Past Presentations

November 2024

 

Stu Paterson, Account Manager, AK, OR, WA, North ID, West MT

 

 

Streamlining Broadcast AV Systems Control with Symetrix: Scripting, GPIO and Endpoints.

 

Scott ‘Stu’ Paterson – A working musician most of his life, Stu was active in the Seattle scene throughout the 90s, though his true passion was technology and ‘how stuff works.’ He has been on both sides of the stage as a performer and a sound engineer. During this period, Stu studied photography and electronics and then started repairing amps and pedals on the side for his friends and colleagues.  Eventually, this led him to invest full time in residential AV design and installation.

In 2006, Stu started working for LOUD Technologies Tech Support for the Ampeg/Mackie Brands as point of contact for both end users and service centers. In 2011, Stu became Artist Relations Manager for Ampeg and was tasked with maintaining brand awareness through endorsing artists, social media, and advertising.

In 2016, Stu joined Symetrix as a Software Test Engineer for the development of Composer® software and hardware. He began a series of promotions and expanded his duties, starting with Technical Sales Engineer in 2019, then Product Training Specialist in 2020, Technical Sales Manager in 2021, and most recently as Account Manager & Field Application Engineer for the Pacific Northwest.

 


October  2024

Get a PDF of the presentation: Davicom_SBE_ OCT_ 2024

Louis-Charles Cuierrier, B.Sc.EE

Director of Sales & Marketing

Davicom

 2272 Leon-Harmel | Quebec, QC, Canada | G1N 4L2

 

Davicom Remote Site Management Solutions: Introducing AXON/NEURO and CORTEX Series

 

 

Key Goals of this presentation:
  1. Increase Awareness of Remote Management Tools
    Learn about the cutting-edge solutions provided by Davicom, designed to help you efficiently and reliably manage your transmitter sites from anywhere.
  2. Explore Monitoring Strategies
    Discover various monitoring strategies to ensure smooth, uninterrupted operations of your broadcast infrastructure.
  3. Select and Optimize Your Management Strategy
    With the introduction of AXON/NEURO and the current CORTEX SERIES product lines, we’ll help you determine the best remote site management strategy tailored to your network architecture and budget, ensuring you get the most value from your investment.
About The Presenter:
Louis-Charles has been with Davicom since 2017 and he holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from Laval University. One of his first jobs with the company was to do a four-month internship with GS Broadcast Technical Services in Toronto where he had the opportunity to work at some of the city’s most iconic broadcast sites, such as the CN Tower.
Since 2020, Louis-Charles has been Davicom’s Director of Marketing and Sales.
He loves to help customers solve their remote-site management problems, and he excels at using the full power of Davicom’s products to resolve the most complex remote-control requirements.
 

 


September 2024

 

Ben Marth, Western Regional Sales Manager

Elenos/Broadcast Electronics

 

Ben’s primary topic was the B.E. TRE+, their program that manages data across all the multiple audio delivery methods – Analog FM – RDS, HD Radio®, streaming, mobile apps, station website……wherever your audio goes.

 

But, he’ll also touched upon their MDCL+, a rack-mount unit which works with just about any solid-state AM transmitter, by reducing transmitter power during periods when the program is louder and quickly recovers power during quiet periods.  Any increase in received noise is masked by the louder program content.

 

He also touched on the Elenos QuickBlock transmitter system, currently only for FM.

 

And finally, Perry Priestly talked about their TV transmitter products.

 

 


August 2024

Click here for the PowerPoint presentation

 

 

 

Guy Hadland

 

UniSoft® Corporation is a software company which specializes in the provision of encoding, transmission and monitoring products for broadcast and cable TV.

UniSoft offers an ATSC3.0 delivery system, integration/testing, technical consultancy services and datacast solutions.

 


July 2024

 

 

RF Transmission System Troubleshooting. Network Analysis

Steve Wilde KI6FEO, CEO, American Amplifier Technologies, Shively Labs, and SWE Services

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steve has worked in the broadcast communication industry for over 20 years. He is experienced in electrical engineering, tower construction & maintenance, and manufacturing. Steve holds a B.S. in electrical engineering.

 


June 2024

Broadcast Software International product showcase

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Broadcast Software International has been providing affordable, scalable, and powerful software-based solutions for radio broadcasting for nearly 30 years! Experience the intuitive and cost-effective solutions that have earned BSI the trust of broadcasters worldwide.

 

Presented by Jonathan Wallace and Marie Summers

 

Jonathan is highly technical professional, relatively new to the radio industry. He is the frontline in providing support and training for all BSI products.

Broadcast Support Technician

Cumulus Media / Broadcast Software International

O: 541-795-5197

 

Marie is an experienced General/Sales Manager for BSI, with over 26 years in the radio broadcasting industry.

Sales Manager

Cumulus Media / Broadcast Software International

541-338-8588 Ext. 1001

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Established in 1995, Broadcast Software International (BSI) embarked on a mission to redefine radio automation by harnessing the power of non-proprietary hardware and Microsoft Windows technology. Since then, BSI has evolved to provide a diverse range of radio automation options tailored to suit every station’s unique needs.

Headquartered in Eugene, Oregon, our software is proudly developed in the United States, ensuring reliability and innovation at every step.

 


May 2024

Nevion (Sony) “The architects of virtualized media production.”

 

 

 

Jason Eshuis
Account Manager
Key Code Media | 206-870-0244
Direct: 503-917-4546

 

 

 

 

 

Jason has a wealth of experience in the IT industry. He holds certifications in Extron AV, VizRT Sales, and is currently studying for his CTS certification. Jason’s versatile background includes roles in marketing and non-profit sectors. His expertise lies in helping clients achieve their desired outcomes through tailored solutions and strategic guidance.

 

David DeBuhr

Account Manager

Sony Electronics – Professional, Networked Solutions Division

 

 

 

 

 

David DeBuhr is an experienced Account Manager at Sony Electronics’ Professional Solutions within their Networked Solutions division. David brings over thirty years of experience implementing industry leading media technologies with a current focus on IP video broadcast solutions for contribution, remote production and live events to Sony’s eSports, Production, Telco and Government partners.

 

 

Keith Bickford | Solution Architect

Imaging Products & Solutions – Americas (IPSA)

Sony Electronics Inc.

201-400-6871

Keith.bickford@sony.com

 

 

 

Keith has been in the broadcast industry for the past 13 years, starting in local television in Portland, Maine – where he is originally from.  He’s worked at EVS Broadcast Equipment for over 10 years, specializing in file-based workflows, expanding his specialty into SMPTE 2110 Routing solutions.  For the last year, he has been at Sony working with IP Routing workflows, specializing in their Nevion offerings.

 

For over 20 years, Nevion has been providing award-winning, mission-critical, real-time media transport and processing solutions to broadcasters, telecom service providers, governmental agencies and other industries.

Their core competencies are designing, developing, deploying and supporting Software Defined Technologies that bring virtualization capabilities, enabling their customers to become more agile, productive and ultimately more competitive. 

 


April 2024

No presenter, so it was a chance to network.

 


March 2024

Brad Fisher of ReveLux

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brad Fisher

Vice President, Sales

ReveLux

brad@revelux.com | www.revelux.com

Large LED displays

 

 

Brad Fisher is Vice President of sales for ReveLux, a display manufacturer based in Nixa, Missouri, specializing in large-screen LED systems, commercial LCD and broadcast monitoring displays.  Brad’s career in the broadcast industry dates back to 1998 when he joined Portland-based Professional Video and Tape as a regional account manager.  After PV&T, Brad joined Ross Video where he served as account manager for the Pacific Northwest and Western Canada.  Between 2008 and 2023, Brad was Sr. Account Manager for Diversified (Diversified Systems/DSI) covering accounts in the Pac-NW along with professional and collegiate sports facilities throughout the western U.S.  Brad joined ReveLux in April of 2023.  Brad lives in Longview, Washington.

 

 


February 2024

Thanks to Inovonics for buying us all lunch!

You can watch the recording of this presentation at https://youtu.be/c6tUl_ezTWQ?si=Bo94A43chjoLIkxk

On their new triple receiver https://www.inovonicsbroadcast.com/product/677

 

 


January 2024

There was no presentation this month.  Eight of us had lunch and traded stories.

 


December 2023

Annual Holiday Lunch!  No presenter, all networking.

The Chapter picked up the tab.

