FIRST AM IBOC INTERFERENCE COMPLAINT FILED

(From RadioWorld online http://www.radioworld.com/pages/s.0121/t.9436.html)

By Leslie Stimson, News Editor and Washington Bureau Chief for Radio World

        In what may be the first AM nighttime IBOC interference complaint filed with the FCC, WYSL(AM), Rochester, N.Y. claims adjacent channel IBOC noise from WBZ(AM), Boston is interfering with WYSL’s nighttime signal.

        WYSL operates DA-3, with 20 kW daytime, 13.2 kW critical hours and 500 watts at night on 1040 kHz. WYSL is licensed to Avon, N.Y., about 25 miles south of Rochester. Robert Savage owns WYSL; he tells me he also worked many years as a programmer in larger markets for larger group owners.

        CBS Radio’s WBZ operates unlimited hours DA-1 with 50 kW on 1030 kHz.

I        n his complaint, Savage is claiming adjacent-channel skywave to co-channel groundwave interference. The multi-page complaint includes an engineering affidavit from communications systems engineer and consultant Barry McLarnon.

        WYSL personnel spent more than 100 hours and drove more than 700 miles in field tests gathering data to back up its complaint, Savage said.

        In the complaint, Savage writes: "If allowed to continue unmitigated, the IBOC interference is likely to cause loss of advertising revenue and diminishment of WYSL’s market value as a broadcast property."

        Savage says he could potentially lose about $100,000 in nighttime ads for sports events this winter due to interference.

        Neither WBZ nor the FCC returned requests for comment.

        Key to this case is whether the alleged interference is within WYSL’s protected contour; WYSL says it is.

        This could be the first AM nighttime IBOC-related interference complaint the commission has received since stations were allowed to leave their digital transmitters on 24/7 on Sept. 14.

        Audio Division Chief Peter Doyle said in September that the agency had received no such complaints, and as of earlier this week, he said that hadn’t changed.

WYSL OWNER AND ENGINEER FRIENDS START ANTI-IBOC WEBSITE

http://www.stopiboc.com

ERRATIC INTERMOD PRODUCT FOUND BY PORTLAND FCC

        Portland FCC Office Resident Agent Binh Nguyen tracked down an erratic intermod product that had been clobbering Stonehenge Tower 455 MHz RPU receivers for weeks. No modulation or I.D. on the offending signal since it was SCADA data, which has a 1-2, 1-2-3, 1-2-3-4-5 cadence. Not something you want to hear capturing your traffic reporter live on the air. To add insult, it would move up and down the band, making squiggly noises as it went by.

        Turns out the data transmitter feeding a 10 dB omni antenna on 456.2 MHz was owned by the Oak Lodge Water District, and was combining with an FM 2-way repeater in the rack next to it. The transmitter got replaced and a new pass-reject filter installed. Case closed, thanks to Binh!

TRIBUTE TO IRV LAW, BSW FOUNDER

http://www.bswusa.com/IrvLaw.asp

LATEST WAY TO REPORT TOWER LIGHT OUTAGES

        For reporting instructions see https://oeaaa.faa.gov/oeaaa/external/content/lightOutageReporting.jsp . You'll need at least the ASR (antenna site registration) number, and information from the ASR will be helpful. They are only interested in non-functional top beacons or strobes.

        Then, check for your NOTAM (NOTice to Air Men) number at https://www.notams.faa.gov/dinsQueryWeb/. You'll need the ICAO airport code, which now have "K" in front of them. KPDX for Portland International, and KTTD for Troutdale airport, for example. It would be handy to have a printout attached to your station log.

A COOL WEBSITE ABOUT PORTLAND RADIO HISTORY

        http://www.pdxhistory.com/html/portland_radio.html

WOMAN TAKES A HAMMER TO COMCAST DELAYS

(From http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/10/17/AR2007101702359.html?sub=new).

        A 75-year old woman destroyed a few things in her local Comcast office after they screwed up her cable/phone/internet service…and ended up with Verizon phone service.

MCCAIN CALLS FOR MORE LOW POWER FM RADIO STATIONS

        Senators John McCain and Maria Cantwell have introduced an LPFM bill, the Local Community Radio Act of 2007 (S.1675). The bill removes third adjacency protections from the FCC's current
LPFM guidelines. http://mccain.senate.gov/press_office/view_article.cfm?id=7

MOTOROLA TO BUY 80% OF VERTEX

(From http://www.motorola.com/mediacenter/news/detail.jsp?globalObjectId=8909_8838_23 . Thanks to Mike Steiner KD6LVP for the tip.)

Transaction to Enhance Motorola’s 2-Way Radio Product Offering, Development Expertise and Channels to Market

SCHAUMBURG, Ill. and TOKYO, JAPAN 5 November 2007 -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE: MOT) announced today that its subsidiary, MI, Inc., will launch a tender offer to acquire a controlling interest in Vertex Standard Co., Ltd. (JASDAQ: 6821), a global provider of 2-way radio communication solutions. Upon successful completion of the tender offer and subsequent restructuring process, Motorola will own 80% of Vertex Standard and Tokogiken, a privately held Japanese company, controlled by Jun Hasegawa, current president and CEO of Vertex Standard, will retain 20%, forming a joint venture. On 5 November 2007, the Board of Directors of Vertex Standard expressed their support of the tender offer.

