TWiRT - This Week in Radio Tech - Podcast: Recent Episodes
TWiRT
Have you wondered what goes on at the Network Operations Center of a satellite distribution network? We sure have, and our good friend, Marcos O’Rourke, joins us to talk about it. Marcos is now the Engineering Manager at Linkup Communications. We’ve followed Linkup’s rising star in the satellite communications business and watched as this company has grown to serve a lot of the broadcast industry. Marcos gives a brief history of the NOC in Denver, Colorado, and shares pictures of their operations and IT center.
Show Notes:
The Broadcast Engineer YouTube channel
LinkUp Communications - satellite distribution services
Aim your satellite dish using DishPointer.com
Basics of Satellite Receive Antenna optimization from ESPN Radio
Guest:
Marcos O’Rourke - Engineering Manager at Linkup Communications Corporation
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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It’s Radio Convention season and we’re bringing some of the Alabama Broadcasters Convention to you. Live from the Renaissance Ross Bridge Resort, we’re meeting with engineers and radio equipment reps as this ABA Convention draws to a close. One of our highlights is visiting with Steven Westbrook from the Alabama Historical Radio Society. We also get cameo appearances from Bob Mayben, Jeff Welton, and Jim Armstrong. Join us for some fun conversation while we learn a few things about both new and old technologies and some personalities that shaped - and are now shaping - radio tech.
Show Notes:Alabama Historical Radio Society
Alabama Broadcasters Association
Bob Mayben’s Good Time Gold
Summit Technology Group
Guests:
Bob Mayben - Broadcast Engineer, Sales at SCMS, Inc, and Host of Good Time Gold
Jim Armstrong - Director of Eastern US Sales at Telos Alliance
Hugh Price - Sales at Broadcasters General Store
Micah Dempsey - Wireless Manager at MaxxKonnect Wireless
Jeff Welton, CBRE - Regional Sales Manager, Eastern U.S.
Paul Stewart - President at Summit Technology Group
Steven Westbrook - Alabama Historical Radio Society
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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A Google search on “SCOTUS and Chevron Deference” returns a lot of breathless headlines, prefacing pearl-clutching stories of near-calamitous changes in the way Federal agencies can carry out their missions. Indeed, one dissenting Supreme Court justice wrote that this ruling, “will cause a massive shock to the legal system.” The ruling will eventually affect some broadcast Rules from the Federal Communications Commission, but communications attorney, David Oxenford, predicts less dramatic effects on broadcast Rules and station operations. To clarify the Chevron decision and it’s likely effects on broadcasters, we interviewed Oxenford for this episode. We also get commentary from Larry Fuss, President and CEO of several multi-station radio broadcasting companies, and co-host, Chris Tarr. Join us for an informative episode of TWiRT as we discuss broadcast Rules in light of the SCOTUS decision on Chevron Deference.
Show Notes:
Broadcast Law Blog
Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS)
FCC to Reinstate Form 395B - Broadcast Station Annual Employment Report
Rosenworcel Clarifies FCC Plan for Clearer AI Political Ads
Guests:
David Oxenford - Partner at Wilkinson, Barker, Knauer, LLP
Larry Fuss - President, CEO, and Managing Partner at several broadcast groups
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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As we are all very aware, being a technical person or layman, the recent CrowdStrike outage caused disruptions on a myriad of computer systems worldwide, affecting multiple industry sectors and millions of people in some way, shape, or form. Approximately 8.5 million devices were affected, leading to outages in various sectors, including airlines, healthcare, and financial institutions. Some broadcasters were affected, but it seems most radio broadcasters were spared. Why is that? What crippled many very large industries had relatively little impact on radio station operations. Three experts join this TWiRT episode: Shaun Dolan, Kyle Walker, and David Smedley. Together we’ll uncover how Crowdstrike affected some broadcasters, and we’ll learn about some best practices for IT security.
Show Notes:
CrowdStrike IT Outage Explained by a Windows Developer
Kyle mentioned SNMP Monitoring using Nagios
Shaun introduced us to Incident Response - Here’s a TechTarget Article
And here’s an article from Crowdstrike about Incident Response
David Smedley mentioned the https://support.aiir.com/
Guests:
Shaun Dolan - Partner at Inrush Broadcast Services
Kyle Walker - VP, Technology at Weigel Broadcasting Co
David Smedley - Senior Support Engineer at Aiir.com
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Radio’s beloved John Bisset is back! Author of the “Workbench” column is Radio World magazine, John is bringing us the best ideas from engineers since his last appearance on TWiRT, over six months ago. John’s Workbench columns are found at this aggregation page at https://www.radioworld.com/tag/workbench . Plus, Chris Tarr just drove 2,800 miles to buy a LOT of broadcast equipment.
Show Notes:
Wet Switch Flood Detector - connect to your remote control system for water warning
White LED Strip Lights, 20ft Dimmable Super Bright 24V Led Tape Light 6500K 360 LEDs
Self-Adhesive Reinforcement Labels - Multicolored to mark normal indicator operation
DIY 9 volt battery connection extender (parts)
Guest:
John Bisset - Western US Sales at Telos Alliance & “Workbench” columnist at Radio World
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test Drive
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Larry Janus is no stranger to broadcast engineering, but his passion is excellent design of vacuum tube based audio circuits, and then controlling their functions using modern control electronics via WiFi. This passion leads to a clever integration of a tube-based mic pre-amp, fully remote controlled using a phone app over WiFi. This arrangement gives rise to some interesting and convenient possibilities for stage-placed mic pre-amps with remote control. Larry Janus joins us from his well-equipped home lab in Florida.
Show Notes:
Larry’s web site featuring his 2UBES VTX-1 Dual Triode Tube Mic Pre-Amp with WiFi Control
Criteria Recording Studio - Miami
RadioWorld article about Gary Blau - W3AM - Silent Key
History of the Fairchild 660 Tube Compressor
Info on the ubiquitous 12AX7 vacuum tube
Info on the I2C data & control buss, used in many electronic designs
Larry does embedded design work at MANLEY Laboratories
Guest:
Larry Janus - Audio Equipment Designer & Systems Engineer at MANLEY Laboratories
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Low Power FM radio is intended to be a community service. It’s for giving the opportunity for diverse thoughts and voices to spread over a community. However, it’s perfectly OK to have some radio fun in the process! Andy Denoncour, Frank Licata, and Grady Moates each played key roles in getting a new station - WGGG-LP - signed-on and serving the village of Ossipee, New Hampshire. The host and guests all agree that there’s a thrilling excitement to turning the radio transmitter ON for the first time, hearing your audio programming, and taking a drive to check out the coverage!
Show Notes:
Ossipee 102.3 - WGGG-LP
On an upcoming episode, we’ll talk with Grady about advances in the HEBA antenna.
Guests:
Andy Denoncour - Engineering & Support at Comrex Corporation
Frank E Licata - Founder at WGGG-LP, Ossipee, NH
Grady Moates - Owner at LOUD and Clean Broadcast Science
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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U.S. Broadcasters are required to provide emergency alerts to their audiences, but many radio stations use IP-based signal distribution — something incompatible with old-style EAS boxes. What is needed is a simple way to interface the real-world over-the-air reception of EAS events, filter and process the messages, and — if necessary — incorporate the alerts into the modern audio-over-IP (AoIP) air chain. Doing this right involves some innovation, but once done well, there are several distinct benefits. Bill Robertson from Digital Alert Systems joins Kirk Harnack to explain how this award-winning implementation works, and why it makes EAS better and more effective.
Show Notes:
EAS at the Edge℠ - What does that mean, and why should I care? - blog post
Video from NAB 2024 - EAS at the Edge from Digital Alert Systems
Guest:
Bill Robertson - VP, Business Development at Digital Alert Systems
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Tim Berry is already thinking about this fall’s sports broadcasts on the Vol Network. WIth over 60 radio affiliates and many thousands of listeners depending on high quality, live play-by-play, it’s Tim’s responsibility to make sure these broadcasts get from the stadiums and arenas to the Vol Network headquarters and beyond. Effective planning is essential! And this planning discipline works for other broadcast engineering tasks, like transmitter replacements. Chris Tarr adds his own experience and expertise to our discussion.
Show Notes:
What is the Vol Network?
Tim Berry - WN4GBI and East Tennessee Amateur Repeaters
Chris uses VLC Media Player to receive and monitor multiple Internet streams
Guest:
Tim Berry - Chief Engineer at WUOT-FM and Chief Engineer at the Vol Network
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Marc Haycook is a problem solver! He needed to add a VO studio to his home, but new construction or expansion isn’t allowed there. He needed a studio that could be moved around for access and maintenance, but not on wheels. He needed access to phones, Internet, electricity, but had to keep neighborhood and household noise out - completely out. And he even had to silence the A-10 Warthogs and other aircraft that fly over at inopportune times. The solution? Well, that’s what this episode - number 700 - of This Week in Radio Tech is all about. Voice-over artist, Marc Haycook, joins us for a fascinating look at his home-built, home studio, with the cleanest audio anywhere. Plus, we take out first phone call ever on TWiRT!
Show Notes:
Auditronics 200 series audio console catalog
Rockwool Safe ‘n Sound insulation
Marc used Green Glue as part of his sound reduction design.
Marc’s mics are an Electro-Voice RE20 and a Neumann TLM 103
Marc’s audio console is an Axia Radius with QoR16 Integrated Mix Engine
Marc’s broadcast phone system is a Telos Hx6 with VSet.6 controller
Guest:
Marc Haycook - Voiceover Artist at DMARC Media
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Before his new Nautel GV40 FM transmitter arrived, Mike knew there was a major problem to solve. Big transmitters. Small room. No space for the old transmitter to get out of its own way. Then Mike had an idea. Crazy idea? Many ideas are - at first. Let’s follow along with Mike Kernen, Market Chief Engineer at Crawford Broadcasting Detroit, and find out how he solved this vexing problem. Chris Tarr joins us with another instructive story on moving transmitters into impossible spaces.
Show Notes:
Chris mentioned this Diydeg Radio Receiver, FM, Shortwave Receiver with RDS Mode
Guest:
Mike Kernen - Market Chief Engineer at Crawford Broadcasting, Detroit
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the HD Digital Radio Test Drive
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Some of us grew up in radio and have spent our whole careers in the business. Others, like Chuck Helstein, started in radio, but has been in IT security and IT financial technology. Now, Chuck brings IT knowledge and discipline back to radio since purchasing KAZM AM/FM in Sedona, Arizona. Chuck joins us to talk about some novel ideas for making great, local radio while cutting expenses dramatically using clever IT services and technology.
Show Notes:
KAZM AM & FM - Mellow Mountain Radio
MegaSeg DJ & Radio Automation Software
DigitalOcean cloud-based computing platform
Guest:
Chuck Helstein - Owner at KAZM, Cybersecurity Expert
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Audio over IP (AoIP) has been used in broadcast facilities for about 20 years now. A few broadcast facilities have swapped one brand or standard of AoIP equipment for another during that period. Some broadcasters have swapped equipment twice! Whether the reasons for changing equipment are technical, political, old age, or support issues, we’d like to know about the challenges - or the easy aspects - of changing AoIP brands and standards. Matt Levin is a broadcast engineer in Ohio. His consulting and studio construction work take him to different facilities to make upgrades. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack discuss with Matt about using different AoIP systems, using console profiles effectively, and about FM audio processing running on PCs and servers.
Show Notes:
Processors Are Tasked With Repairing Damage - Radio World article by Matt Levin
Guest:
Matt Levin - Broadcast Engineer & Technical Consultant
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Dan Case just retired from full-time broadcast engineering - and some key projects are fresh on his mind. Dan started his radio career in Erie, Pennsylvania, and quickly moved up with more responsibility and some engineering management. Dan believes in fixing audio problems right at their source and never trying to fix bad audio with more audio processing. And Dan’s passion is developing customer local solutions where they’re needed. From a custom telephone hybrid in the early 1970s, to building a solid, reliable AM station pattern controller. He coined the term “Revenue Insurance” as a way to validate and justify capex expenditures designed to keep revenue flowing in the midst of other failures or disasters. This is an informative interview with with both technical advice and business acumen shared for your benefit.
