Radio World

The author is assistant chief engineer of Radio One Dallas.

For years, Radio One Dallas had a Nortel phone system that seemingly required a service call for anything beyond switching out a handset cord.

In order to change an IVR (interactive voice response), a service technician had to come to our location, plug a laptop into a secret port, enter a super-secret password and fiddle with the system for half an hour or more just to change the main phone greeting. Then would come the bill for at least $150.

In 2013, Chief Engineer Don Stevenson and I decided we could do better.

From mutual friend Joe Talbot, who was with Telos Systems at the time, we had learned about an open source PBX system called Asterisk that ran on a standard desktop computer running Linux. Not having much Linux experience yet we were a little wary but decided to dive in and figure it out.

Up and Running

Two years later and after a steep learning curve, we were up and running with Asterisk and a whole new crop of VoIP phones.

The Nortel was gone, and so was its high cost of maintenance and upgrades. Phones for a VoIP-based system are a fraction of the cost of phones for the system we replaced. And we were generating our own ISDN and POTS lines.

Asterisk configuration was done via the Linux command line, but we had learned enough to be able to maintain the system ourselves with only an occasional call for help from our friendly neighborhood Linux geek.

FreePBX Dashboard

We still use Asterisk to this day, and it has been the most reliable phone system we could ask for. It’s online in many other Radio One markets as well.

We no longer need to worry about command line configuration, where a single mistyped character can send you down a rabbit hole you don’t want to drop into. Instead, we’re using FreePBX (www.freepbx.org), an open source graphical user interface originally built on top of Asterisk by the open source community.

Over the years, FreePBX has transitioned from a clunky piece of software originally called “Asterisk Management Portal” to a polished, highly configurable interface that makes building and using an Asterisk PBX easy for just about anyone.

It was maintained by Schmooze until 2015 when the project was purchased by Sangoma, a business phone system company based in Canada. They are now the primary developer of FreePBX. The company purchased Asterisk developer and hardware manufacturer Digium in 2018, making Sangoma the primary developer of Asterisk as well.

Setup

Hardware requirements are pretty simple. A 64-bit desktop computer or server that has been retired but still runs should suffice. If you use a PRI (Primary Rate Interface) you will want to get a single or multiport PRI card for the computer. If you are using SIP you won’t need any additional hardware.

To install FreePBX, download the latest stable build from freepbx.org. Sangoma has packaged their own build of Linux, based on Centos, along with Asterisk and the FreePBX system and it’s all installed through one process. Burn the ISO to a CD or USB drive and boot your system off that image. The process is GUI-based and straightforward. In most cases you can accept the default or recommended selections.

The FreePBX command line logon message

We recommend building two systems. These can be set up in what FreePBX calls a “warm spare” configuration. The main system automatically sends a complete config backup to the warm spare on a regular basis, including voicemail messages and faxes, and in the event of a failure of the main system, you only need to change the IP address of the warm spare and you’re back up and running having lost virtually nothing.

In Dallas, we have three systems. One for our office lines, one for all of the radio station and Reach Media studio lines, and a spare we can use to backup either main system.

With fewer people in the office for most of us in the radio business, and with companies like Avaya sunsetting support for their legacy phone systems, now might be a good time to get rid of the mammoth old-school phone system and bring in a VoIP-based system like Asterisk/FreePBX that is easy and inexpensive, but has all the features of traditional PBX systems and many more.

You can build a system in a few hours. There is plenty of free online support, as is typical with open source software. You’ll find thousands of searchable questions and answers on the FreePBX community forums and other sites. Paid support is available if you need it.

Happy PBXing!

Learn More

The FreePBX Blog has info about product updates and access to support, engineers and developers. It’s at www.freepbx.org/blog.

 

The post My experience with Asterisk and FreePBX appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission last week finalized the dates for its planned NCE FM new station application filing window.

The Media Bureau announced that the window will be open Nov. 2 to Nov. 9, 2021.

The opportunity is just for 88.1 to 91.9 MHz, which is the FM reserved band (Channels 201 to 220).

“New applications must be filed electronically on FCC Form 2100, Schedule 340 in the Bureau’s
Licensing Management System (LMS),” it stated. “The commission recently amended its rules and procedures for filing NCE FM applications and selecting and licensing competing NCE FM applications.”

As we’ve reported, any given entity is limited to filing 10 applications.

Details about filing procedures and requirements will be in a subsequent public notice and posted on the Audio Division Web Page when published.

The post Dates Are Set for NCE FM Filing Window appeared first on Radio World.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers has issued helpful guidance to stations about what to do in light of the failure of an IPAWS Required Weekly Test on Monday.

“When FEMA issues an IPAWS test or alert it includes a “‘certificate,’ SBE explained in an email to members.

“This operates similar to a password for accessing different sites or files on a computer. In the case of a message from FEMA, a message without a correct signature, the EAS device should ignore the message.”

SBE reported that on Monday, April 26, the Required Weekly Test from IPAWS was transmitted with an incorrect signature.

“The test messages had a mismatch between the digest inside the message, and the digest computed by receivers. This is a part of the validation for an alert, and checking it is required by FCC Rule 11.56(c): ‘EAS Participants shall configure their systems to reject all CAP-formatted EAS messages that include an invalid digital signature.’”