Thanks to Telos Alliance, RF Specialties, and BSW for the door prizes, one of which was only for SBE members.

 

 

Robbie Robinson NG7U holds the SBE Member-only prize donated by BSWUSA, a Shure SM7dB microphone.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


 

November 2023

Comrex: Unbreakable Connectivity

 

SBE124 November 2023 meeting attendees

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Chris Crump, Director of Sales

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the mid-2000s, the idea of using IP transmission for a remote broadcast or on-air contribution was usually dismissed as “not ready for prime time” or “not as reliable as ISDN.” A lot has changed in terms of technology and infrastructure over the past 20 years making it not only practical but necessary to utilize wired and wireless IP data networks, including the public Internet, for not just contribution links but even studio to transmitter links.

 

Yet, IP links can be fraught with peril when used for producing live content to air.  Fortunately, technology can be our friend. With the right gear in your remote bag and armed with some special tips and tricks, any broadcast can be protected from the ravages of the public Internet. Chris Crump will share some keys for success, from over 30 years of broadcast experience, to ensure “unbreakable connectivity” for your remotes or STL links.

 

Chris Crump has served as the Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing for Comrex since 2004.  In 1987, he began his professional radio career at ABC/Cap Cities Detroit before taking the Features Editor position at MediaBase Research/Monday Morning Replay. On-air, remote broadcast engineer, Creative Services Director roles followed for Capitol Broadcasting (subsequently Paxson Communications) in Orlando and the Ron & Ron Radio Network in Tampa/St. Petersburg.  In 1996, Crump moved to the manufacturing side of the broadcast business performing sales & marketing roles for Spectral, Inc., Euphonix, Symetrix and Klotz Digital America.  Crump resides in Buford, Georgia (outside of Atlanta) with his wife Seval, 18 year-old daughter Zara (currently enrolled at University of Illinois-Chicago), their Affenpinscher Olive and Chihuahua Nugget.  He is a CBNE certified member of SBE Chapter 5 in Atlanta as well the Scoutmaster of Troop 5597 in Dacula, GA.

 

Since their incorporation in 1961, Comrex has been in the vanguard of technical development, making use of new and innovative technologies for radio and television well before they hit the mainstream.

Their ACCESS and BRIC-Link IP audio codecs make use of sophisticated audio transmission technology to ensure reliable broadcasts over challenging IP networks.

They then used their years of experience in IP to develop their CrossLock tools to handle the unique demands of transmitting video, with the development of their LiveShot IP video technology.

Throughout it all, they have continued to refine their telephone hybrid technology with products like VH2, and break new ground with products like Opal.

 


October 2023

Kevin Broce – Key Account Manager, Lawo

 

Based in Los Angeles, California, Kevin manages Key Accounts and West Coast Sales for Lawo.  Kevin’s experience includes a mixture of FOH and Monitor engineering, live event and broadcast equipment rentals, and business development for some of the industry’s top manufactures.

 

Biplab Ghosh – Technical Manager – Presales Engineering, Lawo

 

Based in Toronto, Canada, Biplab oversees Lawo’s North American System Presales Engineering and System Consulting team.  Biplab is CCNA and AWS Certified and provides the bulk of Lawo’s Media Infrastructure technical designs for North America.  With a strong knowledge of IP infrastructure, workflows, and technology, Biplab has worked on some of Lawo’s largest installations and projects.

 

“We enable World Class Content Production by Leading Innovation in Media Infrastructure, Cloud and Workflow Solutions.”  State of the art technology, outstanding service and reliability are what we deliver to our customers.

This year, Lawo is releasing our new IP video processing platform, HOME Apps.  Initially consisting of Multiview, Up / Down / Cross, Transcode and Graphics insertion, HOME Apps are software microservices that run on COTS Servers, in the cloud, on premise, or a mixture of both.  In conjunction with our .edge IP gateway, audio solutions, and VSM Control System, Lawo provides a uniquely open, scalable and broad set of IP solutions.

We invite you to join us for an introduction to Lawo and our solutions, as well as a broader discussion of ST-2110, Ravenna, AES67, NMOS, and wherever else our gathering takes us.

 

 

Celebrating our 53th Anniversary this year, Lawo is a world leader in broadcast engineering and a manufacturer of the industry’s most reliable and advanced Broadcast Audio, Video and Control solutions.  Lawo has a portfolio of broadcast solutions including Production Audio Consoles, Radio Consoles, a Broadcast Control System, and Media Infrastructure and Processing.  Openness is our core philosophy, not only in the way we conduct business, but how we have developed our technologies. Lawo believes in working with our partners to standardize how we integrate and deliver our technologies, and, to this end, we are actively participating with the VSF (Video Service Forum), AMWA (Advanced Media Workflow Association), NMA (New Media Alliance) and are one of the founding members of AIMS (The Alliance for IP Media Solutions).  You’ll find Lawo enabling production from your local church or radio broadcaster all the way to the world’s largest productions, include Olympics, Formula One and Word Cup.  

 


September 2023

Presentation as a PDF at AM Power Savings with NX, MDCL and XPN-AM

 
Jeff Wilson, Western Sales, Nautel,
 
 
and Mike Pappas W9CN, Vice President – Business Development, Orban Labs, Inc.
 
 

AM Power Savings utilizing MDCL @ -6 with the Nautel NX Series and the ORBAN XPN-AM Processor

 
 

 

Jeff started his career in Broadcasting as a board-op in 1985 and held many on-air positions at radio stations before moving to the manufacturing side in 1995. With Nautel since 2018, Jeff serves the Western region of the US.

Mike’s technical experience spans several decades, including roles in broadcast engineering, recording, government communications, and railway communications. Mike joined DaySequerra in 2015 as VP of Business Development and has assisted this forward-thinking and progressive company in the development of new products, new markets and new business opportunities. In 2016, DaySequerra acquired Orban Labs, Inc., one of the broadcast industry’s best-known names in audio processing. Mike has been heavily involved in Orban Labs since the acquisition, helping to steer the development and market opportunities for a dozen new products. He has installed all of Orban’s beta sites for the new XPN-AM audio processor, and has developed specialized field testing methodology for MDCL operations at different AMC levels. Mike is proud to be part of this revitalization of Orban as it again leads the way in audio processing for radio, TV, and Internet.

 


August 2023

Angry Audio

Innovative solutions for problems you might not have known were fixable.

 

Michael “Catfish” Dosch, Founder and Owner

 

Cornelius Gould, Chameleon Developer

 

Together they have built an entirely new product line called Chameleon.  The first audio processor that relies on the program content to determine how to process it.  Current audio processors require a golden ear, IT competency and a lot of time and patience to set up.  The Chameleon does all that tweaking based on the music coming in – delivering a consistent program level with big sound and great presence.  There are currently three models in production, with several more just around the corner.

 

Michael Dosch is the founder and owner of Angry Audio. Known by his friends as “Catfish,” he is one of the broadcast industry’s most prolific product designers. He is probably best known for his work as founder/president of Axia (Telos) where he led the team that introduced AoIP into broadcast. Angry Audio was a side project where Catfish could create some small problem-solving products more for fun than profit. But demand was far greater than expected and he soon devoted his full time energy to it. In 2020, Angry Audio acquired the company formerly known as Radio Systems and continues to manufacture the popular StudioHub line of products alongside the Angry Audio offerings. 

 

Cornelius Gould is a radio veteran, using his uniquely resonant voice on the mic for several stations in the Cleveland market, as well as many others and several streams beyond the OTA coverage area.  But he’s a bit of a geek as well, and in fact, he’s a rocket enthusiast in his spare time.  This geekness led him into engineering roles at the stations, and he gravitated towards getting the most out of the signal he had to work with.  Eventually he became part of the development team at Omnia, and was instrumental in designing the Omnia.11 and Volt products.  Taking everything he has learned over the years and programming it into a chip is his latest project.

High Quality Audio over IP

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Brittany Hilton, Digigram

With Brian Walker, Broadcast Supply Worldwide

They will discuss applications and selecting the right product to meet different needs.  A few of Digigram’s applications include Remote & Contribution, Production, and Audio Distribution, all over IP.

 

Teams at Digigram have 35 years of experience serving the audio pro-industry with passion, enthusiasm, and a bold spirit. Their talents are fully dedicated to making the pro audio world simpler. To achieve this, they team up with clients and partners to push back the tech boundaries, leading to edge-cutting innovations and smart solutions.