Guest:
Dan Case - Director of Engineering (Retired)
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Boasting 17 signals in 4 radio markets - in New York and Pennsylvania - Radigan Media represents the kind of local radio that’s not only serving its local communities, but doing so with newer technologies. Dave Radigan wears many hats in his growing network of stations, including Chief Engineer. He’s implemented Audio over IP (linear Livewire) between studio and transmitter site, partly because he needed a bi-directional link with no audio compromises - and contact closures. And, Dave has recently opened the door to the “flexible studio”. Using AoIP audio routing tech he’s providing his staff with convenient options for live talk shows, voice-tracking, and production from the same studio, as needed. Let’s check out Dave’s reasoning about implementing the latest tech, when it makes sense to do so.
Guest:
Dave Radigan - Owner / CEO at Radigan Media
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel’s HD Digital Radio Test Drive unlocks content, revenue, & ratings potential
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Many radio engineers love to visit other radio stations. We get ideas to perhaps implement in our own stations. Or sometimes we may get a sense of satisfaction thinking that we’ve done a superlative job in our own facilities - compared to others. Today we’re honored to visit the studios of 100.1 FM in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. OMG! What a drop-dead gorgeous studio! Rafael Recio is the Chief Engineer at 100.1 FM. He shows-off this beautiful and effective working studio, which is home to live shows in morning and afternoon drive every day. Rafael worked with the station’s Program Director, Harold, to design and build this world-class radio studio + control room.
Show Notes:
Time Lapse video of 100.1 FM’s studio construction
Rafael is using Axia iQ AoIP audio mixing consoles.
100.1 FM - “Santo Domingo’s Greatest Hit Music Station”
We mentioned the Museo de los Telecomunicaciones, noting the early and continuing technical advances in the Dominican Republic.
Guest:
Rafael Recio - Chief Engineer at 100.1 FM, Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel’s HD Digital Radio Test Drive unlocks content, revenue, & ratings potential
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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Chris Tarr just finished a long-anticipated FM transmitter move. Big implications attended this move all the way across a metro area. The new site needed a directional FM antenna, and they decided that a new transmitter made more sense than moving the old one. Chris covers a lot of ground when contemplating any transmitter site move. Kirk Harnack touches on a few pointers for IP radio microwave links, including not trusting the existing infrastructure too much!
Show Notes:
-
Planning Transmitter Moves
- Facilities - Building, road, fencing, parking, HVAC, roof, ice protection
- Legal including FCC
- Permitting - local zoning, building, etc.
- Safety - fencing, insurance requirements, guy anchors, tower base
- STL considerations & options
- Frequency coordination for 950 & IP STLs
- Fiber internet availability
- AC Power - service sizing, etc.
-
Executing the move
-
What can be built and ready beforehand
- What has to move overnight or a weekend
- Absolutely no off-air time? Or minimal?
- Actual cutover
- Moving audio processing if needed
- What if something goes really wrong?
- Plan to go back if needed?
-
After the move (should have been before the move)
-
Tying up all the loose ends
- Grounding, lightning protection
- Putting redundancy in place at the new location
- What if Internet installation is late? Wait or move ahead?
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
NUG@NAB Radio Technology Forum is almost here! Register for this free event at NAB!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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What’s happening at NAB 2024 in Las Vegas? No way can anyone bring you ALL of the highlights, but we’re bringing seven outstanding engineers and corporate leaders to you on this episode of TWiRT! Our broadcast studio is the Bionic Table at Broadcast Bionics in the Central Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. Thanks to Broadcast Bionics for the bandwidth and studio space.
Guests:
Darnell Forde - Broadcast Engineer at Salem Media Group, San Diego, CA
Bob Stroupe - Regional Engineering Manager at iHeartMedia, Houston, TX
Francis (Frank) Martin - Owner of MPH Broadcast Services
Dan McQuillin - Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics
Scott Stiefel - Chief Executive Officer at Telos Alliance
Jeff Schick - Chief Technology Officer at Sprite Media, Inc.
George Whittam - Owner GeorgeThe.Tech, Co-host VOBS.TV and Pro Audio Suite Podcast
John Bisset - Director, Western US Sales at Telos Alliance
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel’s HD Digital Radio Test Drive unlocks content, revenue, & ratings potential
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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The Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC) seems to get better and better each year. Attendees were frequently held in wrapped attention by captivating and informative presentations about audio and RF technologies and techniques. Our guests on TWiRT each took a few minutes away from the conference sessions to give us their impressions of the technologies being discussed and what’s ahead for Public Radio Engineers.
Guests:
Cornelius Gould - Audio Processing Architect at Angry Audio
Scott Fybush - Editor/Publisher at NorthEast Radio Watch/Fybush Media
Jim Gray - Managing Partner at Optimized Media Group - OMG
Joseph Williams - DIrector of Engineering & Technology at WRTI, Temple University
Richard Parker - Director of Engineering at Coast Alaska
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Search the web and you’ll find hundreds of articles videos - and thousands of opinions - on the best mics to use for radio and podcasting. One of our sponsors is Angry Audio, makers of two novel mic processors to improve and control the sound of two popular microphone families. Our longtime friend and colleague, Cornelius Gould, designed the audio processing algorithms behind these specific mic processors. “Corny” joins us to talk about this rather unique approach to mic processor design and implementation. Plus Tom Ray pops in to discuss microphone choices with Chris Tarr. Plenty of opinions and some solid advice!
Show Notes:
Cornelius Gould is also the founder & host of The Rocketry Show podcast.
The mic pre/processors for which Corny wrote the algorithms are the REbel & SMooth from Angry Audio
Tom Ray’s microphone is a PreSonus PX-1 condenser mic with a dbx 286s processor
Chris Tarr is liking his Electro-Voice RE20 with a RØDECaster Pro
Kirk is currently using a Sennheiser MKH 416-P48U3 with a PreSonus Revelator iO24
Article: The 4 Different Types of Microphones for your Studio
Guests:
Cornelius Gould - Audio Processing Architect at AngryAudio
Tom Ray - President of Tom Ray Consulting
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Can you imagine installing 60 broadcast transmitters over the past 8 years? Robert Combs, Corporate Director of Engineering at Cumulus Media has been doing exactly that. Transmitters of all sizes and from several major manufacturers. The most recent transmitter replacement is at WZYP-FM in Huntsville, Alabama. Market Engineer, Dominic Mitchum, is taking care of much of the local work and logistics, alongside Robert’s work. The project also includes replacing the RF coaxial transfer switch, main coax, and even the main and backup FM antennas. Robert and Dominic give us a very informative video tour and discussion of this project on Capshaw Mountain. Plus, Chris Tarr relates his own recent transmitter installation experiences and has developed some advice on purchasing used transmitters.
Guests:
Dominic Mitchum - Director of Technical Operations at Cumulus Media, Huntsville, AL
Robert Combs - Corporate Director of Engineering at Cumulus Media
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Over 50 years ago, Mike Dorrough introduced the Discriminate Audio Processor - the DAP 310. Broadcasters that cared about audio quality started buying and installing DAP310s to improve the audio quality of their stations. Five decades later these old audio processors are still in demand - as are services to supply parts and repairs. Randy Swaffer and Mike Phillips are two DAP310 enthusiasts - and they know all about repairing and aligning these classic units. Jordan Tuck also joins us to talk about refurbishing other broadcast gear, including a Continental Electronics FM transmitter and an A-6000 audio console.
Show Notes:
DAP310 Repair Information Website - dap310.com
PAMS Series 49 Jingle Demo Page - Listen here!
We discussed Kapton film as used in plate blocker capacitors for FM transmitters
Guests:
Randy Swaffer - Minister, Professional Piano Tuner, Dorrough DAP enthusiast
Mike Phillips - Attorney, Engineer, musician, & Dorrough DAP enthusiast
Jordan Tuck - Broadcast Engineer & Refurbisher of Broadcast Equipment
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Most broadcasters either own towers or lease antenna space on them. But only the tallest towers are outfitted with elevators to bring workers and light tools up to desired working levels without spending half the day getting tired from climbing. Jim Tiner is CEO at Tower Elevators Systems. His company has built many towers - short, medium, and tall - and many of the tallest ones also have a custom-designed elevator system. This elevator technology is often applicable to other tall structures, such as bridge towers, smokestacks, and even the Statue of Liberty. Jim Tiner presents his company’s fascinating story and tells us about unique elevator designs.
Show Notes:
Galleries of Photos by Tower Elevator Systems
YouTube video about Siemens Safety PLCs as used in the Statue of Liberty project
Guest:
Jim Tiner - CEO at Tower Elevator Systems, Inc.
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Most of us in radio have heard Fresh Air, hosted by Terry Gross on National Public Radio. Joyce Lieberman was the first technical director behind this well-produced national interview program. But Joyce’s engineering and production career started several years earlier, getting a kick-start when some other engineers called in sick. At the onset of Joyce's radio work, she recorded Terry Gross and her guests when Fresh Air was a local Philadelphia three-hour program. Her attention to audio purity and detail prepared Joyce for other audio engineering achievements, including working with a team at WHYY and NPR to restore and digitally archive the episodes of Fresh Air, plus provide guidance to other archival efforts. Chris Tarr adds his expert insights as well to this interview with Joyce Lieberman.
Show Notes:
Joyce appears on another podcast, Working Class Audio #304
More information about Joyce is found on this page about the SZALON Tech Team
Guest:
Joyce Lieberman - Radio Engineering Supervisor at WHYY, Philadelphia
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT 685 - Live from the ABA Engineering AcademyAre you one of hundreds of broadcast engineers who have attended the Alabama Broadcasters Association (ABA) Engineering Academy? Larry Wilkins and Frank Giardina are completing the 2024 Radio Engineering Academy with attendees ranging from “new” broadcast engineers to some seasoned pros looking to update their knowledge. We’re live from the ABA Headquarters near Birmingham, AL, with Larry Wilkins, ABA President Sharon Tinsley, and a few of this year’s attendees.
Show Notes:
Here’s what ABA Enigneering Academy attendees learned in this week’s Radio session
Subscribe to ABA’s “Monday Morning Coffee and Technical Notes” by emailing to Larry Wilkins
Guests:
Larry Wilkins - Broadcast Engineer
Dominic Mitchum - Director of Engineering at Cumulus Media, Huntsville, AL
Josh Bohn - President/CEO at The MaxxKonnect Group
Sharon Tinsley - President at Alabama Broadcasters Association
John “Mike” McCall - WTBF, Troy, AL
Lloyd Weekes - Engineer for a new FM station in Roanoke, AL
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Current technology education and career advancement are both available at the SBE Ennes Workshops, offered at the NAB Show in Las Vegas. The dates are April 12 & 13, just prior to the NAB Show Expo Halls opening. We’re talking with David Bialik and Fred Willard, who have assembled what appears to be the most useful and beneficial set of programs in two technology tracks. There’s an RF101 Bootcamp track. And the subject of this TWiRT show - the Media Over IP track. Watch the show and click on the link to SBE’s full description of these technology tracks. This is a very worthwhile 2-day workshop for any level of broadcast engineer!
Show Notes:
NAB Registration Link: SBE Ennes Workshops @ NAB 2024, Las Vegas - April 12-13
SBE Full Info: Ennes Workshops @ the 2024 NAB Show - Rundown of programs in the two educational tracks
Guests:
David Bialik - Owner of David K. Bialik & Associates
Fred Willard - Senior Engineer, RF Transmission at TelevisaUnivision
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.
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The LPFM (Low Power FM station) filing window is almost here. Hundreds of organizations are expected to apply for new licenses to serve their local communities. LPFM is a curiosity to many, and a very serious undertaking to many others. Michelle Bradley is an LPFM expert, amateur radio operator, software developer, and a real advocate for FCC Rules and legislation designed to support community-level radio broadcasting. Our conversation is fascinating and informative! We’re delighted to have LPFM radio advocates like Michelle, whose technical knowledge informs her regulatory advocacy work.
Show Notes:
2023 Grassroots Radio Conference - October 19-22, 2023, Charleston, WV
REC Networks - A leading advocate for a diverse dial & home to LPFM and other radio-related technical and operational resources
FCC.today - a real-time website showing today’s FCC application activities
LPFM.app - a comprehensive starting point for all interested in LPFM information & applications
FCCdata.org - Comprehensive search and station information for broadcast stations in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Ireland, UK, Australia, and Japan
Guest:
Michelle Bradley, CBT - Founder of REC Networks
Host:
Kirk Harnack - Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, Oxford Media Group & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
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How did YOU get started in broadcasting? We each have a story. Rob Grayson’s older brother, Walt, received an AM transmitter kit for Christmas in the 1960’s, and that got both Walt and Rob started on careers in radio and TV. Rob even took his 3rd Class FCC license test with Bob Pittman, who went on to be CEO at iHeart. So many twists, turns, and stories to tell, both from the engineering and the operations and programming sides of radio.
