Rad THE RADIO TECHNOLOGY LEADER May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com ;Prod ctio from the d Make the Switch to Presenter Now... We'll Convert Your Audio and Data For Free! Presenter, The Ultimate 'Live & Local' Studio System. 1A hen Playing Aud o Really Natters. (800) ENCO-SYS it Best ways to deliver remotely FIELD REPORTS Sage Digital Endec and WorldCast Systems APT WorldNet Oslo FACILITY SHOWCASE WBVM Tampa A Penton Media Publication www.enco.com
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May 2010 THE RADIO TECHNOLOGY LEADER … · Terry Baun Receives SBE Lifetime Achievement Award The SBE Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes outstanding contributions and achievements
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RadTHE RADIO TECHNOLOGY LEADER
May 2010RadioMagOnline.com
;Prod ctiofrom the
d
Make the Switch to Presenter Now...We'll Convert Your Audio and Data For Free!
Presenter, The Ultimate 'Live & Local' Studio System.
1A hen Playing Aud o Really Natters.(800) ENCO-SYS
it
Best waysto deliverremotely
FIELDREPORTSSage Digital Endec andWorldCast SystemsAPT WorldNet Oslo
sound at a great price. In fact, you can easily spend two to threetimes more and still not match the VP -8's performance.
Installation and setup takes only minutes. The VP -8 is loaded andready to go for FM, AM, FM -HD, AM -HD, streaming, and studioprocessing. It's great sounding presets are carefully tailored for yourformat and media. No need to spend endless hours tweaking, theVP -8 will make your station sound great, right out of the box.
For FM stations, expect a sound that easily holds its own with yourhigh -power major market competitors. Listeners comment that withthe VP -8 they now hear the rest of the music! AM stations oftenexperience a dramatic increase in coverage area along with greatlyimproved intelligibility and sound quality.
The VP -8 is also ideal for streaming audio, studio processing, as aversatile backup processor or as an s -n_ protection limiter.
WHE ATSTONEW17/2.57..S'
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Of course, if tweak ng s your thing, VP -8 lets you under the hoodwith a complete toolset - in the VP -8, nothing is hidden. With its4 -band AGC/compressor and 8 -band limiter, the VP -8 boasts morebands than any other processor in its price range to give you a verycleah, bud, competitive sound that doesn't destroy the music.
It also t includfeatUres rarely found even on top -of -the -lineprocessors: a rence-grade stereo encoder for FM, built-in testoscillator, diversity delay, multi -point headphone monitoring, andextensive metering.
The bottom line? The Vorsis VP -8 gives more bang per buck thanany other audio processor in its class (and then some). And sinceVorsis is designed and built by Wheatstone here in the US, youknow it'll hold up and be supported 24/7 for years and years.
Intrigued? Call us or visit us on the web to learn more or set up a demo.You'll be happy you did. Vorsis- more listeners listening more.
Moseley has tamed the primitive STL jungle and become the world leader in the technology, design and
manufacturing of digital studio transmitter links. Moseley, the first to bring a totally transparent digital
uncompressed STL to the broadcast industry, continues that same innovative thinking today.
Now, 50 years later, Moseley has more than 15,000 microwave systems in service in the hostile
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Don't monkey around with your on -air sound. Call the digital STL experts today.
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www.RadioMagOnline.com
CONTENTS
ON THE COVERMobility was a key issue at the
2010 NAB Show in Las Vegas.And if radio listeners are mobile,
stations should be, too. Newtechnologies are making remote
production easier. Read howstarting on page 14.
Produpt,ipn
0.4 Fielda
Mi boirs-1111114 04I
RadloFeatures14 Trends in Technology: Remote production
by lion liartlebaughMixing new technologies and long-time basics
20 Facility Showcase: WBVM Spirit FMby John MorrisA $1M upgrade for a station with humble beginnings
28 DAB Answer Series: Filter combinersby Derek SmallInside the Myat Lo -Loss solution
29 DAB Answer Series: HD Radio in MSMississippi Public Broadcasting adds two channels
34 Tech Tipsby Chriss SchererTips, tricks, hints and more
Columns8 Viewpoint
by CI wiss Scherer2010 NAB Show recovery
10 RF Engineeringby Jeremy RuckEffects of tower standard 222G
12 FCC Updateby I carry C. MartinEarlier AM pre -sunrise operations proposed
Departments6 Online
at www.RadioMagonline.com
36 Field Report: Sage Digital Endecby Torn Atkins
38 Field Report: APT WorldNet Osloby Doug Irwin
40 New Productsby Erin Shipps
48 Classifieds49 Contributor Pro -File
Meet John Morris
50 Sign Offby Erin ShippsAdvertising expenditures in media from 2009
May 2010 RadioMagOnlinacom
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www.RadioMagOnline.com
CONTENTS ONLINE Raft)Cu rrents Online Selected headlines from the past month.
Terry Baun Receives SBE Lifetime Achievement AwardThe SBE Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes outstanding contributions and achievements by anindividual throughout his or her professional lifetime.
2010 NAB Show Attendance: 88,044International attendance came in at 23,900 with 156 countries represented. The 2009 NAB Showfinal attendance was 82,650.
NAB Announces 2010 Crystal Radio Award WinnersThe 10 winners are recognized for their outstanding year-round commitment to community service.
Davis and Locke Elected SBE FellowsSterling E.Davis is vice president of engineering for Cox Media Group in Atlanta, and Robert W. Locke, CPBE CBNT, is thechief engineer for KPTS in Maize, KS.
NAB CEO Gordon Smith Delivers Inaugural State of the Industry AddressSmith focused on three issues: the radio performance tax, the National Broadband Plan and retransmission consent rights forbroadcasters. Read his speech online.
The Radio magazine Pick Hits of the 2010 NAB ShowThe top 15 new products of the convention as selected by our Pick Hits panel.
Seven Automakers Expand HD Radio Commitment
equipment or are making it available on additional models.Find the micand win!
Tell us where you think the mic icon is placedon this issue's cover and you could win a
prize courtesy of Hosa.
We'll award a differentprize each monthduring 2010.
See the convention through the lenses of the Radiomagazine staff.
WebinarsOur two-part series of IP audio in the studio and in the fieldare available on demand.
Facebook, Twitter, and RSSAll the content at RadioMagOnline.com is available throughFacebook, Twitter or as an RSS feed. facebook.com/RadioMagazine twitter.com/RadioMagazine RadioMagOnline.com/rssfeeds
Industry EventsThe Radio magazine Industry Events section lists upcomingconventions and conferences.
Podcasts to GoThe Radio Currents Weekly Podcast brings the newsheadlines to you to take on the road.
Advertiser LinksWeb links to the advensers in the May issue.
May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
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Post -showrecovery
The 2010 NAB Show is now in the books, and the first impressionsconfirm that it appeared to be a good convention. Granted, themood of our industry at this time last year was at an all-time low.
Still, registered convention attendance was up, exhibitor moods were high,and attendee interest was focused.
While registered attendance is up slightly (about 5,000 more registered thisyear than actually attended last year), I was pleasedto hear from exhibitors that stations are placingorders. They're not big orders, but the budgets arebeing opened at least in small amounts.
The theories why were mixed: Some exhibitorscite the statistics that advertising revenues arebeginning to rise again. Others speculated that
stations had put off capital projects as long as theycould so it's just a matter of timing. From the HDRadio standpoint, now that the proposed digitalsidebcnd power increase is at least partiallysettled some stations are moving ahead with theirfacility upgrades.
The big change for radio this year was that theradio exhibits were in the Central Hall. Frankly, thiswas not a big deal to me. Booths move aroundevery year, so North Hall or Central Hall makes nodifference to me. Because I rode the Monorail tothe convention center each day I liked the CentralHall location. It was a slightly shorter walk from the
Your Story Is Out There.Grab It LIVE with ACCESS!It isn't every day you can broadcast your morning commute. And as far as weknow, it's even more rare to broadcast from a bicyde. But that's just what Radio3FM Di Giel Beelen did on his 48 -kilometer morning commute from Harlem toHilversum in the Netherlands. How did he do it AND provide audio that's so goodit sounds like he was right in the studio? He used ACCESS from Comrex.
Whether it's traveling to work or traveling to cover breaking news, you can alwaysbe where the story is. And you don't need a full crew to grab it. Wherever you are,you can be live on the air, creating pinpoint, relevant programming that keeps anever-growing number of listeners glued to their radios.
ACCESS PORTABLE lets you send studio -quality live audio, real time to anACCESS RACK at your studio over POTS, DSL, Cable, Wi-Fi, 3G cellular(EVDOIUMTS), 4G WiMax, satellite and more to make any remotebroadcast really stand out.
There's nothing more immediate than local- connect with your audiencefrom anywhere with the easy to use, handheld ACCESS PORTABLE!
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station. One radio advantage to the Central Hallis that the exhibits are closer to the session roomsfor the Broadcast Engineering Conference.
Here are some quick takes from the convention.IP everything. Whether it's IP audio in codecs
and routers/mixers or IP control, everything hasan Ethernet port on it. This should not surpriseanyone. On the IP audio side, I was impressedto see Logitek and Axia sharing IP audio informa-tion. While all the studio systems have their ownflavor of IP audio, this interaction could be thestart of some real standards being used betweenthe various systems.
Portable connectivity. While saying "There's anapp for that" is a catch phrase, it seems therereally is an app, or at least mobile connectiv-ity, for almost everything. Some companies arestretching the idea by saying a product has iPhoneconnectivity when the product just has browsercontrol. So it's not truly an app, but nonetheless,taking control with some kind of smart phone haslots of potential.
Taking portable connectivity to its next logicalstep, several automation companies showedtheir products with direct upload capabilities.Someone in the field can send an audio bit to thestation and insert it directly into the on -air flow.Remotes and breaking news are even easier tomanage this way.
What's your opinion? Send it to
radio@RadioMagOnlinecom
VIEWPOINTI also liked the codec connection via the iPhone
for Tieline and the Drcid for Comrex. AEQ showedme that there are apps available to co'nect toSIP -capable codecs. And now that the iPad is avail-able, many exhibitors were using the overgrowniPod as part of their display.
EAS and CAP. While FEMA, the FCC, the EAS-CAP Industry Group and others work on the nextgeneration of EAS, EAS equipment manufacturersare all standing ready to provide updated equip-ment when CAP is adopted. The FEMA boo'hhad lots of activity with equipment demonstrationsgoing off every few minutes. A useful demonstration
showed a text -to -speech implementation to provideaudio from the text within a CAP message.
