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Thresa and Michael Gay

Every now and then we are fortunate in our industry that a startup crops up to bring us some really cool problem-solvers. Some of these firms come and go. Some products are acquired by other companies (the old Dannager Audio Works Plan B silence sensor comes to mind). Some suppliers become industry stalwarts.

We have long-standing manufacturers like Henry Engineering and RDL that have built special widgets for years. Relative newcomer Angry Audio has a growing variety of solutions.

Now a company called NotaBotYet is on the scene with its own line of creative products for radio broadcasters. The startup was founded by wife-and-husband team Thresa and Michael Gay.

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Early glimmers came while Michael was helping his daughter build her first robot, named the C-Bot, and trying to come up with a cute name to put on the circuit board. Because this was just the foundation of the project, he wrote “NotaBotYet” on the board.

Fast forward about six months to a studio build when one of Michael’s engineering colleagues spent days, literally, days, soldering 15-pin connectors for an Axia node. Michael thought, “There has to be a better way.” So he worked out some circuit board designs, and put the “NotaBotYet” name on them again.

That little breakout board was noticed by Dave Kerstin of distributor Broadcasters General Store, who said, “Hey I could probably sell a lot of those! Think you can make more?”

Thus in 2015, NotaBotYet was born.

Thresa is president of the family firm. “My degree is in education. I’m a mom, which qualifies for doing just about any job on the fly. For our company, I was in a position that I could balance starting a company — finances, sales, management — with home life — finances, sales, management.”

The NotaBotYet Howler Monkey is named for the loudest land animal.

Michael’s day job is vice president of engineering for Cumulus Media, but in his spare time he is the product designer for NotaBotYet. And their teenage daughters Tesla and Cianna help out.

Tesla, the 16-year-old, loves technology and has built her own gaming computer. (“Yes, she was named after Nikola Tesla,” said Thresa Gay. “I did marry a radio engineer. She was named Tesla before Tesla was cool.”)

Sample work
NotaBotYet makes a bunch of cost-effective solutions to resolve radio installation quandaries. They include the NotaBotYet Axia Relay, Axia GPIO Breakout, Six-Channel WheatNet Logic or Axia Livewire GPIO Relay, Yellowtec LITT Signaling Device Interface, Easy Relay, On-Air 85, Tally Helper 100 & 500, the Howler Monkey Precision Studio Headphone Amp and the Studio Jam and Expansion Jam.

An example of how Howler Monkeys can be daisy chained.

They’ve also built clever mounts for installing video cameras in radio studios.

Consider the Howler Monkey Headphone Amp system. It is designed to mount around the studio at guest locations; it uses standard RJ45 connectors and Ethernet cables. (And why is it called “Howler Monkey”? Because the howler monkeys of Central and South America are among the loudest creatures on land.)

It’s so well built and designed, I had to open the case to check out the construction. These headphone amp boxes have both 1/4-inch stereo and mini headphone jack, so no adapters to hunt down. You can daisy chain five of these (so you don’t need five “wall wart” power supplies all over) and you can chain the audio via Cat-5 from one to the next, or feed them individually from your analog DA, Blade or Node. Retail price is $320.

Studio Jam can help add multicolor accent lighting around the studio in an inexpensive and creative way.

Then there’s the Studio Jam, a fun device that can be used to create cool lighting effects in the studio based on GPIO connections from your audio board or AoIP gear.

These days, with studios “on camera” via social media and video streaming, an “ugly studio” won’t do. So NotaBotYet created this box to help add multicolor accent lighting around the studio in an inexpensive and creative way. Use it to cause lighting in the room to change color, depending on a GPIO trigger. Maybe the highlights glow red during an EAS! Or as various guest mics open, maybe the room — or even just the boom arms — might change color. Retail price is $340.

Another slick device worth mentioning is the On-Air 85, a universal 12V On-Air light that can be controlled by the Axia, Wheatstone or generic GPIO system.

Unlike more traditional on-air notification systems, this very small device provides the power to your 12V on-air light. It simplifies the wiring and connection to an output of the GPIO to the On-Air 85, and the On-Air 85 to the light. Simple and safe, avoiding any 120V AC wiring, and using easy low-voltage wiring.

A room with lighting controlled by Studio Jam. The NotaBotYet graphics have been Photoshopped in.
Besides the “Steady On” mode, there are 14 flashing patterns you can choose, so this device can certainly be used as the interface for a “phone” GPIO, “door” GPIO, or even “Coffee is READY!” GPIO. Retail price is $140.

Keep your eye on NotaBotYet for more creative ideas. Check out what they have, and if there is something you need, tell them. They’re open to helping you meet that need for the tough-to-solve problem.

