Newsletter
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http://www.sbe124.org
SBE Chapter 124
PO Box 1727
Portland, OR 97207-1727
You may use excerpts if attributed to the original
source and
"Water Cooled Newsletter" SBE Chapter 124, Portland, OR
Eugene, OR has SBE Chapter 76, see http://www.sbe76.org
Medford, OR has SBE Chapter 141, see http://www.sbe141.org
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" and "." for "dot." Thanks!
| WHEN: | Tuesday November 14th, Noon. |
| WHERE: | Buffalo Gap Saloon & Eatery 6835 SW Macadam (at California) Portland 503-244-7111 |
| WHAT: | Portland-area company Audio Precision Inc. on their new APx585 8-channel audio analyzer. |
Details below.
| WHEN: | Wednesday November 15th, 11:30 AM |
WHERE: |
SPECIAL LOCATION Cumulus-Eugene 1200 Executive Parkway, Suite 400 Eugene 541-284-8500 |
| WHAT: | Tour of 6 "modern" radio facilities and then lunch. |
Details below.
| WHEN: | Thursday November 16th, SPECIAL TIME: 6:30 PM |
WHERE: |
SPECIAL LOCATION Kathrein/Scala Division 555 Airport Road Medford 541-779-6500 |
| WHAT: | Special evening tour of Kathrein/Scala plant in Medford, RSVP required. |
Details below.
Dan Knighten of Beaverton's Audio Precision Inc. will do a presentation on their new APx585: 7.1 audio testing? No problem. He'll also have their ATS-1 with him. See http://ap.com/index.php?page=products&id=1100001060&PHPSESSID=4feae6e711afba82b5802becbd1751ff .
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 .
For the Cumulus-Eugene tour, park in the back parking lot. Tour includes 95.3 KUJZ, 96.1 KZEL, 97.9 KNRQ, 102.3 KEHK, 590 KUGN, and 1320 KSCR. See http://www.eugeneradioadvertising.com/stations.htm
The Eugene meetings are on the Wednesday after the second Tuesday of the month. You do not have to be an SBE member to attend these meetings. Anyone with an interest in the subject matter is welcome. For more information e-mail Dennis Hunt dhunt at cmc dot net. See www.sbe76.org for a map to the meeting location.
For the Kathrein/Scala tour, pizza and refreshments will be served at 6:30 pm, and an interesting program will start at 7:00 pm. Get all the information including where to send the required RSVP at http://www.sbe141.org/misc/Kathrein_Scala_SBE_Meeting.pdf . Also see http://www.kathrein-scala.com/
The Medford meetings are on the Thursday after the second Tuesday of every month. For information, call Mike Gary at 541-772-2600 ext 209 or e-mail mgary at kmvu-tv dot com. See www.sbe141.org .
The Portland, Eugene, and Medford presentations were by Larry V. Bloomfield of Evertz (son of Larry B. Bloomfield) on their huge line of fiber optic products for video, audio, control, datacom, RF, and telecom. See http://www.evertz.com/tools/fiber-selector
Larry V.
Bloomfield
at the Chapter 124
meeting.
by Kent Randles K7YXZ CBRE
Senior Engineer, Entercom-Portland
Co-Chair, Portland/Vancouver LAECC
Chapter Secretary/Newsletter Editor
watercooled at sbe124.org
If you get a copy of this newsletter that came to you through the US Postal Service, note that we will be mailing out only one more issue after this one. Eventually, almost everything comes down to time and money. In this case it's my wife's and my time, and the chapter breaks even on the mailed newsletters even though they cost over $1.50 each to print and mail. After eleven years, I’d prefer to put the time into the website and the HTML version, and begin doing RSS (Real Simple Syndication).
So, the website will improve, and features will be more easily updated and accessed. To continue receiving the newsletter automatically, please subscribe to the SBE-PDX e-mail list, which only sends out messages containing the newsletter or Chapter 124 announcements. Go to http://www.broadcast.net/mailman/listinfo/sbe-pdx to subscribe, unsubscribe, or change your options. If you have ANY trouble with the list, just e-mail me and I can fix it.
Former Infinity-Portland Director of Engineering then Educational Media Foundation contract transmitter-site and audio-processing guru Randy Pugsley is now Director of Engineering for Churchill Media, headquartered in Eugene.