Some predictions were made that FEMA wouldadopt CAP in September, which will start the180 -day clock for stations to have CAP -capableequipment installed.
Overall, it seems the convention was a success.Attendance was uo, spirits were high, and tfiemedia industry in general appears to be on anupswing. This is one trend that we certainly wantto continue.
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RF ENGINEERING www.RadioiVagOnlinacom
Effects oftower standard 222G By Jeremy Ruck, PE
The ANSI/TIA/EIA-222 tower standard, now in its 619 year ofexistence, is in its seventh revision: version G. The current revisiontook effect in 2006, and has since undergone two addendums. The
standard is required to be reviewed every five years, and has at some timesbeen left as is. The venerable revision C was active for almost 20 years untilbeing replaced in 1987 by the D revision. G and its two addendums makesignificant changes in the way structures are contemplated. As the next roundof changes to our industry occurs, the implications of the G standard shouldbe considered, as they not only affect new construction, but will impact the
carrying capacity of existing structures.Under G, a more comprehensive look at structure
performance is taken. Two limit states, or conditions,
for each structure are considered. Under the strength
limit state, compliant structures are safe under the most
extreme of loading conditions. Theserviceability limit state ensures that
the structure in question is capableof providing the desired serviceunder normal conditions.
Gone is the fastest mile windspeed concept that had beenpreviously utilized. Mainly thechange here is due to the waythe National Weather Serviceand other agencies measure windspeed. The new accurate method-ologies to determine wind speedhave translated into the change inthe standard whereby wind load-ing is calculated according to athree -second wind gust to accom-
modate instantaneous loads. Mostof the sites used by the WeatherService record three -second -gustwind speeds, so more accurateaverages are available for G andsubsequent revisions should thismethodology be continued.
In addition to the changesfor wind loading, we also findconsiderations different for iceand seismic loads. Ice loadsare escalated with height, asare wind loads, and G is the
first version of the standard thatseriously addresses earthquake
loading. In general the seismic provisions shouldhave minimal impact on broadcast structuresunless the structure is irregular in some fashion.In the case of ice loading, older towers with no
such consideration will almost certainly see theircapacity decrease. Conversely, towers designedfor a higher wind speed combined with certainice thicknesses may see their capacity increase.The end result, of course, is that your tower maymove into an overloaded condition, or be ripefor additional revenue.
Dig deeperPrevious revisions of the standard have discussed
"normal soil," however, G eliminates this designa-tion. In G, an annex is included that lists parameters
for various soil types that may be used for bidpurposes in the absence of a boring report. Beforea final design is completed, however, boringsshould be performed and this data considered.This is one area in which corners should neverbe cut. While the potential exists that adequategeotechnical information could reduce cost of aproject, Murphy would tend to dictate that structurefailure, the other end of the spectrum, will result ifproper borings are not obtained.
These design items among others are applied tostructures depending on the applicable categoriesin which they fall. Broadcasting towers wouldtypically be considered Class II structures: Thosethat represent a significant hazard to human lifeand/or property should they fail. In addition,each structure is also considered under exposurecategories, which are used to adjust wind loadingbased on the terrain roughness in the vicinity ofthe structure. There is an additional topographiccategory that corrects for sites on hills or elevatedlocations other than buildings. The result is a muchmore specific solution for each structure ratherthan a cookie -cutter approach based on broadregional assumptions.
Other important items have been included aspart of the latest revision. G has taken a muchmore comprehensive look at corrosion protection.Previous revisions have listed hot -dip galvanizingas the minimum corrosion protection, and this iscontinued in G. What is so important in the lat-est revision is that the requirements for protectionof anchors in corrosive soil are expanded. Guyanchors are kind of like icebergs in the sensethat what you see above ground is not the fullenchilada, and not necessarily representative oftheir overail condition. There have been numerousfailures in recent years of towers as a result of
0 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
.01
corrosion of steel guy anchors going unnoticed.If your periodic inspections have neglected com-prehensive examinations of the guy anchors, nowis the time to get them checked before the towerbecomes horizontal.
Not just the towerRevision G contains a significantly greater num-
ber of climbing and working requirements. Theminimum spacing between rest platforms on towersgreater than 500' in height has been reduced.Warning signs are required if a structure does notcomply with the provisions of the standard pertain-ing to climbing and working facilities. Safety climbsystems must also now carry a stamped or engravedmetal tag at their base indicating the size and typeof cable. This is to insure compatibility with thesafety equipment of personnel. A 3/8" cable isdefined as the standard to minimize the equipmentthat must be maintained by climbers.
So although Rev G winds up being more detailed,it offers many advantages affecting the design of astructure and related pricing. A better understandingof loads on a structure may allow for more capac-ity, although this should not be expected in everycase. Nevertheless, by considering more detailed
RF ENGINEERINGparameters, a given structure becomes° truly customsolution, and allows for increased capacity withoutover or under designing a tower.
It should be noted that the use of G is requiredwhen analyzing an existing structure for applica-tions beyond the original scope of design per-formed under previous revisions. So if your towerwas built during the era of the C revision and youpropose the addition of an auxiliary antenna notinitially considered, your engineer must study thestructure under G not C. Most pisdictions andinsurance companies will, however, require useof the most current revision regardless.
Although the face of our industry is changingsomewhat, the necessity of towers is an undeniablefact. Failure of one or more structures can clearlyresult in significant economic impact. While someof the design portions of Revision G may hovelimited applicability to older towers for which nochanges are proposed, the safety and protectionportions certainly apply, and should be consideredregardless of the age of your tower. The bottomline is that Rev G is a good thing, and the standardauthors have crafted an excellent standard.
Ruck is a senior engineer with D.L. Markley andAssociates, Peoria,
"the performance of the 6017 is simply stunning"Sergio Parisi, Parisi Eletronica Ltda
Shwe y Labs® (888) 744-8359 www.shively.com
RadioMagOnline.corn May 2010 1 1
FCC UPDATE www.RadioMagOnline.com
Earlier AM pre -sunriseoperations proposed By Harry Martin
The FCC has invited comments on a proposal that would permit earliercommencement of pre -sunrise (PSR) service by Class D and certainClass B AM stations.
Generally, Class D and Class B AM stations operating on regional chan-nels are not allowed to operate at full daytime power prior to sunrise. Before6 a.m., most daytimers are limited to very low power. Class D AM stations,for example, are typically limited to 100W. Recognizing the hardship thiscreates for many stations, particularly in winter months when sunrise occurslate (e.g., after 7 a.m.), the Commission has been approving PSR authoriza-
tions that permit pre -sunrise operations at up to500W uniformly at 6 a.m. regardless of whenlocal sunrise occurs.
In a petition for rule makingRichard F. Arsenault, a broadcast engineer in NewJersey, suggested the FCC permit AM stations onregional channels to commence PSR operation at5 a.m. rather than 6 a.m. These stations, it wasshown, are at a substantial competitive disad-vantage during morning drive -time hours, whichtypically begin between 5 a.m. and 5:30 a.m.
DatelineFor noncommercial radio stations in Michigan and
Ohio, the biennial ownership report deadline is June1. The deadline for submission of biennial ownershipreports for commercial radio stations has beensuspended pending a further redesign of Form 323.
June 1 is the deadline for radio stations licensed inthe following states to place their Annual EEO Reportsin their public files: Arizona, DC, Idaho, Maryland,Michigan, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Utah, Virginia,West Virginia and Wyoming
To remedy this situation, Arsenault proposes thatthe Commission permit Class D and Class B sta-tions operating on regional channels to commenceoperations at 5 a.m. under PSR authority with upto 500W. He provides supporting calculationsindicating his proposal could benefit as many as2,063 Class D and Class B stations, and claimsthere will be no international issues raised by suchan extension of PSR authority.
How much interference the proposed changemight (permit to domestic stations is not clear.The Arsenault petition lacks detailed engineeringanalysis on that point, most likely because it is
assumed at least a limited amount of interferenceis to be expected. Thus, the Commission will haveto balance whether improving the pre -sunrisecoverage of the many Class B and D stations out-weighs increased interference to affected stationsoperating on regional channels. Comments on theproposal were to be filed by April 26.
safety systemproposed
OCAS, Inc., a company founded by twoformer military pilots, has petitioned the FCCfor approval of a new system that the proponentsays would eliminate the need for towers to becontinually lit, thus saving power and improvingthe environment.
The OCAS system consists of three basic com-ponents. a low -power continuous wave radar,an energy supply source to turn on and controlthe lighting on the structure, and a VHF radiothat can transmit simultaneously on virtually allaviation -band frequencies.
The continuously operating radar device is to beattached on or near a tower to constantly monitor aseries of pre -established warning zones. If an aircraft
enters the first warning zone, the system automatically
turns on the tower lights to provide a visual warn-ing to the pilot. If the aircraft continues to advancetoward the tower and enters the second warningzone, the VHF radio transmits an audio warningon all aviation channels alerting the flight crew totake immediate action to avoid a collision.
Deployment of the OCAS system as a substi-tute for current lighting requirements will requireamendments to Parts 17 and 87 of the FCC'srules. The FCC has not yet set a date for com-ments on the proposal.
Martin is a member of F7etcher, Heald & Hildreth, PLC,Arlington, Virginia. E-mail: [email protected]
12 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
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TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY
How new technologiescan mix with long-timebasics to deliver remotely.
artlebaugh, CBNT11111
he market's response to an increased flurry ofaudio gathering and production in the fieldhas brought us new products and gadgetry.
"am..W. Creative spirits have been ignited to greater levels with
tools that are now, more than ever, highly versatile,too- powerful and compact. A simple news reporter field kit
used to consist of a heavy tape recorder and a bulkymicrophone. Now a solid-state recorder with many
. . nours of recording time, a built-in microphone,and an internal microprocessor so featurepacked that it rivals audio software found
on many desktop computers, fits in the palm of your hand.Audio recording and distribution applications for smartphones are developing at an unforeseen pace. When mar-rying existing technologies with new, the end results can beremarkable. While we look at cutting -edge technology, weneed to be mindful of many long-time basics - especiallywhen resporsible for one-shot, one -take productions.
EM 2000 is o 2000W FM transmitter madeup of the EM 25 DIG exciter (or EM 20/30 exciter) and theAM 2000 FM amplifier. AM 2000 includes eight 300W high -efficiency MOSFET technology amplifying modules, fed by 2independent switching power supplies, which ore made towithstand the working conditions. The omplifiying modeleswork independently thanks too power combining struc-urethat provides high isolation between them.