Show Notes:
Kirk mentioned MultiPing software from Pingman Tools
Guest:
Rob Grayson - Program Director at WKBL & WKBQ-FM, Covington, TN & Owner at Wilkerson Sound Studios
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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We often ask and worry about the next generation of broadcast engineers. Andy Gladding leverages his ties to Hofstra University in New York to encourage students to prepare for careers in broadcasting, including broadcast engineering. And he’s helped a number of Hofstra students move into broadcast careers. Chris Tarr, a popular SBE Mentor, and Andy discuss finding and encouraging our next broadcast IT and engineering professionals.
Show Notes:
New York SBE Chapter 15 announced their Engineer of the Year earlier this summer.
Andy mentioned Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC.org) for free university-level learning.
Chris likes this USB Power Meter USB 3.1 Tester for about $70 on Amazon
Kirk said “WHRU” when he meant to say “WRHU” - the radio station of Hofstra University
Guest:
Andy Gladding, MsED - Chief Engineer at Salem Media Group
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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It’s been 10 years (wow!) since the FCC opened an official filing window for new LPFM radio stations. The FCC’s press release states: The Media Bureau (Bureau) announces a filing window for applications for low power FM (LPFM) new station construction permits. The filing window will open at 12:01 am EDT on Wednesday, November 1, 2023, and close at 6:00 pm EST on November 8, 2023. The window is available for LPFM proposals in the entire FM band (channels 201-300). Our guest is Dave Doherty, a broadcast engineering consultant who has assisted many applicants in getting their own radio stations. Dave joins us to describe not only the FCC’s application requirements and process, plus a channel search tool at the FCC’s web site, but also to show us the value of using mapping techniques to further identify LPFM placement opportunities.
Show Notes:
Information on the LPFM FCC filing window (Nov 1, 2023 - Nov 8, 2023)
LPFM web page at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
FCC LPFM Channel Finder online search tool
FCC LPFM Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Guest:
Dave Doherty - Founder & Consultant at SkyWaves.com, a broadcast engineering & consulting practice
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Despite the hot weather, we know that summer will be fading into fall for us in the northern hemisphere. Josh Jones with Maxx Konnext Group joins us to talk about a production room he’s just finishing up. Chris Tarr is on the show, live from Magnum Media’s data center, and Kirk shares photos and thoughts on a new FM station that’s built with everything at the transmitter site, including the on-air phone system and the audio console. What are your thoughts on Kirk's "main studio" build?
Show Notes:
Chris praises the IT connectivity services of Christen Roberts at iQWired.net
Josh Jones is part of Maxx Konnect Group’s expanding technical services for broadcasters
Kirk is installing an Axia Altus mixing console that operates in a software container, accessible from anywhere.
A Telos VXs broadcast phone system lives on the same server as the Axia Altus.
WBZK-FM (The Buzz) is installing and modifying a 10-year-old Nautel VS 2.5 FM transmitter to serve as an FM+HD transmitter.
Opening that transmitter, Kirk was reminded that he had repaired it almost 7 years ago. Here’s a video of that repair when this same transmitter was at WKXY-FM.
Guest:
Josh Jones - Broadcast Engineer at Maxx Konnect Group
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Interoperability - what does that mean? After this 1-hour conversation with Robbie Green and Chris Tarr, I would say it means “controlling or checking on one device by using another device or system”. Scaled up intelligently, it implies having control and understanding of complex systems from a single location, or doing so automatically. So, rather than separately checking on an automation system, an audio processor, an audio router, a satellite receiver, a transmitter, or a security system, these individual systems can connect meaningfully to a central monitoring and control (“M&C”) system and/or to each other as appropriate. GPIO is a low-bar baseline for interoperability. Serial control, RS-422, and CanBUSS moved us forward, but a variety of TCP/IP protocols, including SNMP, have brought us to a good level of general interoperability if we’re willing to do the work and research to implement them. These ideas have motivated Robbie Green and Chris Tarr to implement interoperabilities that make broadcast operations more reliable, stable, and convenient.
Show Notes:
Robbie mentioned the LANTRONIX UDS2100 as a good Serial Device Server
We mentioned live, on-line demos of some Inovonics devices, which are also interoperable
Connect SNMP to other protocols with these...https://www.controlbyweb.com/x600m/
Robbie’s example of vMix TCP integration - https://www.vmix.com/help26/TCPAPI.html
Messaging on various display platforms, like Paravel's WallTime
Guest:
Robbie Green - Product Manager, Communication Products at Telos Alliance
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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FreePBX is an open source SIP PBX software application used in many thousands of businesses, including broadcast facilities. Tony Lewis is the entrepreneur behind this amazing software, and he joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to discuss the benefits and uses of VoIP telephony. Tony recently founded ClearlyIP.com, a provider of SIP telephony services and equipment, with expertise in high-volume inbound calling, needed by so many broadcasters.
Show Notes:
FreePBX is still free!
ClearlyIP.com focuses on Radio Stations and SIP/VoIP telephony services
WiPhone, A Phone for Hackers and Makers
Guest:
Tony Lewis - CEO at ClearlyIP.com
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Frank Martin is a thoughtful and insightful broadcast engineer with decades of radio and TV experience. And, he’s sharing some compelling ideas with us on this episode of TWiRT. Based in Los Angeles, California. Frank provides service, integration and support for TV, AM, or FM transmitters and studios
Today we’re discussing a new LPFM filing window (Nov 1 - 8, 2023), ATSC 3.0 television, “Franken FM” stations, C-QUAM AM stereo, and whether market size and career satisfaction are related. Plus, Frank has some final thoughts inspired by The 10 Principles of Burning Man.
Show Notes:
This is a TV story. No wait, it's a Radio story. Stop, It's a little of both. By Michael Couzens
Frank mentioned his favorite movie streaming service, Flixtor.
Frank mentioned the Zapperbox MI, an ATSC 3.0 (NexGen TV) receiver.
I-1430 is an off-the-air live AM stereo stream.
The 10 Principles of Burning Man
Guest:
Frank Martin - MPH Broadcast Services - LA Broadcast Engineer & Consultant
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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The FAA compliance rules for your tower’s obstruction lighting continue to be updated as evidenced by a November 2020 FAA circular. Bear Poth, President & CEO at LumenServe, is here to review some key aspects of the regulations that broadcast engineers need to know. LEDs have been around for many years, however, in the tower lighting world their deployment is creating big changes.
Our guest, Bear Poth, is the founding President and CEO of LumenServe and has an extensive entrepreneurial and operations background founding and growing numerous telecom and technology-based companies. His experience includes being founder and CEO of companies that have built and operated IP Networks with 3,000+ route miles of microwave/fiber transport, built and serviced 25,000+ VoIP connections, constructed over 1,300 miles of hybrid fiber/coaxial broadband plant, provided 50k+ CATV/telephone/Internet connections, constructed 100k+ square-mile canopy of wireless networks and constructed and operated 500+ wireless towers. Bear is a long-time member of the Engineering Advisory Board at The University of Texas. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Business Administration from The University of Texas.
Show Notes:
Free tower resources, including the Tower Lighting Poster
FAA Regulations and Advisory Circulars
Chris mentioned his new Weather Station; it’s the Tempest
Guest:
Bear Poth - President & CEO at LumenServe, Inc.
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Containerised software offers many benefits that today’s broadcasters are looking for: Flexibility, Resilience, Density, Scalability... but you also need specialist IT skills and knowledge to deploy them. Containerized software installation and configuration typically requires a thorough knowledge of the Linux command line interface (CLI). It also involves several abstract operating system constructs such as MACVLAN and CPU pinning. Moreover, while transaction-based applications may not be time-critical, programs handling real-time audio can’t afford to skip a beat or even rest a cycle or two. Timing is critical.
Virtual Rack is a user-friendly deployment environment for containerized broadcast software. The idea is to take advantage of containerized software’s benefits, while simplifying the deployment process. Utilizing purpose-built management software and appliances optimized to run broadcast applications, Virtual Rack enables broadcast engineers to install containerized broadcast products with just a few mouse clicks.
Dan McQuillin, Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics, joins us to explain the philosophy behind Virtual Rack, and further explain how backup and failover is implemented with similar ease.
Show Notes:
Virtual Rack - Broadcast Hardware that Isn’t Hard
Virtual Rack introduced at IBC 2022 (YouTube video)
Guest:
Dan McQuillin - Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics, Ltd.
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Who is Kirk Yano? We’re about to find out on this episode of TWiRT!
Kirk Yano is a multiple Grammy-winning recording engineer with well over 30 Platinum and Gold records. He has won three Grammys including a Grammy for the last album that Miles Davis recorded. He has worked with Public Enemy, Mariah Carey, Miles Davis, Madonna, Michael Jackson, Placido Domingo and Phoebe Snow, and has toured as a musician with Snow, Savoy Brown, Scott Holt and Texas Scratch.
Kirk was the recording engineer for “Fight the Power’ by Public Enemy which Billboard magazine still lists as one of the most influential recordings. He was also the engineer on Mariah Carey’s Christmas Album and her Jewel Box album and he worked on History by Michael Jackson.
We'll hear about Kirk Yano's first visit to Nashville and his early association with Steve Church and Frank Foti. And even how Steve Church sometimes stayed at the "Yano Arms Hostel" (my name for it) in NYC in Steve's early phone hybrid days. Plus we'll hear about WMMS remotes that Kirk worked on with Frank in the late 1970's.
Finally, we'll understand part of the reason that music started to get really processed in the early 2000's, and how Kirk worked to mitigate the craziness in the music industry, or at least turn it into something musical and useful. Also, what about the production transition from multitrack tape and mixing consoles to digital DAW production?
Show Notes:
Part of a video on YouTube with a French host describing Kirk Yano’s essential contribution to Hip Hop music in France.
Guest:
Kirk Yano - Award-Winning Musician, Recording, Mixing, and Mastering Engineer
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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When Chuck Kelly recommends a new technique or technology, it’s important to pay attention. TX-Control is a networked and cloud-based monitoring, alarm, analysis, and control system designed for broadcast equipment. In Europe TX-Control is monitoring over 1,500 transmitter sites, providing custom reports on trends, outages, automatic remediation, and more. It leverages SNMP, a monitoring and control protocol which is built-in to more and more broadcast equipment. Chuck is joined by Aimé Diattà to help us understand this technology and service that’s watching over critical broadcast infrastructure.
Show Notes:
The TX-Control web site is highly informative with graphical explanations of the system.
The TX-Control brochure shows layout diagrams to help explain the concept and operation.
Guests:
Chuck Kelly - Broadcast Industry Technology Consultant
Aimé Diattà - Consulting, Business Development & Relazioni Istituzionali - 22hbg.com
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Charles Kinney and David Bialik are here to hash out the apparent demise of the AM Radio Band. As bad as some say? Worse? Or still quite viable and important? Have the FCC or the NAB been helpful, or harmful to AM Radio? Is there legislation that would help the AM Radio service? Are there technical improvements that haven’t been implemented yet? Both David and Charles have extensive experience in engineering for large AM stations, and they’re both avid listeners. Salient comments and some good ideas are just ahead, on TWiRT!
Guests:
David Bialik - Broadcast Engineering & Streaming Consultant
Charles Kinney - Director of Engineering at Cox Media Group Atlanta
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Audio-over-IP now a 20-year-old technology, and we’re witnessed many dozens of AoIP networked devices brought to the broadcast marketplace. Now, Pippin Technical Service, a Canadian broadcast equipment supplier and engineering firm, is adding AoIP network devices to its PTS Gear product line. Designed in-house, the PTS Gear lineup includes PTSBeacon, an warning light that gets its signaling directly from virtual GPIO signals on a packet network. PTSAurora is another device driven by the virtual GPIO signals found on Livewire networks. Both devices are PoE powered, meaning they work with just one Ethernet connection for signaling, control, power, and configuration. We broadcast engineers welcome this kind of innovation for making our studios easier to build and more functional for on-air talent.