John White K7RUN quotes Loren Flindt KB7APU on the OR-ENG remailer about copper theft at the Larch Mountain communications site: "…copper grounding plates off the building and cut the grounding cables off the tower legs. They also cut the ground wires from the hardline. They also tried to dig up the ground wires from the ground near the base of the tower."
Tim VanDenBos W7TRV of KOIN reports: "Two weeks ago our site at Grizzly Mt. shared with KATU, KGW, KPTV and KFXO had a similar problem. They cut the tower ground wires and pulled them out of the ground as far as possible before cutting them off. They also took our large multi-strand ground wire to the grounding plate mounted outside the building. Fortunately they left the ground wires from the waveguides and the copper ground buss alone. Bob (KFXO) and I went up there last week and replaced the ground wires.
Unfortunately this kind of activity will not stop as long as recyclers keep taking the stolen material from these guys. Word to the wise, keep all your spare coax, Heliax, waveguide, etc. inside and protect the outside material as best you can. We have had incidents on our Sylvan Hill property cutting 4" Heliax into six or seven foot sections, hauled over our fence and then they drive around to pick them up.
Gray Haertig reports through the OR-ENG remailer: " Some of you on these lists have been following my building projects up in the Healy Heights tower farm here in Portland. I've posted a few before and after pictures of the old KXL-FM transmitter building for your enjoyment at: http://www.well.com/user/dmsml/stonehenge/index.html .
Consultant Don Mussell has been kind enough to host these pictures on his web site. There are also a bunch of pictures of the Stonehenge Tower installation at this URL.
As I get the time, I will post some pictures of the progress on the Harold Singleton house which I am remodeling for myself. It is located between the old KXL building and Stonehenge. While you're there, check out all the other pictures Don has on his web site - http://www.well.com/user/dmsml/look.html . Thanks, Don!"
Holding at 12 FM HD signals (nine with HD2) and two AM HD signals on the air in the Portland market.
1330 KKPZ turned on their HD Radio signal.
I took a trip to my nearest Radio Shack after hearing in one of the ever-present (at least on commercial radio) HD Radio spots that they have HD Radios now. The manager knew a little about HD Radio, and said they had exactly ONE coming and he wasn't sure if it was a Boston Acoustics Receptor HD, or an Accurian Tabletop HD Radio (Captain? The Accurian ship is powering up its weapons!) which is on their website at http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2460834&cp and is $174.99 after rebate. The info says it has 24 presets.
Ironically, an actual radio listener walked in right after me and asked about HD Radio. After we found out they had nothing on display yet, I suggested that he go down the street to Magnolia Audio Video. Boston Acoustics is not on Magnolia's website, but Magnolia is on Boston's site as a Receptor HD dealer, as is Fry's.
From http://www.radiosophy.com/status/:
"10/13/2006 Update -
Our radio has been certified by iBiquity! We can now begin the manufacturing
process and will post a firm product ship date soon.
Thank you for your patience during this long process – we’re almost there!
Orders placed today will be an additional 2 to 3 weeks from our first ship date."
The Taste of NAB Road Show had a powered and working Radiosophy MultiStream HD radio on display. I got to play with it for a few minutes, and it's pretty cool. Easier to use than the Receptor, but no where near the bass response. No problem receiving most of the Portland FM HD signals with its whip antenna.
by Bob Gonsett W6VR
Copyright 2006 Communications General® Corporation (CGC)
http://www.bext.com/_CGC/
Just for fun, I fired up the 150W high pressure sodium (HPS) lamp in my backyard the other night (see CGC #760) to light up the coastal low clouds, and was able to copy the signal three miles away. I have attached a JPEG of an audio spectrum screen capture using Spectrum Lab software.
The 120 Hz line is all of the other lights in the county, and the 135 Hz line is the 150W HPS lamp received three miles away. The lamp is being driven at 67.5 Hz, so it flickers at twice that rate, or 135 Hz.
Although the lamp was being driven with straight 67.5 Hz power for this test, the received signal is strong enough that we could easily copy text using Jason serial tone modulation. We'll probably set up to do a two-way text QSO using Jason and the HPS lamps via clouds soon. Kerry Banke, N6IZW, kbanke (at) qualcomm.com http://earthsignals.com/add_CGC/Images/0610082054.jpg .