OMB AMERICAfactory and laboratoriesphone. (305) 477-0973(305) 477-0974fax. (305) 477-06113100 NW 72nd. Ave. Unit 112MIAMI, Florida 33122 USA
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MT/MR PLATINUM -_1GHzis a high-pe monce Studio -to -Transmitter Link. It it madeup of the 5W MT transmitter externally synthesized in OMHzsub -bonds with o step of 100KHz, and the MR doubleconversion receiver, that is externally synthesized, too. TheMT is microprocessor controlled, and includes LCD displayfor the visualuotion of the most relesont transmission parameters(frequency (6 -digit), forward and reflected power, moculationlevel), balanced Mono, Stereo (MPX). The MR receiver hasthe some visualization system as the transmitter. It includesbalanced Mono and Stereo (MPX) outputs. Furthermore, theMT/MR Platinum STL includes a jumper in order to get aproper operation with digital signals.
mum .7"HullIllllllll .4.
EM 10000 ,s o 10000W FM transmitter modeup of the EM 250 COMPACT DIG exciter and three control unitswhich combine tie power of six AM 2000 FM amplifiers. AM2000 scludes eight 300W high -efficiency MOSFET technologyamplifyitg modules, fed by 2 independent switching power supplies,which me made to withstood the working conditions. The omplifirngmodules works independently thanks too power combining structurethat provides till* isolation between them.
mark on technology users, and severalcompanies are capitalizing on the device's popularity.Tieline recently announced its Report -IT Live iPhone ap-plication for wireless IP reporting. The application turns aniPhone into an IP audio codec for live, portable, two-waywireless news gathering. The application enables the
phone connection to an in -studioTieline codec. The iPhone can,among many other features, beused to simultaneously reportand record live or record andforward at a later time.
Comrex recently introduced afree app called the Access Re-porter Codec (ARC). ARC makesan IP call over on Android -based
mobile phone's 3G or Wi-Fichannel to a selected Access orBric-Linkcodec in the studio using
a high -quality wideband, full -
duplex audio channel betweenthe two devices.
For Enco program automationsoftware users, the companyrecently announced its iDADproduct for use with the iPhoneand iPad. The iDAD providesfor the record, trim and tail, andlabeling of au-
dio for transmission to in -station EncoDAD and Presenter systems. Remotecontrol of those systems is also possiblethrough the iPhone and iPad.
Similarly, RCS has released the iPush,
which allows users to voice track andupload files to RCS NexGen Digitalsystems via an iPhone.
JK Audio offers several products foruse with Bluetooth-equipped phones.The BlueDriver uses Bluetooth wirelesstechnology to send and receive audiofrom professional audio equipment. TheBlueDriver model F3 connects directly to
the mic-level audio output of an audiomixing console or to a dynamic micro-phone. The model M3 connects to themicrophone input channel of an audiomixer. If you need maximum portabil-ity, the JK Audio BlueKeeper wirelessaudio gateway provides a method for
IMP
conduc ing and recordingdesktop interviews usinga cell plane.
There are many op-tions cnoilable to sendaudio tc the studio fromthe field. DSL, cablemodem, IP, Wi-Fi, 3Gand 427 networks,BGAN,'VSAT, PSTNand ISDN (albeit to
a lesser degree now)are all v able options.It used to be that co-decs were designed towork with one or twoservices; now, for themost part, many codecscan interface with almost
any avai'able interface.Some may require optional interface modules. And thanksto cooperative standard setting efforts, different brands ofcodecs con easily be used on each end of a path. Equip-ment from Tieline, AEQ, Telos, Comrex, Barix, AETA, APT,Musicam, MDO, Mayah and others can typically findcommon ground to establish an audio pathway.
Recording and editingThe availability of audio recording and editing software
for computers is at an all-time high. USB interfaces providefor easy routing of audio to and from a computer. Laptopshave made portable recording and production increas-
ingly convenient. Portability is often
3 2 1
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Enco iDAD
Comrex Access ReporterCodec (ARC)
further enhanced with the addition of awireless network card for point-to-pointtransmission or posting of audio fromany Internet access location.
Two recorders that look like a mi-crophone are the Yellowtec iXM andHHB FlashMic. These both combinea studio -quality microphone elementwith a flash recorder. The iXM storesaudio on SD cards and is poweredby a dual power source: An internal,rechargeable LiON supply powers therecorder up to 8 hours, while three AAA
batteries can be installed to doublethat time. A line -in jack is standard.Mic capsules manufactured by Yellowand Beyer Dynamic are available inomni, cardioid and super-cardioid (sixtotal capsule choices). A headphonejack and USB port round out the con-nections. The recorder controls are
16 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
placed comfortably on the side ofthe mic body.
The Flashmic can transfer files viaUSB, and is available with an omni-directional or cardioid mic element.Its 1 GB flash recorder provides up to18 hours of recording time dependingon recording mode. The DRM85-1features a line input that is convenientfor connection to a press box. Allmodels sport a headphone jack withvolume control. Continuous operatingtime for the two on -board AA batteries
is quoted at 8 hours.There are a plethora of small por-
table recorders available. There aremany and most are highly worthyof consideration. A good overviewof these products can be found in the February 2010Trends in Technology feature of Radio magazine. Be sureto purchase a unit that provides phantom power if yourmicrophone requires such.
These products, plus new equipment announced atthe NAB Show create new opportunities for versatileproduction at affordable costs. Balanced with termssuch as compact and feature -filled are long-establishedpractices that require proper diligence to assure a suc-cessful field production.
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Established practicesBattery management is mandatory.
Field production equipment still re-
quires powe-. Marry units now haveinternal batteries that recharge via aUSB connection. Others operate onmultiple AA or AAA batteries - someof which can be recharged in the field.Lithium batteries, the type typicallyused in digital cameras, are a betterchoice for longer life expectancy.Always become keenly aware ofyour unit's power requirements, runtimes, recharge methods, and batteryreplacement procedures and require-ments. Write the date and time on eachbattery during initial installation andeach subsequent replacement so as to
not confuse bad with good. Develop an established planfor battery replacement or recharge cs necessary duringlong -run productions. Keep a log of battery activity andusage when multiple field units are in use. Cell phonesused for remote broadcasts from sport:. or business venuesmay require an external battery source if commercialpower is not available at the location.
Machine recording time has become an increasinglyconfusing matter. It used to be tha' a 7.5" tape reelwould yield x recording time dependent upon its speed
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of operation. Present-day record-ing format times vary widely by the
amount of on -board and/or portable memory storage,recording mode, audio format, sample rate and bit rate.Times can range from a few minutes to many hours. Asa general rule of thumb, the higher the desired quality ofthe recording, the lower the recording time for a givenamount of storage. The issue of available recording timedirectly correlates to the run time of the machine's powersource. Plan both accordingly so you don't run out ofone or the other in the middle of an important press
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conference or symphony performance. For machinesthat use portable storage media, always carry extras incase of loss, defective operation, or need for additionalstorage space.
Use o' the proper microphone type for any event isessential. Omni -directional microphones pick up soundin a 360 -degree pattern whereas cardioid mics typicallyhave a 180 -degree sound pick up effectiveness. Long,narrow shotgun microphones have a very narrow soundpick up angle and are an excellent choice for soundpickup at farther distances - especially if one needs togather sound bites for an important feature story. Headworn microphones - the type that are a headphone withan attached boom microphone - are a favorable choicefor sportscasters and newscasters who anticipate beingon -site for long periods of time. Clip -on lapel microphonesare often beneficial when recording multiple guests dur-ing an interview segment. Ribbon element microphoneshave seen renewed popularity and are frequently agood choice for specialized applications including therecording of bands, orchestras and choral groups. Amicrophone that contains a condenser element requiresphantom power for proper operation. That power issometimes available from an internal battery; however,most units seek power from the connected audio mixingconsole or recorder. Once again, the iPhone comes intoplay, and add-on mics for the device, such as the BlueMicrophones Mikey, are practical options for improved
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audio capture. Always gain knowledgeable advicewhen placing your microphone selections to assure bestlong-term results.
Be preparedWhen entering the production field, do so with enough
microphones, cables, adapters, headphones, batteries,memory storage media and whatever else you mightneed to get the job done. Press conferences often requirespecial and sometimes unusual methods of microphoneattachment to podiums. Microphone windscreens canbe invaluable when recording at outdoor venues. A
person cannot carry too many adapters ofvarious types related to the mission at hand.And, a ways have your still close by in theevent cf quick need Don't park the car 10blocks sway only to reali there is no timeto return for that one thing you need but don'thave with you.
Permanently label and otherwise identifyyour ecuipment. When at major events wheremultiple media personnel are in attendancethere will be lots of equiprr ent in use - someperhaps the same make and model as yours.Confusion over what equament belongs towho can easily cause inerrant departure ofyour equipment. Maintain orecord of all equip-ment including brard, model number, serial
number and method of ownership identification. Whenat an event, watcn over your equipment carefully. Guardthat rare, just -recorded, once -in -a -lifetime opportunity,award -winning interview.
With so much advanced technology now available,opportunities are greater than ever for the capture, edit-ing, and transmission of audio in a swift and efficientmanner from practically anywhere. So head to yourfavorite coffee shop's Wi-Fi spot and have fun!
Bartlebaugh is director of broadcast engineering, the WKSUStations, Kent Stare University, Kent, 011
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RadioMagOnline.com May 2010 19
FACILITY SHOWCASE
TheRebuildin
What began as a Catholic radio ministry in a for-mer 1950s motel has blossomed into the drivingforce of Christian music in the Tampa Bay market.
WBVM 90.5 FM, a.k.a. Spirit FM, owned by the Dioceseof St. Petersburg, had humble beginnings when it initiatedbroadcasting in 1986. Much of the studio equipment wasdonated gear that no one else wanted. Music consisted ofdonated lPs and carts with worn-out pads. Volunteers cameand went like the tides and it was difficult to keep staff happywith inadequate equ'ipment. Despite these obstacles, donationscame in and this Catholic radio ministry grew to the point thatspace became a premium: Something had to be done.
Permission from the local bishop was granted to launch acapital campaign. In short order more than $1 million waspledged to construct a new facility. Then the unforeseen
By John Morris,with Chris Sampson
happened: the largest economic tumble since the GreatDepression. Gifts fell off and the plans were scrapped fromconstructing a stand-alone facility to building out an exist-ing area. Although cash was still trickling in, the diocesegave the green light to move forward with the new facility.Plans were finalized in March 2009 and the first workersshowed up in June. Nearly four months later, the build -outwas complete: 7,000 square feet of office and studio spaceto accommodate the main 90.5 FM channel and two HDRadio multicast channels, plus a production room and smallperformance studio.