Perry Priestley, Chief Sales Officer, Broadcast Electronics

Pam Leffler, Regional Sales Manager, Broadcast Electronics

 

 

 

This technical presentation describes the effort by B.E. and the Elenos Group to design the ultimate transmitter. It covers detailed design aspects of revolutionizing how the broadcast industry operates.

 

 

 

 

 

Perry Priestley has worked in the professional broadcast industry for over 49 years. He joined Broadcast Electronics in June 2019 in the position of Chief Operating Officer and now is the Chief Sales Officer. Previously he held the position of CEO at Anywave Communication Technologies Inc. He has also held positions in Sales and Business Development with Linear Industries Brazil, Ibiquity Digital Corporation (now Xperi), Thales-France (now Thomson Broadcast), EEV-Marconi, and Philips (Pye TVT) in the UK. Perry has presented at over 200 technical broadcast conferences worldwide, has been the lead commercial coordinator in notable projects around the world, and has been a significant contributor to many new product releases in the radio and television broadcast market.

Perry earned a Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics from Cambridge University, England, and a Higher National Diploma (HND) in Telecommunications from Cambridge College of Technology.

We would appreciate it if you were to join SBE, because membership has its benefits!

 


 

 

Kirk Harnack KD5FYD, Senior Solutions Consultant, Telos Alliance

Hosted by Buck Waters, Broadcasters General Store

 

Real Radio Hosts Working Virtually, How Real Humans Work with Containerized Broadcast Systems

Brief Summary

Containerized broadcast systems are now on-the-air in a variety of radio stations. Is human talent adapting? Do they even have to?

Description

Radio broadcasters have been anticipating their eventual deployment of virtualized broadcast software as part or most of their studio and backend infrastructure. A few radio stations and radio networks have already moved to a largely virtualized infrastructure while others are in the process now. The virtues of virtualization have been the topic of several dozen professional presentations ranging from manufacturers’ revelations to scholarly presentations. 

With some systems on-air now, it’s time to ask, “What is working differently or the same – for broadcast engineers and for on-air talent?”  

This SBE Chapter presentation asks that question and presents answers from broadcast engineers, broadcast IT professionals, and on-air talent.

 


There was no presenter, so it was a chance to network over lunch.

 


You can watch this presentation on YouTube at https://youtu.be/uBgThMrN92w

 

 

Cris Garcia, Sales Manager – Western Region, Cobalt Digital

 

Founded by Gene Zimmerman in 1997 and based in Champaign, Illinois, privately held Cobalt Digital designs and manufactures award-winning 12G/3G/HD/SD conversion, throwdown, and multiviewer technology for the production and broadcast television environments. To them, signal processing is about more than just powerful processing and system capabilities. Just as important are scalable, cost-effective, real-world solutions that not only meet today’s demands but adapt to tomorrow’s challenges. They believe that a scalable, space efficient and flexible approach to terminal equipment and systems offers the best value and choice without compromising ease of integration, features, or economy. They call it Engineering Beyond the Signal™, and it’s that philosophy that guides everything they do.

 

 


 

January 2023

Beam Dynamics David Kaszycki, CEO/Co-Founder Beam Dynamics

Beam is a technology platform that links product-level data from hundreds of sources to broadcast & production technology assets, in the cloud. We have early rollouts with Hearst, NEP Group and Graham Media Group, with plans to roll out to other broadcast groups in early 2023.
 

 


 

December 2022

Annual Holiday Party!                                           No program, and the Chapter picked up the tab. Thanks to the Telos Alliance, Harrington Aerial, and Nautel for donating door prizes.  


 

November 2022

 

Tee Thomas, Western Sales Manager, Anywave Communication Technologies, and David Neff, General Manager, Anywave Communication Technologies

  • Single Frequency Networks and on-channel repeaters
  • Discussion of the Portland ATSC 3.0 system (focus on the on-channel repeaters and how used)
  • Introduction of the new 7X exciter with scheduler and gateway (Advantages over multi-vendor approach)
  • New Marble transmitters (Refined performance, latest transistors, coolest operation, small footprint and lowest operational cost)

  Tee Thomas worked in the professional broadcast industry for over 50 years. As a young boy with a friend’s dad, Tee began working in WKLO-AM radio broadcast studios changing tubes. Tee began experimenting with antenna design and transmitter assembly as an amateur radio operator in his teens. Tee became a general class amateur operator at 12. Tee earned a first-class FCC licensed Engineer at 13. Also, at 13 Tee helped in rebuilding WKLO-AM 4-tower antenna phaser systems. Tee graduated New Albany High school and Prosser Vocational where he studied Broadcast electronics. While in High School, WNAS, the high school radio station, performed a rebuild allowing added training for him. After High school he spent time in the audio recording industry in Nashville, TN, and Charlotte NC before joining the U.S. Army. After the Army Tee received an Associate Degree in Communication Electronics with a Physics minor from Indiana Vocational Technology College. While attending college, he worked in the Cable industry and freelanced as a radio engineer. Tee entered TV engineering in 1986 as the Engineer-In-Charge for the construction WCLJ in Indianapolis. He has experience building and rebuilding multiple studios and Transmitter for both TV and Radio. He has built over one hundred broadcast facilities, two hundred Cable plants and many other electronics communication projects. Tee has held positions as IT support, Electronic Engineer and Technical Support for different companies throughout the U. S. A.     David Neff has been a part of the broadcast and electronic media industry for over 35 years. He started his career as a station engineer at WTOV in Steubenville, OH, and then held design engineering and technical positions with Tektronix, Inc., Harris Corporation, and General Electric. He joined the small startup ITS Corporation as a Product Manager in 1986. He then helped to grow the company from an exciter and small transmitter company through various names and ownership groups (ITS, ADC-ITS, and Axcera), and into a major transmitter company with a broad line of transmitters at all power levels with worldwide sales. He served as president of Axcera for 11 years. David earned a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering Technology from Point Park University, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Syracuse University. He has presented at many technology conferences in the US and worldwide. He holds one US patent.  

 


 

October 2022

You can watch the presentation at https://youtu.be/587dqg17KzU  

Jay Gedanken | Director of Sales and Marketing, Media Excel

Jay talked about Multi Camera synchronization with arbitrary delays on the cameras, as well as transcoding. Media Excel is no newcomer to digital video and is an industry leader in encoding, transcoding and decoding. The HERO family of products are flexible, high performance, cost effective and robust. with many different configurations to fit your specific requirements. Jay Gedanken has been involved in Digital Video since its commercial inception, around 25 years starting with MPEG 1 to the current technology H.265, often referred to as HEVC.  His focus has been on encoding, decoding, and transcoding either for storage or transmission over a variety of networks be it IP, cloud, satellite, terrestrial, or virtually any pipe.  His background also includes systems design, systems integration and installation as well as Pro Audio and Live video production.  

 


 

September 2022

Annual BBQ Sponsored by Shively Labs and Stonehenge Tower  


 

August 2022

 

Tieline

Doug Ferber, VP Sales – Americas, Jacob Daniluck, Technical Sales Specialist – Americas The phase out of POTS and other trends in audio transport.  The progress of the Gateway line of studio codecs as well as the ViA field codec and Report-IT app.  Also update on what we are seeing regarding broadcasting from home and remote setups


 

July 2022

Watch this presentation on YouTube at https://youtu.be/ZDA5KFXqUCs

Troubleshooting AoIP Networks

Broadcast engineers know how to troubleshoot, and at several levels. We understand systems-level, equipment-level, and component-level troubleshooting. We can also take an educated guess as to when the equipment is simply being used incorrectly.

Audio over IP (AoIP) for broadcast facilities is approaching its twentieth anniversary. Yet troubleshooting AoIP networks and systems remains rather mysterious for many engineers. The techniques for identifying, locating, and fixing “trouble” are different than for legacy audio systems.

This presentation will introduce the concepts and techniques that broadcast engineers need to know in order to maintain Audio over IP networks.  We’ll demystify the critical aspects of multicast audio, examine packet handling and prioritization, and cover the most common faults that lead to audio problems in AoIP networks.

Kirk Harnack KD5FYD, Senior Solutions Consultant for the Telos Alliance, and Director of Engineering for the 11-station Delta Radio Network

Kirk Harnack, CBNE, CBRE, brings 40 years of hands-on experience in broadcast engineering and education to his position as Senior Solutions Consultant at the Telos Alliance. His expertise in putting technology to work in broadcast facilities has driven notable expansion in Audio over IP, VoIP for broadcast, audio processing, and virtualized technology adoption by content creators.