Show Notes:
PTSGear website, linking to all the PTS Gear offerings
PTSBeacon - the warning light we discussed in some detail
Guest:
Tyler Everitt - President/CEO, Pippin Technical Service Ltd
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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A pleasant surprise today as our scheduled guest, Shane Toven, joins us from “Gilbert Lodge”, home of Mark Persons! We’re talking about the Emergency Alert System and how broadcasters might move forward with better techniques and technologies to get live-saving information to their listeners. Shane works with EMF (K-LOVE and Air1) while co-host, Chris Tarr, serves on the Wisconsin State EAS committee. Host, Kirk Harnack, expresses some annoyances with the current EAS system and Chris is the usual voice of reason.
Show Notes:
Chris Tarr mentioned that Gary Timm has stepped down from state EAS duties (Radio World article)
The new Wisconsin State EAS Plan is hot off the presses and receives high praise from Chris.
Our sponsor, Broadcasters General Store, offers several brands of EAS units for radio stations.
Guests:
Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at EMF - K-LOVE & Air1
Mark Persons - Founder of M. W. Persons & Associates (Ret)
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Three radio station owners walk into a bar. They also happen to be owner-engineers of a terrific radio station on a tropical island. We’re talking about Hal Kneller, Joe Fiorini, and Kirk Harnack at Star 94.3, KHKU-FM, in Lihu’e, Hawai’i. We were all here for a broadcasters’ conference, plus some light maintenance at the Star 94.3 studios. While Hal has been a guest on TWiRT, this is Joe’s first appearance. What interesting engineering backgrounds from both of these guys! We talk about AM radios in automobiles, a question of 50 ohms, and some ideas on backing up everything.
===> So, how did Kirk manage to leave an unrelated mic open during the show, providing delayed echo and huge audio coding artifacts? In a hurry? Careless? Not learning the same lesson from our NAB show? Anyway, my humble apologies for the bad audio. Our headphone feeds were great; we didn’t know that Streamyard was recording my laptop’s built-in mic with no way to remove it from the recording later. Extra embarrassing since we worked hard to use the studio mics (one of which has a buzz, so that’s another embarrassment). This is why we should leave the show production to the pros, like our beloved “SunKast”.
Guests:
Hal Kneller - Broadcast Technology Consultant
Joe Fiorini - Owner of Fiorini Broadcasting
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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We've ALL used broadcast automation/playout systems, but have you met the BRAINS behind their designs and software? Today we're meeting Alan Freeman, author of several Radio and TV automation systems including Digital DJ, AXS, EZ DJ Pro, Virtual Cart Machine, and Voice Tracking on Scott Studios automation systems. Plus, Alan helped design audio and relay cards for PCs, making integration possible between these PC-based audio systems and hardware of the day. From controlling satellite-delivered music formats, to mega-CD-changers, to music on hard drive, Alan has written software and user interfaces for them.
Show Notes:
Alan’s Business website is CDControl.com
Chris & Kirk like Alan’s Funk Logic rack panel - here’s the Funk Logic web store
Guest:
Alan Freeman - Senior Software Consultant / Software Developer / Owner: Wintek Software Inc.
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Many broadcast and audio engineers have terrific ideas. Indeed, there’s hardly a shortage of ideas. “Wouldn’t it be great if someone built this?” Or, “Why doesn’t anyone make that?” Then there are people who build things–usually with a good idea, but sometimes not. Mike Dosch’s passion and unique skill are identifying the best ideas for audio devices, then designing and building them with solid technology and knife-edge precision. His company, Angry Audio, embodies this ethic and activity, and we broadcast engineers get to use and enjoy the results. In this episode, Mike and Chris Tarr discuss audio processing designed around Cornelius Gould’s “Chameleon” algorithms. Then Mike shares some new ideas in mic processing and elegant analog audio mixing.
Show Notes:
During his discussion of a useful device from Inovonics, Kirk forgot to mention that this amazing remote-controlled tuner and monitor is the AARON 650 FM Rebroadcast Receiver.
Guest:
Michael “Catfish” Dosch - Owner at Angry Audio
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Like many of us broadcast engineers, Bob Burnham built an audio mixer and started broadcasting from his parents’ basement. Indeed, if it weren’t for basements, garages, and kitchen tables we’d likely still be in the technology Dark Ages! Bob’s engineering experience ranges from a 10-tower AM directional station, through a few other AM directionals, FM stations, on-air work, and building studios at a broadcasting school. Plus, Bob founded BRC Broadcast Services, which offers Old Time Radio shows for nostalgic enjoyment - even if you’ve never heard these great shows before.
Show Notes:
BRC Broadcast Services and Old Time Radio shows
For analog mic cable, Bob prefers Canare Star Quad cable.
A good technical explanation of the Star Quad cable design
Bob mentioned WHFR and points us to their live stream on the WHFR.FM website
Guest:
Bob Burnham - Owner of BRC Broadcast Services
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is live from NAB 2023! :You can join us virtually in the West Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center for news, stories, and impressions of this year's biggest broadcast expo, the 100th anniversary of NAB shows! We're broadcasting from the show-floor studio of MaxxRadio from Josh Bohn's MaxxKonnect Group. A debt of gratitude to Josh Bohn, President/CEO of MaxxKonnect and to Isis M. Jones for her camera work; she's extraordinarily overqualified!
::: Apologies for the bad audio for the first 15 minutes or so of the show. It was my fault. I had one of the remote camera’s microphones also enabled and did not know it. We did some post-production cleanup and improved the audio quite a lot. Thanks to SunKast, our show producer, for a big assist.
Guests:
Chris Brown - NAB EVP, Conventions & Business Ops
Jeff Welton - Nautel Regional Sales Manager, Central U.S
Tom MCGinley - Chief Engineer KUFM FM/TV MT Public Radio, Engineering Mgr Townsquare Media Missoula, President McGinley Enterprizes
Tom Driggers - Chief Technology Officer at Vita Broadcasting, KIFR-DT Fresno, CA
Joe Geerling - Director Of Engineering at Covenant Network
Josh Bohn - President/CEO at The MaxxKonnect Group
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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The Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC) is on! Two full days of technical sessions and reconnecting with broadcast engineers from Florida to Alaska. Tech presentations included sessions on Recovering from Hurricane Ian, Virtualizing most of Minnesota Public Radio, Understanding Loudness by Understanding LUFS, Using AI for FM Pattern Studies, and the benefits of captioning radio programming. We pulled a few presenters away and got their thoughts on broadcast engineering projects and challenges today.
Show Notes:
The Association of Public Radio Engineers - APRE
APRE presents the Public Radio Engineering Conference for 2023
Guests:
Kevin Trueblood - Technology leader in broadcast and digital media
Scott Hanley - Teacher, Entertainer, Media and Technology Professional
Rich Parker - Director of Engineering at Coast Alaska, Inc
David Antione - CTO at WBGO / Newark Public Radio
Shane Finch - Sales Director at Broadcasters General Store
Shaun Dolan - Partner at Inrush Broadcast Services
Alex Hartman - Broadcast IT Integration Specialist III
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Quite a few radio engineers first met Paul Jellison just outside his house on 21 acres, right next to a 747 foot Blaw-Knox diamond-shaped tower. Paul lived in the house on the WLW transmitter site for a dozen years, raised his children there, and proudly gave transmitter tours to many curious broadcasters. From 4-POTS-line remote broadcasts, to the first ISDN connections in Central Florida, to new STL and remote monitoring solutions, Paul loves to use innovative technology to make radio sound better and be more reliable.
Show Notes:
WLW, Cincinnati
WLW’s 50,000 Watt Transmitters - YouTube video
WLW Super Power Transmitter Tour from 1985 - YouTube video
Paul Jellison shows us 50 kW leaking out of a loose screw - YouTube video
Guest:
Paul Jellison - Owner at Technical Media Services LLC
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Sometimes broadcast engineers get to build new transmitter sites or facilities. Usually, however, we’re tasked with rebuilding existing sites or improving them. Chris Tarr is a sought-after engineer thanks to his experience and hard-earned wisdom in best practices as well as clever solutions. On this episode of TWiRT, Chris shares this wisdom and the reasoning behind it from several transmitter site projects. Plus, Kirk presents Chris (and our audience) with three scenarios for new studios and FM/HD transmitter sites, and awaits Chris’s judgment!
Show Notes:
Chris mentioned the Bird SA-6000XT Site Analyzer - It’s discontinued but here’s a video about calibrating it before making measurements.
The Bird Site Analyzer is easily found for sale - used and/or refurbished.
A well-equipped RF engineer may have this current model from Bird Electronics.
Guest:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel is offering webinars, training, and the Nautel Users Group at NAB. Sign up here!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Scared of or skeptical about ChatGPT driving voice-tracked AI voices in radio? You're not alone. RadioGPT can talk. It can research. It can take your calls. And it could be coming to your market. Let's get some answers, together. Daniel Anstandig, CEO, and Craig Bowman, SVP, at Futuri Media are sharing insights on the technologies involved, and their vision for now and the future of Artificial Intelligence in broadcasting. Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack co-host this episode and play some examples of AI-generated radio content.
Show Notes:
RadioGPT
Demo player for RadioGPT
From Inquirer.net - RadioGPT Merges Radio And Artificial Intelligence
From SLATE.com - Replacing Humans “Is the Furthest Thing From Our Mindset,” Says the Company Selling an A.I. Radio Host
From Interesting Engineering - RadioGPT: 'World’s first' AI-driven radio station is here
Guests:
Daniel Anstandig - CEO & Co-Founder at Futuri Media
Craig Bowman - Senior Vice President at Futuri Media
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Andrea Cummis runs a television systems integration firm; and, she’s the current President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. Recognizing the value of new, younger engineers to our profession, Andrea is working, finding new ways to attract younger, technically-minded individuals to join the SBE. Meanwhile, Jeff Schick, CTO at Sprite Media, is working at the local chapter level to partner with college-level students who are interested in technical professions in media. Both strategy and application are working to bring new engineers into the broadcasting and media creation fields. We’re meeting with Andrea and Jeff on a trip to New York City and an evening with broadcast engineers in US market #1.
Show Notes:
Sprite Media - Digital signage and web creation for broadcasters
Andrea Cummis Re-Elected as SBE President
Jeff Schick noted the importance of Responsive Web Design
Guests:
Andrea Cummis - CTO at PBS39, Partner at AC Video Solutions
Jeff Schick - Chief Technology Officer at Sprite Media, Inc.
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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RadioDNS, DTS AutoStage, HD Multiplex, Broadcast Positioning System, and ATSC 3.0 - all topics for industry expert, David Layer. David is uniquely qualified to inform broadcasters and engineers about technology advances. He’s at the intersection of manufacturers, technology, regulatory impacts, and industry advocacy. On this episode, Layer describes his experiences with DTS Autostage technology and how listeners can maintain a seamless listening experience using this tech in several new car models.
Show Notes:
DTS AutoStage “Next-Gen AI-Powered Infotainment Platform” from xperi
Broadcaster free sign-up for DTS AutoStage
ATSC 3.0 - Growing interest in audio delivery - “Sinclair Eyes TV for Audio Delivery”
Broadcast Positioning System (BPS) Using ATSC 3.0
Guest:
David Layer - Vice President, Advanced Engineering at National Association of Broadcasters
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Chris Tarr and Scott Fybush both had busy days! Chris is working with a tower crew, installing a 2-bay FM antenna in Madison, Wisconsin, for WSJY. Meanwhile, Scott just returned from WLYK, Saint Vincent, New York, where this Class A FM station is under new ownership. Scott’s installing new EAS gear and revamping the transmitter site where the automation system is co-located. Plus more AM transmitter sites are becoming worth more for the land than for the signal, and the station brokerage business is not doing badly. Stay tuned for Scott’s comedic announcement at the end of the show!
Show Notes:
A new translator installation for WSJY-FM
WLYK-FM - Up to date info from Wikipedia
Scott Fybush makes his NYC comedy debut at Greenwich Village Comedy Club, March 6th
Guests:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Scott Fybush - Founder and CEO at Fybush.com
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Keira Connolly got started in radio engineering the same way many of us did - through building our own transmitters and broadcasting to the “neighborhood”. Keira’s radio “neighborhood” may have involved some impressive FM power output levels, but certainly involved consulting broadcast facilities in both Ireland and South Africa. And now that broadcast infrastructure is moving into IT hosted systems, including virtual machines and, soon, containerized software, Keira is working with those technologies, too.