The spaceThe existing space was the top floor of a recently constructed
three-story facility owned by the adjacent church. It was un-
20 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
occupied and constructed with the hope ofleasing to a willing tenant-and Spirit FM wasthe perfect tenant. The building was adornedwith windows around the perimeter, provid-ing natural light and break points for officesand studios. The only downside was that thebuilding overlooked a major artery in Tampa,FL, that created considerable traffic noise. Thiswas a minor nuisance that could easily beremedied when construction started.
Alfonso Architects and Bollenback Builderswere tapped to design and construct the facility.Both companies had worked on church projectsand commercial ventures, but neither companyhad experience in constructing or designing a
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RadioMag011ine.com May 2010 2 1
The Rebuild8g PIRIT
radio broadcast facility. It was refreshing that both com-panies were open to input and direction. They relied onSpirit FM's Chief Engineer Chris Sampson for design andlayout assistance. Sampson came with build -out experience
in the Miami market while with Clear Channel.
The floor space was basically a rectangle withlarge windows on the north and south ends ofthe building and smaller windows on the eastand west walls. After numerous notepad andnapkin drawings it was decided that the studioswould be housed on the east wall facing themain road and downtown Tampa. The northand south ends of the building would house thestaff, management and conference room. Thecenter of the building would house the heart ofthe facility: electrical, mechanical and broadcasttechnical center (rack roorn).
The windows afforded a great opportunity tocapitalize on the natural lighting and create anopen atmosphere in the building. The architectenvisioned an open office setting and keepingoffices clean with store front glass in the privateoffices. One unique feature was that the wallsseparating the offices do not go to the ceiling,creating an openness to distribute lighting andHVAC. However, designs for the studios wouldbe much different.
The studiosKnowing the two areas of the building where sound and
delivery of audio would be critical, Sampson designedstudios adjacent to the tech center, making cable runsshorter and more efficient. To decrease the sound transmis-
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22 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
sion, double walls were constructed between eachstudio with air space to attenuate the sound. Soundchannel fabric and Acoustics First sound panelswere strategically mounted throughout the studiosto eliminate bounce. Overly acoustical doors anddouble -paned windows were mounted to keep thesound transmission at a minimum.
When laying out the studios, we determined itwas necessary to have at least three microphonepositions in each studio, and with limited space,this was tricky, but doable. Omnirax furniture gotthe nod to work on the project. They were able tocustomize the furniture based on our room dimen-sions, announcer positions, sound tolerances andADA laws. Plus, we liked the variety of color optionsand materials to meet the aesthetics we desired.We had a number of conversations with Omniraxrepresentatives and sent CAD drawings to the designerswho built to our specifications. Once received, it tookus a few days to piece everything together. You couldtell that the furniture was the real deal as the weight of itgoing up three flights of stairs put even the strongest tothe test. One counter top was damaged in shipping andOmnirax replaced it immediately with no hassles.
EquipmentThe broadcast tech center houses six Middle Atlantic
equipment ro, fl servers for the main
The production room is the only s-udio with a sit-down console.
90.5 channel, plus two additional HD Radio channels90.5 HD2 The Light, and HD3, El Fuego. The Light formatis softer music and talk, while El Fuego is Catholic radioin Spanish. Due to the heat radiation from the equipment,we chose to go with two independent HVAC units, one forthe offices and the other for the tech center and studios.Daiken High Efficiency VRV AC units were installed overthe more traditional AC technologies. These VRV unitsallow compressor speed to vary with the heat load sothe system only consumes the power necessary to matchthe load. When the heat load decreases the system
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While the studio corridor iscarpeted, the office corridor waspolished for a marble effect
automatically decreases thepower supply frequency anduses less energy. The neteffect has been that despitedoubling our square footageand increasing our technicalfacilities by '/3, our coolingcosts have not risen.
In the old facility we hadgood luck with the HarrisImpulse console, and choseHarris again, but this timestepping up to the NetWoveconsoles. Each studio wasequipped with a networkedconsole, running through anEnvoy router housed in thetech room, thus eliminatingthe need for multiple cableruns and simplifying the
cabling infrastructure. Two25 -pair CAT -5 cables wererun to each room for phonesand future considerations.
Flexibility is integral to thedesign of our new facility andis one of the main reasonswe built it around the Harris
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With Technology moving away fromCD and more to digital storage anddelivery, a change in our backup audiodelivery was in order. After nearly 20years of being a Denon CD facility, wemigrated to the Tascam CD players, thuseliminating the jewel cases and freeingup space. Anyone need several thousandDenon jewel cases?
Tampa Bay is the lightning capital of theUnited States. Add in power outages and brown outsalso commonplace in the south Tampa area, we wantedto be prepared for anything. We invested in whole build-ing surge protection and an extensive lighting protectionsystem designed by Allsouth Lightning Protection of Tampa.Although the cost was significant, we believe in the longrun program disruption and equipment failure could beeven more costly if we were not adequately protected.In addition, we were able to replace our ever-growingprofusion of small UPS brick type units; we stepped upto a Tripp-Lite 20kVA UPS, allowing us enough power to
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24 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
E ui ment list
Spirit FM Tech Room with racks and servers
keep the studios and tech room running long enough tobring our new Kohler 50kW generator up to speed.
Being a user of the Nexgen Automation System, it wasa very easy migration from one building to the next. Webacked up the files off our 10 -year -old 20GB file serverand loaded the data onto a new Dell Poweredge 500Gserver that was already running at the new building. Thenonce the studios were operational, we began trainingthe talent on the equipment at the new location. The
actual cut -over occurred onOct. 10, 2009.
Hiccups? The Tripp-Liteproduct stumbled out of thegate two weeks after puttingit online. As of this writing, itis working again and backonline. If I had to do it overagain, I would have spent theextra money for a differentmanufacturer's product. Also,invest in solid, up-to-date virus
protection for the computers.In this day and age, files canbe imported without anyoneknowing until it's too late.
With the current economicclimate and rapid changesin the way we communicate,there are many uncertaintiesfor radio and broadcasting ingeneral. However, Spirit FMis prepared for the future ofHD Radio, networking and
Acoustcs First sound panelsAdobe AuditionBroadcast Tools SS4.1lIlBurk ARC -16Cisco 2950Comrex BRIC-LinkDell servers, workstations and monitorsEV RE -20Harris Envoy, NetWave, VistaMax,Worlc Feed panels
Herman Miller Aeron chairsInovon cs INO 531Kohler 50kW generatorMiddle Atlantic equipment racksMoseley Starlink SL 9003 T-1Omnirax studio furnitureDverly acoustic doorsRolk Ajdio in -ceiling monitorsRCS NexGen DigitalSymet-ix 528eTascan CD-OU1Telos Nx12, Zephyr XstreamTripp-Lite 20kVA UPSYamaha HSM-8
any other new technology that tops the horizon. cJohn Monis is general manager of Spirit FM, Tampa. ChrisSampson is chief engineer and operations manager for SpintFM, Tampa.
FACILITY FOCUS]The technology behind WBVM
RCS NexGen DigitalAnd new to NexGenDigital the ability touse your iPhone. Thereis now an app forrecording one or morenews reports or remoteinserts and sendingthem to NexGen Digitalvia an integratedversion of WANcasting.The audio lands into thesystem for playback onthe air. With RCS iPushyou can leave your bulky recordingequipment at the studio and still captureevents. iPush your recordings directly intothe automation system's library. iPush workswith your iPhone or second -generation or neweriPod touch. iPush is compatible with the device'smicrophone, or upgrade to plug-in higher qualityover-the-counter microphones.
Comrex BRIO -LinkBRIC-Linktransmitsaudio over IPnetworks andis suited forpoint-to-point"nailed up"audio linksover a wide
variety of data circuks including ISM band IP radios,T1/E1s, satellite data chancels, WANs and LANs.Contained in a smal , desk:op package, two BRIC-Links can be mounted in a 1RU rack space. Balancedanalog 1/4" I/C, as well as switchable AES I/O, fourcontact closures, arcillary data and consumerlevel front parel I/O for mcnitoring are provided onBRIC-Link's compact and rugged chassis. A fullybi-directional encoder/decoder, BRIC-Link is alsocapable of IP Multicast, multi -streaming and HTTPs:reaming. It can even be used to provide a sourcefeed for SHOUTcas: or lcecast servers.
www.comrex.com800-237-1776
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Part of the Radio magazine DAB Answer Series
Improvements in FilterCombinersInside the Myat Lo -Loss SolutionBy Derek Small
/ncreasing the IBOC digital sidebandsfrom -20dBc to -lOdBc presents morechallenges for broadcasters wanting
to transmit from one antenna. Currently,at -20dBc, transmitting from one antennarequires digital and analog signals to becombined one of several ways: low-levelor common amplification, high-level (coupledigital power to transmission line at 10dB),or mid -level, which uses a combination of commonamplification and hybrid coupling to minimize FMand digital losses. Common amplification is the mostefficient and cost effective way to combine FM anddigital sidebands; however, with increased digital side -
bands it becomes difficult to use common amplificationin a linear mode at powers above 20kW due to peakvoltages. Operating the common amp transmitter in alinear mode is required to minimize intermodulationproducts generated by digital carrier amplification.High-level combining at -10dB is not practical from acost standpoint due to the increase in size of digitaltransmitters and the excessive waste.
At the 2009 NAB Show, Myat introduced a patent -pending technique for combining FM and digital side-
bands for transmission to a single antenna. The systemuses filters to combine the digital sidebands operating
2
521 and
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
cr° -25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50-2.0
IdenticallyFilters
Narrow BandInput
Reject Load
Figure 1. Directional filter
BroadbandInput
Hybrids
CombinedOutput
in MP1 or MP3 more efficiently than high- and mid -leveltechniques, and, is ideal for the proposed 10dB digitalpower increase.
The low -loss IBOC combining system utilizes the typi-cal directional filter circuit seen in Figure 1 and consistsof two quadrature hybrids, two identically tuned filtersand a reject load. A signal at the narrow band inputport is split in quadrature (90 -degree phase difference)and passes through the bandpass filters. There it is
recombined at the output hybrid and delivered to theoutput terminal due to the phase relationship of signalat its input terminals. Signals at the broadband input willagain be split in quadrature, reflect off the bandpassfilter and be delivered back to the hybrid where theyare recombined to the output terminal. The transmis-sion response from each input to the output is shownin Figure 1 and color coded. Note the transmission
response for each input is similar to the S -parameters of thebandpass filters (i.e. the narrow input is the filter's transm;s-sion response, S21, while the broadband input is the filter'sreflected response, Si 1 or S22( and makes analysis of thedirectional filter simple.