Kirk maintains an active, hands-on role in broadcast engineering through his positions as a partner and VP-Engineering of South Seas Broadcasting, Inc., Delta Radio, LLC, and Kaua’i Broadcast Partners, totaling 14 AM and FM radio stations.  He is a Broadcast Meteorologist (WSMV, Nashville), fixed-wing private pilot, FAA Part 107 SUAS pilot, and licensed General Class Amateur Radio operator (KD5FYD). He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, and is Program Chair of SBE Chapter 103 in Nashville.

Kirk founded and hosts the Internet video netcast, “This Week in Radio Tech” or “TWiRT”.  This 1-hour weekly video netcast, features regular contributors and guests from the world of radio engineering.

 


 

June 2022

 

Orban – Processing 101:  What to do, and what not to do.

Live, and In-Person:  Michael J. Pappas W9CN, Vice President – Business Development, Orban Labs, Inc., and Jamie Singer KJ7JCA, Sales, BSW Mike’s technical experience spans several decades, including roles in broadcast engineering, recording, government communications, and railway communications. Mike joined DaySequerra in 2015 as VP of Business Development and has assisted this forward-thinking and progressive company in the development of new products, new markets and new business opportunities. In 2016, DaySequerra acquired Orban Labs, Inc., one of the broadcast industry’s best-known names in audio processing. Mike has been heavily involved in Orban Labs since the acquisition, helping to steer the development and market opportunities for a dozen new products. He has installed all of Orban’s beta sites for the new XPN-AM audio processor, and has developed specialized field testing methodology for MDCL operations at different AMC levels. Mike is proud to be part of this revitalization of Orban as it again leads the way in audio processing for radio, TV, and Internet streaming.

 


 

May 2022

You can view a recording of the meeting at https://youtu.be/cu9QY4xzBqg

 

Inovonics:  RDS Practices

Ben Barber CEO/President

With more and more car receivers doing their own thing, station engineers are asking how best to present the information for the most consistent and cohesive experience in the dashboard.

Ben always liked taking things apart and seeing how they worked.  When his parents bought him a “Radio Shack 65-In-One Kit” at the age of 12, there was no looking back.  He took electronic classes in high school and college, and one of his first jobs was soldering patch bays at the local AM Radio station where he grew up.  That cemented it for Ben; a career in Electronics and Radio was his destiny.

Ben is now the President and CEO of Inovonics Incorporated, an innovative broadcast equipment manufacturer located in the Bay Area of California.

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

April 2022

Watch this presentation at https://youtu.be/gvz6bxw4Hpw

 

Apantac image signal processing equipment (a Portland company)

Brian Walker KI7ROX, Central Regional Manager, and Thomas Tang, President

     

Apantac LLC is a leading designer and developer of high quality, cost effective image signal processing equipment. The Apantac product line has been specifically designed to provide users with a flexible and innovative technology solution for image processing, and signal extension and processing.

 

 

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

March 2022

Watch the presentation at https://youtu.be/5WQwhAhLv-s

Live, and in-person:  Chris Crump KO4WGR, Comrex

WebRTC: The Future of Communications?

When Apple, Google, Microsoft and Mozilla team up, you might think, “Nothing good is going to come of this.” But then, you might be wrong. An Open-Source project is typically the last thing these tech behemoths would ever want to be involved in…let alone with their fiercest rivals. WebRTC is a fascinating example of how good things can be born of necessity and how they can foster cooperation on multiple levels. We’ll discuss the basics of WebRTC (Web Real Time Communications) and the multitude of applications that are already using it to change the way the world communicates.  This is especially important considering the rapid evaporation of our “traditional” telco infrastructure. We’ll also cover broadcast-specific applications and the future of live content creation.

Chris Crump has served as the Sr. Director of Sales & Marketing for Comrex since 2004.  In 1987, he began his professional radio career at ABC/Cap Cities Detroit before taking the Features Editor position at MediaBase Research/Monday Morning Replay. On-air, remote broadcast engineer, Creative Services Director roles followed for Capitol Broadcasting (subsequently Paxson Communications) in Orlando and the Ron & Ron Radio Network in Tampa/St. Petersburg.  In 1996, Crump moved to the manufacturing side of the broadcast business performing sales & marketing roles for Spectral, Inc., Euphonix, Symetrix and Klotz Digital America.  Crump resides in Buford, Georgia (outside of Atlanta) with his wife Seval, 16-year-old daughter Zara, their Affenpinscher “Olive” and Chihuahua puppy “Nugget.”  He is a CBNE certified member of SBE Chapter 5 in Atlanta, Technician Class Amateur Radio Operator (currently studying for the General) as well the Scoutmaster of Troop 5597 in Dacula, GA.

 


 

February 2022

This presentation can be viewed at https://youtu.be/e8mFv_l7B6M

Dan Glavin, Sales Manager, Dielectric

        The RFHawkeye is the first of its kind transmission line and antenna monitoring system. The RFHawkeye operates in real-time and at full-power during broadcast operation. This monitoring system operates independent of the broadcast transmitter and displays transmission system integrity in a time-domain like fashion to evaluate the performance of transmission line components and the performance trends over time.  


 

January 2022

This presentation can be viewed on YouTube at https://youtu.be/rQjnHzjyze0 Bert Goldman, Goldman Engineering Management, presented by SCMS The presentation discussed the technology and processes used by GeoBroadcast Solutions to design fully synchronized FM radio booster systems. he gave details on how their systems in Boston have improved coverage drastically in that market for three stations, he showed the layout of the system currently in place for 99.3 KDDS in Seattle, and he showed the design for the three-station, five node per station system currently under construction for San Francisco. Finally, he described what ZoneCasting is, and show some results of the testing underway in San Francisco. Bert is a technical consultant to GeoBroadcast Services. His company is Goldman Engineering Management. He’s part of the design team and also handles FCC compliance and applications. He’s been in broadcast engineering for over 40 years and has served as corporate VP of engineering for numerous radio groups over the years.

 


 

December 2021

  Our Annual Holiday Lunch!  

 

 

 


 

November 2021

 

Tony Peterle, Worldcast Systems

 

SmartFM

  SmartFM is a sophisticated, worldwide patented algorithm, or AI, which enables broadcasters to reduce their energy costs by up to 40% without any compromise on the audio quality and coverage.    

 


 

October 2021

Fred Baumgartner KØFMB was be our presenter. He is a Director for Next Gen Implementation at ONE Media 3.0 (Sinclair) based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Fred focused on Next Gen interactivity and advanced emergency alerting and informing.

 

 

 


 

September 2021

Paul Shulins, Shulins’ Solutions

Multi Station Transmission Site Monitoring: Beyond the station remote control

Today, many major TV and radio stations share common antenna sites often with complex combining networks that demand monitoring and protection beyond a simple remote control. To protect these significant investments, broadcasters need a proactive solution to not only provide next level of monitoring, logging and control, but a comprehensive VSWR system for maximum protection. While most modern transmitter have VSWR protection they only protect the transmitter, leaving the rest of the system exposed to costly damage.

Stellar Eclipse with our exclusive VSWR Sentinel is designed to protect and monitor these systems by constantly monitoring the VSWR on all inputs and outputs to the combiner system, refreshing these values many times every second. Anytime a VSWR is detected that exceeds a preset threshold, hard relay interlock relays are controlled that can open interlocks on connected transmitters. RF power is then removed from the system when an unsafe condition exists, thereby saving the systems from costly damage.

About Shulins’ Solutions

Shulins’ Solutions provides unique monitor, control and protection solutions for transmission sites, drone-based tower inspections and a full range of consulting services based on years of practical experience on the ground building and operating broadcast facilities. Shulins Solutions solves problems with an attention to detail that only comes from firsthand experience in the field.  All of our products and services come from the point of view of the user, and crafted with the passion of a lifelong broadcaster.

Shulins’ Solutions are built on three pillars:

  • Stellar Eclipse broadcast site monitoring platform providing a systems approach to monitoring and protection of RF systems from simple to complex featuring the exclusive VSWR Sentinel protection technology.
  • UAV Drone based tower structure surveys provide an indispensable tool to diagnose the health of RF systems and tower structures without the risk of climbing the tower.
  • Broadcast Technology Consulting to meet the demands of broadcasters specializing in remote control solutions, studio design and construction, antenna protection systems and ratings metrics.