[Read: FCC Will Explore EAS on the Internet]

SBE emphasized that all EAS devices should have rejected the test including units made by Sage Alerting Systems, Digital Alert Systems and Trilithic. The advisory describes how various models should have responded and what you should do next; read that here.

It also said all EAS units would have reported failed validations in a temporary log, and that users should check with their device manufacturer for the location of that file and the correct “signature validation” settings for the unit.

“Stations should check and correct any issues before the next test on May 3, 2021. Stations should insert a note in the station log indicating the failed test and the reason for failure.”

 

The post SBE Issues Guidance About RWT Failure appeared first on Radio World.

Cumulus Media named Tricia Gallenbeck as vice president/market manager for its five-station cluster in Eugene, Ore.

She most recently was VP/GM for Reno Media Group in Reno, Nev.

Previous posts include director of sales for Beasley Media Group in Fayetteville, N.C., and director of new business and events and general sales manager for Beasley Las Vegas.

She will report to Don Morin, regional vice president, who also is market manager for Boise. He mentioned Gallenbeck’s “strategic approach to management coupled with her ability to build a winning culture.”

The cluster includes KUJZ(FM) airing sports; KZEL(FM) with classic rock; KUGN(AM), news/talk; KNRQ(FM), which is alternative; and KEHK(FM) with Hot AC.

Radio World welcomes announcements for People News focused on our key readership categories of engineering and upper management. Send to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

 

The post Gallenbeck to Lead Eugene for Cumulus appeared first on Radio World.

Part of the Shulins Solutions Stellar Eclipse broadcast site monitoring and protection system installed in Houston.

A familiar name to Radio World readers Paul Shulins is the subject of our latest Who’s Buying What news.

His Shulins Solutions, a provider in select engineering services and broadcast consulting, recently installed its Stellar Eclipse monitoring system at a shared combiner and antenna facility serving four Houston stations.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

Shulins Solutions offered this description of the system: “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.”

It added that it, “provides unique cloud-based monitoring of many shared systems often overlooked in an individual stations remote control.”

Send news for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Stellar Eclipse in Space City appeared first on Radio World.

From our People News page: iHeartMedia promoted Shari Gonzalez to its president for the Miami/Fort Lauderdale group, which is market No. 11 in Nielsen Audio ratings.

She succeeds Brian Olson.

She’ll report to Division President Linda Byrd, who in the announcement complimented Gonzalez for her “competitiveness, work ethic and ability to move her team in the direction we need to go.”

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

Gonzalez joined the company in 2015 and most recently was region SVP of sales in Miami.

Prior she was general sales manager and director of sales for CBS in Washington, the market where she got started as a sales assistant and worked her way up into sales leadership.

In the announcement, Gonzalez said Miami/Fort Lauderdale “is experiencing a boom like no other market in the country, and the South Florida market is filled with a culture and uniqueness that is second to none.”

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post Gonzalez Takes Helm in Miami for iHeart appeared first on Radio World.

As part of its efforts to improve diversity within the ranks of the communications and tech industries, the Federal Communications Commission has set April 28 for its diversity symposium and virtual fair.

The Tech and Communications Diversity Opportunity Symposium and Virtual Fair will be held online on Wednesday, April 28 from 12–6:45 p.m. EDT. The symposium and fair is designed to provide information, resources and support to diverse communications businesses including those focused on legacy communications industries — like radio, TV, cable and satellite — as well as  technology-oriented industries seeking business opportunities as vendors, suppliers or partners. The commission is particularly seeking to support small businesses, minority- and ethnic-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, veteran-owned businesses, LGBTQ-owned businesses and disabled-owned businesses.

[Read: New NAB Committee Will Address Diversity and Inclusion]

Two informative panels from 12–3:45 p.m. will kickstart the symposium. The first panel, Your Tax Dollars at Work: Government Programs and Initiatives, will feature a discussion with representatives from federal, state and local government agencies on financing and procurement opportunities and trends. This session will highlight diversity requirements and standards; training, education and consulting opportunities; as well as mentoring, incubation and apprenticeship programs.

The second panel, entitled For We Have Promises to Keep: Private Sector Programs and Initiatives, will include representatives from private sector companies that will discuss procurement opportunities and trends, new and updated funding sources, as well as discounted opportunities for diverse communications businesses.

The afternoon event will include a Virtual Fair from 4–6:45 p.m., which will feature one-on-one confidential consultations offering individualized advice on a number of strategies and initiatives including supplier and vendor tactics, financial support options and mentoring and incubation programs. The Virtual Fair is open to owners, managers and employees of diverse communications businesses.

The symposium is being co-sponsored by  the Media Bureau, the FCC’s Advisory Committee on Diversity and Digital Empowerment (ACDDE) and the ACDDE member Internet Association. Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel will welcome symposium participants while Edith McCloud, acting national director of the Minority Business Development Agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, will deliver keynote remarks.

The symposium will be presented as a Zoom webinar. More information and the full agenda can be found here.

 

The post FCC Online Event to Advance Diversity in Tech and Communications appeared first on Radio World.

A recently acquired AEQ Forum radio broadcast digital console at Radio Granma, Manzanillo, Cuba.

From our Who’s Buying What page: AEQ reports that Radio Granma in Manzanillo, Cuba, has installed an AEQ Forum digital console.