There is nothing new about the directional filter layout inFigure 1 other than the type of filtering used to perform thecombining function of analog and digital signals for IBOC.Directional filters have been used for years to combine multipleFM stations to one antenna while providing adequate isolationbetween transmitters. Isolation between inputs is provided bythe system directional properties and filter function. Properlyfunctioning hybrids and identical filter S -parameters are keyto achieving a directional system - in particular the isolationfrom narrow input to the broadband input (typical isolation-40dB). The isolation from the broadband input to narrowband input gets additional help from the filter's rejection,which for classic FM channel combiners is typically around-30dB. This system does not require lossy unreliable circula-tors for isolation.
Classic combiners, as stated above, will have approxi-mately 30dB of rejection at the channel to be combined.Illustrated in Figure 2 is the typical frequency response (S21and SI 1) of a three -section filter used for combining channelswith 1 .6MHz separation and the same filter with 800kHzseparation. The limited rejection (approx. 7.5dB minimum)for 800kHz spacing results in higher loss (approx. 1 .2dB) at
the broadband input.Filter rejection vs. module insertion loss at broadband input
to output is plotted in Figure 3 and illustrates the need frJr hinkrejection for low insertion loss at the broadband por
The use of filters to combine FM and digital sideLJr,J:,was discussed early in the rollout of HD Radio, but qu.cklyignored due to filter order (required for 30dB rejection) andrelated cost, size and loss issues. A six -section sharp -tunedfilter with multiple cross couplings would be required toachieve 30dB rejection at the IBOC MP 1 digital sidebands.Six -section pseudo -elliptic function filters are not difficult todesign. However, due to narrow bandwidth compared to
2.0
1.6
1.2
0.8
0.4
00 5 10 15 20 25
Filter Rejection (dB)
Figure 3. Rejection vs. broadband port loss
30 35
Mississippi PublicBroadcastingAdds HD Radio
In June 2009, Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB)culminated a multi -year effort and inaugurated two -
channel HD Radio transmission to all eight ofits Class C FM
analog stations. A digital signal now covers the entire statewith better penetration and reaches portions of Alabamaand Louisiana. In addition to the analog signal, listenersnow have the choice of a separate HD Radio Think Radiochannel, primarily a talk format, or an HD Radio channelthat is mostly classical music. The project was fundedthrough a grant from the Digital Distribution Fund of theCorporation for Public Broadcasting and makes MPB theonly statewide HD Radio broadcaster in the state.
Besides the objectives of offering HD Radio qualitywith improved reception throughout the state, especiallyin areas where reception was marginal, MPB's decisionto go digital was in response to listener complaints andpreferences. Classical music lovers, an important groupof MPB listeners and avid supporters, resented havingtheir music interrupted with news and talk. The talkshows constantly vied for more air time to broadcastinformation. Two HD Radio channels solved theprogramming conflict while delivering more focusedcontent to both audiences.
Continued on page 32
I he DAB Answer Series is an ongo-ng series of articles thatcover the technology of digital audio broadcasting.
RadioMagOrline.com I May 2010 29
0
-5
-10
-15
-20
-25
-30
-35
-40
-45
-50-0 4 -0.3 -0.2 -0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0 3 0.4
Frequency (MHz)
Figure 4. Sharp -tuned filter response forcombining digital sidebands to FM.
-5
-10
-15
-20
cc -25
-30
classic -tuned FM filters, and the higher order, significantlosses are incurred.
Higher losses result in low -power handling capabilityfor a given size filter. The six -section sharp -tuned filterand table summarizing loss results is illustrated in Figure
-35
-40
-45
-50-0 4
1. VIIItill..11111 M.11E11 MEL
-0.1 0 0 1
Frequency (MHz)
Figure 5. Mild -tuned, four -section filterresponse for combining digital sidebandsto FM
-0.3 -0.2 0.2 0 3 0.4
4. The integrated, or average loss of this narrow sharp -
tuned filter using high 0, 20" to 24" square cavitiesproviding 30dB rejection at the digital sidebands isapproximately 1.31dB. Note however, that due tothe finite cavity 0 there is still significant loss at the
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sideband inner edges. Using thissize cavity in a classic four -sectionfilter with wider bandwidth I400kHzplus) would have approximately0.25dB loss and handle 30kW.The sharp -tuned filter in Figure 4using the same cavity geometry canonly handle 6.5kW without a lot ofadditional cooling. It's easy to seewhy sharp -tuned filters were quicklydisregarded as a solution to combineFM and digital sidebands.
A directional filter combining solu-tion that purposely exhibits loss wasoverlooked. Reducing filter order andrequiring less rejection at the digitalsidebands has less impact on the hostFM loss, and digital loss is less thancurrent high-level combining solutions.Figure 5 illustrates one solution using a four -pole filterwith a Chebyshev response. Note the integrated lossand variations over the FM (±75kHz) is significantly lessthan the sharp -tuned filter.
The loss numbers in Figure 5 are calculated usingcavity unloaded Os of 20" to 24" square cavities.
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.677
rn 0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0.1
00
Approximate bandwidthto straddle FM
Figure 6. Mild -tuned, four -section filter response forcombining digital sidebands to FM
100 200 300 400 5.00
Bandwidth (kHz)
High mismatch lossvswr = 1.18
Low mismatch lossvswr = 1.05
The higher losses as compared to cloL-- four -
section filters are due to the narrow bandwidth. Figure6 illustrates the effect of bandwidth on losses for afour -pole filter.
Derek Small is director of filter products fdr Aitvat
STEREO HEADPHONE AMPLIFIER
THE ALL NEW AF-SH1 FEATURES: Integral Long -Life VCA Stereo Level Control
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Convenience of APPFLEXTm Mounting Possibilities
Shown in AFM-DC1N tabletop chassis
The AF-SH1 is part of the group of versatile APPFLEX products from Radio Design Labs. These modulescombine advanced circuitry, durable all -metal constructioi. attractive RDL ULTR;STYLE TM co'ors andversatile mounting possibilities. APPFLEX modules are ready to drop it a cat met, massis or panel cutout.Numerous ULTRASTYLE wall mounting accessories and tabletop chassis are optionally available tofacilitate system design.
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RadioMagOnline.com May 2010 31
interference issue with WABGTV 6, an ABC affiliate locatedin Greenwood, MS. The FCCrequired WMAB to remain onits analog antenna until after theWABG converted to digital inmid -April 2009.
MPB's Technical ServicesDepartment worked closely withKessler & Gehman Associates,their broadcast engineeringconsultant based in Gainesville,FL, to design and specify theHD system, which was releasedfor public bids.
Jampro was selected as thebest cost -to -specification forthe eight new antennas. Because
most stations were non -directional, circularized patternoptimization was critical to MPB's decision. In order toselect the best pattern for each station, to offer maximumcoverage and greatest penetration, MPB personnel traveledto California and worked with Jampro engineers on its7,000' full -field test range. Approximately 10 differentpattern tests for each station were run in several scenariosto achieve the required optimizations.
Under a turn -key contract, three Jampro tower teamsinstalled the antennas that averaged 10 bays per station onMPB towers that ranged from 500' to 1,500' in elevation.New 3-1/8" Jampro Proline rigid transmission lines wereinstalled on six of the eight towers. Two towers had newerlines that could tolerate the power. Continental handledthe connections to its new transmitters.
For Mississippi Public Broadcasting the two new HDRadio signals have been a resounding success accordingto toll -free listener calls, e -mails and personal feedbackfrom listeners, and glowing satisfaction from classicalmusic buffs.
Continued from page 29
Digital transitioningMPB transitioned to D-ry in
2002, but it wasn't until 2008that the road to HD Radiobegan with the installationof Continental 816HD FMtransmitters at four of its eightFM stations. A major upgradeof the master control televisionstudio to HDTV occurred in2007 and 2008, which includedequipment upgrades for theradio control room and studios.Fhe installation of four moreContinental FM transmitters,eight Jampro JHPC-HD high -power antenna systems alongwith new transmission lines began in January 2009.1nd was completed on June 23, 2009. Startup of thefinal installation was delayed somewhat because MBP'sWMAB-FM transmitter located in Ackerman, MS, andlicensed to Mississippi State University had a minor
Design teamKessler and Gehman EngineeringBou 31. Jnd Jeff Gehman
Mississippi Public BroadcastingDab Buie, director technical services;Cy Vance, assistant director technical services;Jerry Ladd, director microwave network;in,
`r radio
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32 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
Sample and HoldBy Chriss Scherer, editor
riodically, we have tracked theprogress of the HD Radio rollout
by state. Through 2008, the number ofstations adding HD Radio saw a steadyincrease. From 2009 to today, the rollout has slowed slightly, but the numberscontinue to increase. The 1,000 stationmark was achieved in September 2006,and we are now almost at the 2,000station mark.According to the latest tallies from
Ibiquity, every state has at least threestations transmitting an HD Radio signalnow. California, Texas, Florida and NewYork have led in station counts all along.All states have added at least one HPRadio station in the past two years.
3 1 - 9
10 - 19 20 - 29
30- 3,
40 - 5,
1. 60- 8,
110 -
130+
wInww Track the HD Radio station count by state from our last three reports at RadioMagOnline.com4-
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RadioMagOnline.com May 2010 33
Tips, tricks, hints and moreEquipment protection
After building new studios for WHMI, Michael Bradford, CPBE, ofBroadcast/Audio Services in Jackson, MI, noticed a problem with the
location of the mic processors. The studios use high -back chairs, and as theannouncers would swing in the chair, they hit their knees against the knobson the mic processors.
This led to not only some interesting audio changes from the random strikes,but the employees were also bruising their knees. Bradford tried mounting
By Chriss Scherer, editor
bars. These are designed to be mounted on therear rack rails to facilitate neater cable routing.Bradford has used AWG#6 copper wire for thisa purpose in the past, but these lacing bars weresubstantially better, more sturdy and came formedand ready for mounting.
As he considered using the lacing bars on afuture project, he had another idea:Why not use these lacing bars onthe front of our processors? He hadconsidered other type of covers, butmany of the available covers aredesigned for security. He wanted toallow access to the controls whenneeded, but he wanted to shieldthe knobs from knees. He ordereda package of 10 to try.
