?

The Society of Broadcast Engineers, formed in 1963, is a non-profit organization serving the interests of Broadcast Engineers. We are the only society devoted to the advancement of all levels of Broadcast engineering.

WHO ARE MEMBERS OF SBE?

Membership, international in scope, consists of studio and transmitter operators and technicians, supervisors, announcer-technicians, chief engineers of commercial and educational stations , engineering vice presidents, consultants, field and sales engineers. Also, broadcast engineers from recording studios, schools, CCTV and CATV, production houses, corporate audio-visual departments, and other facilities.

HERE'S WHAT SBE MEMBERSHIP CAN DO FOR YOU

All this adds up to keeping you at the top of your field, enhancing your value to your employer, or if you are self-employed, keeping you prepared to meet the changing needs of your clients.

MEMBER SERVICES

COMMUNICATION WITH YOUR PEERS

Each member receives "The SBE SIGNAL", a quarterly publication providing news about SBE members and activities, technical issues and FCC filings of the Society.

Most SBE Members live near one of the more than 100 SBE Chapters located throughout the United States and abroad. Attending regular Chapter meetings keeps you up to date on the latest technology, while you establish a new network of friends within the local broadcast engineering community.

Members can utilize informational and job listing services by using the SBE Web Site http://www.sbe.org.

HAM RADIO

As you may have noticed, many of us are Amateur Radio Operators. The Skyline Amateur Radio Club, run by W7EEH and KD7DNM, has three linked repeaters in northwestern Oregon. You can see the frequencies, PL's, and coverage maps at http://www.w7dtv.us/ plus look at the pictures of our annual Field Day operating event. Note that the TV monitor in the upper left hand corner is the link to the menu.

FYI

The SBE Chapter 124 Water Cooled Newsletter is published monthly, and mailed First Class to almost 200 broadcast professionals. An unabridged e-mail text version of this newsletter is available, and goes out to over 260 more people (get on the SBE-PDX list at http://www.broadcast.net/mailman/listinfo/sbe-pdx). The last couple years' newsletters are available here on the Chapter web site, http://www.sbe124.org/newsletters . Articles, news items, anecdotes, calendar events, stuff for sale/trade/free, jobs wanted/open, etc. gladly accepted. Fax to 503-777-0747, e-mail to watercooled at sbe124.org, or mail to Kent Randles, PO Box 1727, Portland, OR 97207-1727.

ON THE CALENDAR

May 9 (Tuesday) Monthly Portland SBE Chapter 124 meeting, noon, Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery. See top of this page.

May 10 (Wednesday) Monthly Eugene SBE Chapter 76 meeting, 11:30 AM, Sizzler in Springfield. See http://www.sbe76.org .

May 14 (Sunday) SBE Chapter of the Air, 0000 GMT, second Sunday of the month. Hal Hostetler WA7BGX in Tucson, AZ is Net Control. The published frequency is 14.205 MHz. Occasionally, that frequency is busy and you may need to move up (no more than 10 kHz) to find the SBE meeting.

June 9 (Friday) Deadline to apply to take an SBE Certification exam during the August 11-21 Local Exam Window.

June 16-18 (Friday-Sunday) ARRL Northwestern Division Convention. "SeaPac." Presented by the Oregon Tualatin Valley ARC. See http://www.seapac.org .

September 20-22 (Wednesday-Friday) NAB Radio Show, Dallas, TX. See http://www.nabradioshow.com/ .

September 22 Deadline to apply to take an SBE Certification exam during the November 10-20 Local Exam Window.

FREQUENCY COORDINATION

For southwestern Washington and ALL of Oregon: >1 GHz call Everett "Ed" Helm W7EEH at 503-977-7752, fax 503 293-4877, or e-mail microwave at sbe124.org; <1 GHz call Mike Steiner KD6LVP at 503-235-8517, fax 503-231-4624, or e-mail under1gig at sbe124.org.

MONTHLY SBE LUNCH IN PORTLAND

At noon on the second Tuesday of every month, broadcast engineers in Portland meet at The Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery, 6835 SW Macadam (at SW California), 503-244-7111. After their lot fills up, you'll be searching the narrow streets for blocks around for a space, so get there early. For more information see http://www.thebuffalogap.com . For directions, go to http://www.sbe124.org/SBE124_maps.html. For chapter information call Everett "Ed" Helm at 503-977-7752, or e-mail chairman at sbe124.org. As usual, everyone, member or not, is welcome to attend.

Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 124 - Portland & Salem Oregon, Vancouver, Washington

Newsletter

May, 2006

Editor/Webmaster: Kent Randles K7YXZ watercooled at sbe124.org