Radio Granma “offers a wide variety of programming to its listeners, with old phonographic records of great popular interest, and a large participation of amateurs of all artistic styles, singers, instrumentalists and intellectuals,” AEQ stated in a press release. The station is managed by ICRT, the Cuban Institute of Radio and Television.

[See Our Who’s Buying What Page]

ICRT also uses AEQ codecs, consoles and automation systems in other locations throughout Cuba including Arena consoles and BC2000D routers in Havana.

Radio Granma is one of 10 regional stations that will use the Forum IP console.

Users and suppliers are welcome to send news about recent installations to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Radio Granma Installs AEQ Forum appeared first on Radio World.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting named Brendan Daly as its vice president of communications, succeeding Shana Teehan.

“He will be responsible for the development and implementation of a multifaceted communications and messaging strategy to advance awareness of public media and its value to American society,” the organization said.

[Visit Radio World’s People News Page]

The announcement was made by Chief Operating Officer Michael Levy, who called Daly “a strategic communications leader with a proven ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders.”

Daly was for nine years the communications director for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and most recently was chief communications officer for the Recording Industry Association of America. He has also held posts with Save the Children Action Network, Ogilvy Public Relations, the Department of Energy, the U.S. Trade Representative and the Peace Corps. He began his career as a newspaper reporter in Connecticut and Massachusetts.

Send your people news to radioworld@futurenet.com.

 

The post CPB Names Daly to Comm Post appeared first on Radio World.

Amador Bustos is president and CEO of Bustos Media, owner of radio stations in Arizona, California, Texas, Washington state and Wisconsin. The stations mostly broadcast in Spanish but some offer English-, Chinese-, Korean-, Russian- and Vietnamese-language programming. He discusses the state of radio broadcasting and Bustos Media stations.

He was interviewed by Suzanne Gougherty, director of MMTC Media and Telecom Brokers at the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council. MMTC commentaries appear regularly in Radio World, which welcomes other points of view on industry issues.

Suzanne Gougherty: For more than a year the thirst for information regarding the pandemic has been at the forefront of news — how have your radio stations kept your audience informed on current news and information?
Amador Bustos: Since we are primarily a music intensive station group, and our DJs were working from home, they had to rely on news feed from our local newspapers and television stations. Besides our AM-drive top-of-the hour newscast, we expanded our pandemic coverage to live commentary and interviews with local health officials at any time of the day.

[Read: Keeping Sports Hot in the Age of Coronavirus]

Gougherty: What do you think is the most overwhelming challenge of the radio industry today, and where do you see the best opportunity for growth?
Bustos: The most pressing challenge for radio is the false assertion by social media outlets and digital audio competitors who are continuously forecasting the death of terrestrial radio. The best opportunity for revenue growth is in entertainment and event production. Due to the year-long isolation there is a strong pent-up demand for indoor concerts and outdoor festivals.

Gougherty: As a successful entrepreneur what was the motivating factor that led you to owning and operating radio stations?
Bustos: The opportunity to generate wealth. When I started buying radio stations the revenue margins were much higher. Secondly, to increase ownership diversity. I saw a rapidly expanding number of radio stations targeting the Hispanic market, but too few of us were represented in the ownership ranks. That continues to be true today.

Gougherty: It was reported that full power radio stations, plummeted at the end of 2020, on both the AM and FM dials. Do you feel the industry will experience the same decline in 2021? Do you think there is a solution other than to turn licenses back to the FCC?
Bustos: Yes! Radio revenues plummeted during the second and third quarter of 2020. However, the recovery during the last six months is encouraging. It is important that we make the distinction between AMs and FMs. Our AMs continue depressed. This year, I will likely return more than one AM license to the FCC for lack of sustainable revenue.

Gougherty: Should the FCC relax or retain the local AM and FM ownership caps and subcaps?
Bustos: The FCC should relax the ownership caps and subcaps. However, it should do it in two or three stages. First in markets above 100, then in markets above 50 and finally in all markets. At each stage the FCC should look at the unintended consequences of excessive concentration, negative impact on AM values, diminution of public service and ownership diversity trends.

Gougherty: What steps should Congress and the FCC take now to dramatically increase minority radio and television station ownership?
Bustos: Congress and the federal government can do two important things: 1) Reinstate the Minority Tax Certificate; which gives sellers a tax deferral if they sell to qualified diverse buyers; 2) Allow the SBA to do bank loan guarantees of up to $10,000,000 for the purchase of broadcast properties by qualified diverse borrowers/operators.

Gougherty: Spanish-language radio stations’ music formats have done well over the years. Do you feel there is room for other Spanish-language formats, talk, sports or news?
Bustos: There is room for those additional formats. However, they are more expensive to produce. That is why several past attempts have failed. It will take a well-capitalized and committed broadcaster to support such an effort. Just like iHeartMedia has done when it launched the Black Information Network in June 2020.

Gougherty:. During the recent roll-out of vaccines what kind of factual information have your stations provided to your listeners? And do you feel it has help to dispel the myths or misinformation that might be circulating in the Hispanic community?
Bustos: We have provided our audience information based on CDC’s guidance, as well as information provided by state and local health officials. Most of our on-air personalities are pro-vaccination and regularly speak in favor of it. When they are vaccinated, they disclose it and recommended it.

