This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

Data center based server platforms are known for their resilience and reliability, and radio broadcasters are taking notice. Cloud-based systems are also generally accessible from anywhere there’s an Internet connection, including radio talent that’s “sheltering in place”. Bill Bennett with ENCO Systems joins us to highlight the various kinds of disasters that will stop broadcasters from being on-air, and introduces web-accessible radio infrastructure that keeps operating, even when the studio is down.

Show links:

* ENCO Cloud- and Web-based operations* Disaster Recovery Solution - DAD-DR* NAB’s “10 Steps to Disaster Preparation and Recovery”

Guests

Bill Bennett - Media Solutions Manager, ENCO Systems

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts

BBC Radio’s Virtual Local Radio project is done and proven. Talent, management, engineering, and listeners are delighted with the results. Now Dan McQuillin is designing the next generation of minimalist studios that still do everything needed and desired for radio content creation. Beyond “Cushions and Daylight”, Camera One, Bionic Table, and Bionic Picnic - all introduced and explained on this edition of TWiRT.

Show links:

* BBC completes groundbreaking ViLoR local radio project* All-IP Virtualised Radio Network Case Study by Geoff Woolf, ViLoR Project Director, BBC* Camera One radio visualization* If you play Animal Crossing on Nintendo Switch, use these TWiRT-exclusive gift codes from Dan:Bionics Cap: MO-GM80-D90C-P5YCBionics T-Shirt: MO-473R-K91B-21RD

Guests

Dan McQuillin - Managing Director at Broadcast Bionics

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars.  And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts

Would you have been flying home from Las Vegas, Nevada, about now, from NAB 2020? This week we’re bringing you three terrific broadcast professionals with a look at more of what we didn’t see at NAB. Michael “Catfish” Dosch with Angry Audio - a quickly growing manufacturer is here, along with Jeff Adams - a video webcaster and radio broadcaster. Plus Chuck Kelly pours on the education with news of new technologies and techniques from BE/Elenos.

Show links:

* The Nautel Users Group (NUG) meeting will be a virtual one. Register here and get SBE credit.* Angry Audio’s Bluetooth Gadget and Talkshow Gadget* RadioPix - visual radio system from Broadcast Pix* BE/Elenos and a look at their technology

Guests

Robbie Green - Director of Technical Operations at Entercom Communications

Hosts

Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas BroadcastingChris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. By Nautel - keeping you connected with your community, and offering informative webinars at Nautel.com/webinars.  And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.

Many of us would have been flying to Las Vegas, Nevada, about now for NAB 2020. We would have been assembling expo booths, delivering technical papers and presentations, and learning about the technologies and equipment that engineers will be using in the coming years. But with NAB 2020 cancelled due to the coronavirus, we’re bringing some highlights of what would have been at NAB to you. Marty Sacks of Telos Alliance, Josh Bohn of Bohn Broadcast, and Jeff Welton of Nautel are here to highlight what’s new, and what you would have learned from them at NAB.

Show links:

* Telos Alliance Home Broadcasting Series - Interviews with engineers making home studios work* TelosHelp - Real life how-to articles in the Telos Alliance Support Knowledge Base* Axia’s Automix helps remote broadcasters mix remotely* Grady Moates describes using the Omnia MPX Node at WUMB-FM, Boston* Josh Bohn reports that prioritized 4G data is now rolling out in Canada, too, with MaxxKonnect* Nautel is beta-testing its Flash-free Advanced User Interface (AUI)* The Nautel Users Group (NUG) meeting will be a virtual one. Register here.

Guest

Marty Sacks - Vice President of Sales, Support and Marketing at The Telos AllianceJosh Bohn - President/Chief Engineer at Bohn Broadcast ServicesJeff Welton - Nautel Central U.S. Sales Manager,fixer of problems, provider of solutions

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, &

Cabin Fever notwithstanding, thousands of broadcasters - from engineers to sales reps to on-air talent - are working from home. And the list of capabilities and opportunities grows almost daily. Alex Oana shows us how to compare high-quality microphones from our easy chairs, while Goos Mante runs his radio show on RTV Zaanstreek entirely from his home in Wormer, Netherlands. And Chris Tobin tells how WBGO-FM got over 9,000 music selections digitized for broadcast in just a few days.

Show links:

* Audio Test Kitchen* DJB Radio broadcast automation* RTV Zaanstreek, Netherlands and on Facebook* US Health Weather Map

Guest

Alex Oana - Audio Test KitchenGoos Mante - Show Host on Zaan Radio 107.1

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.