The entire Shulins Solutions team of experienced broadcast professional stand ready to help you tackle even the most challenging problems.  Let us put our experience, knowledge and passion to work for you.

Meet Paul Shulins

Paul founded Shulins’ Solutions based on his passion for broadcasting and bring products and services to market that go beyond great specs and cool features to cover all the challenges you only know by being a chief engineer in the trenches. Pauls’ been there, done that and got the tee shirt!

Paul served as Vice President and Chief Technology Officer for Burk Technology and had been the Director of Technical Operations for Greater Media’s Boston, Massachusetts five FM Radio Stations for twenty-nine years. He has been a Chief Engineer for forty years – chances are good Paul has seen what you are seeing.

Paul has long lead technical innovation, sometimes even being on the “bleeding edge” with many firsts including one of the first major market studio consolidations in the late 90’s and early HD Radio® systems from the top of Boston’s Prudential Center.  Over the years he has designed and constructed many custom, on-air program playback systems and technical facility monitoring and control systems to address real world challenges that you just couldn’t solve with off the shelf products.

Paul is passionate about industry education, chances are you have read something he has written, frequent contributor to many industry publications, authored several chapters in the 11th edition of the NAB engineering handbook and a regular presenter at industry, NAB, IEEE and SBE events.

Paul earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of New Hampshire System with majors in physics, chemistry and natural sciences. He is a lifetime member of SBE and IEEE.

In his spare time (what’s that?) Paul is a private pilot, and enjoys astronomy, skiing, and photography, and operates his Arizona observatory remotely collecting deep sky images.

 

 


 

August 2020

PDF of the presentation here:  Staco_Evolution_of_Industrial_Batteries_2021 Recording of the Zoom session here:  https://us02web.zoom.us/rec/share/dC-WBxq5phbJ4K79a1-pTMq9Nlv0zInr0NW3tId7vxRYOcfLfqnTKfSyimPAS1qo.DJnRfENZfrsHvPZM Passcode: xVJJ==08   Chris Cleary, Sales Development Manager – Voltage Control Products Staco Energy Products Staco engineers and manufactures regulators, UPS, variable transformers, test stands, power factor correction, harmonic filters, and more in the United States. Chris discussed voltage regulation in broadcast facilities. Chris has over 20 years of sales and marketing experience with various power quality equipment manufacturers, including DEPCO and Staco.            

 


 

July 2020

 

Phil B. Larsen I Vice President

Airborne Division – QForce

qcom1.com

  QForce uses cutting edge unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV/UAS’s) and technologies to produce efficient, accurate and cost effective measurement solutions within the broadcast, telecommunications and defense RF environments.   If your station is part of the FCC REPACK project, this service is completely reimbursable to most of our customers, plus QCommunications (parent company to QForce) offers a 100% guarantee towards reimbursement.  This means that if by some chance that in the unlikely event the FCC will not reimburse the services, our customers are not out anything and all invoices collected to date will be returned and no further action will be taken. (This is after allowing QComm to work for correction prior).  We have a sound relationship working with the FCC and working within the Form 399 process.  We also offer the reimbursement submittal of your full Comprehensive Coverage Verification via Field Study to the FCC as an additional benefit to our customers.   Substantial amounts of RF data are collected by our systems, more than by historical means.  We produce quality Antenna Measurement Reports detailing the operation of your system as well as any issues that have been detected.  We also recommend ways of improving these issues.  Preliminary reports are available the day of the inspection and final report within 10 days, not weeks.   Reports include:

  • Findings and recommendations
  • Measured Radiation Patters (All Polarizations)
  • Measured Effective Radiated Power (ERP)
  • RF Coverage Predications based on measured data (optional)
  • Accuracy Estimates
  • Reviewed and Approved by an experienced and qualified Antenna Engineer.
  • Video/imagery of signal performing at in-field test locations via UHF antenna and receiver

                 


 

June 2020

Jay Gedanken, VP Sales & Business Development ·        Encoding/decoding ·        Transcoding ·        ATSC transmission ·        OTT/streaming For more than 10 years, we have been supplying encoders, transcoders and decoders to the broadcast industry. Our management has a strong background in compression development, formally holding very senior development positions at Thompson Broadcast.  Rather than a “one-size-fits-all” type design, we provide a highly configurable compression system. Special features are one of our specialties. We support audio as well as video.    


 

May 2020

 

Inovonics

HD Radio Time Alignment

Inovonics Justin 808

   


 

April 2021

  You can watch a 38-minute video recording of the presentation here.  

Nautel LookingGlass

Modulation monitoring has traditionally been a single-purpose device attached directly to the transmitter, usually via a sample port, or an off-air antenna with the associated inaccuracy of the tuner inside.

 Nautel LookingGlass looks to change the mindset of how a station analyzes modulation. It also gives you a host of tools to help all types of station personnel do their job better by providing a lot of data on your signal, or any signal in the FM band for that matter.

 LookingGlass is intended to be installed at the studio as an over-the-air modulation monitor, so it can “hear” everything from that location and then serve it out to its users. Everything from RDS logging, real-time audio analyzers, a myriad of oscilloscope options to view MPX, decoded L/R audio, pilot and quadrature, to recording the entire FM band at the RF level to capture a moment in time.

Please join Jeff Wilson and Alex Hartman from Nautel to experience the next evolution in signal monitoring with Nautel LookingGlass.

Jeff Wilson

Regional Sales Manager – Western US t 877.662.8835 x5151

m 217-653-8539

 


 

March 2021

Scott Fybush on Transmitter Site Pictures and History Take one average kid from the suburbs… Raise him a few hundred yards from three AM directional arrays… Immerse him in the history of broadcasting… Hire him at stations like WCAP in Lowell, R News in Rochester, and, oh yeah, WBZ in Boston…. Give him a column that covers everything there is to report about radio and TV in the Northeast… Drive him to thousands of radio and TV towers and studios from coast to coast… …and look what happens! Scott Fybush lives, breathes, sleeps and eats North American radio and television. It’s not always a very nutritious diet, to be sure. But for the last decade and then some, it’s been his project to learn everything there is to know about the media – and then to try to make it better. 2012 Tower Site Calendar              

 


 

February 2021

Nick vanHaaster, Regional Sales Manager, GatesAir

  • Making the Most of your Tech Infrastructure
  • Point to Point OR High Density – You Pick?
  • Introducing: Ascent Media Gateway | The STL Codec for both Audio & Video

We learned about what signal distribution challenges other broadcasters are experiencing, what connection types are available today, and how A/V is being distributed in the most cost efficient manner.

 


 

January 2021

Tony Sollars, CTOO, Roland, Schorr, & Tower

  • Seven layers of Cyber Security
  • Perimeter Security
    • NextGen Firewalls, VPNs, DNS Protection
  • Ransomware and the Inside Look at a Cyber Attack
  • Industry Statistics about how Security affects Small and Medium businesses
  • Business Continuity – The Why of data backups and disaster recovery
  • Who is Roland Schorr and how we can help

“Roland Schorr & Tower is [a] Managed Services Provider. We provide ongoing IT support and solutions to our clients which include law firms, financial companies, medical practices, construction companies, real estate offices, non-profits, and engineering firms. We love providing world class customer service and get a kick out of implementing the latest technologies while seeing our clients succeed.”

 


 

December 2020

 

Sennheiser Headphones and Earbuds

Brian Walker, Customer Development/Applications Engineering, Sennheiser

Sennheiser makes dozens of models of headphones, headsets, and earbuds from $30 to $59,000!
 

 


 

November 2020

 

Inovonics

Gary Luhrman – Sales & marketing Manager, and Ben Barber – President & CEO
 
They had a quick review of Inovonics and what kinds of solutions they offer to Radio Engineers and then had a more in-depth discussion of Inovonics´ Remote Monitoring Solutions. They presented the concept behind their INOmini SiteStreamer for remote monitoring and how it may be used. Then they discussed their new SOFIA family of SiteStreamer+ products which take the SiteStreamer concept to a new level. This was presented in a powerpoint presentation and live demos.

 

Inovonics logo

 


 

October 2020

 

Benjamin L. Nemser WA4DZS, CEO, Nemal Electronics Intl. Inc.