Gougherty: How has your sales team held up during the past year? And your on-air talent? Are all working from home or with strict measure at the work place? And as the owner how are you holding up?
Bustos: There is a clear sense of fatigue. Most employees are desirous of a return to the office. If things continue to trend well, we will likely have most employees return to an interactive, in-office work by June 2021.

 

The post Looking to Radio for a Bounce-Back appeared first on Radio World.

The author is tech editor of RW Engineering Extra.

Remote control systems have come a long way in my 45-year broadcast engineering career. I have had the pleasure — and sometimes frustration — of following these changes.

There was a time when you could call the phone company and order a “dry pair” from point to point, and over that dry pair you could connect your remote control system with its telephone dial, stepper relays and DC metering.

Those old systems were always interesting, especially when the steppers got out of sync, but somehow they got the job done.

Then came the Moseley TRC-15 types that used audio tones for telemetry. We could use those over a dry pair or just about any bidirectional telco circuit, or you could use them over a subcarrier on an STL for the outbound control functions (if I recall correctly, this used a 300-400 Hz FSK scheme for the wireline version).

Some folks used an over-the-air SCA for telemetry backhaul for the TRC-15 — if you couldn’t get a reading on anything, the transmitter must be off! — but others used telemetry return links on one of eight discrete 450/455 MHz frequencies designated for such by the FCC. And there were no status indications.

But all in all, the TRC-15 was a huge step up (no pun intended) from the old stepper relay DC remote control systems. It was an even better platform if you installed the digital telemetry adaptor offered as an aftermarket add-on from Hallikainen and Friends.

Up in smoke

There were some digital systems from Moseley that came after the TRC-15. I remember using them in some of the TV stations at which I worked. The red LED digital readouts took away the sometimes difficult task of meter scale interpretation and interpolation, always a plus with busy master control operators!

Then in the early 1980s came the MRC-1600, a 16-channel digital remote control with status. I thought I’d gone to heaven when that unit came out … until the first lightning strike.

The old TRC-15 didn’t seem to care much about lightning, but that MRC would go up in smoke every time the sky got cloudy, or so it seemed. I remember that the display would say OUCH! if an input channel got hit with too much voltage or if one of the multiplexers was damaged.

That sensitivity to static discharges bit me one time, too. It was always a challenge to remember to take the R/C out of “local” and put it back in remote when leaving a transmitter site. One TV station at which I worked had a red 60-watt light bulb in a porcelain socket right next to the door, and that bulb would be lit whenever the remote control system was in “local.” That saved a lot of midnight trips back to the tower site.

I wanted something similar at one radio site I took care of, so I thought I would put the NC contacts of the local/remote relay in series with the alarm system door contact — it would then be impossible to set the alarm with the remote control in the “local” mode.

That worked great for about a day, until the next thunderstorm. The MRC lost its mind (OUCH!) and opened that local/remote relay and set off the burglar alarm.

It was a long drive from my house to that tower site at “Cadaver Creek” in stormy weather with the alarm wailing and the police on the way.

Talking control

In the late 1980s, Gentner Engineering came out with the VRC-1000, a revolutionary new “talking” remote control system that worked over a dial-up phone line.

That changed everything for radio stations. No longer would they need an expensive dedicated line or dry pair for remote control, or a fussy, interference-prone telemetry return link that would blank out whenever a cab driver passed by the studio while talking on his dispatch radio.

A Gentner VRC-1000 “talker” is visible in the right rack bay. When that model came out, we thought we’d gone to radio heaven.

The early vocabulary was limited, but we made it work. And the best part was that the unit would call us when something went wrong. Programming was a chore, but it was just so … cool … that we didn’t care!

Later iterations of the Gentner VRC (and Burk GSC) had improved vocabulary and other capabilities, and some of these units are still in service today.

If memory serves, Gentner came out with a “sample and hold” system to interface its VRC-series systems to analog antenna monitors, and that worked pretty well except right after pattern change — you had to wait for the next sample to get an accurate set of readings.

Potomac Instruments came out with a pretty good and capable system in the late 1980s. Interfacing remote control systems to analog antenna monitors was always a difficult task, and the Potomac RC16+ had a means of doing that, using a scan function to constantly monitor operating parameters.

The thing that probably kept the unit from greater popularity was that it could not be programmed in the field — it was EPROM programmable, and that had to be done by the factory. Need to make a change? Fill out this form and we’ll burn and ship you a new EPROM.

That worked, but it was anything but convenient, and it certainly discouraged programming changes. Still, it was a rugged, reliable system.

IP all the way

The name Burk became synonymous with “remote control” in the mid-1990s, and that remains the case today.

The first Burk systems I used were ARC-16s, and they were good, rugged, reliable units that could be configured as stand-alone dial-up, dedicated studio/transmitter pairs of a combination.

These systems had RS232 capability, and you could purchase an IP-to-RS232 adaptor to link your units together over a network or even the internet. Multiple sites could be linked, a popular feature in the age of consolidation. There are a lot of ARC-16 systems still out there in service, and for good reason.

Which brings us to today and the ARC Plus and ARC Plus Touch systems, which are nothing short of amazing. These units use IP connectivity all the way, and the ARC Plus Touch has SNMP and API capability.

This IP-based remote control is not the latest-greatest model from Burk but remains very capable.