The lacing bars mount under themounting screws and provide aneat, smooth and sturdy protectionfor the equipment. The rails extendbeyond the knobs, so swinging
knees or a pushed chair won't disturb the settings.Bradford also likes the neat appearance of thebars, and is pleased that they blend in with thesurrounding equipment.
ikiir I I I I I I III IIIlikIPP 4' T r i 444'4414. At.---to-st I tip? 11111 Ile- It.--irt-irit its rrr rat
MIMI& 1111=IIIIIIr
We need pirIdeas submitted to Tech Tipsmay be suitable to earn SBErecertification credits
the rack rails a few inches back, but that did notcompletely solve the problem.
While glancing through the online MiddleAtlantic catalog, he spotted the LBP-1 .5 lacing
Critter controlMichael Bradford also offered thistimely tip for spring. As the plants
and animals come back to life after thewinter, it's time to be pre-emptive aboutkeeping wasps, mud -daubers, tiny birdsand other critters out of the LNB enclosureson satellite dishes.
Bradford has installed several Patriot 4Mdish antennas that utilize a one -size -fits -all,
C -Band LNB assembly. These housingscome with a small plastic insert that fits upinto the throat of the LNB housing to keepinsects out of the LNB probe assembly.Unfortunately, the plug has a shallow tunnelwhere the bugs like to settle.
Patriot does not offer a true full outsidecover, so Bradford went to his the localhardware store for a piece of Mylar screen ma-terial and a large diameter, stainless -steel hoseclamp. With a little cutting and trimming, he fitthe Mylar over the entire opening and securedit with the hose clamp.
Bradford's Mylar LNB cover that he installedat WHMI.
This keeps moisture out because the materialallows some breathing, and, most importantly,it keeps the unwanted residents out. The wholeassembly costs less than $6 and took about 15minutes to install.
34 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
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FIELD REPORT www.RadioN/aOnline.com
Sage Alerting SystemsDigital Endec By Tom Atkins
With the imminent approval of the Common Alerting Protocol (CAP),
our Olean, NY, and Elmira/Corning, NY, markets decided totake advantage of the newer EAS/CAP hardware available and
be ready when CAP is approved. We chose the Sage Digital Endec. Thestations in these markets already used the original Sage Endecs and felt verycomfortable with the look and feel of the new Digital Endec. The Digital Endectouts downward compatibility by using all the interfaces the original Endec hadalong with the ability to use legacy external accessories such as the Multi Sta-tion Relay Panels and remote control units. This spells ease of installation. Sage
will also provide a free software update to allowusers to download and field -install support for thefinal FEMA/FCC approved version of CAP 1.2,expected in September 2010. The software willsupport CAP 1.1 and 1.2.
What's new?Other than the shiny new blue color, one glar-
ing and very welcome change to the front of theDigital Endec is that there is no thermal printer.The thermal printer was fine in its time, and tosay nothing less, it was a way of logging sentand received alerts. However, saving all thosecash -register -type receipts was starting to getold. Although the original Endec could connect
Performance at a glanceEthernet, USB, andGPIO connections
AES3 digital audiointerrupt
64MB onboardlog storage
Accepts USBmemory sticks for
alert audio storage
Supports CAP
to an RS -232 serial printer in lieu of the thermalprinter land many opted for this when their thermalprinters burned their last receipts), serial printersare scarce today. Sage has provided for eithera USB or network -attached printer. Support hasbeen built into the unit for HP printers. However,a serial printer can still be connected to one ofthe available com ports.
Other notable updates: The mic-in jack in thefront of the unit has been changed to a 3.5mmconnector and a Digital Audio Lock indicator forAES audio has been added.
On the back, all the usual connections foundon the 1822 Endec exist: The analog audio XLR
connectors, five com ports and the 20 -pin con-nector to monitor audio, relay connections, line/speaker out/in, encoder in audio and ground.The 20 -pin connector is pin -for -pin the same asthe model 1822, which makes it easy to insert aDigital Endec in place of an analog unit.
There are some good additions: Four additionalGPIO connections for controlling different aspectsof the Digital Endec with closures, a fourth relayconnection, AES audio in and out, 10/100 LANEthernet connector, and two USB connectors.
The magic insideIf you currently use the EndecSet program,
download the new EndecSetD software toprogram the device from a PC. Sage plans toprovide the ability to update the settings file fromthe old EnedcSet to the new EndecSetD. E-mailnotificotions of occurred events such as sent andreceived alerts, loss of audio on a monitor input,or an Endec restart are created in the EndecSetDsoftware. The e-mail events option can be con-figured for standard or encrypted mail servers.One important item worth mentioning about thee-mail option is that if your e-mail server requiresthe from e-mail address to be authenticated, ane-mail account for the Digital Endec must becreated on the e-mail server. The Digital Endeccreates the from e-mail address using the callsign or group ID field, and adds an -ENDEC tothe end of it. The resulting field will look like this:XXXX-ENDEC@yourdomain .com.
If e-mail is not your thing, you can create statusfiles sera to an FTP server for automatic logging,or the option is available to do e-mail and FTPfor that added secure feeling. The EndecSetDsoftware is also used to configure the IP addressof a network -attached printer. If a network printer isused, be sure that the Digital Endec is configuredfor no printer, otherwise it will try to print to a USBprinter regardless. The Sage website has a list ofcompatible HP printers that can be used with theDigital Endec.
36 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
Boasting a Web -based interface with HTTPS/SSL encryption, all settings and functions can beperformed using this internal Web server. Alerts canbe initiated or forwarded, and configurations of theunit can be changed remotely. From the Web server,text send and received logs can be accessed andprinted and audio logs can be listened to. Checkingthe six monitor audio sources is no problem froma remote location as it has a built-in audio streamencoder. One other handy option is the visual indica-
tion of monitor audio level via the Web server. Youmust download the SetupVU.exe software and runit to install the ActiveX control for a Web browser.Audio levels can also be viewed and monitoredfrom the device's front -panel display.
Common Alerting ProtocolWhen CAP is approved, the Digital Endec will
use the LAN connection to receive CAP alerts.CAP support includes the ability to generate anEAS alert based on the data in the CAP message.It will also receive audio or generate audio utiliz-ing its internal text -speech software from the CAPmessage and then send an EAS alert based onthe received data. As previously mentioned, Sagewill provide a free software update to allow users
FIELD REPORTto download and field -install support for the finalFEMA/FCC approved version of CAP 1.2.
All in all, the changes from the legacy Endecto the Digital Endec are most welcomed. Giventhe advent of the Internet, the internal Web server
Sage Alerting SystemsP 914 872 4069
W www.sagealertingsystems.com
E nfo@sagealertingsys'ems.com
makes managing EAS a snap. And the directplug-in replacement makes upgrading from anoriginal Endec to a Digital Endec simple.
Atkins is vice president/director of engineeringBackyard Broadcasting, Buffalo, NY
Editors note Field Reports are an exclusive Rea, magafne reaturefor radio broadcasters Each report is prepared by well -qualified staff ata radio station, production facility or consulting company.
These reports are performed by the industry, for the industry. Manu-facturer support is limited to providing loan equipment and to aiding theauthor if requested.
It is the responsibility of Rada magazine to publish the results of anydevice tested, positive or negative. No report should be considered anendorsement or disapornval by Rado magaone.
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RadioMagOnline.com May 2010 37
FIELD REPORT wwvv.RadiolVaOnline.com
WorldCast SystemsAPT WorldNet Oslo
By Doug Irwin,CPBE AMD
Over the last 20 years I've used the whole gamut of wireline STLs,including those from Graham -Patten, QEI, Intraplex and now theAPT Oslo from WorldCast Systems. We use the Oslo for the main
STL system for all of Clear Channel's FM stations here in New York City - andmy hunch is that Oslo is well on its way to becoming one of those classicpieces of equipment that engineers will talk about for years to come. Oslo isa frame -based system (3RU) that accepts plug-in modules performing variousfunctions. An entire system is made up of two frames.
Putting the system togetherAs with any piece of equipment with a tremendous
amount of capability, of the Osloinvolves many choices. First, the user decides thenumber of audio channels to be transported alongwith the type (if any) of audio encoding (includingthe audio bandwidth and word length). These arethe factors that determine the number of bits thatneed to be assigned to the payload audio. The usermay also decide to add auxiliary data services,which will use part of the overall available band -
Performance at a glanceInterfaces withEthernet (IP) orT1/E1 circuits
Four audio channelsper module
Six modulesper frame
Analog and/or AES3input/output
Audio bandwidth from10Hz to 22.5kHz
Enhanced apt -X andPCM encoding
RS -232 orEthernet control
Supports auxiliarydata services
width. By using iwo of the T 1 transport modules,up to four T1 circuits can be configured, allow-ing for up to 96 timeslots (6.4Mb/s of availablebandwidth). Here in New York we use the Ethernettransport module, and we use about 1 1 .5Mb/sof data over a 1 00baseT connection.
Another configuration option for Oslo is to useone T 1 interface card (connects up to two Ti s) inaddition to an IP/MUX card (Ethernet transport).This allows the capability to drop and insert timeslotsfrom T 1 to Ethernet and vice versa.
Once the system requirements are determined,the factory will put the system together, configureand test it prior to shipping.
The bench testWhen the units arrived, I connected them via an
Ethernet crossover and finished the final configura-tion myself. We hadn't decided on the IP addresses
when the unit was tested by the factory. I used thisopporrunity to learn how to use the NMS GUI aswell. I set up a hub so the computer was on the same
network as both the MCU cards (these are used tocommunicate with and configure the system).
Once the GUI was running, I viewed a page calledthe tree, which shows only the computer. From thereI added icons to the tree view to correspond to each
individual frame. Double-clicking on the frame iconopens all the unit -specific configuration tabs.
While the system came with a basic configuration,I added optional alarms. The frame has seven form -C
relays that correspond to the alarms. I assigned onerelay tc silence on a particular audio module (weuse five;, one relay to report critical alarms such as a
power supply failure or loss of IP on the IP transportcard, and another alarm that reports loss of AES onany of the five inputs to the frame. On the far end weprogram silence sensors. The audio threshold levelsand the delay time are adjustable parameters.
IP-based audio transmissionAs I mentioned earlier, we use Oslo for our main
STL systems between our HQ in the Tribeca neigh-borhood of NY and our main transmitter sites at theEmpire State Building. We also have a completebackup facility for each of the five FMs at 4 TimesSquare, and we have another complete Oslo system,
identical to our Empire system, for our backup site.In each case, the Oslo frames talk via IP. Our sitesare connected via T3 data circuits. We use AdtranMX2800s to mux 28 T I s together into the T3 dataformat. 16 of the 28 T I s are assigned to connecttwo Adtrcn 5305 routers-one in our master controland one at the far end. In the configuration of theAdtran routers I have made two networks: one thatwe use for a remote LAN (7 T 1 s worth of data)and the other for Oslo (9 Ti s worth of data). In thatway, Oslo has its own, non -contentious network.We connect Oslo to the Adtran directly via anEthernet crossover on both ends.
