This Week In Radio Tech (TWiRT)

How do you keep equipment operating when the temperature changes by 150 degrees? John Antonuk keeps 4 radio stations running year-round in Fairbanks, Alaska. And that’s pretty impressive when you consider the harsh - and varying - conditions. John joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack on This Week in Radio Tech.

Microwave radio links have been around for a while, and now with so many IP Radios on the market, how does a broadcast engineer choose what’s right? Jeff Holdenrid with DoubleRadius has been installing and configuring these systems for over 15 years. He gives us the lowdown on the inexpensive, unlicensed systems up to fully licensed links for broadcast.

It’s a “War Stories” episode with special guest, Tom Ray. Tom is a soldier in the broadcast engineering trenches every day. He joins Chris Tobin and me with tower snakes, mothball mice, and clever engineering tips for mobile, street-level remote broadcasts.

That hunk of brass, copper, and stainless steel up on the tower is a lot more important than we often consider. The FM transmitting antenna launches a station’s signal to the audience. It can have a huge effect on the station’s listenability. Dana Puopolo joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack for anecdotes and specific advice about tuning FM transmitting antennas.

Gentleman engineer, Mark Persons, talks about mentoring engineering students from 150 miles away. Custom EAS Relay panels. Plus 4 dB steps in some car radios volume controls is crazy! And car-buying advice you don’t want to miss. Plus Chris Tobin reports in from the Government Video Expo and Drone Show.

FM audio processing grew and developed right along with the Rock ‘n Roll radio format. Denny Sanders played a key role in Rock Radio from Boston’s MIT to Cleveland’s Buzzard. Denny’s our guest along with Chris Tobin on This Week in Radio Tech.

Well, that’s one of many subjects that Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack are discussing on this episode. Others include Burli newsroom software, Harris VistaMax, Shure SM7, Telos iPort PLUS parallel audio distribution, and Krone block patch cables. And, will President Trump replace FCC Chairman Wheeler?

When you start from a solid engineering foundation, it’s much easier to pass the baton to your replacement. John Heimerl retired from Engineering at WHRO in Norfolk, and the new engineer, Ray Lenz, has been building on John’s AoIP foundation. We’re talking with both John and Ray, plus Chris Tobin on TWiRT.

The best computer networks and IT infrastructure are too often brought down by … badly-installed connectors. What a shame! Steve Lampen is with us to show how Belden has a solution. It’s called REVConnect and I think engineers and IT pros should be rejoicing! Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack welcome Steve Lampen on this episode of TWiRT.

We’re live in Columbus, Ohio, for the 2016 SBE National Membership Meeting. SBE President, Jerry Massey, joins us as well as SBE Certification Chairman, Ralph Hogan. Plus Past-President, Vinny Lopez, fills us in on the event’s live webcast. Chris Tobin co-hosts with Kirk Harnack.