VULNERABILITIES OF CELLPHONES STUDIEDU.C. Davis Assistant Professor Hao Chen and a team of graduate students are looking into the potential for cyber-attacks focused on cellphones and cellular networks. Chen's team has already found ways to use a PC to flood mobile phones with data streams, quickly accelerating battery drain, a technique that could simultaneously target 5,000 phones. Read about "zombies" and more: http://www.sacbee.com/103/story/43930.html
CRTs FAST BECOMING EXTINCT
By 2010, iSuppli predicts CRTs will account for only 2.1 million (or 5%) of the 44 million TV sets sold. Flat screens will be all the rage. http://tinyurl.com/yy8e53
SOFTWARE DEFINED RADIOS HAILED FOR INTEROPERABILITYSoftware defined radios (SDRs) will allow emergency responders from various agencies to communicate with each other according to this report from Government Computer News, so SDRs may become the technology of choice for "interoperability." And the prices of SDRs are expected to drop in the near future. http://www.gcn.com/online/vol1_no1/42398-1.html .
by Chris Murray
Co-Chair, Oregon EAS (SECC)
Director of Engineering
McKenzie River Broadcasting, Eugene
ichabod at kknu.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.org
Ev is taking the month off.
by Michael D. Brown N7AXC CSRE
Brown Broadcast Services, Inc., Portland
mike at brownbroadcast.com
Mike contributes in "even" months.
Maintenance Engineer, Oregon Public Broadcasting
Position:
Full-time, regular position.
Compensation:
$17.64 –
$26.46 DOQ, plus benefits.
Primary
Duties/Responsibilities:
Repair, maintain, update and install broadcast electronic
equipment. Conceptualize and implement new system designs, maintain and update
documentation, construction and on going maintenance and calibration programs. Assist in
the design, instillation, emergency repair, preventative maintenance and technical
operation of all equipment within the OPB system. Must
have a very high level of technical expertise relative to equipment operation and
maintenance procedures. Must be highly
skilled with a very broad range of equipment types and theoretical disciplines. Must be tactful, maintain harmonious
relationships with co-workers and deal with co-workers and the general public in a
professional and competent manner. Must
maintain technical competency.
Working Conditions: Generally work will be done in a shop or studio environment. Work may be done at other locations such as transmitters or remote sites. Work varying shifts, including, evening, weekdays and holidays. Since the broadcast facilities is essentially a 24-hour/day operation, this person is required to report to work during inclement weather conditions and respond to emergencies. This position may also be required to be included in the on call rotation. Some equipment may expose employee to potentially dangerous high voltages and non-ionizing radiation levels. Must be able to lift equipment weighing up to 75 lbs. Must have a valid driver’s license or access to suitable transportation.
Qualifications:
Five years experience in Broadcast and/or IT maintenance engineering. Preference will be given to a degree in Computers or Electrical Engineering.
Must possess good oral and written
communications skills as well as good interpersonal skills.
Must be competent with Broadcast digital
formats including Serial Digital, SD, HD, DVB/ASI, and digital file formats such as Mpeg
2.
Must have a working knowledge of video and
broadcast fundamentals including broadcast digital video and digital audio.
Must understand digital video theory, digital
video files formats, and digital video distribution.
Must have a working knowledge of video editing
fundamentals including at least 2 years of Avid non-linear editing systems.
Must have at least 2 years of experience
working in IP including local area networking, file handling and protocol management as it
relates to the broadcast environment.
Must have at least 2 years of experience
working with Master Control Automation systems and content management systems.
Must be familiar with both Mac and Microsoft
operating systems, knowledge of technical design, construction, maintenance, and
operations of the aforementioned system and the test equipment and tools used there-in.
Must have a working knowledge of either
AutoCAD or Visio used in the documentation of our facilities.
Working knowledge of broadcast radio is a
plus.
To Apply: Send cover letter, resume and salary history to: OPB HR, 7140 SW Macadam Ave., Portland, OR 97219. Screening begins 11/24/06. www.opb.org Equal Opportunity Employer
Post Date: 10/3/2006
Job #: 1020
Job Title: RF Engineer
Location: U.S.
Job Description:
We seek an RF Engineer to assist in product development. Specific tasks are:
Designing/developing radio transmitter(s) to transmit synchronized pulse signals with
specific information embedded in the signal.
Designing/developing radio receiver(s) to receive synchronized pulse signals, heterodyne
input signal to higher frequency input, A/D conversion, and buffer input to FIFO. FPGA
possible.
Compensation is negotiable. Washington/Oregon location preferred, but will consider other
locations, especially western USA.