I will note that Oslo is designed to work just fineover a shared network, and has parameters that
38 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
can be reconfigured by the user (if necessary) tocompensate for the particulars of the IP network.
We are fortunate though to have the networkcompletely under our control, end to end. And thatcontrol pays dividends: The performance of Osloover this network is identical to its performance withan Ethernet crossover cable connecting the iwoframes together. Via the GUI, you can drill downinto the performance monitoring to see how wellthe system is doing. As I write this, I'm looking of
IP connection settings of theWorldNet Oslo
FIELD REPORTcur own performance monitoring, and there arefour streams (linear, 48kHz sample rate. 24 -bitword length) that have each sent more than 750million packets, withzero loss. The fifth stream
has lost a grand total oftwo packets.
It's been my experience
that the audio quality ofdevices built by APT isunsurpassed, and Oslois no different. It's a 'ealpleasure to listen to. The unit is built extremely well,and I have the utmost confidence in it. I have hadquestions for factory service, and APT is veryattentive
Irwin is transmission systems supervisor forClear ChannelNYC and chief engineer of WKTU, New YOIK Contacthim at [email protected].
Editor's note: Field Reports are an exclusive Ft3drefor radio broadcasters. Each report is prepared by wen ,
a radio station. production facility or consulting companyThese reports are perforrred by the industry, tor the incLstry. Manu-
facturer support is limited to providing loan equipment and to aiding theauthor it requested.
It is the responsitaly of Radio magazine to publish the results of anydevice tested, positive or negative. No report s`'isuld be Donsidered anendorsement or disapprove by Radio magazine.
Advanced Wattchman Monitor"/AlarmFor Analog and Digital Broadcasting
The Model 81094 is the first in a series of Internet/Intranet accesibleAdvanced Wattchman' Wattmeter/Alarm systems that will monitorboth forward and reflected power in two transmission Ines with onlyone controller. Unlike previously available systems that needed onecontroller for each transmission line, the Advanced Wattchman' willmonitor two lines (4 ports). The front panel display shows power onboth systems simultaneously. Operating conditions may also bedisplayed on a PC from any location on the Internet/Intranet.
It is designed to work with a series of specialized line sections from7/8" to 6-1/8" and standard Coaxial Dynamics elements for eitheranalog or digital applications.
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NEW PRODUCTSby Erin Shipps, associate editor
Field mixerFostexFM -3: The FM -3 por-table mixer is equippedwith balanced three-:-.hannel inputs and two-
_hannel main outputseach featuring high -
quality, custom transformers in addi-tion to a wide variety of sub outputs. Housed
in a solid aluminum body, it also features a newlydeveloped Organic EL display. Features includemetal axis fader pots, master, trim and HPF knobswith pop-up mechanism, mixer's parameter settingstatus on the display, and dc output with Hiroseconnector for powering a800 -7 -FOSTER; www.fostexinternationol.com
DA14: The Musicam USA DA14 isa versatile distribution amplifier ca-pable of simultaneous distributionof both stereo and mono audioat a wide range of levels. Both
balanced and unbalanced loadscan be driven at professional or domestic levels, with
each output totally unaffected by the settings or load on any other.732-739-5600; www.mvsicannisa.com; [email protected]
Cable assembliesBelden3600: 3600 pre -terminated cableassembliesare small and flexible. When combined with8345 plugs they offer fast, easy installationand termination. The use of a braided sleeveand pulling eyes provides additional protec-tion when pulling and routing the assembliesthrough overhead trays, raised floors, cabinetpoke-throughs and cable management hard-ware. The cable assemblies come in standard-ized six -cable bundles. Each 23 AWG 4 -paircable features Belden's patented Bonded -Pairtechnology to ensure CAT -6 performance andreliability, before and after installation. The as-semblies are available in 1' increments from6'-50' assembly lengths, and in 5' incrementsfrom 55' to 295' assembly lengths. Each islabeled with a unique serial number and barcode for eon:.
800-BELDEN1; www.belden.cominfo(dbelden.com
Mic processorVorsis
M2: Among the M2's features are twin high-grade, extremely low noise, wide bandwidthmicrophone preamplifiers, phantom power,Vorsis designed audio processing algorithms andanalog and digital outputs. The M2 is controlledutilizing a Graphical User Interface equippedwith three user levels. No user controls are onthe front panel. Its dual independent processingchannels can take the place of two conventionalmicrophone processors. Full processing featuresare available such as de-essing, downwardexpansion, equalization, high pass, low passand notch filters.
Digital radio recorderRadiVoRadiVo: RadiVo is like TiVo for the radio. Itfeatures a dot matrix LCD display and AM/FM digital radio with six preset memories foreach band. It records AM/FM broadcastsin real-time or via pre-programmed scheduleto infernal flash in WAV format. Time -shiftrecording pauses live radio so listeners don'tmiss programming, and one program can berecorded while another is listened to. RadiVohas 1GB internal memory for up to 70 hoursat 32kb/s mono WAV or 35 hours at 32kb/sstereo WAV of recording time. It also features abuilt-in FM transmitter, built-in speaker and con-nects to computer via USB port for file transferto PC. A remote control and cigarette lighteradaptor are included. External connectionsinclude: headphone jack, dc input jack, USBjacl, and external antenna ;ad'
Modular Operation in Op -X allowsfor a tiered system at a fraction ofthe cost of it's competitors.Each studio client is capableof accessing all Audio Servermodules on the network.Remote voice -tracking allows forcreation of content for remotestudios also running Op -X.The revolutionary design ofOp -X's clock builder turns theprevious task of schedulingsatellite programming into afew simple clicks.Share serial devices from anymachine using the Op -X SerialServer.Importing logs now gets its ownmodule that takes confusion outof the process.Engineers will enjoy Op -Xbecause it's easy to install,maintain, and has automaticbackup features.
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High -resolution mobile recorderKorgMR -2: The MR -2 records in ultra -high fidelity DSD formatusing a 2.8MHz sampling rate, which captures son;,details while preserving the ambience of the original re-cording location. Using the included AudioGate software,
this original datastream recording can be re -purposedinto nearly any audio format with minimal fidelity loss.For job -specific recording, the MR -2 can also record inany of the popular multi -bit formats, from MP2 and MP3 up to 24-bit/192kHz.It features a built-in, professional -grade, electret stereo condenser microphone.The mic housing can be rotated toward the front, top or rear of the MR -2 in eight30 -degree steps. An on -board analog limiter, low-cut filter and bass EQ are avail-able to enhance the Quality of recordings made on the go.
631-390-6500; www.korg.com
LED logo lightEnberg Electronics3L: The 3L LED logo light is all LED - never replace another lamp.It includes a PS3L power supply/controller, features steady/flashing operation: free station logo, side view light, warm whitehue, powder -coated aluminum sides, black or beige color, andno -glare glass front. It is available with generic lights without alogo, features 120/230V operation and consumes just 8W. The3L is also available in a flush -mount model
UPGRADES and UPDATESEnco Systems has released iDAD, a companion mobile application for the EncoDAD and Presenter audio automation stxlio systems, for the iPhone and iPad.(www.enco.com). OMT Technologies has released Imediatouch version 4.0 radioautomation software that includes an advanced client graphical user interfaceand more than 25 new feature enhancements. (www.imediatouch.com). AxiaAudio has released a software updates for its Element 2.0 mixing console andthe Power Station and Studio Engine console engines. (www.axiaaudio.com).Audemat has updated its support for tie RDS RT+ radio text functionality and;Tunes tagging on the company's flagship FMB80 encoder and Radio All InOne range. (www.worldcastsystems.com)
DYNAMAX MX SERIES 6 to18 channel configurations 24 or 36 inch wide frames 2" or 3" wide module options 4 Output Buss (two S-ereo
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7-May 201024 RadioMagOnline.com
NEW PRODUCTS
FiltersAEA TechnologyFilter: For engineers who need to block orband pass certain frequencies these filters will
provide that filtering on the input to the VIAEcho's Spectrum Analyzer. Ten filters are available,blocking/passing different frequencies. Many of the filters can be used in combinations.Any of the filters can be used in conjunction with the pre -amplifier to provide both amaximum noise floor and freauencv filterina as desired iior their specific anniication.
CBAIII: Unlike a simple load tester, the C3A will testvirtually any type or size of battery, any chemistry, anynumber of cells up to 55V. It is capable of higher testrates: up to 40 amps or 150W, whichever is higher. It notonly tests the total amount of energy stored in a battery
(capacity in amp-hrsl, but it graphically displays and chartsvoltage versus amp -hours. It has an electronic constant current
load controlled both with software and electronics. Graphs maybe displayed, saved and printed. Multiple graphs of the same battery, or multiple batteries,may be compared or overlaid. Test labels can be printed and placed directly on batteriesto remind users of the last time they were tested and how they performed
Lehmann Black Cube:Linear Audio's Black Cube Lin-ear headphone amplifier has afrequency response extendingfrom 10Hz (-0.3dB) to 35kHz(-1dB). The signal-to-noise ratiois better than 95dB at 0dBgain, with greater than 70dBchannel separation at 10kHz.Total harmonic distortion is lessthan 0.001 percent at 6mWand 300 ohms. Selectablegain (0, 10 or 20dB) effectivelyoptimizes the output level of thezero global feedback Class Aoutput stage.
702-365-5155www.transaudiogroup.com
Find the micwinner
March issueCongratulations to
Juan Diazof Citadel Media en Espaiol,
Coral Gables, FL.His name was drawn from the correctentries for the March issue. He won a
USB Go Mic courtesy of Sa-nson.
e mic icon was on the superhero'sright arm glove.
ww.samsontech.comNo purchase necessary. For complete
rules, go to RadioMagOnli-te.com.
RadioMagOnline.com May 2010 43
SSl SkimmerPlusSkimming, Logging and
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SkimmerPlus Features Creates high -quality and highly
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Dixon Systems' Pro USB is a highperformance, desk top, professionalUSB audio cadet interface device.
It employs Texas Instrument's PCM-2900E, a single -chip, Use, stereoaudio codec with a USB-compliantfull -speed protocol controller. It is
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See your dealer or callTOLL FREE.: 1-800-387-614
Coming in the June issue of
21111 00010 TECHNOLOGY LEADER
I 2010 NAB Show ReviewPick Hits and new productsI Facility ShowcaseWJFK adds HD4 multicastI Managing TechnologyCareer advancementI Field Reports25 -Seven PLM and PotomacInstruments F/M-4100
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Sicon-8 - web & c.The Sicon-8 ets you control your site via Internet with its internal Webserver, via telephone, auto -answering cell phone or our free software.Setup is a breeze using the Sicontroller software that also includesscripting, e -nail alerts, multi -site management, virtual metering & more!