Who hasn’t used one of Henry Engineering’s “blue boxes” to solve an audio or control problem around the radio station? A related company, Sine Control Technology, makes power surge suppressors that are used by the US Department of Defense. Hank Landsberg, owner of Henry Engineering, explains the technology that makes his “PowerClamp” TVSS technology different and more effective at protecting sensitive electronic equipment. We also look at a clever device that makes AC UPS operation more reliable, and the mic & headphone controller that newly home-bound broadcasters are using.

Show links:

* PowerClamp TVSS Surge Suppressors* SportsPod - Mic/Headphone Controller & Intercom* Hank mentioned Victor Kiam, the guy who bought the Remington shaver company. Here’s the UK version of the ad that made him a household name.

Guest

Hank Landsberg - Owner, Henry Engineering

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.

General purpose computers have been replacing purpose-built equipment in almost every industry, including radio broadcasting. But, some functions - such as VHF and UHF modulators - have still required precision, purpose-built circuitry. Now come the “RF Supercomputer” - a marriage of hardware and software that can produce any kind of modulation at most any broadcast frequency. And there’s even more to the story. Chuck Kelly from BE/Elenos Group joins us for a lesson in highly sophisticated software defined transmission.

Show links:

* SDRplay* Samson Q2U USB Mic

Guest

Chuck Kelly - Vice President Market Development at Broadcast Electronics / Elenos Group

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts.

“Social Distancing” to slow the spread of Coronavirus is changing the way broadcasters are operating. Over the past week or two, broadcast engineers have been charged with setting up the remote studios and broadcast systems allowing on-air talent and other operations workers to do their jobs from home. Plus, they’ve configured studio and “rack room” systems to be run by few or even no people in the main studio building. Some of radio broadcasting’s most active and progressing engineers join Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for this roundtable discussion, You’re sure to pick up on ideas and inspiration for your own broadcast facility!

Roundtable Guests

Bill Bennett - Media Solutions Manager, ENCO SystemsGary Kline - Broadcast/Podcast Engineering & IT ConsultantGeary Morrill - Regional Director of Engineering at Alpha Media USAJim Armstrong - Director, Eastern US Sales at the Telos AllianceMike Sprysenski - Regional Director of Engineering at iHeartMediaBryan Waters - Chief Engineer at Cumulus Media, AtlantaRobbie Green - Director of Technical Operations at Entercom, HoustonTom McGinley - Chief Engineer at KUFM FM/TV and Engineering Manager at Townsquare Media, Missoula, MT

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gizmos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High S...

AES67 - the worldwide Audio over IP interoperability standard - exists because “Silos aren’t good enough!” Kevin Gross, Founder of AVA Networks and Chair of the AES X192 task group joins us to tell the story of how AES67 came to be, and a behind-the-scenes look at its development. We also discuss how AES67 plays into the SMPTE ST 2110-30 standard for networked audio-for-video. Plus, a great tip of the week!

Show links:

* Audio Engineering Society Honored with Technology & Engineering Emmy Award* AIMS paper: “AES67 / SMPTE ST 2110 COMMONALITIES AND CONSTRAINTS”* VLC Media Player - ver 3.x supports playing AES67 streams

Guest

Kevin Gross - Media Networking Professional - AVA Networks

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-SolutionistKirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gismos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by Calrec and the Calrec Type R console system for radio - the building blocks for your station. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.

Radio has traditionally been all about the audio. Radio engineers do their best, working with the budgets and knowledge they have, to design and build studios that help create the best audio presentation. Now more radio broadcasters are putting video cameras in their studios - visual radio. Some are streaming live while others grab the best clips from their in-studio shows. Robbie Green with Entercom in Houston joins Chris Tobin to talk about equipment and techniques to produce good-looking visual radio with minimal effort.

Show links:

* vMix video production software* Axia Pathfinder Core PRO* Ubiquiti G3 IP cameras

Guest

Robbie Green - Director of Technical Operations at Entercom Communications

Hosts

Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist

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

Sponsored by

TWiRT is brought to you by Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. By Angry Audio - your source for StudioHub cables and adapters, plus audio Gadgets and Gismos. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. And by Calrec and the Calrec Type R console system for radio - the building blocks for your station. TWiRT location broadcast connections are made possible by MaxxKonnect Wireless.