A live demo of fiber termination, cleaning, and testing by their Director of Engineering. You could ask any questions in advance or at the time of the demo.  


 

September 2020

 

360 Systems Webinar

Bill Porter, Partner/Sales Manager, NBRI Technology Inc.

360 Systems TSS Servers 2019

360 Systems TSS-2470 II Low Res Flyer

360_TSS-1080P_FLYER_V1_4

2283_VTH_flyer_v4

  360 Systems logo

 


 

August 2020

 

Nick vanHaaster, Regional Sales Manager, GatesAir

GatesAir Show & Tell

Show: Brief snapshot of what GatesAir would have shown at NAB, new releases, and continued improvements for Intraplex, and Radio/TV solutions.

Tell: What to plan for in 2020…feedback from broadcasters across the country about what matters the most in the days of Covid-19.  How to plan for the future and improve operating costs immediately.

There will be a virtual door prize for all video attendees.

 

GatesAir logo    


 

July 2020

Tieline,

Doug Ferber, VP Sales, Americas, and Jacob Daniluck, Tech Sales Expert

All about Tieline “The Codec Company” and their products, and how their products make it easier to broadcast from home, or anywhere for that matter.

 

Tieline logo Douglas E. Ferber (Doug) has been involved in the Media and Communications industries for over 35 years. He began his career as an entry level sales trainee for Bonneville International Corporation in 1984 at KIRO-AM/TV in Seattle Washington . He completed his MBA from Southern Methodist University in 1989 and went on to work as an Account Executive for Capital Cities/ABC Radio in Dallas, Texas. In 1994 Doug was recruited by Interep National Radio Sales to open and manage the Southwest Regional Office in Dallas for a dedicated representation company for Infinity Radio. As Infinity grew and eventually merged with CBS/Westinghouse, so grew the needs for national representation. Doug was promoted and brought to New York to become Vice President and General Manager where he was responsible for the national revenue budget for the former Westinghouse group acquired by CBS. These stations included huge heritage stations such as WINS-AM, KDKA-AM, KYW-AM, and WBZ-AM. Since 1998 Doug has been brokering media properties and has closed more than 100 deals valued at approximately $400,000,000. He has been invited to speak on various panels at industry trade functions on the subjects of company and industry values, the state of the capital markets, and the availability and cost of capital. DEFcom Advisors, LLC as a Media Financial and Operations Consultancy Company was founded in 2009. From 2003 until 2010 Doug was an Adjunct Professor at the University of Texas-Dallas. He taught a graduate level class in Sales Management and received excellent reviews.    Jacob Daniluck is the Tieline Sales Specialist for the Americas. He has been at Tieline for over 10 years now, before Tieline he was a board operator/technician at a local Indianapolis radio station for four years. At Tieline he works closely with each of their customers and helps tailor a solution to fix their specific needs. His background is specifically in real-time delivery (RTP, RTMP, SIP, SRT, WebRTC, AES67, etc…) over the public internet.    


 

June 2020

Bob Tarsio, CEO, BDI

Bob Tarsio, Presdent/CEO, Broadcast Devices

Pt. 1     RF Power Measurement Accuracy Specifications and How They are Derived

Pt. 2    Basic Primer on SNMP – Simple Network Management Protocol and How it is Implemented with BDI Products

Pt. 3     Multiplex over AES – A New Method for Feeding an FM Exciter – Using Proper Methods for Best Results

  Since February 2002, Bob Tarsio has been president/CEO of Broadcast Devices, Inc. a manufacturer of audio and radio frequency monitoring products for the broadcast, professional audio, industrial, tactical radio systems, and scientific markets. BDI was co founded in 1985 by Mr. Tarsio and Mr. Frank Burgert. Mr. Tarsio is presently the sole owner of the company. Mr. Tarsio has been involved in the communications/electronics industry since 1975. He has worked as a director of engineering and chief engineer for firms including the Highland Broadcasting Corporation, and Viacom Broadcasting. Mr. Tarsio spent twenty years at Viacom – the majority of that time as director of engineering for WLTW FM in New York City. In his last four years at Viacom, Mr. Tarsio was director of engineering of new technology development at the corporate level, reporting the chief technology officer of the company. While with the radio division, Mr. Tarsio was in charge of studio and transmitter design and development including R.F. combiner systems. Mr. Tarsio was involved with digital television development for Viacom and its subsidiaries. Mr. Tarsio holds a Bachelor of Science/Physics from Pace University, and is a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, and the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers. Broadcast Devices, Inc. incorporated in 1985 is a privately held manufacturer of electronic products for the broadcast, professional audio, industrial RF, and scientific industries and offers technical services to the electronics communications industry. For more information about the company and its products visit www.Broadcast-Devices.com    


 

May 2020

Presented by Buck Waters of Broadcasters General Store:

Telos Alliance Chairman of the Board and Founder of Omnia Audio, Frank Foti, and Telos Alliance U.S. Director of Western Radio Sales John Bisset held a Triple-play Virtual SBE Meeting for PortlandEugene, and Medford.

Frank Foti, founder of Omnia Audio, and Chairman of the Board of The Telos Alliance, spoke on “Sonically, what sets one style of processor apart from another, and how it affects time spent listening.”

This was a ZOOM meeting, permitting an interaction between SBE members and Frank. Frank Foti and his small-gauge steam engine  


 

April 2020

 

Eric Dausman KD7DNM, Senior VP, Public Media Group

Eric Dausman headshot  

Sutro Tower Re-pack Project

Eric’s PowerPoint as a PDF file here.   Sutro Tower at night

 

Eric Dausman is the Senior VP of Public Media Group, PBC, a firm established to develop, own, and operate a nationwide network of data distribution and energy infrastructure assets that work with both public sector and commercial clients to execute ATSC 3.0, aka NextGen TV, market transitioning, Single Frequency Network development, Next-Generation Broadcast and Data Centers, and renewable power.  PMG serves various markets including, but not limited to, Education, Healthcare, Emergency Management, Rural Connectivity, and various commercial applications. Eric worked in his early TV days at three Central California coast TV stations, KCOY, KSBY, and KSBW, prior to a mid-career move to New York, first as Director, Network Distribution and Core Projects for NBC, and later as Director of Engineering and Operations for WNBC-TV. In 1991, Eric become Director of Technology at KGW-TV, Portland, OR, which is now owned by Tegna. There he cultivated working relationships with his counterparts in commercial and public broadcast stations to construct a new tower for the DTV signals in 1999. Among many projects, he oversaw the installation of a statewide microwave and translator network to feed 25 communities outside of Portland in Oregon and Washington. Later he upgraded the production facility to HDTV and designed and oversaw installed the station’s “studio on the square,” a fully remote all-HD digital production studio in Downtown Portland. In 2009, Mr. Dausman was invited to apply his cooperative tower management skills to San Francisco’s Sutro Tower, Inc., where he acted as the Vice President and Chief Operating 0fficer until March of 2020. He oversaw the 2009 digital conversion and a video-over-IP network of traffic cameras on the San Francisco Bay bridges. Eric is a member of SMPTE, SBE, and holds an Extra Class Amateur Radio license KD7DNM. He recently moved back to Lake Oswego, OR.  


 

March 2020

 

Tee Thomas, Western Sales Manager, Anywave Communication Technologies

He discussed on-channel repeaters and high efficiency LPTV transmitters used to improve coverage in marginal coverage areas, and SFN systems

anywavecom.net/transmitters/

Anywave DPE-3 Product Brochure 19.03 Anywave LPTV Slate Series Transmitters Product Brochure 08-19 Anywave MHPTV Transmitters Product Brochure – 09-19 Anywave MHPTV Transmitters Product Brochure – 09-19_1 Anywave-MPTV-VHF-Quartzite-Series-Tranmsitters-Product-Specification-03-18. Anywave-OCDR-Flint-Series-Product-Specification-03-23 Tee Thomas, Anywave Communications Tee Thomas has worked in the professional broadcast industry for over 50 years. He has held positions in Engineering and Technical support for many different companies throughout the U.S. Tee not only worked in broadcasting, building and rebuilding multiple studios and Transmitter sites for both TV and Radio, he also built over 200 cable plants, both commercial and private, and numerous other electronic communication projects. The latest RF plant in Lubbock Texas used two broadband antennas to broadcast 9 different TV stations. The tower also broadcast 9 FM stations using 3 antennas, one being directional. Tee became an FCC First-Class Radiotelephone-licensed engineer at 13 while working with a local consultant in Louisville, KY, rebuilding AM stations and directional antenna systems. He graduated from New Albany High school and Prosser Vocational where he studied broadcast electronics while assisting in the rebuild of WNAS. He then joined the US Army as a Radar and Missile Firing Tech. He supported the Raytheon Tech reps rebuilding the Hawk Missile Systems in Korea. After the Army, he received an Associate Degree in Communication Electronics with a Physics minor from Indiana Vocational Technology College.        