The website is www.notabotyet.com and includes a list of its U.S. and international dealers.

The author is chief video engineer for the Cleveland Orchestra and a veteran radio and TV engineer. He wrote about the Elgato Stream Deck in January.

The post NotaBotYet Has SolutionsForYou! appeared first on Radio World.

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Issued a Notice of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture in the amount of $1,500 to Lemoore Union High School District for failure to timely file a license renewal application for Station KGAR-LP, Lemoore, California

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Announces procedures, deadlines, and minimum opening bid amounts for the upcoming auction of construction permits for full power television stations. Bidding in Auction 112 scheduled to begin June 7, 2022

What’s the longest interview that’s ever aired on a radio station in your community?

It ain’t got nothin’ on what a pair of Carroll University students just accomplished at the student-run radio station where they serve as budding air personalities.

Their stunt just landed them in the Guinness World Record book.

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From our Who’s Buying What page: CGI announced that the South African Broadcasting Corp. is using its dira system at eight of its radio stations and will roll it out to the other 11 this year.

Dira is a playout, production and music scheduling platform.

“The contract, won via a competitive tender process, has seen the SABC invest in CGI’s full dira Solution Suite, including Onair Player, Highlander, Scheduler, Startrack, Orion and Broadcast Report,” the supplier said in a press release.

“The proof of concept and subsequent implementation by CGI has achieved the SABC’s goal to enable dira’s use throughout the company’s radio environment, from sales, sport, news and current affairs to education and drama.”

The announcement was made by Nada Wotshela, group executive for SABC Radio, and Michael Thielen, vice president of radio solutions at CGI.

Wotshela said a feature of particular interest is a Commercial Player that plays radio ads within a specified window of booked time. “This will assist with accurate reporting and also ensure that skipping of advertisements, which leads to revenue losses, is a thing of the past,” Wotshela stated.

CGI acquired SCISYS Group PLC, the previous developer of dira, in 2019.

The post SABC Adopts CGI’s Dira Platform appeared first on Radio World.

First, it was CES 2022 where attendees of a major Las Vegas-based conference and expo learned the latest about NEXTGEN TV and all of its ATSC 3.0 features.

Now, 2022 NAB Show attendees are in line to explore the ongoing deployment of broadcast television’s new transmission standard.

NEXTGEN TV exhibits, demonstrations and sessions will take place throughout the conference, scheduled for April 23–27 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

NextGen Now, presented by Heartland Video Systems (HVS), will provide a “how-to” overview of Next Gen TV workflows as they are being used today. Featured within the CONNECT Implementation Zone in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center, NextGen Now is designed to help broadcasters understand the challenges in implementing the standard in local markets. HVS will provide expert real-world guidance on implementing NextGen workflow and showcase broadcaster equipment from multiple manufacturers and explains their function within the air-chain.

“We are thankful to both our customers and vendors who enable us to be a part of ATSC 3.0 implementations,” Heartland Video Systems President Dennis Klas said. “This is an exciting time and we look forward to providing this NAB Show experience.”

The Advanced Television Systems Committee (ATSC) will be showcasing the latest generation of NEXTGEN TV receivers at its booth in the Future of Delivery section of the West Hall, as well as providing an update on the implementation progress of the standard at stations throughout the country and advanced applications that broadcasters have been developing.

NAB will also demonstrate the scalable video coding feature of the standard, in which a base layer of high definition content is delivered through over-the-air broadcasting while an ultra high-definition enhancement layer is delivered via broadband, with the TV set combining the two layers into unified ultra high-definition content. The demonstration will take place in Futures Park.

Additionally, on April 24 the Broadcast Engineering & Information Technology (BEIT) Conference will feature presentations on technical papers regarding NEXTGEN TV, in addition to several panels on various topics related to the standard in the Connect Inspiration theater in the West Hall.

Other related panels include “What’s Now and What’s Next with NEXTGEN TV,” moderated by Pearl TV Managing Director Anne Schelle, on April 24, and a question-and-answer session designed to inform station managers and sellers about new opportunities available through the technology.

Additional Next Gen TV programing, activities and demos are in development and will be confirmed soon.

Tascam has launched three podcast system bundles for its Mixcast 4 Podcast Station with built-in recorder and USB audio interface. They were designed to streamline content creation for podcasts, live streaming, event production and voiceover work.

The three bundles can accommodate up to four people with four microphones and four headsets so users can tailor their setups to accommodate both show personnel and guests.