In our company, the last few transmitter installations we have done where we had a Touch system in place did not use so much as an “RF On/Off” wire connecting transmitter to remote control — everything was done by SNMP. Which I should say can be a bit like drinking from a fire hose with some equipment interfaces — there are so many parameters available to monitor.

I should not fail to mention systems by Sine Systems, Broadcast Tools and others that provide a bridge between technologies and an excellent means for stations with limited resources to avail themselves of many of the features of much more expensive systems. I have used some of these systems in niche applications even within larger operations and found them very useful.

Today’s remote control systems, along with companion software, can do a lot of things. Many can run scripts and macros that can make decisions. You can make the logic as simple or complex as you wish using IF/THEN statements and AND/OR Boolean operators. Actions can be scheduled based on a calendar/clock, or they can be triggered by some external input or event, even taking input from external off-site data over the internet. They can blow up our phones or drive us nuts with texts and emails. I love the mobile web page displays of some remote controls, where I program things green-good/red-bad. A busy operator or engineer can tell at a glance if all is well.

One of the best macros that one of our engineers uses sends a text to her phone every 10 minutes whenever the remote control system is in the “maintenance” mode (the modern version of the “local” mode). That ensures that she won’t get more than 10 minutes down the road before she realizes she forgot to turn that off before leaving.

Not once since implementing this macro has she had to make an emergency run to a site at pattern change time when the pattern couldn’t change because the command relays were disabled! And not once has this set off the burglar alarm at a site!

In this day and age of ultra-capable remote control systems, our transmitter sites can be almost completely autonomous, which translates to fewer of the time pressures that often accompany equipment malfunctions. Such a remote control system can react to the failure, look at multiple variables and make decisions that will get the station back operating again in less time that it would take the engineer to answer his or her phone. That’s worth something.

For more on this topic, see “Remote Controls Have a History All Their Own”.

Comment on this or any story. Email rweetech@gmail.com.

The post A Trip Down Remote Control Memory Lane appeared first on Radio World.

Line pressure

Every AM, FM or TV transmitter must be connected to an antenna via some type of cable, normally a coax line. Some lines are constructed with a type of foam between the inner conductor and the outer conductor, while others are hollow.

If your system has the hollow type of transmission line, it is imperative that some type of gas pressure be inside the line. Transmission lines can be vulnerable to corrosion if they are exposed to oxygen and moisture, the two main components that cause a corrosive reaction.

Properly pressurizing coaxial cables will keep moisture out and therefore prevents arcs inside the cable and it improves the power-handling capacity of the coax by increasing the breakdown voltage between the inner conductor and the shield.

Engineers often ask which is more effective, nitrogen or using a dehydrator. The answer is, “It depends.”

If you will be operating the transmission line at or near the power rating of the line, nitrogen will give more protection from arc over. For lower power levels, either will work.

A properly sized dehydrator will keep your lines dry and pressurized. Some, like this model from Kintronic Labs, have web interfaces to allow monitoring of pressures.

To keep moisture out, the transmission line must be kept at a positive pressure relative to the outside pressure. The pressure required is minimal indeed; maintaining excessive pressure can damage the line and waste energy.

When it comes to dehydrators, proper sizing is everything. If undersized, the unit must run longer in order to maintain pressure, increasing wear on the compressor and driving maintenance costs higher. An oversized dehydrator, however, creates pressure surges in the line. This causes the unit to constantly cycle on and off, again resulting in increased compressor wear and higher maintenance costs.

It doesn’t take much pressure; 3 or 4 psi is more than adequate to keep moisture out of the line and antenna.

The most important takeaway point is to have a method to monitor the pressure in the line and an alarm system to notify engineering of a sudden loss of pressure on the line. This could be caused by failure of the dehydrator or empty nitrogen supply. It could also indicate a pending failure in the line itself caused by a major gas leak created by lightning or even a bullet hole.

When installing a new line, it is advisable first to pull a vacuum on the line. This will remove all the moisture from the line. Then fill the line with nitrogen or dry air from a dehydrator. Do not use a standard air compressor for this purpose, since it will fill the line with normal air, which is full of moisture.

This type of failure will be extremely costly and time-consuming. Don’t neglect this important part of your transmission system!

This article was published in the Alabama Broadcasters Association Monday Coffee and Technical Notes newsletter. Learn about ABA’s engineering training academy at https://al-ba.com.

RW Engineering Extra welcomes submissions of stories that help readers solve engineering problems. Email: rweetech@gmail.com.

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The post Keep transmission lines high and dry appeared first on Radio World.

The author is executive director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

Noncommercial radio is about to see the biggest boom in years. The Federal Communications Commission announced the dates when it will accept applications for full-power noncommercial radio stations later this year.

The announcement is massive news for noncommercial broadcasting. The FCC is making license opportunities available nationwide for the first time since 2010. Following criticism of that 2010 window, the commission has placed limits this time on the number of applications one can make. With a cap of 10 filings per applicant this time, the playing field is as wide as it will be in more than a decade.