Show Notes:
Planet Radio in Ireland
Synergy software allowing control of multiple computers with one keyboard & mouse
Chris reminds us of UPS battery maintenance and timely replacement. Here’s a guide.
Guest:
Keira Connolly - Radio Engineer & IT Security & Networking Consultant and Radio Presenter
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
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Those who know Troy Pennington would say he’s a true gentleman. Engineering for a world-record-setting FM radio station in Birmingham, Alabama, certainly kept the pressure on. The #1 station had to sound great and be reliable - as did all the stations in his employer’s Birmingham cluster. Later, in Nashville, Troy helped build out several world-class studios for national music and talk shows, plus kept the local transmitters on-air. Oh, and his peers elected Troy to be President of the Society of Broadcast Engineers. You can bet that Troy has some tales to tell - and he does just that with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack.
Show Notes:
Troy was elected President of the SBE for the term from 2001 to 2003
Chris likes this affordable IR Imaging “Gun” with built-in display:
And here’s another IR Gun for a bit less money
Guest:
Troy Pennington - SBE Past President & USMC Retired
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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It’s inevitable; the next generation of broadcast engineers will need to have IT skills in addition to audio and RF knowledge. Noah Chilliah is certainly in that next generation, and he’s using the IT skills he’s developed to build content and broadcasting infrastructure. TWiRT co-host, Chris Tarr, worked with Noah a few years ago in a mentor/mentee relationship, passing on valuable radio-centric information and skills.
Show Notes:
“Ask Noah” is Noah’s computer help podcast and radio show.
Guest:
Noah Chilliah - President at Altispeed.com
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Russ Laferty is the kind of broadcast engineer that more stations need. He’s from the rough mountains and “hollers” of Eastern Kentucky - Auxier, Kentucky - to be precise. But he also travels Tennessee, Arkansas, West Virginia and beyond to get broadcasters back on the air, always working to improve their equipment reliability and effectiveness. Today we caught up with Russ at the new transmitter site of WDTL-FM, licensed to Indianola, MS. It’s a second-hand prefab building at the base of a 1,000’ tower near Skene, Mississippi. An ice storm was forcing Russ to run the new Nautel transmitter at a lower power level.
Show Notes:
In July, 2022, Russ got WKCB back on-air after flooding destroyed the studios.
Guest:
Russ Laferty - Broadcast Contract Engineer
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Jack Scott's résumé includes the following: Author, Brand Ambassador, Consultant, Technologist , Broadcast Engineer, Pilot, Broadcast Journalist, VO Talent, Serial Entrepreneur, Wacky Radio Guy - and he's on TWiRT! Jack started in radio at age 12 when he exclaimed to the station owner, “Hey, I’m not famous yet!” Jack went on to be a station engineer, and then built several radio and TV stations before getting into the burgeoning home & business computer sector. They high-end security systems, and now merchant payment processing, all while maintaining broadcast consulting clients and doing voice-over work. Oh, and he met the enemy in Vietnam, up close and for several months. Join us for Jack’s fascinating and inspiring story!
Show Notes:
Jack’s streaming ventures include, AHNYX.COM, AHNYX.TV, and Scott Web Graphics
Guest:
Jack Scott - CEO at Jack Scott Media & Jack Scott Merchant Services
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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George Whittam - I call him “Engineer to the Stars” - is back on TWiRT! This time he’s brought photos of home studio design and construction. George talks about some challenges in the layout and building of these home Voice-Over (VO) studios. We also get George’s opinion on headphones and microphones, and a look at what makes the Apollo audio interfaces so sophisticated; it’s a lot more than I had imagined. Kirk Harnack interviews George Whittam on this episode of TWiRT!
Show Notes:
George’s web site - GeorgeThe.Tech - with Tools, Tips, and Testimonials for VO spaces
George has always like the Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO headphones
George speaks highly of the Austrian Audio Hi-X15 headphones
When asked about wireless noise-canceling headphones, the 1MORE Sonoflow came up
Handheld mics were discussed and George likes the Sennheiser e965
Universal Audio Apollo Audio Interfaces
Guest:
George M. Whittam - Founder at GeorgeThe.Tech
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Ready to learn some surprising facts about audio processing? David Reaves - known by many for the Ariane audio processor - is guest! We're talking, of course, about the famous Ariane audio processor, but also the CBS Audimax and Volumax. Did you know the Audimax had a "memory module" that was key to its “intelligent” audio leveling action? Pretty slick for early 1960's design!
Show Notes:
Recent projects from David are on his web site, DavidReaves3.com
CBS Audimax and Volumax circa 1964 from Preservation Sound
Guest:
David P. Reaves III - DSP Audio Design Engineer
Hosts:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Frank Foti is well known within the broadcasting industry for his digital audio processing innovations. Those of us who know Frank personally know that he is a huge fan of 5.1 audio recordings, and that he has often lamented the scarcity of available material. But unlike the rest of us, Frank actually has the skills to do something about it. He’s been developing DejaVu for several years and says it’s finally ready. Frank explains how his artistic upmixing technologies led him to Abbey Road studios in London, and how this tech is now easily available on several platforms.
Show Notes:
Frank Foti presentation during some early days of Surround Sound, from 2004
SVG News: Foti’s New Surround Sound Upmixing Technology Transforms Music Mixes into Enveloping Surround Sound
Cleveland Beat Interview - Frank Foti, Syndicate of Sounds
Radio & TV Business Report: That ‘Z100’ Chief Engineer, And Omnia Founder, Creates an Upmixer
Guest:
Frank Foti - Founder & Executive Chairman at Telos Alliance
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Armed with another treasure trove of broadcast engineering tips, tricks, and advice, John Bisset is here for our year-end episode! Plus, John is having a little contest (or is it “challenge”?) for your best transmitter site tips. One early entry to John advises, “Don’t knock on the transmitter door because that’s how we call the alligator!”
Show Notes:
Mr-Label® US Letter Sheet Self-Adhesive Cable Label
Wireless Endoscope, WiFi Borescope Inspection Camera 2.0 Megapixels HD Waterproof Snake Camera
FLIR One Pro LT iOS Pro-Grade Thermal Camera for Smartphones
No Escape Mouse Magic Ready To Use Place Packs
Guest:
John Bisset - Western US Sales at Telos Alliance and “Workbench” columnist in Radio World magazine.
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Cornelius Gould began nearly 40 years ago considering audio processing and its effect on how we perceive music and voice. His “Chameleon” audio processing algorithms began with analog circuits, but are now fully emulated and perfected in Digital Signal Processing (DSP). What makes audio more pleasing to our ears and brains? What might a psychoacoustic expert say about the treatment of audio so we hear and appreciate it more enjoyably? Chris Tarr joins Kirk Harnack to discuss these topics and questions on today’s TWiRT.
Show Notes: Articles and Explainers from Cornelius Gould:
Audio Processing Fundamentals
Audio Processing and CODECS
Omnia.11 G-Force - The Background Story
Guest:
Cornelius Gould - Audio Processing Architect at AngryAudio
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Like many of us broadcast engineers, Sascha Ludwig builds and maintains somewhat traditional broadcast studios while implementing server-based virtualized solutions as well. Sascha is based in Germany where the talent appreciates traditional hardware user interfaces. But he’s implementing more of today’s technology for these content creators. As a software developer, he maintains and update the OnAirScreen software package appearing in radio control rooms everywhere. Chris Tarr joins us for a good discussion and comparison of some German engineering and how we’re doing broadcast engineering in the US.
Show Notes:
OnAirScreen from AstraStudios
OnAirScreen on GitHub (for those who know what to do)
Sascha uses Zabbix software to monitor computers and applications
Guest:
Sascha Ludwig - Broadcast Engineer, IT Admin, & Creative Leader at AstraStudio
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Hearing dialog on some TV shows and many movies broadcast on TV is a problem. Why is dialog often hard to hear? Radio doesn’t have this problem. And TV typically didn’t until we went digital with DTV and 5.1 audio. Ken Tankel is Kirk’s go-to TV audio specialist. Ken worked for years in radio major market radio, so he understands audio processing. But, TV audio is markedly different, with different goals, targets, and formats. But we’d still like to understand the dialog! Ken walks us through some similarities and differences in TV and radio audio, and describes TV’s audio problems with some possible solutions.
Show Notes:
The USA’s CALM Act is about Loud Commercials
Pro Tools Expert article on Loudness - Good Summary
“CALM Before the Storm” - blog post on CALM compliance
Kirk suggested that 5.1 mixes be checked in stereo with Auratone speakers
Guest:
Ken Tankel - Field Applications Engineer at Telos Alliance
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Some technical advice is timeless. Other tech advice changes with the times. Such is the case with FM transmitter sites. Now more than ever we broadcast engineers need to apply the right safeguards and approaches at today’s FM transmitter sites. Situated under tall lightning “attractors” - otherwise known as “towers” - FM transmitter sites need a mix of time-tested design care and contemporary precautions. Hal Kneller is a 40+ year veteran of transmitter sites, and his Florida home provides plenty of experience with lightning protection, whether the equipment is old or new.
Show Notes:
Xenirad Broadcast Engineering - web page with ¼ wave shorting stub demo video
Hal mentioned the CyberPower ATS PDU 44004
Kirk Mentioned the Henry Engineering Failsafe UPS Power Switcher
Nautel white paper on Lightning Protection for Radio Transmitter Stations
Guest:
Hal Kneller - Broadcast Technology Consultant
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Pierre Lonewolf’s career journey that led him to Kotzebue, Alaska in the early 1980s. You can’t get much farther away from major population bases than northern Alaska. Kotzebue, population 3,283, sits on a sand spit of Alaska’s Arctic west coast just across the Chukchi and Bering Seas and several hundred miles from the Russian eastern frontier. It’s a scenic but scarcely populated place that features abundant wildlife like caribou and moose and bear. Pierre Lonewolf, CSRE, CNT, manages engineering services at KOTZ(AM) and KINU(FM) plus a network of FM translators and low-power FMs serving tiny villages. [Excerpted from an article by Randy Stine.] Pierre joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack for a lively discussion of radio engineering in this remote Alaskan village.
Show Notes:
Radio Heritage Foundation article about Pierre Lonewolf by Randy Stine
Pierre and Chris mentioned the Inovonics IRM610, Internet Radio Monitor
Guest:
Pierre Lonewolf - Chief Engineer at KOTZ-AM and KINU-FM
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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“Aggressive Neglect” sounds like a great name for an Alt Rock band, but it’s actually one of Dennis Sloatman’s pet peeves. Petrified hamburger leftovers in the wiring chases is another. But he would rather construct new, reliable, yet simple broadcast systems than complain about poor work that preceded him. From continuing education to SNMP-monitored systems to small, medium and very large markets, Dennis Sloatman is the thoughtful engineer who plans the work and then works the plan. Let’s get wiser in our broadcast engineering skills by spending an hour with the top-shelf broadcaster.
Guest:
Dennis Sloatman - Broadcast Engineer, BS Engineering, CSRE, MSCSE, AMD, iNet+, A+ Hardware/Software, CBNT - SBE Member
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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The auto industry has been offering after-market parts and assemblies for decades. Now we’re seeing more after-market system replacements in the broadcast industry. Mike Patton, a well-known contract engineer, is offering replacement assemblies for some popular AM and FM transmitters. These specific transmitter models are typically well-designed for long life, but now suffer from parts made of “non-obtainium”. Mike solves this with newly-designed replacement assemblies made from parts available now. Join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack as we listen and watch Mike describe how these replacement systems are keeping hundreds of otherwise perfectly good transmitters on-the-air today.
Show Notes:
Michael Patton & Associates (web site)
Retrofit & replacement assemblies for popular transmitters as discuss on the show
Guest:
Mike Patton - Owner, Michael Patton & Associates
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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This man has seen some things and knows some secrets! Isaiah Chavez joins us on TWiRT. You don't want to miss his "sticky chair" introduction to radio, or his baptism by fire into Broadcast IT. Then there's the SBE Recruitment Ninja award he's about to receive! (OK, we made that up.) Isaiah’s broadcasting career sounds like many others, but with his own unique twists.