 

February 2020

Download the presentation here:  Hat-Daw SBE RF Exposure Presentation

 

RF Safety for Engineers (a one-hour course)

Stephen Lockwood, President, Hatfield & Dawson  

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stephen Lockwood K7SSL, P.E., President/Senior Electrical Engineer, Hatfield and Dawson Consulting Engineers

The RF Safety Course provides an updated overview of RF radiation issues and practices for broadcasters, including:

  • Proving compliance at a broadcast site
  • Biological effects of RF radiation and the distinct differences between RF radiation and ionizing radiation
  • FCC, OSHA, state & local regulations – what they are and what you need to do to comply
  • Workplace hazards
  • Transmitter sites
  • SNG and ENG trucks
  • Remote operations (where news personnel can find problems such as on rooftops)
  • The unique issues at AM stations
  • RF hazard protection equipment – you may not need it but your contractors probably will
  • Signs – what they mean and what you need

 

This course is designed for broadcast station personnel, including chief and assistant chief engineers, transmitter site engineers, ENG and SNG maintenance personnel and management who need to have an understanding of RF safety issues and regulations.

Mr. Lockwood is an electrical engineer with more than 39 years of experience in the field of telecommunications engineering. He specializes in the development of system specifications, preparing interference documentation, conducting antenna and radio propagation analysis, inspecting telecommunications facilities, and the construction of radio facilities. Located in Seattle, Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers specializes in telecommunications and electromagnetic engineering services. We are familiar with nearly all aspects of telecommunications and electromagnetic engineering. The firm performs conceptual and specific system design, government agency and license application engineering, preparation of specifications, construction supervision, propagation analysis, measurements, testing and operational review. Hatfield & Dawson has decades of experience, allowing us to perform routine tasks with ease and take on more challenging tasks with confidence. First started by James Hatfield Sr. in 1945. James prepared license applications, conducted proof of performance tests, visited radio sites, and helped replace radio components. Following his passing, James Hatfield Jr. took over the company in 1973, bringing on board Ben Dawson III. Other talented engineers soon followed, transforming the firm to the company it is today.   Hatfield and Dawson Consulting Engineers  

 


 

January 2020

  Rick Belding, Manager for Sales Engineering, Vela Get Better ROI from your Compliance Monitoring Compliance monitoring and logging should be more than just making sure your signals follow all the rules.  There are things you should expect which will help your team be better informed, more efficient, and get increased value out of your solution.  Rick explored these concepts with us and we also discussed the evolution of mere logging into Smart Logging. Ric Belding has been a broadcast and playout industry professional for over 20 years.  He’s served as a software developer, systems engineer, sales engineer, and technical team manager for many of the most prominent solution providers.  Ric’s worked with customers at all levels from community channels to large multi-channel playout facilities and as Vela’s Manager for Sales Engineering, he’s intimately familiar with the needs and workflows for compliance monitoring, recording, and logging.  Ric is highly regarded, throughout the industry, for his file and IT-based technology and workflow expertise.        


 

December 2019

Our annual Holiday Lunch.  The Chapter picked up the tab!

There was swag.

    Door prizes donated by Broadcasters General Store, Sennheiser, and RF Specialties.                               SBE124 Chair Ev Helm W7EEH and Mike Mattson who won the set of killer headphones donated by Sennheiser.                                 SBE124 Chair Ev Helm W7EEH and Pat Shearer, winner of a pair of killer earbuds donated by Sennheiser.                                         SBE124 Chair Ev Helm W7EEH and Steve Delmarter KH8AB , winner of headphones donated by Broadasters General Store.                                               Chapter 124 member Brian Walker KI7ROX, Customer Development/Applications Engineering, Sennheiser.                                                                                             SBE Members John White K7RUN and Jim Boland                               Two of the founders of SBE124, Steve Delmarter KH8AB and Gary Hilliard.                                   Gary Hilliard, John Mackey KSØF, and RF Specialties Rep Bob Trimble N7IYI                         SBE member Rod Evenson P.E.                                    


 

November 2019

Nick VanHaaster, Gates Air Taking your HD Radio signal to the next level in 2020 It was a  complete walkthrough to better understand the differences between the current Gen3 HD Radio technology and the latest Gen4 release.  This presentation addressed important features such as automatic time-alignment, SFN integration, and increased HD with implementation of HCFR (Hybrid Crest Factor Reduction). Nick has been working in the broadcast industry since 1997 starting at Pacific Research and Engineering (PR&E) as a systems design engineer for studio facilities.  Nick has been responsible for project management and the broadcast architecture of some of the largest Radio & TV implementations both domestic and international.
 

October 2019

 


 

September 2019

Jeff Wilson, Regional Sales Manager – Western US, Nautel  HD MultiCast+ Importer/Exporter – The HD MultiCast+ is a single hardware platform, user-configurable for three operational modes: 1) Importer/Exporter; 2) Importer; and 3) Exporter. It is compatible with Nautel Exporter Plus and Importer Plus, supporting both iBiquity GEN3 and GEN4. Jeff started his career in Broadcasting as a board-op in 1985 and held many positions at radio stations before moving to the manufacturing side in 1995.  With Nautel since 2018, Jeff serves the Western region of the US.  


 

August 2019

Don Backus, Account Manager, Radio Transmitters, Rohde & Schwarz

    With Total Cost of Ownership increasing for TV and FM broadcasters, there is an increasing need to reduce these costs over the life-cycle of the transmission system while improving performance and reducing ongoing maintenance costs. From alternative cooling systems to more efficient designs, from reductions in required floor space to reducing service costs by minimizing required maintenance, there are a number of factors that reduce the cost of ownership while improving up-time and performance. We will look at TCO and some of the advanced transmitter technologies that enable reduction in operating costs, both for Radio and TV transmitters. We’ll also discuss some forward looking technology initiatives including HD Radio Generation 4. Don Backus is Account Manager, Radio Transmitters for global communication technology leader and innovator Rohde & Schwarz, handling Canada and the United States. Prior to joining Rohde & Schwarz in 2017, Don was Eastern US Sales Manager for Broadcast Electronics for five years. Don was previously VP of Sales & Marketing at ENCO Systems for 13 years and prior to that has held a number of positions in radio as an on-air personality, production director, general manager and chief engineer. He has presented to a number of professional broadcasting organizations including the Audio Engineering Society, a number of international, state and regional conferences and several SBE and IEEE chapters. Don has served two terms on the board of the Michigan Association of Broadcasters and has recently completed serving his second term on the Michigan Association of Broadcasters Foundation board.  Don is a member of the SBE.

 


 

July 2019

Benjamin Nemser WA4DZS, CEO, Nemal Electronics

This presentation provides an overview of the applications for fiber optics in Broadcast, including a brief history of the evolution of cable from analog transmission through 4K and 8K. We will discuss the different types of fiber optic cables, connectors, and Media Converters, with emphasis on SMPTE and Tactical Fiber products. We will also cover real world installation considerations and maintenance, both for inside plant as well as for mobile broadcast. Finally, we will take a look at tooling and test equipment. There will be samples on display to illustrate many of the products and concepts we discuss. Benjamin Nemser founded Nemal Electronics in 1979 and is the company CEO. He holds an FCC General Radio Telephone Certificate as well as an Amateur Extra Class License WA4DZS. He is also a jet captain and flight instructor with 8000 hours of flight time.  Nemal Electronics is an active member of SBE as well as NAB, and designs and manufactures a wide range of standard and custom broadcast cables for most of the principal broadcast networks and camera manufacturers throughout North and South America. Nemal’s headquarters and manufacturing facilities are located in Miami, Florida with a sales and technical support center in Sao Paulo, Brazil. You can also get more information at nemal.com.