A bigger 2007 window saw more than 1,300 construction permits approved. It is hard to say how many we’ll see when the 2021 application window opens Nov. 2–9.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: Hidden Figures]

Why does the new FCC application period matter? Noncommercial broadcasting has exploded in the last 20 years, more than doubling in number as AM and commercial FM are seeing declines. Every class of 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and beyond is looking at Nov. 2–9 with high expectations. For publishers and community media, radio represents a foothold in legacy media that still counts a great deal. For faith-based organizations, radio means connecting with followers. For nonprofits with little previous relationship with media, radio can be a chance to reimagine their missions. And for the communities where stations may be approved, you’re talking about new possibilities for radio’s growth.

If you are interested in being one of those filers later this year, there are many items of interest.

Among the top priorities for filers is the application itself. FCC Form 340 is a very detailed document requiring applicants to present a broad range of technical, infrastructure and public disclosures as a part of the process. From producing proof that your nonprofit organization has the operating capital to run a station; to governance records; to engineering plans for your signal, antenna and more, filing your application will be a time-consuming process. You will want to review the application, select appropriate consultation, and act early to get it done.

You and your engineer will need to do the bulk of the work. It is on the aspiring broadcaster to propose a space that meets at least the minimum requirements and prove you are not stepping on others’ signals. This can be a complicated set of mathematics upon which you will work closely with your engineer.

Larger nonprofits interested in becoming broadcasters may want to get familiar with newer rules or consider retaining an attorney. In 2019, the commission took steps to streamline the application process, but still there are particular requirements of note. These revisions include declarations around governing documents of certain applicants as well as divestiture commitments.

The National Federation of Community Broadcasters last year hosted a primer on the full-power application window opening in November. There will be an updated discussion in July at the Wish You Were Here conference.

 

The post Community Broadcaster: New Radio Filing Is Here appeared first on Radio World.

Dennis Sloatman, left, visits with John Bisset at a trade show.

Dennis Sloatman recently retired from his position as vice president of engineering at SummitMedia. “After 51 years as a radio broadcaster, I’m finally getting out of the way for the next generation,” he wrote on social media.

“Now more time for mountain biking, hiking and messing with my control system projects. Overall, it’s been a good career.”

I took the opportunity to catch up with him about his career.

Paul McLane: How did you get started in radio tech?

Dennis Sloatman: I was a “broadcast radio nerd” growing up in Rockford, Ill., while listening to WCFL and WLS in Chicago, with the vainglorious hope that I could one day be a bigtime Chicago DJ like Larry Lujack and the “World Famous Tom Murphy.”

McLane: Tell us about your career path.

Sloatman: I began my career working at various stations in Northern Illinois: WRVI, WKWL, WRWC and WRRR as a DJ and unofficial “technical helper.” Then on to KHAK in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as an overnight DJ and ultimately, chief engineer, in 1977.

WDLS (for “Dennis L. Sloatman”) was a Part 15 100 mW AM station in Rockford, Ill., when Sloatman was a teen. Studios were in his basement.

Then I worked for Harris Corp. as a field service engineer in Quincy, IL.

Beginning in 1980, I worked for WORL, WMGF, WOMX, WLOQ, WMFE, WDBO, WMMO, WOCL and some others as chief engineer spanning 28 years, from 1980 to 2008, in Orlando, Fla.

Then I was chief engineer of the Cox four-station cluster in Richmond, Va., from 2008 to 2012.

While in Orlando, I taught electronics mathematics, electronic communications, electronic circuit analysis, A+ Hardware and A+ Software at Valencia College and University of Central Florida.

In 2012, I accepted a position as VP of engineering for the 10-station iHeartMedia cluster in Los Angeles, including famous stations such as KIIS, KFI and KBIG.

And then in 2016, for quality of life reasons I chose to move back to Richmond, Va., as VP of engineering for Summit Media where I  ended my career after 51 years in 2021.

At work for Harris.

McLane: Who were your mentors?

Sloatman: Early in my career in Cedar Rapids, my first CE job, my mentor was Robert F Burns — that’s right, “RF Burns!” I’d also have to recognize Larry Caldwell, chief of WRRR Rockford when I worked as his assistant engineer in 1975.

McLane: What are your feelings on stepping away from full-time engineering?

Sloatman: Relaxing! No longer on 24/7 call after 50+ years “being available at a moment’s notice.” I do miss daily solving problems and designing solutions, but I plan to direct those energies at other projects.

McLane: Looking over your major projects and accomplishments, is there one that stands out?

Sloatman: Well, one might expect I’ve built a great many studios, transmitter sites and broadcast facilities in Rockford, Cedar Rapids, Orlando, Michigan, Richmond and Los Angeles.

Clean room: Transmitters at SummitMedia station WKHK(FM) in Virginia.

All in all, I feel as if my part in turning the Los Angeles facility around and bringing modern technology and methods to the market was a highlight. In a similar manner, bringing professionalism and dignity to engineering management with SummitMedia is something I am proud of.

McLane: Would you encourage a young person to go into this field now?

Sloatman: First, I must say that I love the radio broadcasting business and being a lifelong problem-solver as a broadcast engineer. The exposure to almost every form of technology is exciting and challenging.

On the more negative side, I have to say I have always had a problem for what I perceive as a lack of appreciation by some managers for the vast knowledge and experience required of the modern broadcast engineer — electronics, RF, audio, FCC rules, control systems, computer and network technology, etc.

This lack of appreciation is made manifest by requests to the CE for handyman tasks such as changing lightbulbs, plumbing, hanging pictures, vehicle maintenance, etc.