Guest:
Isaiah Chavez - Broadcast IT Engineer
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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I had a conference to attend - and speak at; Chris Tarr had a travel and transmitter story to tell. I had guests; Chris had frustrations. My boss supports me doing a weekly podcast; Chris’s boss supports his engineering initiatives. I drove from my home to this conference in Columbus; Chris drove from his home to get a transmitter in Colby. Bouncing back and forth between our respective “studios” we put on a pretty interesting and informative show this week. Chris and I hope you enjoy it!
Guests:
Cam Eicher - SVP of Worldwide Sales at Telos Alliance
Gary Rosen - Vice President of Global Sales at Pliant Technologies, LLC
Mary Schnelle - US Sales at Broadcast Depot
John Lynch - Director of Business Development at Broadcast Supply Worldwide
Blake Thompson - Owner at BET Broadcast Engineering
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has once again updated lighting requirements for broadcast towers and other “hazards to aviation” via an Advisory Circular issued in November, 2020. Tower lighting manufacturers are responding with new, appropriate lighting kits and custom solutions, and LED lighting is playing a large role in these updates. David Shepeard is President of Drake Lighting, and an advocate for simplified LED lighting systems that are readily remotely monitored and even remotely controlled. David joins us along with Mark Walker and Ryan Harper to show us their modern and simplified lighting controllers and LED tower-mounted lights. Plus we find out about the infrared lighting requirements included with LED lighting systems.
Show Notes:
Drake Lighting, Paducah, KY
FAA Advisory Circular 70/7460-1M, Nov 16, 2020
Visual Lighting Guide with examples
Guests:
Mark Walker - Broadcast Sales Manager at Drake Lighting Inc.
Ryan Harper - Director of Sales at Drake Lighting, Inc.
David Shepeard - President at Drake Lighting, Inc.
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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How many radio remotes have you done from the “station van”? At the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic in Madison, WI, we’re broadcasting live from the Telos Alliance van. It was parked just outside the convention hall and seemed a perfect venue for a TWiRT episode. We get to hear from radio industry executives and top-notch broadcast engineers who are attending this terrific annual convention.
Guests:
Mark Persons - M W Persons & Associates (retired)
Michelle Vetterkind - President & CEO at Wisconsin Broadcasters Association
Patrick Berger - Director of Engineering at WKQX-FM/WLUP-FM/WLS-FM/WLS-AM
Alex Hartman - Customer Service Technologist at Nautel
Josh Bohn - President/CEO at The MaxxKonnect Group
Jim Ragsdale - Executive Director for the Society of Broadcast Engineers
Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at EMF - K-LOVE & Air1
Paul Kriegler - Telos Alliance, US Manager, Omnia audio processing
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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While Hurricane Ian was destroying bridges, homes, and infrastructure in Southwest Florida, broadcast engineers were keeping their stations on the air however they could. And in the aftermath they’re repairing flooded transmitter sites and restoring signals where some things went very wrong. Thoughtful planning kept several broadcasters on-the-air with critical weather and safety information. Hal Kneller and Kevin Trueblood were in the middle of the destruction as Hurricane Ian rampaged through. Hal and Kevin join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack with photos and security camera footage of the destruction and aftermath.
Guests:
Hal Kneller - Broadcast Technology Consultant
Kevin Trueblood - Associate General Manager, Technology & Operations - WGCU Public Media
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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We met Curtis Machek almost 300 TWiRT episodes and exactly six years ago! In 2016 he won awards for “Broadcast Logger”, a cloud-based audio recorder for radio stations. Since then he’s working with radio stations, auto dealers, and medical clinics to effectively engage their listeners, customers, and patients. Text Groove does this with opt-in text messaging that’s designed specifically to not annoy, but to engage the recipients, inviting them to listen, test drive, and stay healthy. We’re focusing on the radio stations’ use of this technology - how to misuse it, and of course, how to use it properly to build loyal audiences.
Show Notes:
Text Groove promises to “Engage with listeners in a meaningful way.”
102.3 Now Radio, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada - an example of listener interaction
Twilio presents “7 Best Practices for SMS & Text Marketing”
We met Curtis Machek in 2016 when he won awards for Broadcast Logger at NAB.
Guest:
Curtis Machek - CEO at Text Groove
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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What does "The World's Tallest Remote Boy" know about radio remotes that WE don't know? Let's find out together! Charles Kinney with Cox Media Group, including the legendary WSB AM-FM in Atlanta, is our guest TODAY on TWiRT. We recount the way we handle remote audio and signalling for decades - before the Public Internet came along - and what techniques we’re using now to get audio from live, outside broadcasts back to our radio studios.
Show Notes:
Marti Electronics General Catalog from 1989
The Comrex Buddy was a popular mixer/POTS frequency extender
Comrex POTS codecs - a transitional technology from RPU and POTS to today’s IP codecs
The Telos xPort worked over either ISDN or POTS circuits
Live Broadcasting Is Being Catapulted Forward by Remote IP Codecs - Radio World
A Tutorial on Audio Contribution over IP
Guest:
Charles Kinney - Director of Engineering at Cox Media Group Atlanta
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Most of us radio engineers have built custom computers. Nowadays, more engineers and broadcasters are outsourcing custom PC and Server construction to an expert like Van Clough. Van builds computer workstations and servers designed especially for broadcast infrastructure such as automation/playout systems. How much redundancy do you want? What factors go into choosing motherboards, RAM, data storage, cooling, and redundancy? Van will deliver the system you're looking for, designed to run for years. We'll find out with Integrity PROracks founder, Van Clough on today's TWiRT!
Show Notes:
SSD vs. Hard Drives (and M.2 storage) - updated article from PCMag
Guest:
Van Clough - President at Integrity PROracks
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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"In Minnesota we keep ourselves apart by one large Walleye."
It's wisdom like this that keeps Mark Persons busy. Mentoring new engineers, authoring radio engineering articles, or winning awards for his service to broadcasters, Mark is always sharing some wise words. Today Mark also describes hunting down a source of broadband electrical noise that rendered the 75 meter amateur radio band unusable in his neighborhood, This tale leads to a discussion about the future of the AM broadcast band vis-a-vis the man-made noise levels we’re experiencing.
Guest:
Mark Persons - Broadcast Engineer (Retired) and Mentor
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Fellow engineers, does the word "Programmatic" cause you to switch gears, pivot, and focus on something that seems more engineering-related? "Programmatic" has had that effect on me, for sure! Well I'm pulling my head out of the streaming "sand" and getting a lesson in Programmatic ad sales and how RADIO ENGINEERING makes the difference in Programmatic working well, or working poorly. Let's get this right together, as Jean-Luc Wasmer from Triton Digital explains to Kirk Harnack and Chris Tarr some key operational aspects of Programmatic ad insertion and the tech behind it.
Guest:
Jean-Luc Wasmer - VP, Architecture & Partnerships at Triton Digital
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Jake Bechtold was beginning his radio engineering career almost 10 years ago when he made his debut on TWiRT 159. Now Jake is the new Chief Engineer at Radio FM Media in Fargo, North Dakota, responsible for ten radio stations - from studios to transmitters - along with IT systems and IT security. Jake’s learned a lot about keeping these stations running and about improving their operational efficiency. Chris Tarr and Jake get to discuss several similarities and some differences in their approaches to engineering challenges.
Show Notes:
RadioLand app for iOS - “Find out what’s on your FM dial.”
FCCInfo.com visual database access on Google Earth
Chris mentioned Cavell, Mertz & Associates Weekly Facility Activity Report
Chris doesn’t like plastic cable ties; he prefers reusable “Velcro” Cable Organization Straps like these.
Guest:
Jake Bechtold - Chief Engineer at Radio FM Media
Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Some days even “The Ninjaneer” gets a workout of his troubleshooting skills. August 7, 2022, began for Chris Tarr with several radio stations and FM translators off the air. Silent FM carriers. After a lightning storm and brief power outages, it appeared that power and transmitters were ON at two tower sites, but little else seemed to work, including any remote access. What fault or combination of faults could cause these particular symptoms? Especially with wireless and wired IP network gear that had been reliable for a long time? Chris was about to find out, but would he be prepared for what greeted him inside FM Site #1? Or FM Site #2?
Show Notes:
Chris uses a Bird Site Analyzer SA-6000XT to check antennas, coax, and connectors.
Guest:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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The Texas Association of Broadcasters (TAB) is in full swing with strong attendance in Austin. The convention and trade show is August 3rd & 4th. By all accounts it looks that broadcast owners, managers, sales reps, programmers, and engineers are enthused their radio and TV business, but also about getting together face-to-face. The TAB actually met in-person last August (August, 2021) as well, with about 1,000 attendees. We met up with seven engineers and technology leaders here at the J. W. Marriott Hotel to get their take on our radio broadcasting industry and tech today.
Guests:
Benjamin F. Dawson, III, PE - Partner at Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers
Jeff Welton - Regional Sales Manager, Central U.S., Nautel
Steve Newberry - CEO at Quu
Doug Watson - VP Field Services at Linkup Communications
Richard Gerlovich - Director of Engineering, Cox Media Group, Houston
Paul Kriegler - US Manager, Omnia Audio Sales
Alex Quintero - Director of Product Services at Gen Media Partners
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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A love and aptitude for broadcast engineering, combined with a passion for story-telling puts Marcos O’Rourke in a unique position. He’s single-handedly educating and entertaining our community of broadcast engineers and enthusiasts. O’Rourke’s YouTube channel, Socal Broadcast Engineer, has over two thousand subscribers and about 250 videos. While these numbers are modest in the YouTube creator community, they’re huge in our relatively small broadcast engineering base. Plus, O’Rourke’s efforts drew the attention of the Society of Broadcast Engineers this past year, which is honoring him as “Educator of the Year”. Marcos joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to look at a few fascinating videos and get a behind the scenes look at how he records and edits them.
Show Notes:
Socal Broadcast Engineer - YouTube channel
We watched and commented on these videos during the show:
- What does it take to lift a new generator to the roof?
- The dangers of transmitter sites
- Tour of one of the oldest stations on the west coast - KNX 1070
- My process in making a video
We discussed LUTs and how they’re used in video production
SBE announcement of Marcos O’Rourke receiving the James C. Wulliman Educator of the Year award for 2022
Guest:
Marcos O’Rourke - Broadcast Radio Engineer and Chief Engineer at KWVE-FM
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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John Bisset is here with radio engineering tips, techniques, and trinkets to make our lives better and our jobs more complete. Need to level a heavy transmitter or break into a locked car? John says the Air Wedge Alignment Tool is what you need. An IR camera can show you which FET is dead. And John believes that a polite and informative sign has kept a transmitter site break-in-free for thirty years.
Show Notes:
WinBag Air Wedge Alignment Tool
Chris Tarr reports excellent results getting IT services to his facilities using an IT services broker. He suggests IQ Wired in Denver.
John was impressed by this line of small mini-split window A/C units from Oslo. Different, for sure.
Lower-priced IR camera attachments for phones have very low pixel resolutions. This FLIR ONE Pro is a best seller on Amazon.
Guest:
John Bisset - Western US Sales at Telos Alliance and “Workbench” columnist in Radio World magazine.
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Chuck Condron once wrote some popular call screening software for Telos (and other) phone systems. Seems a particular talk show host just had to have some custom software to do his job well, so Chuck learned to code and wrote it. After many years with Clear Channel and iHeart, Chuck is now the Chief Engineer for Starnes Media Group and the nationwide Todd Starnes Show. Plus, he’s now responsible for a "challenging" AM transmitter site - KWAM - in the Mississippi River flood plain near Memphis.
Show Notes:
Chuck likes the BroadcastTools I/O Sentinel® 4 G2 – Web-based GPIO Interface
Chuck also likes Macrium Software backup solutions for critical on-air computers
Guest:
Chuck Condron - Chief Engineer, Starnes Media Group
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Kirk Harnack says he’s getting burned-out on virtual SBE meetings. After experiencing the enthusiasm of the NAB Show and the Public Radio Engineering Conference this past April, Kirk wanted to restart in-person meetings of the Nashville SBE chapter. Many chapter members agreed and fifteen SBE members showed up for lunch and dinner meetings at Kirk’s Nashville home. Carl Campbell, Chapter Chair for Nashville, is delighted with the turnout! Shane Toven, also an SBE Board of Directors member, adds his own thoughts and experiences about restarting chapter meetings. And Chris Tarr reminds us that we’re not out of the woods yet as COVID cases do continue, and not everyone needs to be meeting in person again. It’s great episode with plenty of opinions and ideas!