 


 

June 2019

Cris Garcia, Sales Manager, Western US, Canada & Mexico for Cobalt Digital Inc. A look at  Reliable Internet Stream Transport Protocol and what does it mean for your everyday transport performance vs traditional packet protection methods.   Cris is instrumental in managing the western region’s sales and marketing efforts for new UHD, 12G, IP, FIBER and HEVC technologies including Audio and Video Processing solutions for Contribution, Master Control and Distribution of content. Prior to Cobalt, he was an integral member of  Astrodesign, developers of first 4K and 8K technologies where he served as Business Development and Product Manager expanding the market for monitoring and analysis tools for baseband and file base. At Evertz he focused on technical sales for the VIP and MVP product line. While at EVS he focused in developing new business opportunities for the MXF technology within File Mastering, Multi-Deliverables and archive markets. “  

       


May 2019

Jeff Williams, General Manager, Yellowtec USA, hosted by Broadcasters General Store. Yellowtec is known for its Mika line of mic arms, monitor arms and studio mounting systems, but also PUC2 USB audio interfaces, iXm recording microphone, Litt signaling devices and Intellimix networked mixing. Jeff Williams is the General Manager of Yellowtec USA, LLC in Santa Ynez, CA, providing import, distribution, dealer and customer support. Jeff is a typical young broadcaster who talked his way into employment at a San Diego radio station at the age of 16, attended Emerson College in Boston, and has worked for several major market radio stations. Jeff started Yellowtec USA in the Spring of 2015.  

 


March 2019

Kat Taub, Audinate Audinate is the leading provider of professional digital audio networking technologies globally. Audinate’s Dante platform distributes digital audio signals over computer networks, and is designed to bring the benefits of IT networking to the professional AV industry.  Using Dante-enabled products ensures interoperability between audio devices and allows end users to enjoy high quality, flexible solutions—typically with a lower total cost of ownership.  Audinate recently announced the introduction of Dante AV the first AV-over IP Audio and Video solution of its kind. DANTE AVIO™ and DANTE DOMAIN MANAGER™ Complete network management for Dante systems      


 

February 2019

  Brian Walker, Customer Development | Applications Engineering | SBE Chapter 124 Member Sennheiser Electronic Corp. An all new way to capture audio. An instant connection. With the easy syncing of a transmitter and receiver, XS Wireless Digital creates a wireless peer-to-peer connection. It’s as simple as that. Be it a complication-free lavalier for the one-person video team or a wireless mic that’s up and running right out of the bag—this wireless tool empowers your inner creativity by helping you capture the moment. If you’re looking to change your relationship with your viewers by enhancing your audio, then you need to try it out. Who knows? You might find you have an instant connection.  


 

January 2019

No program, no host.  Got a suggestion?  This makes it a big networking opportunity:  bring a friend or co-worker! We have Sennheiser next month, and Audinate in March.

 


October 2018

  Graziano Casale, National Account Manager, Broadcasting, Rohde & Schwarz, USA Contribution and distribution of live content over unmanaged IP networks Microwave link, STL, CDN, Satellite and Fiber are the main options we consider when talking about Contribution and Distribution of A/V content, where reliability is key. The world, and broadcasting with it, is moving more and more towards IP communication. He talked about how the benefit of Internet Transmission is something to be considered in today’s Network infrastructure.   Graziano has over 10 years of sales and management experience, including TV transmitters, Mobile DTV, Headend, Microwave Link and System integration.  In his current role, Graziano’s responsibilities include mainly the Full and Low Power TV transmitter market as well as introducing to the broadcast market the new R&S products portfolio, and developing and maintaining successful client business relationship with key accounts. Prior joining R&S, he was at Screen Service Broadcasting for 6 years, where he held several positions of increasing responsibility including Project Manager and Sales Director of North and Central America.  Graziano moved from Italy to the US with his knowledge and passion for Mobile DTV being part of the first Mobile TV commercial service in the world. He has a strong background and knowledge on digital TV standards and brings to the industry excitement on what business opportunities are available for the broadcasters. Graziano holds a B.S and a M.Sc. in Economics from the University of Roma Tre.  When he’s not working or traveling, you might find him training for ironman, running a marathon, or playing basketball.    


September 2018

  Tony Gervasi, Sr., SBE Member and Sales Manager for GatesAir Intraplex   Reliable Transport of Audio and Data Over IP, discussed transport reliability, reviewed causes of packet losses, and went over media transport protocols and network security.  He discussed Intraplex IP Link’s methods for reliable IP transport for audio, FM MPX, and control (GPIO, PAD), plus introduced the Intraplex IPConnect transport system.    


 

August 2018

Eddy Vanderkerken Director of Sales, Broadcast Division, RFS

Antenna and RF System design for the FCC Repack

This presentation gave insight into how antenna design influences radiation patterns, how the design and manufacturing of antennas and RF filters has evolved, and the software tools that can be used to select the optimum solutions for the TV broadcaster during the FCC repack and beyond.                      


July 2018

Matt Leland, Director of Sales, Burk Technology.  


 

June 2018

Don Roudebush Western Region Account Manager Electronics Research, Inc. Electronics Research Inc. (ERI) presented an overview of the Impact of the New ANSI/TIA-222-H Structural Standard for Antenna Supporting Structures on broadcast radio and television facilities. His presentation provided a summary of the changes that are incorporated into the new standard versus the current 222-G Structural Standards.   He was accompanied by Dave Benco, Vice President of US Sales for all three dates – Portland 6/12, Eugene 06/13, and Medford 06/14.  They hosted lunch and championed an informative discussion on the state of our industry. About Electronics Research, Inc. For more than 75 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Their dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all your broadcast needs, both RF and structural. They take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.  


 

MAY 2018

Broadcasters General Store (BGS) and the Telos Alliance

Buck Waters from BGS, and Paul Kriegler, Manager US Sales – Omnia.  Paul talked about all things Omnia. Plus, the Telos Alliance van, full of everything they make, was parked outside.

 


APRIL 2018

Mark Johnson, the Founder and Chief Strategy Officer, LinkUp Communications. “Solutions That Allow You & Your Organization to Benefit From the New FCC Studio Ruling”. Mark’s brief talk specifically focused on the new change in FCC regulations regarding local studios and the technology that will allow broadcasters to take full advantage of this new opportunity. A satellite broadcast engineer for decades, Mark is uniquely qualified to speak on this subject as an expert in the field of content distribution and integration. There will be a quick informational update on the FCC 5G proposal and it’s impact on C-band satellite delivery that he will share at the end of our discussion. Mark has designed and installed multiple systems for non-commercial broadcasters, who have for years taken advantage of technical solutions to distribute their programing across multiple regions to their audiences while keeping a local feel to their programing. Mark Johnson CSRE, a well-known leader in the broadcast transmission industry for over three decades, has been the “go to” guy for other audio and video content providers for years, including NPR Satellite Services and Ka You Communications. Though Mark graduated from Florida State University in the 1980’s, his real training began as an assistant to the Chief Engineer of WTNT AM/FM in Tallahassee, Florida and a broadcast producer for the Seminole Sports Network. Over the years Mark has continued his training through Harris Transmitter School (FM and FM25K), and is Global VSAT Advanced Certified.  


 

 March 2018

George Horton, Vice President – Western Region, Solid State Logic, Inc.

IP Audio Networking–Forward Thinking Audio Routing for Broadcast Production

Audio-over-IP solutions are now in regular use around the world and in a wide range of critical applications. The installed sound market has been relying on IP transport for many years already, and now many broadcasters are implementing facility-wide AoIP technologies. This presentation covered how we have reached the current technologies and how they are evolving. He covered the current alphabet soup of acronyms and standards and finished up with a real word example of the technology in use. George Horton, Vice President Western Region, Solid State Logic. Originally hailing from Oxford England, the home town of Sold State Logic and has been with SSL for 30 years.  From building consoles to testing, servicing, installing, training and now the commercial aspects in the Western United States.

About SSL

From groundbreaking audio consoles to innovative software and hardware solutions, Solid State Logic has evolved to become the world’s leading manufacturer of analogue and digital audio consoles and provider of creative tools for Broadcast, Music, Film and Live Sound professionals. With more than 3000 SSL-equipped studios and facilities operational today, the excellence of SSL consoles is universally recognized for unrivaled sonic quality, superb ergonomics, outstanding automation and an international support infrastructure second to none.

The SSL AWS truck was be parked outside http://www.solidstatelogic.com/studio/worldtour/whatsonboard

.