         "As a leading provider and pioneer in 2-way radio communication solutions, Motorola is an excellent strategic partner for our business," said Jun Hasegawa, president and CEO of Vertex Standard. "The joint venture will give Vertex Standard access to Motorola’s global distribution channels, presenting considerable opportunities for Vertex Standard to drive growth. We also expect to reduce costs, as we will benefit from Motorola’s global scale and resources. With Motorola, Vertex Standard will be stronger and better positioned to deliver new and innovative 2-way radio solutions for professionals and consumers around the world."

        "This joint venture will enable Motorola and Vertex Standard to deliver an enhanced combined product offering to new regions and customers worldwide," said Mark Moon, senior vice president of Motorola’s Government and Commercial Markets. "We are extremely pleased to announce this transaction, which will improve our ability to address the growing needs of our 2-way radio customers worldwide. We look forward to the continued leadership of Jun Hasegawa and making this new joint venture a success."

        The total purchase price for 80% of the outstanding shares on a fully diluted basis will be approximately ¥12.3 billion (approximately US $108 million).

        Vertex Standard is a leader within the Land Mobile Radio segment, where the company continues to demonstrate particular brand strength in high value, entry level solutions. The joint venture will develop and sell Vertex Standard branded products and develop select Motorola branded products. The Motorola brand will continue to focus on higher featured, higher tier products and continue to utilize existing Motorola distribution channels.

        The joint venture will expand and develop a comprehensive suite of products to address the rapidly growing demand for 2-way radio solutions. Vertex Standard’s strength in the Amateur, Marine and Airband (Avionics) segments will also provide Motorola with access to new business opportunities. In addition, Vertex Standard’s solutions are highly complementary with Motorola’s products and will add greater depth and breadth to Motorola’s Government and Public Safety business. The venture will also provide additional engineering talent for Motorola.

        Additional Transaction Details
Upon successful completion of the tender offer and subsequent planned restructuring, Vertex Standard will be de-listed from the JASDAQ. The joint venture company will continue to be called "Vertex Standard Co., Ltd" and will become a subsidiary of Motorola, with headquarters in Tokyo.

        Disasters and deadlines have dominated recent weeks. In California, over 800 square miles and 2000 homes went up in flames, while at least one TV station was gutted at San Diego’s San Miguel Mountain. We had relatives who were facing imminent evacuation from the Malibu and Witch Creek fires. 600,000 others actually were evacuated. We also took phone calls from the area which variously described the scene and a "war zone", and described the air quality as "almost unbreathable". The flames nearly reached the famous 200 inch Mt. Palomar Telescope, in northern San Diego County.

        Meanwhile, we were putting the finishing touches on dozens of full-power NCE applications, as the LONG awaited Filing Window was drawing to a close. Ironically, a few of the applications that we were preparing were in areas that were burning at that very moment.

        This Filing Window is making history. As far as we can determine, there has never been a greater quantity of data uploaded to the FCC in a one week period, in their history. The 2003 translator window will stand as the largest number of applications filed in one window - 13,000 - but those were skeletal "short forms", with few attachments. We’re projecting that about 25 terabytes of data was uploaded in 10½ days.. The load was so overwhelming that the CDBS online filing system crashed at least twice, with the FCC reluctantly extending the window for 2 ½ days after the first crash. No new CDBS databases were issued for two full weeks, and the estimated 5000 applications that were filed still have not appeared, now 10 days after the close of the window. At this point, anyone filing for anything in the range of 88.1 to 92.5 MHz is flying blind, since any number of unknown prior Window filings might affect it.

        As in 2003, the vehicle of the filing window, combined with a long drought (in this case - 7 years have passed since there was an opportunity to file for new NCE stations), combined to create a gigantic feeding frenzy of activity. Every available Consulting Engineer and Communications Attorney with ties to non-commercial radio was working 14-17 hour days for weeks and even months on end, leading up to the Window. Even with the last-minute imposition of a filing limit of 10, we expect that 75 to 80% of the filings will be by religious broadcasters.

        On several occasions we have discussed the many problems inherent in filing windows with FCC staff and officials. Invariably, the reply was be that the Commission is mandated to auction commercial spectrum and use some sort of point system for non-commercial spectrum. ‘How else can this be achieved, without filing windows?’, they ask. Admittedly, the answers are not easy. Yet once again the FCC may have been overconfident on how well their servers could hold up to the onslaught, and how many (or few) applications might be filed. At the very least, after such a long drought, the NCE Window should have been split up - perhaps using 4 or more regional filing windows, as was done with Low Power FM.

        Of course the TV folks can just chuckle at our grousing about a 7 year NCE-FM drought. The last time an entity could apply for a new full-power TV station was 1987.