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Key to each bundle is the Mixcast 4 Podcast Station, the TM-70 Dynamic Broadcast Microphone and the TH-02 Studio Headphones. The main difference between each of the three Mixcast 4 bundles is the number of TM-70 microphones and TH-02 headphones included — Bundle No. 1 includes one set of each; Bundle No. 2 includes two sets of each; and Bundle No. 3 includes four of each.

The Mixcast 4 Podcast Station is available as a single entity for those already in possession of microphones and headphones. The company says the three available bundles create system packages that represent a cost-effective solution compared to the expense of acquiring the individual components necessary to form a complete system.

For more information, visit www.tascam.com.

The post Tascam Intros Mixcast 4 Podcast Station Bundles appeared first on Radio World.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers today said it will hold the 2022 SBE Leadership Development Course, a three-day intensive program focused on successful leadership and management for broadcast engineers, Aug.3-5, in Atlanta.

The course explores the nature of leadership, the difference between being a manager and being a leader, how to build a winning team, the importance of attitude in the leadership position and insights into communication.

Instructing the course will be Frank Pianki, Ph.D., a professor of management who has served at Anderson University since 1998. His balanced background blends academic ability and professional experience.

Pianki earned a Bachelor of Science in chemical engineering from the University of Connecticut, a Master of Science degree in chemical engineering from the University of Arizona, an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University and a doctorate from Indiana University.

Before his academic career, Pianki had nearly 20 years of experience working in business and industry. He has worked as chief operating officer for a healthcare organization and vice president of operations for a manufacturing company.

The cost of the program is $670 for SBE members and $725 for non-members.

Registration is available online.

The post Frank Pianki to Teach SBE Leadership Development Course appeared first on Radio World.

Computer modeling allowed me to set up a new four-tower 50 kW array from scratch in just one day.

It wasn’t too long after I started fooling around with computers in the mid-1980s that antenna modeling became a thing. NEC and MININEC were the prevalent modeling engines, and the source code was out there in the public domain.

At some point, I began playing with models of medium-wave monopole antennas, simple nondirectional radiators. While those simple models were somewhat useful, they didn’t really do a whole lot for me. Now, if I could model a directional array and get an accurate prediction of the driving point impedances, that would be worth something.

And so it was that I started playing with directional models. The challenge was not in the physical geometry of a directional array. It was coming up with a set of drive voltages and phases. I experimented but had little to no success, and I eventually gave up, moving on to other, more pressing things.

Eureka!
Fortunately, some very smart people were working on the problem, people like J.L. Smith, Ron Rackley, Jim Hatfield, Jerry Westberg, Ben Dawson and others.

They figured out that you had to compute the individual tower current moments for unity drive, then with that information and the theoretical directional parameters, solve a set of simultaneous equations to get the normalized drive voltages.

Those drive voltages, each expressed as complex numbers, could be applied as sources in the model, and the resulting tower moments would equal the theoretical directional parameters.

After the brain trust figured that out, I was able to write some code and create a computer program that would do the whole thing, taking array geometry expressed in either X,Y,Z format or in distance/azimuth from a reference tower, then taking the theoretical directional parameters (ratios and phases) and turning that into a model that I could calibrate to real-world impedance matrix measurements and produce an output including driving point impedances, voltages and currents; element current distribution, and both near- and far-field E- and H-field values.

This tower serves Crawford station KBRT in Los Angeles. We caught the sunset on one of our security cameras. You might be able to make out a hawk sitting on a guy wire waiting for his dinner.

New FCC rules permitting “proofing” of AM directional arrays went into effect in 2008. I filed my first model-proof that summer, and I’ve never looked back.

The moment-method modeling proof option has been great for our industry. Aging arrays that needed a lot of very expensive fieldwork could be brought into adjustment very quickly in many cases, and new installations could be tuned up in days if not hours.

Today, you can look through the FCC database and you’ll see many occurrences of the telltale file number prefix “BMM,” indicating a moment-method proofed facility. Many of those are model proofs I have filed.

Needless to say, I’m still a believer.

The trap
Fast forward to 2021. Last year, a group of engineers and broadcasters (more really smart people) petitioned the FCC for a rule change that would allow model proofing of FM directional antennas. That rulemaking, at this writing, is in process.

FM directionals, which constitute a reported 20% of all full-power FM facilities, have long been a problem for engineers. I got caught in the FM directional “trap” back in the mid-1980s and had to petition the FCC for a variance to get a facility on the air.

The usual process is first to determine the maximum ERP in every direction of interest, whether a target service area or toward a protected station or border, then develop a theoretical antenna pattern based solely on the coverage and protection requirements.

That ideal or “envelope” pattern then is specified in the construction permit application. When the CP is granted, the envelope pattern is sent to the antenna manufacturer, who will do range measurements using a model based on detailed information about the mounting location provided by the permittee. The manufacturer will make tweaks, adding and moving around parasitic elements to get as close as possible with the measured pattern to the supplied ideal or envelope pattern.

