This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

How do you provide electric power to your FM translators when, 1) It’s really expensive, 2) Commercial power isn’t reliable, 3) The public depends on your service working? KCAW-FM is installing both solar- and wind-generated electrical systems at their translator sites, serving tiny towns and villages in the archipelago of Southeast Alaska. Becky Meiers with KCAW, and Pete Tridish, a longtime consultant to low-power, community, and startup broadcast radio stations both join Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack to explain the motivations for and approaches to renewable power sources for these FM translators.

Show notes

* SuperWind - Micro Wind-Powered Generators

* Pete mentioned Paul Gipe as a resource for wind power info. Here’s Paul’s website.

* KCAW Radio, Sitka, Alaska

* “BUILDING A RENEWABLE ENERGY POWERED TRANSLATOR FOR KCAW” by Pete Tridish

* Radio World article - “Powering an Off-Grid translator With Renewable Energy” by Pete Tridish

Guests

Becky Meiers - Operations Director at KCAW-FM, Sitka, AlaskaPete Tridish - Director of Electromagnetism at International Media Action

Hosts

Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

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Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is 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.

For thirty-two years John Bisset has uncovered and shared some of the best ideas in broadcast engineering techniques, useful supplies, and best practices. Every few months John joins us on TWiRT to share the best tip and tricks. Today we’re with John in-person in the new “Wolf” control room of WIWF-FM in Charleston, South Carolina. Cumulus Regional DoE, Justin “JT” Tucker is here, too, for a quick tour and story about this new studio, built on Audio over IP technology from Axia.

Show notes

* Gas cylinder storage requirements

* Milwaukee 2381-XL X-Large M12 Cordless Lithium-Ion Black Heated Hoodie Kit

* HotHands Hand Warmer Value Pack

* Rechargeable LED Work Lights with Magnetic Base and 360° Rotation

* Danger Do Not Touch Hurt While Dying SIGN

Guests

Justin Tucker - Regional Director of Engineering Southeast at Cumulus MediaJohn Bisset - Director, Western US Sales at Telos Alliance & “Workbench” columnist at Radio World

Host

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is here.Broadcasters General Store,...

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

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is 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 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.

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

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is 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 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.

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.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored by

Nautel brings you Transmission Talk Tuesday Discussions. Easy, free registration is 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 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.

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, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored 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.

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.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored 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...

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.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored 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.

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.MediaKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored 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.

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, & South Seas Broadcasting

Follow Kirk on Twitter - @kharnackFollow TWiRT on Twitter - @TWiRTshow and Facebook

Sponsored 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.