Job Title: Staff Engineer
Location: Southern Oregon
Post Date: 9/14/2006
SBE Job #: 967
Job Description:
Ability to take initiative, work unsupervised, quickly analyze and repair issues, learn
quickly and document all work required. This is a fast paced high pressure environment,
must be able to think and act professionally in emergency situations.
Job Title: Video Engineer
Location: Redmond, WA
Post Date: 10/3/2006
SBE Job #: 1009
Job Description:
Responsible for providing technical support for a wide range of broadcast video and
computer-based systems. Candidate will assist with system technical design as well as
providing operational solutions. Other responsibilities will include hands-on support,
Windows server configurations, preventative maintenance, modification and testing of these
systems. Must be self-motivated, demonstrate initiative, have excellent verbal and written
communication skills and be able to work well in a team environment.
Requires 5+ years experience in a broadcast television or Post-Production facility.
Minimum AS degree in electronics or computer science. Avid ACRS or ACWA or ACWE
certification is desirable, but not a requirement. Should have experience with AutoCAD,
MS-Word and MS-Excel and significant experience with digital audio and video signals. Must
be able to lift 25 lbs, work in confined areas and be willing to work weekends and
holidays.
Job Title: TV/Radio RF Broadcast Engineer
Location: Spokane, WA
Post Date: 10/17/2006
SBE Job#: 1052
Job Description:
* Radio/Television RF maintenance duties including television and radio transmitter,
microwave, tower, and wireless equipment.
* Some studio equipment repair.
Minimum Qualifications:
* Associate of Science in electronics and/or computer study
* Experience in RF-related industry desired
* Computer systems knowledge a plus
* Physically fit – low level tower climbing involved
* Valid driver’s license/good driving record
* Non-smoker
Job Title: Radio Chief Engineer
Location: USA
Post Date: 9/14/2006
Job #: 973
Job Description:
We are now accepting resumes for potential future openings. Knowledge of RF, IT and audio
required. AM DA experience desired.
Anyone can see the generic list of job openings on the national SBE site at http://www.sbe.org/cgi-bin/sbe_job_listing.pl?%20type=mem&goto=jl&access= . SBE Members can go to http://www.sbe.org/user_login/?RETURN_URL=http://www.sbe.org/cgi-bin/sbe_job_listing.pl?goto=jl and get all the details. Or, contact the SBE office at 317 846-9000. Please refer to the position you are interested in by Job Number.
Don't forget to check the Oregon Association of Broadcasters (OAB) Employment pages at http://www.theoab.org/jobs_radio.htm and http://www.theoab.org/jobs_tv.htm , as well as http://newradiostar.com/jobs.htm which lists the top 100 best places to look for jobs on the net.
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.
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.
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:
SBE-PDX http://www.broadcast.net/mailman/listinfo/sbe-pdx
EAS-OR http://www.broadcast.net/mailman/listinfo/eas-or
OR-ENG http://www.broadcast.net/mailman/listinfo/or-eng
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.
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.
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.
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.
Help you keep pace with our rapidly changing industry through involvement in local chapter meetings, industry tours, educational seminars and workshops, providing exposure to a steady network of specialized professionals.
Provide a forum for the exchange of ideas, the sharing of information with other broadcast engineers and industry people.
Give you national representation. To serve as a voice for you in the industry with governmental agencies and other industry groups.
Establish standards and recognition of professional education and training for broadcast engineering.
Promote the broadcast engineering profession to station management and federal agencies.
Advocate technical advancement of the industry.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
November 12 (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.
November 14 (Tuesday) Monthly Portland SBE Chapter 124 meeting, noon.
November 15 (Wednesday) Monthly Eugene SBE Chapter 76 meeting, 11:30 AM. See http://www.sbe76.org .
November 16 (Thursday) Monthly Medford SBE Chapter 141 meeting. See http://www.sbe141.org .
February 17, 2007 (Saturday) Salem Repeater Association's Salem Hamfair, better known as "Rickreall." Polk County Fairgrounds, in Rickreall, west of Salem where highways 99W and 22 cross. Doors open 9 AM, and it's $8 at the door, or $7 in advance and you don't have to stand in the rain. See http://www.qsl.net/w7sra/ .
SBE NATIONAL
9102 North Meridian Street, Suite 150
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Phone: 317-846-9000
Fax: 317-846-9120
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.
You can browse the database at http://www.sbe124.org/part_74/.
If you are not IN the
database,
you are NOT coordinated.
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.
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