The “trap” occurs in that zone between meeting all the protections and making the required RMS, which by law must be 85% of that of the authorized pattern. Sometimes the measured pattern will meet all the protection requirements but come up short on RMS. That’s what happened to me way back when.

The sure-fire way to avoid this situation is to have the antenna manufacturer develop a buildable, measured pattern and file that pattern instead of the envelope or ideal pattern with the CP application.

Then, when the time comes to file the license application, that same pattern is filed as the “proofed” pattern. All protections are met, and the RMS is 100%.

But that entails some financial risk. You have to pay the antenna manufacturer to develop and fully proof a pattern, with no assurance that the FCC will grant the application. That risk can be minimized with careful attention to detail in the application process (and leaving some white space between interfering and protected contours), but if there’s one thing I have learned from 40+ years of filing FCC applications, it’s that anything can happen.

Remember those smart people I mentioned, the ones who have petitioned for a rulemaking that will allow model-proofing of FM antennas? Their proposal will solve the problem of the “trap” as well as saving all the time, trouble and cost of FM directional antenna range measurements.

In the latest issue of RW Engineering Extra, we feature a white paper on computer modeling of directional FM antennas by John Schadler of Dielectric. John provides some compelling arguments for this, and I think you’ll find it interesting.

I’m going to go out on a limb here and predict that the FCC will very shortly enact the requested rule change in some form to permit model proofing of FM directional antennas. While there are differences, the engineers at the Media Bureau have certainly seen the benefits and reliability of AM model proofing, and that undoubtedly carries some weight.

The result for broadcasters will be no more RMS/protection traps, no more range measurements, and a reduction in time between order and delivery of custom directional antennas. Patterns can be fine-tuned to fit the application with engineering time being the only cost.

I think that’s pretty doggone cool.

The post FM Directional Computer Simulations — Why Not? appeared first on Radio World.

John Robinson, P.E., has been named the new vice president of structural engineering for Electronics Research Inc.

This is his second stint with the company, where he worked for 23 years and was senior engineer of the Structural Division.

“Robinson rejoins ERI from Hodge Engineering, a structural engineering consulting firm where he was the principal engineer for their Tower Engineering Group,” ERI said in its announcement. Robinson succeeds James Ruedlinger, who left to pursue other interests.

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He is a registered Professional Engineer in Indiana and 17 other states. He is a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers and the TIA TR-14 Engineering Committee for Structural Standards for Communication and Small Wind Turbine Support Structures.

The announcement was made by President/CEO Tom Silliman, who welcomed Robinson back and added, “We also value and support his participation on the TIA TR14 Committee as its work is critical to our installations subsidiary.”

Robinson is a graduate of the University of Evansville and holds undergraduate degrees in civil and mechanical engineering as well as a master’s degree in mechanical engineering.

Send news of engineering and executive personnel changes to radioworld@futurenet.com.

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Some 49 weeks ago, the Jeff Andrulonis-led Colonial Radio Group moved forward with the sale of Class A WMIR-FM 93.9 in Conway, S.C.

Now, Andrulonis, who shifted his assets from Western New York to the Carolinas in late 2020, is saying goodbye to an AM and three associated FM translators serving the Myrtle Beach, S.C., market.

What are the new owners plans? A gallo could soon be ruling the roost.

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According to people familiar with the matter, Spanish Broadcasting System (SBS) has emerged victorious as the buyer of Rhythmic Top 40 WPYO-FM 95.3 in Maitland, Fla., serving the Orlando market, and Alternative WSUN-FM 97.1 in Holiday, Fla., serving metropolitan Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater.

Staff at each of the stations, respectively branded as “Power 95.3” and “97X,” were reportedly told of the transaction in a meeting just before the lunch hour on Thursday (2/10).

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For more than 75 years, a Chandler, Ind.-based company has served the broadcast industry with products such as television and FM transmitting antennas; RF filters and combiners; guyed and self-supporting towers; grounding and lightning protection; installation, structural analysis, inspection services; rigid transmission lines, and UHF waveguide systems.

Now, the “Broadcast Master Distributor” for CommScope HELIAX, accessories, pressurization, and terrestrial microwave products is welcoming a new VP of Structural Engineering.

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MIAMI — An individual lauded by Telemundo Global Studios EVP of Production and Development Karen Barroeta as “a highly regarded production executive with decades of experience bringing premium, culturally relevant narratives to Latino audiences” has just been given the role of SVP/Scripted Production at Telemundo Studios.

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