I fully recognize that many of my brother engineers have no problem with this aspect, but I feel I didn’t devote my career and my engineering degree to be a handyman or anything less than a professional.

Therefore, yes, I would encourage young people to give it a good, hard look; but also I would make certain they are aware of what I perceive as the less attractive aspects of the job.

Now, this experience will vary depending upon the company and its management. Research is required before accepting a position. Some broadcast companies treat their engineers with respect while others act as if the engineer is chattel.

It’s difficult at best these days to find that one “right” person for the job, and I feel the industry sort of “shoots themselves in the foot.”

McLane: What else should we know?

Sloatman: I’d have to say the most enjoyable and rewarding part of my career came in the final decade when I managed a staff of 10 fantastic people in the IT and Engineering department in Los Angeles and later, the market engineers of SummitMedia. All great people and I will miss working with them.

Sloatman also joked on LinkedIn about his sense of relief: “No longer am I more nervous than a long-tailed cat in a room full o’ rockin’ chairs!” 

Comment on this or any story to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Now Dennis Sloatman Has Time for Mountain Biking appeared first on Radio World.

Anyone who has installed and upgraded IP infrastructures in the broadcast plant knows that racking up and cabling equipment is the easy part of the job. The more tedious and time-consuming aspect is usually the administrative tasks that follow: initial setup and registration, device management and security. Proprietary and piecemeal tools exist, but locating end-to-end solutions can be elusive.

Lawo Home is new a cloud-based management platform for IP-based infrastructures. With it, according to the company, users can perform automatic plug-and-play discovery of IP audio and video devices. They are registered with their name, location, status and type. This applies not only to Lawo products but to third-party devices as well, using NMOS. Discovered devices are managed in a central inventory list, ready for access and configuration.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

Nothing changes but the changes in a media IP infrastructure, and the ability to save and recall multiple configurations is key to speeding up tasks. Home, according to Lawo, provides a centralized “mission control” for these processes, providing fast and unified access to device parameters for easy tweaking, irrespective of the end point being controlled.

The content flowing around the infrastructure is a media organization’s most valuable asset. Part of  any IP administration solution’s job is security, not only for those assets, but also for the infrastructure. And doing this job seamlessly in the background is key.

Lawo claims that Home makes a variety of strategies available. First and foremost is quarantining unknown devices when they come online. Only after being approved via an intuitive IEEE802.1X-based routine, can they begin exchanging signals with the Home network.

A second approach is an authentication strategy based on a centralized user management system, with dedicated user roles and groups. The LDAP-based service allows users to authenticate either locally — within HOME — or via their own corporate IT infrastructure, e.g. Microsoft Active Directory, according to Lawo.

Finally comes the arbitration of devices and individual streams based on pinpointed rights management. Home’s architecture, says Lawo, is prepared to manage services such as transport layer security, network segmentation and other IT security mechanisms such as Radius.

Info: https://lawo.com/

 

The post Lawo Home Facilitates Management of IP Broadcast Infrastructures appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC is diving into wireless multichannel audio systems (WMAS), an emerging wireless microphone technology designed to enable more microphones per megahertz of spectrum.

The commission has officially adopted a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that is seeking public comment on whether WMAS technology should be granted a licensed basis in frequency bands where wireless mics are already authorized. This includes TV bands, the 600 MHz duplex gap and in portions of the 900 MHz, 1.4 GHz and 7 GHz bands. The NPRM also looks at using WMAS on an unlicensed basis.

WMAS allows microphones to operate using wider bandwidth channels than FCC rules currently allow by digitally combining multiple mic signals. It also uses a more efficient operating protocol, resulting in a larger number of wireless mics being able to operate in the available spectrum.

Europe has already permitted the use of WMAS technology under the European Telecommunications Standards Institute standards.

The proposals are designed to amend the FCC’s Part 74 licensed radio device rules — known as low-power auxiliary station (LPAS) devices — to support efficient use of spectrum and implement interference protection standards. The proposal also seeks comment on whether the commission should permit WMAS to operate on an unlicensed basis under the FCC’s Part 15 rule.

Any changes are not intended to impact incumbent spectrum operations, the FCC claims.

“These [WMAS] systems have the potential to significantly improve the efficiency of wireless microphone operations,” said FCC Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel. “So much so, that under the rules we propose here, three times as many microphones may be able to operate while putting the same amount of power over the air as a single wireless microphone does under our rules today.”

The NPRM was approved unanimously by the FCC during its April Open Commission Meeting.

The post FCC Exploring New Wireless Mic Technology appeared first on Radio World.

When the Federal Communications Commission opens its filing window for new noncom educational stations in the lower part of the FM band later this year, it will limit the number of applications per party to 10.

The commission approved the limit on Thursday, as it was expected to do based on recent statements.

[Read: FM NCE Filing Window Coming in 2021]

 It said the general idea of a cap drew support in filed comments, though opinions varied on the number.

National Public Radio endorsed the 10-application cap. REC Networks and Common Frequency pushed for five. Educational Media Foundation thought parties should be able to file more than 10 applications if the additional ones were for areas outside the home counties of Nielsen Audio markets.

“We find a 10-application cap will best deter speculative filings, permit the expeditious processing of the applications filed in the window, and provide interested parties with a meaningful opportunity to file for and obtain new NCE FM station licenses,” the commission stated.