Guests:
Carl Campbell - Director of Engineering at Salem Music Networks, Nashville, TN
Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at Educational Media Foundation K-LOVE & Air1 Media Networks
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Most radio stations are streaming their live audio these days, and many of those are sending metadata for title, artist, album art, and short messages. But in our non-linear, fragmented entertainment world, many listeners want to your show at a different time; or just hear the highlights; or simply replay the artist interview they heard yesterday., Today’s audio curation and publishing tools and platforms are the next innovation that’s already here. Jon Stephenson noticed this fragmented marketplace and brought several technologies together under one umbrella called SoundStack. Chris Tarr and Jon, along with Kirk Harnack, explore and discuss these audio publishing tools and take a look into Audio as a Service.
Show Notes:
Launch PR: Audio Brands Unite to Launch SoundStack, a New Audio as a Service Company (AaaS), to Simplify Audio
Jon mentioned the importance of having a Status page for your audio and revenue streams.
Chris mentioned a Chrome browser extension, Radio Receiver, for use with SDR USB turners
Jon’s tips included Redundant Power Supplies for Servers
Guest:
Jon Stephenson - CEO at SoundStack
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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One of TWiRT’s original co-hosts, Tom Ray carved out an hour to join us on this episode. As a broadcast engineering consultant, Tom truly sees the good, the bad, and the ugly at broadcast facilities. And, he’s usually hired to correct the problems he finds. From HD Radio, to EAS systems, to AM towers to FM transmission lines, Tom really does get hands-on with most every technology applicable to radio stations. We invited viewers of our live video stream to post their questions for Tom to answer. Plus Kirk Harnack supplied a few questions for Tom that engineers and station owners have been asking lately.
Show Notes:
Monitoring LED tower lights with their much lower current than incandescent lamps led to this sensor & alarm from SSAC. Look to pages 26 & 26 of this PDF document for the data sheet.
Guest:
Tom Ray - President at Tom Ray Broadcast Consulting, LLC
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Does your radio station have a water well on the property, or do you pay for water from your water company? Do you have a septic system out back, or do you pay for sewer service? What about trash pickup; do you burn or bury your own trash as we did decades ago, or do you pay for a trash pickup service? What if your tower lights were offered as a guaranteed service, and you never had an unexpected tower light repair bill again? Chuck Kelly joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to explore this intriguing idea of “Tower Lights as a Service” on this episode of TWiRT.
Guest:
Chuck Kelly - Broadcast Marketing Consultant
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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When you look after nearly 50 transmitter sites you’re going to be upgrading them; it’l be a fairly constant part of your work. Chris Tarr’s recent work has been installing new AM and FM transmitters, and getting them connected to his company-wide remote control and monitoring system. Chris shares his wisdom about systems that really should be consistent from site to site, and which systems or equipment don’t need to be all the same. Oh, and we’ll find out what happened to that Broadcast Electronics FM 5B transmitter that we last saw on a forklift!
Show Notes:
Chris mentioned some hardware products he uses routinely at his radio stations:
IP Radios: Ubiquiti AirMax line
VPN Routers/firewalls: SonicWall SOHO
Remote: Burk ARCPlus Touch (master) Plus-X 300/600 (remote sites for devices without SNMP
TDR: RigExpert AA-230 Zoom
Guest:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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It's off-season for the NFL, but this is when broadcasting's remote engineers prep for the Fall season. Robert Carroll is the Game day Engineer & Producer for the New Orleans Saints Radio Network. No matter whom you cheer for, behind-the-scenes engineering is physically demanding and requires quick, clear, and creative thinking as well. Robert Carroll joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack on TWiRT.
Show Notes:
New Orleans Saints Radio Network
We mentioned IDB Communications several times. Here’s a brief history of IDB - a company that many broadcasters depended upon for remote communications.
ISDN was fondly recalled in this episode. Here’s some info on this nearly-gone telco service.
REMI - Remote Live Production - explained by LiveU
Guest:
Robert Carroll - Gameday Engineer & Producer, New Orleans Saints Radio Network
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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When leading broadcasters are “pushing the envelope”, Gary Kline is usually there to find out how and why. And wherever possible, Gary shares that business and technical knowledge with other engineers. We caught Gary just long enough between international broadcast conferences to tell us what’s going on with leading broadcasters in other parts of the world. He joins us from the Ryan Seacrest studios at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
Show Notes:
Radiodays Europe - 2022 Conference just completed
Radiodays Europe - 2023 Conference will be in Prague
Paris Radio Show - June 2 & 3, 2022
Guest:
Gary Kline - Founder, Kline Consulting
Hosts:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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It’s happening! WideOrbit is now demonstrating their radio automation, running in a Linux cloud computing instance, along with a virtual audio mixing console from Axia. Voice-tracking is easy to do, but going live is just as simple. Brad Young and Dub Irvin from WideOrbit are here with Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack, discussing and demonstrating this virtual infrastructure technology.
Show Notes:
WideOrbit Automation for Radio
Axia iQs software audio mixing console
Guests:
Brad Young - Sales Manager, Wide Orbit Automation for Radio
William "Dub" Irvin - VP, Wide Orbit Radio Automation
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Doug Vernier, Consulting Engineer and founder of V-Soft, is talking to us about RF signal propagation and the incredible maps that reveal your coverage area in so many ways. We'll examine over a dozen real-world signal maps to compare FCC contours vs. Longley-Rice coverage. Plus Doug shows us the huge differences between your station’s “coverage area” with and without accounting for “interference areas”.
Show Notes:
The RF Maps we showed during the show are also viewable in this album on Google Photos.
Doug Vernier’s V-Soft website with his software offerings and example outputs.
Guest:
Doug Vernier - President and CEO at Doug Vernier Telecommunications Consultants
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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What a joy to see old friends and colleagues - and make a few new friends, too! The annual NAB Show had to take two years off due to the worldwide pandemic. And, due to the timing of the pandemic onset, it’s been three years since the last NAB Show in Las Vegas since 2019. Attendance was reported to be about half of 2019’s turnout, and the Las Vegas Convention Center (LVCC) added a huge new section - the West Hall. Somehow, between customer meetings, SBE functions, and conference papers, we managed to corral thirteen guests on this episode of TWiRT! This is an hour well-spent, as you’ll meet some of the best and most clever people in broadcasting. Plus, Chris Tarr joins us from his home office in Mukwonago, Wisconsin.
Guests:
Bill Bennett - Media Solutions & Accounts Manager at ENCO
David Bialik - Owner, David K. Bialik & Associates
Simon Jackson - Chief Executive Officer, AVC Group, Auckland, NZ
Christian Brenner - Founder at GMC & GTA & NexCast - owner of radio.cloud
Andrew Scaglione - Account Director at Radio.Cloud
Chriss Scherer - Member Communications Director at Society of Broadcast Engineers
Joe de Max - Founder and Developer at Central Control
Egor Tyagunov - Business Development, Europe, CIS & APAC
Jesus Mantoo - VP Sales India and MENA for AVC-India
Jim Ragsdale - Executive Director for the Society of Broadcast Engineers
Dan McQuillin - Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics
Jim Offerdahl - Chief Engineer at Offerdahl Broadcast Service, Inc
Geary Morrill - Regional Director of Engineering - Midwest at Alpha Media USA
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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It’s a conference full of smiling faces and hearty handshakes! The Public Radio Engineering Conference (PREC) is back for nearly 2 full days of technical sessions and reconnecting with broadcast engineering friends. Tech presentations included sessions on Audio over IP, RF network design for Single Frequency Networks, infrared inspections with aerial drones, maintaining FM & HD transmission systems, and using Secure Reliable Transport (SRT) for better IP-Audio over imperfect IP paths. We pulled a few attendees away from the action and got their thoughts on broadcast engineering projects and challenges today.
Guests:
Scott Fybush - Editor/Publisher at NorthEast Radio Watch/Fybush Media
Jim Gray - Managing Partner at Optimized Media Group
Charles Sather - Chief Operating Officer @ Koahnic Broadcast Corporation
Paul Shulins - Founder of Shulins Solutions broadcast consulting
John Antonuk - Owner at John Antonuk Technical Services
Pierre Lonewolf - Broadcast Engineer at Kotzebue Broadcasting Inc.
Richard Parker - Director of Engineering at Coast Alaska, Inc
Stephen Lockwood - President at Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers
Show Notes:
The PREC is a function of the Association of Public Radio Engineers (APRE)
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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After building out many dozens of radio studios in the past few years, Dave Supplee has been upgrading older transmitters with new, solid state units. Transmitter replacements provide a rare opportunity to focus on the entire transmitter facility, including the building, foundation, walls, floor, electrical, and other fairly permanent fixtures. These foundational parts of a transmitter site often go without proper upkeep; “out of sight, out of mind.” But Dave says that replacing a transmitter affords just the right scenario for management to approve other much needed upgrades.
Guest:
Dave Supplee - Director of Engineering, Cumulus Media, Harrisburg, PA
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Les Kutasi is a business developer - and that’s a title he’s taken working at several broadcast equipment companies. When your customers are broadcast engineers you have to know your technology. Les understands broadcast antennas from yagis to log-periodics to multi-station TV master arrays and FM panel antennas. A popular speaker at SBE meetings, Les joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack for a humorous yet educational discussion on today’s antenna scene.
Guest:
Les Kutasi - Broadcast Business Development at Kathrein
Show Notes:
We spoke about the SCALA PR-450U antenna, now dubbed the SCALA PR-900
Not often seen in the USA, these Kathrein master FM antennas are popular throughout Europe
FCC Looks to Update Directional FM Antenna Rules - InsideRadio article
Radio & TV transmitters at Farnsworth Peak, Salt Lake City, Utah - Wikipedia
Deep snow covers transmitter site at Farnsworth Peak, Utah (photo)
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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As many of us, Randy Gardner has done a little of everything in radio broadcasting. But also like many of us, he's happiest doing radio engineering - and especially "projects." Now Director of Engineering for JVC Broadcasting, Randy's got fascinating insights and some smart tips for us. Lots of eye candy engineering photos, too!
Guest:
Randy Gardner - Director of Engineering at JVC Broadcasting
Show Notes:
Video: 2021 Engineering Year End Review - JVC Broadcasting in Fort Walton Beach, FL
Randy loves the Megmoki FRM01 12V Multifunction Relay Cycle Timer Module
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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The telegram from the FCC is dated March 15, 1922, and reads, in part, “THE ATLANTA JOURNAL IS AUTHORIZED TO … BROADCAST … STATION MUST USE CALL LETTERS W S B REPEAT W S B AND EMPLOY COMMERCIAL SECOND CLASS RADIO OPERATOR LICENSED BY THIS DEPARTMENT.” One hundred years later broadcast engineers, friends, and colleagues gathered for a barbeque lunch at the WSB transmitter site in Tucker, Georgia - an Atlanta suburb. Kirk Harnack has the pleasure of introducing several of these engineers and station friends on this episode of TWiRT. Among our guests (listed below) is Charles Kinney, Director of Engineering for Cox Media Group, Atlanta.
Guests on this episode:
Josh Bohn - President/CEO at The MaxxKonnect Group
Charlie Wooten - Dir of Engineering and IT at iHeartMedia, Panama City, FL
Gary Kline - Broadcast Technology Strategist, Engineer, & IT Consultant
Michael Gay - Vice President, Engineering at Cumulus Media, Inc.
Mark Goins - Vice President, North America Sales at GatesAir
Paul Barzizza - Territory Sales Manager/Channel Manager at GatesAir
Tim Neese - Owner at MultiTech Consulting, Inc.
John George - Sales Engineer at RF Specialties - South
David W. Wesley - Retired Broadcaster
Charles Kinney - Director of Engineering at Cox Media Group Atlanta
Jim Armstrong - Director Of Eastern US Sales at Telos Alliance
Show Notes:
Michael Gay mentioned his family’s broadcast solutions business, Not A Bot Yet.
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Now responsible for about 50 radio transmitters plus radio studios across Wisconsin, Chris Tarr builds up more radio engineering experience in a few months than most of us do in a couple years! Recently he’s worked through an AM tower falling down and putting several new FM translators on-air. Chris also discusses his methods for feeding program audio to his translators, and keeping tabs on them by remote control.