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DT -232 - Multi Purpose Dial -up Contr.(An inexpensive dial -up remote control with amazing capabilities! Givesyou DTMF access to 4. programmable relays that respond to any DTMFtone or sequence. Serial data outputs in your. user -defined, format forinterfacing to virtually any piece of hardware. Accepts ASCII input from
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NAGRA LBCompact and versatiletwo -channel recorder
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V SOW RF output continuous duty!V Auto protect, auto soft fail, auto restore!V Automatic battery backup!V Digital display of all parameters!V Simple to install!What's the bottom line? To stay on the air! The PX50was designed with that in mind! Auto monitoring of allparameters, with automatic power reduction and restoreon VSWR and temperature errors! No more down timeAND no more trips to the tower site! Plus the PX50 isFCC Certified under parts 2, 73, & 74 (PF3PX50) andIndustry Canada approved (IC 4318A-PX50) so younever have to worry about non compliance! Make yourlife easy with the PX50 from Ramsey!
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The Voice of America is seeking a full-timeRadio Broadcast Maintenance Technician(RBT) to join our Radio Maintenance Ser-vice team in supporting radio broadcastfacilities and other multi -media systemsat VOA Headquarters in Washington. D. C.
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Details about this position and how toapply can be found at:
Ar,-x-iate Editor - Erin Shipps, erin shippsOpenton.comSenior Art Director - Michael] Knust, mike.knustOpenton.com
Senior Digital Content Specialist - Brod Erpeldina brad erpeldingOpenton con,
Technical Consultants
Kevin McNamara, CNE, Computers and NetworksMark Krieger, CBT, IBOC
Jeremy Ruck, F.E., RF and TransmissionRuss Berger Broadcast Acoustics
ContributorsDoug Irwin, CPBE AMD; Chris Wygal, CBRE: John Bottison, P.E.
Group Publisher - Wayne Madden, wayne.moddenOpenton.comAssociate Publisher - Steven Bell, steven.beffOpenton.com
Senior Marketing Manager - Kim Davidson, kim.davidsonOpenton.comMarketing Coordinator - Crystal Shires, [email protected] President of Production - Lisa Parks, lisaparksOpenton.com
Senior Director of Production - Curt Pordes, curt.porcies@pe!nton.cornGroup Production Mgr. - Melissa Langstaff, melisso.longstalfOpentan.com
Client Services Coordinator - Terra Maples, ternomaplesOpenton.comClassified Ad Coordinator - Sarah Maxey, soroh.maxeye_penton.comAudience Marketing Director - Marie Evans, marie.evansOpenton.com
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Meet the professionals who writefor Radio magazine.
This month:Facility Showcase, page 20
John Morris,General Manager,WBVM 90.5 FM,Tampa, FLJohn Moms, University ofSouth Florida graduatein broadcasting, beganhis career with WBVM90.5 FM in 1987 as avolunteer. He workedas an announcer, traffic
manager, production director, operationsmanager and program director. Morrisearned the GM duties in 1997. Hehas created and developed Spirit FM,oversaw transmitter relocations and.upgrades, build out of new facilities,and partnerships with other religiousbroadcasters in the state. His greatestjoy is bringing people closer to Christthrough Spirit FM.
Ratifywritten by radio professionalsWritten for radio professionals
Radio, Volume 16, Number 5, ISSN 1542-0620 ispublished monthly and mailed free to qualified recipientsby Penton Media, Inc. 98(X) Metcalf. Overland Park, KS66212-2216 (www.penton.coml. Canadian Post Publica-tions Mail Agreement No. 40612608, Canada returnaddress: Bleuchip International, PO. Box 25542, London,ON N6C 682. Additional resources, including subscriptionrequest forms and an editorial calendar are available onlineat www.RadioMagOnline.com. To order single copies call866.505-7173 or 402-505-7173,
PageNumber
Acoustics First 21
AdvertiserHotline
888-765-2900
Arrakis Systems 26-27 51 970-461-0730
AudioScience 37 302-324-5333
Barix Technology 32 866-815-0866
Broadcast Software Intl 41, 44 888 -BSI -USA 1
Broadcast Tools 35 360-854-9559
Circuitwerkes 46 352-335-6555
Coaxial Dynamics 39 440-243-1100
Comrex 8-9, 25 800-237-1776
Continental Electronics 18 800-733-5011
Deva Broadcast 43 +359-56-820027
Digital Alert Systems 42 585-765-1155
Dixon Systems 39, 44 800-387-6141
DM Engineering 46 800-249-0487
Enco 1 800-ENCO-SYS
Graham Studios 33 866-481-6696
iMediaTouch 7 888-665-0501
Inovonics 21 800-733-0552
La rca n 23 303-665-8000
Magnet,c Specialties 47 267-384-5231
Michael Patton & Associates. 46 225-752-4189
Mooretronix 46 800-300-0733
Moseley Associates 3 805-968-9621
Myat 19 201-7675380
Nagra 37,46 800-813-1663
Nautel Electronics 13 902-823-2233
Non Ltd. 44 505-327-5646
OMB America 15 305-477-0973
Paravel Systems 30 877-447-2728
Phasetek 47 800-742-7383
Progressive Concepts 45 630-736-9822
Pulsecom 22 800-381-1997
Radio Design Labs 31 217-352-3498
Ramsey Electronics 47 800-446-2295
RCS Media Monitors 25 800-ENCO-SYS
RE Ports 47 800-737-2787
RF Specialties 24 816-628-5959
Sandies USA 42 215-547-2570
SCMS, Inc 17 800438-6040
Shively Labs 11,4 7 888-SHIVELY
The Studio Hawk 45 662-324-2769
TieLine Technology 5 800-950-0750
Transcom Corporation 45 800-441-8545
V -Soft Communications 47 800-743-3684
Wheatstone 2, 5 2 252-638-7000
This index is a service to readers. Every efresponsibility for errors or omissions.
AdvertiserWebsite
www.acousticsfirst.com
www. arra k is -systems. com
www.audioscience.com
www. barix.com
www. bsiusa .com
www.broadcasttools.com
www. ci rcu i twerkes. com
www.coaxial.com
www.comrex.com
www.contelec.com
www.devabroadcast.com
www.digitalalertsystems.com
www.dixonsystems.com
www.dmeng i neeri ng .com
www.enco.com
www. g ra ha m -stud ios. com
www. med i a touc h .com
www. i novon . com
www. la rca n . c om
www.magspecinc.com
www. m ichaelpatton .com
www.mooretronix.com
www. moseleysb. com
www. myat.com
www. nag ra a ud io. com
www. nautel.com
www.nottltd.com
www.omb.com
www. pa ravelsystems com
www.phasetekinc.com
www.progressive-concepts.com
www. pu Ise. com
www.rdlnet.com
www.ramseybroadcast.com
www.enco.com
www. rf pa rts. com
www.rfspec.com
www.sandiesusa.com
www.scmsinc.com
www.shively.com
www.thestudiohawk.com
www.tieline.com
www.fmamtv.com
www.v-soft.com
www.wheatstone.com
fort is made to ensure accuracy, but Radio magazine cannot assume
RadoMagOnline.com May 2010 49
SIGN OFFby Erin Shipps, associate editor
Percent
www.RadioMagOnline.corn
Sample and Hold $16 ,556. 1MAmount spent on measured media by the top 10advertisers of 2009, which was just 0.9 percentlower compared to their 2008 outlays.
Behind the stat:Top 10 Advertisers PercentChange from 2008-2009
Kantar Media recently released a study on advertisingexpenditures, noting a fall of 12.3 percent in 2009to $125.3 billion. Fourth quarter 2009 ad spendingwas off 6 percent against 2008, with nearly all mediaimproving upon their January -September performance.Jon Swollen, SVP Research at Kantar Media said,"Given the restraint in consumer spending, it appearsmarketers have more confidence right now than theircustomers. As we get deeper into 2010, the paceof consumer activity will be a key determinant of thestrength and durability of the advertising recovery."
Change in MeasuredAd Spending2008 vs. 2009
d.
In
1. Local Radio includes expenditures for32 markets in the U.S.
Top 10 Advertising Categories:Jan -Dec 2009 vs. Jan -Dec 20082
I . Proctei 6 c_7oniole- 1 5 f.)°'
3. General Motors
t.
6. News Corp- 106°
8. Sprint Nextel+29.9%
Increase in Internetdisplay advertising
expendituresin 2009.
Rank Category Jan -Dec 20091Jan-Dec 2008(Millions) (Millions) % Change
1 I Automotive(Manufacturers)
(Dealers)
2 Telecom
3 Financial Services
4 Local Services
5 Miscellaneous Retail'
6 Direct Response
7 Food & Candy
8 Restaurants
9 Personal Care Products
10 Pharmaceuticals
$10,977.6($7,175.5)($3,802.1)
$8,606.8
$7,820.1
$7,490.9
$7,124.7
$6,626.5
$6,261.0
$5,541.2
$5,538.9
$4,751.8
$14,338.9($8,400.9)($5.938.0)
$8,470.1
$9,572.1
$8,628.0
$8,361.7
$7,489.9
$6,046.8
$5,718.7
$6,026.6
$4,575.0
-23.4%(-14.6%)(-36.0%)
1.6%
-18.3%
-13.2%
-14.8%
-11.5%
3.5%
-3.1%
-8.1%
3.9%
TOTAL' $70,739.4 $79,228.0 -10.7%
2. Figures do not inL,,,cie free standing riLs, I a4 aubv,ty.3. Miscellaneous Retail does opt include: department stores, home fumishing/building supply stores.4. The sum of the individual categories may differ from the total due to rounding.
3' 4°/0
5. Ptizei Inc+32.7%
7.
10. Wal-Mart(+35.4%f
Increase in Wal-Mart's 2009 singbudget behind the launch ve Money,Live Better" campaign. A
32.7%Increase in Pfizer spending as t ompanyboosted marketing support for L r aheadof the brand's 2011 patent ex on.
29.9%Amount Sprint Nextel hiked its nditures,battling for market share agains largerwireless rivals.
Source: Kantar Media.
50 May 2010 RadioMagOnline.com
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When it comes to networking your facilities,there's only one best choice. Wheatstone.For years, we've been the network/controlsurface choice of top broadcasters.And with good reason - we care.
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