“We agree with NPR that the alternative REC and EMF proposals ‘fail to offer a demonstrably better balancing of the relevant objectives.’”

The commission wanted to cap the number of applications to avoid a repeat of the 2003 translator window in which it was swamped with 13,000 applications, many from speculative filers.

It expects a lot of interest in this window for several reasons: There’s no application filing fee; there are no ownership limits in the reserved band; there has not been a filing window for new NCE FM applications for over a decade; and the FCC recently simplified procedures including how it treats competing applications.

 

The post In NCE Window, FCC Will Cap Apps at 10 appeared first on Radio World.

Canare microphone cable

Canare USA, a supplier of cables and connectors, said it is experiencing “experiencing extremely unprecedented long lead times, due to a shortage of ocean containers globally.”

In an email to customers and business partners, the manufacturer wrote, “We were once able to absorb costs for special air shipments; however, the prices have soared beyond expectations and we are no longer in a position to absorb 100% of the cost.”

By way of explanation it pointed to online news stories about “chaos” in global shipping including a shortage of ocean containers.

“As we navigate through these delays, we ask that you would be both understanding and patient with us, as we use our best strategies to bring you your much needed supply of Canare products.”

It encouraged customers to raise awareness of the state of the shipping industry, ask about emergency air shipments and to consider blanket orders to help assure availability.

Canare Corporation of America is based in New Jersey. Its parent corporation was founded in 1970 in Japan, where it is headquartered. The company name comes from a river near the founder’s office.

 

The post Canare USA Reports Very Long Lead Times appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has established new sponsorship ID requirements. They require U.S. radio and TV stations to disclose when foreign governments lease air time.

All four commissioners voted to approve.

“The order increases transparency, ensuring audiences are aware when a foreign government, or its representatives, uses the airwaves to persuade the American public,” the commission said in its announcement.

Now, when a broadcaster leases time, they will need to ask the “lessee” if they or their programming are from a foreign governmental entity.

“If the answer is yes, a sponsorship identification will need to be placed on air and documented in the station’s public file,” said Acting Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.

“If the answer is no, a broadcaster will need to independently verify the lessee using the Foreign Agent Registration Act website from the Department of Justice and the FCC’s semi-annual foreign media outlet reports.”

NAB opposition

The National Association of Broadcasters was against the move in this form.

NAB General Counsel Rick Kaplan blogged a few days ago that while the change is well-intended, it is too broad and would put a new substantial burden on broadcasters who enter into lease agreements with all program sources “to determine whether they are dealing with a foreign government in the first place.”

In his comments before the vote, Kaplan said “hundreds if not thousands” of stations would be “mandated to undertake steps to prove in advance they are not dealing with foreign governments, even when they each know with certainty they are not.”

He said there’s no evidence of a “groundswell of foreign propaganda” on the U.S. airwaves or that stations are confused about the origins of what they air. And he added that it’s unfair that broadcasters need to take such steps when foreign entities can communicate freely with Americans via social media.

Rosenworcel: “This is simple”

But the FCC believes that foreign governmental entities are increasingly purchasing time on domestic broadcast stations.

Rosenworcel said, “We know that foreign entities are purchasing time on broadcast stations in markets across the country, including Chinese government-sponsored programming and Russian government-sponsored programming right here in our nation’s capital.”

She said this is not only a recent phenomenon.

“During the last several years, press reports about the presence of this programming have multiplied. Moreover, Congresswoman Anna Eshoo wrote this agency eight times to demand that it do something to shed light on the use of our airwaves by foreign government actors. Today’s decision is a testament to her perseverance. It is also a statement about national security and the preservation of our democratic values.”

Specifically, the order requires disclosure for broadcast programming aired through a leased airtime agreement sponsored by any entity or individual that is a foreign government, a foreign political party, an agent acting on behalf of such entities, or a U.S.-based foreign media outlet based on definitions drawn from the Foreign Agents Registration Act of 1938 and the Communications Act of 1934.

The order also adopts a requirement that a station airing foreign government-provided programming pursuant to a lease agreement must include such disclosures in its Online Public Inspection File.

In a statement after the vote, NAB Senior Vice President of Communications Ann Marie Cumming emphasized that NAB “supports the FCC’s goal of ensuring that the public understands when it listens to or views programming supplied by foreign governmental entities” but wanted to avoid creating burdens “for the vast majority of broadcasters that do not air this content.”

“Even though we do not believe the commission ultimately achieved this aim, we greatly appreciate the efforts of Commissioners Carr and Simington to avoid undue regulatory burdens, and the efforts of the Media Bureau to constructively engage with us throughout this proceeding.”

The post FCC Approves Foreign Government ID Change appeared first on Radio World.

RWEE has a new look but the same great content.

Keeping transmission lines dry, Larry Wilkins has some thoughts. What’s next with the C Band repack?

Burk Technology’s Peter Burk says planning an autonomous site starts with considering the measurable things that might signal a need for action.

And Cris Alexander takes a trip down Remote Control Memory Lane.

Radio World Engineering Extra provides a special deep dive into topics of interest specifically for radio broadcast engineers. It is edited by veteran DOE Cris Alexander.

Read it here.

The post Inside the April 21 Issue of RW Engineering Extra appeared first on Radio World.