Show Notes:
Here’s the stable of stations for which Chris Tarr is the Director of Engineering - Magnum Media
Quick, We Need a Temporary AM Antenna - RadioWorld article by Mark Persons
Chris mentioned the Justin 808 HD Alignment Processor from Inovonics
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Whatever you think you know about FM boosters and Single Frequency Networks (SFNs) is probably based in 1980's tech. And it's wrong. Bert Goldman and Rich Redmond are talking to us about technologies that enhance FM broadcast radio coverage using Boosters and Single Frequency Networks (SFN), “cellular” and broadcast topologies, and geo targeting of audio and data. The technology to virtually eliminate reception interference zones has just become available in the last few years. Indeed, a couple of USA FM broadcasters are now reaching over 1 million more potential listeners than they were using a single transmitter site.
Show Notes:
Webinar: New FM On-Channel Booster Technologies with Keyur Parikh and Hal Kneller
Blog: “Giving Boosters Their Best Shot”
Chris Tarr mentioned his preference for refurbished SonicWall Internet Routers - here’s one source: Network Tigers
Guests:
Bert Goldman - President, Goldman Engineering Management, LLC
Rich Redmond - Founder & Managing Partner at Strativa Advisors
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Tim Braddock is the kind of engineer with that unique combination of "Let's do it right - but let's have a blast while doing it!" From small town radio to America’s number 1 market, Tim’s radio engineering adventures are laid out for us to enjoy, laugh at, and learn from.
Guest:
Tim Braddock - Radio Broadcast Engineering & Marketing Consultant
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Patrick van den Hoek lives in Amsterdam, yet he owns and engineers his 13 radio stations in Spain. What’s more, Patrick has implemented several clever engineering techniques to solve audio and listener experience problems on these stations. See if Patrick’s engineering “hacks” might be useful for you and your radio stations!
Show Notes:
We started with Chris Tarr referencing Dr. Clayton Forrester from MST3K
Chris mentioned the DEVA Radio Explorer II
Patrick uses the Diversity Delay on the Omnia.9sg to sync his STL links.
Basic info on RDS (Radio Data System)
Guest:
Patrick van den Hoek - Radio Consultant and Engineer
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Everyone is being affected by "supply chain" delays and difficulties these days. Broadcast engineers are waiting longer for equipment delivery - sometimes a lot longer. What's behind these delays? Didn't they get that container ship unstuck from the Suez Canal a long time ago? Some delays are being mitigated by equipment redesign - others by costly air freight. Scott Stiefel at Telos Alliance is seriously plugged in to supply chain management and the issues of the past 2 years. Indeed, he's one of our industry's leading experts on working through and around these challenges.
Show Notes:
An Overview of the Top 5 Semiconductor Foundry Companies
More wafer fabs in the US – When, how?
Fire Destroys AKM Audio Chip Factory: Can 2020 Get Any Worse?
Kirk notes that the short story, “I, Pencil: The Movie”, gives an excellent overview of a cooperative supply chain, demonstrating its complexity. (6 ½ min video)
Scott’s Tip: Schedule a meeting with yourself. Here’s how.
Guest:
Scott Stiefel - Co-Chief Executive Officer at The Telos Alliance
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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If you could choose someone to gather and publish the information that broadcast engineers need day-to-day or once in a blue moon, you’d choose Barry Mishkind. A broadcast engineer in his own right, Barry founded OldRadio.com - The Broadcast Archive - to help himself and other engineers quickly find otherwise hard-to-get information on the broadcasting industry and broadcast equipment. A quick look at OldRadio.com’s FAQ page gives one an idea of the vast information in this online resource. And, The Broadcasters’ Desktop Resource is another invaluable treasure trove of current broadcast technical news, how-to articles, and other resources for broadcast engineers. Barry’s in-person Tuesday lunch at NAB, and his Virtual Lunch Gathering on Thursdays provide a terrific time of teaching, learning, and camaraderie for both radio and TV engineers.
Show Notes:
The Broadcasters’ Desktop Resource
OldRadio.com - the Broadcast Archive
Sign up for the Virtual Lunch Gathering here.
Guest:
Barry Mishkind - The Eclectic Engineer
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
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TWiRT is brought to you by:
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Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
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Pack 300 pounds of luggage, parts, and tools - Check.
Set FM transmitters to 30 watts TPO - Check.
Set STL data rate to 8 kbps - Check.
Take the day off if the weather is nice because no one else will be working - Check.
Bring the caribou and beluga recipe books - Check.
Such is the to-do list for Pierre Boucher, broadcast technician for some of the most northern radio stations in Canada. Working in far Northern Quebec and Nunavut, Pierre keeps these vital communications resources on-the-air for the Inuit people and others living in these northern extremes. Pierre joins Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack on this intriguing episode of TWiRT.
Show Notes:
Taqramiut Nipingat Radio Network official website
Wikipedia’s description of the Taqramiut Nipingat network of stations
VF2446-FM - Low Power FM station in Salluit, QC, CA on Radio-Locator.com
A Salluit 360º Street View from March, 2016
Many of Pierre’s hand-selected tools are from Wera
Guest:
Pierre Boucher - Technicien en radiodiffusion
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Jeff Welton is a sought-after speaker at broadcast engineering conferences. As a regional sales director at Nautel, he visits hundreds of radio transmitter sites, noting areas for improvement prior to installing a new transmitter - or for providing a better operating environment for an existing transmitter. We talk with Jeff about troubleshooting techniques for today’s solid state transmitters. What about air handling now as opposed to older tube transmitter air cooling? And how is efficiency and reliability better or different now? Chris Tarr adds updated advice from his own hands-on work with a variety of transmitters, including several brands of solid state units.
Show Notes:
Jeff mentioned LDMOS transistors as the current best-choice RF amplifier
Ferrite Cores play a major role in solid state transmitter protection
Chris mentioned the line of Rig Expert Antenna Analyzers
Guest:
Jeff Welton - Natuel Regional Sales Manager, Central U.S.
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Nautel and the regular Transmission Talk Tuesday series of online engineering roundtable events.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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We’ve seen and heard news reports about pandemic lockdown measures taken in Australia. Recently some measures have eased up, so Aussie radio engineer, Stephen Wilkinson, joins us live from Sydney. Stephen is the Technical Ops Manager at Hope Media, and he consults a number of other radio stations on their engineering and technical operations. How are his stations doing under stay-at-home orders, and what technical solutions has he implemented? Chris Tarr looks after over 30 radio stations in Wisconsin and describes his solutions as well.
Show Notes:
Stephen talked about Microsoft InTune for remote device management
Guest:
Stephen Wilkinson - Technical Operations Manager at Hope Media Ltd and Owner, Optimum Sound Services
Co-Hosts:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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We’re delighted to officially welcome Chris Tarr to TWiRT as our new weekly co-host along with the show’s founder, Kirk Harnack. As Group Director of Engineering for Magnum Media, Chris brings a daily hands-on radio engineering perspective to the show. We’re giving Chris the floor for this episode so you can get to know him and the kinds of projects he’s working on at Magnum Media.
Since Chris Tobin’s passing, Kirk Harnack has been hosting TWiRT solo for the past year. Kirk recently invited an engineer familiar to many of us, Chris Tarr, to rejoin TWiRT as a regular co-host. To our delight, Chris Tarr has accepted the invitation and will be on TWiRT regularly! Chris Tarr also joins us on this episode to fill us in on highlights of his engineering work in 2021
Show Notes:
RigExpert AA-230 Zoom - RF Network & Antenna Analyzer
Guest & Co-Host:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Co-Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Sam Woo owns a media content and consulting company, Primetime Radio. He collaborated with former TWiRT co-host, the late Chris Tobin, on technical improvements and logistics for producing the “Let’s Go Devils Podcast” as well as corporate events and more. Sam joins us to talk about his collaborations with Chris Tobin, and to show us the “Menlo” that Chris Tobin often used for his appearances on TWiRT.
Since Chris Tobin’s passing, Kirk Harnack has been hosting TWiRT solo for the past year. Kirk recently invited an engineer familiar to many of us, Chris Tarr, to rejoin TWiRT as a regular co-host. To our delight, Chris Tarr has accepted the invitation and will be on TWiRT regularly! Chris Tarr also joins us on this episode to fill us in on highlights of his engineering work in 2021.
Show Notes:
Chris Tarr mentioned LUCI software for live remote broadcasts
Sam Woo produces the Let's Go Devils Podcast
The Let’s Go Devils Podcast get rather rowdy. See this video and watch for Chris Tobin and Sam Woo in the video.
Guests:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.Media
Sam Woo - Founder and CEO at Primetime Radio
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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A few AM station owners have turned their licenses back into the FCC, giving up on their AM radio business. Many other AM station owners, however, are looking for ways to profit from their AM transmitter site property, or to reduce transmission site costs. Co-locating with land mobile and cellular towers using an inexpensive slant-wire feed for the AM station may be a solution for some AM station owners. There are other financial mitigations as well. Benjamin Dawson and Stephen Lockwood from Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers join us to discuss the possibilities.
Show Notes:
“Collocating AM Transmitter Facilities With Cellular Monopole Towers“ - Radio World
“Optimization of Shared-Frequency AM Antenna Systems Using Synergistic Filter Design” - Ronald D. Rackley, PE
Deferred Maintenance and Its Effects on Future Costs - Ben Dawson
Revisiting Medium Wave Ground System Requirements - Ben Dawson & Stephen Lockwood
We talked about Maxwell’s equations (from Wikipedia)
Crane Arc from AM Station RF (video clip)
Guests:
Benjamin F. Dawson, III, PE - Consulting Engineer, Hatfield & Dawson
Stephen S. Lockwood, PE - President/Senior Electrical Engineer, Hatfield & Dawson
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Is the Mayor of Verona, NJ, doing the engineering work at the top stations in New York City? Or, is the CTO at those top-rated stations moonlighting as a New Jersey township mayor? Either way, you’re right. Alex Roman leads a staff of engineers and IT pros at WQHT-FM and WBLS-FM in New York City. He says that “radio IT” is the same as “regular IT”, and we all need to work with that notion. Alex reveals other insights and techniques for broadcast engineering, remote workers, and lots of outside broadcasts on this episode of TWiRT.
Show Notes:
HOT97’s YouTube channel showing much of their video production
Alex mentioned E2X transport for HD Radio channels over IP
Ha! We talked about the Blue Yeti on this week’s show, too!
Guest:
Alex Roman - Chief Technology Officer at MediaCo New York City Radio & Mayor, Verona, NJ
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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A real pioneer in deploying digital audio sources, infrastructure, and transmission in the UK - and even worldwide, Quentin Howard is our guest on this fascinating episode of TWiRT. Already a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, Quentin was further honored as a Fellow of the Radio Academy in November, 2021. We’re discussing the first uses of Compact Disc digital audio in the UK, as well as the UK’s first use of audio processing on FM broadcasts in the 1980s. DAB rollout and the subsequent DAB+ ratification and rollout are also among our topics. We round the show out with what may be the perfect radio format for many TWiRT fans - Boom Radio!
Show Notes:
Boom Radio - Direct AAC stream link - Direct MP3 stream link
After much testing in home environments, Quentin prefers these two mics:
RODE NT-USB
Blue Yeti
Inovonics 250 FM audio processor
David Lloyd - Boom Radio presenter
Quentin mentioned he likes to evaluate audio quality with Mozart’s Piano Concerto 21
DAB and DAB+ in the UK (Wikipedia article)
Guest:
Quentin Howard, F.I.E.T. - Radio and TV Media Executive, Technologist and Consutant
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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Vacations are important - for our well-being, sanity, restfulness, and more. But Shane Toven just can’t stop thinking and talking about broadcast engineering and the technologies that attend it! From the enormous cruise ship, “Majestic Princess,” Shane joins us via SES satellite link using their O3b Networks technology. So, what do you talk about with a man on vacation? Food? Ports of call? Tracking tags? Tower sites? Staying connected to work? Satellite data transport technology? Yes!
Show Notes:
O3b Networks (Wikipedia) - Global coverage Internet access from medium earth orbit satellites
O3b mPOWER web site from SES
O3b mPOWER site explaining rationale for medium earth orbit coverage
“SES” is an acronym for Société Européenne des Satellites
Live map of the Majestic Princess
Another live map of maritime traffic along the West Coast of Mexico
Article about wearable RFID tags for cruise passengers and more
Guest:
Shane Toven - Senior Broadcast Engineer at Educational Media Foundation
Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas Broadcasting
Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook
TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc.
Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com.
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.
Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.
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