On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, broadcasters and wireless carriers participated in another National Program Test of the EAS and WEA systems, alerting the public in a variety of ways. Initial reports are that this nationwide test was rather successful! Past tests have been plagued with audio problems for broadcasters, but this test primarily utilized the CAP Server system, delivering clean audio to most broadcasters for retransmission. Chris Tarr serves on Wisconsin’s State Emergency Communications Committee (SECC) and brings useful insight into this recent test. Plus we’re talking about fiber-delivered Internet service and its much wider availability. Plus, thinking creatively about siting FM translators or STL hop locations by looking for lesser-used towers or those not currently associated with broadcast functions.

Show notes

* State Emergency Communications Committee Resources (SECC)

* Easy read from REC Networks: REC LPFM Advisory Letter #16 - EAS CAP Polling requirement for radio - deadline December 12, 2023

* Emergency Alert System – New Rules and Many Changes by Telecommunications Law Professionals

* Chris mentioned “ETRS” - here’s the landing page for the EAS Test Reporting System

* Cavell, Mertz & Associates, Inc. has combined the FCCInfo.com databases with the extensive mapping capabilities of Google Earth. Here’s what you need to know to use it.

* Chris and Kirk mentioned Christen Roberts and Dan Merwin as reliable resources for finding broadband Internet for broadcast facilities.

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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When Jeff McGinley’s radio stations in Portland, Oregon, joined the ranks of the “homeless” last year, he had just a few weeks to create virtual radio infrastructures so the on-air talent could keep working, doing live shows. Even after moving into new “hands-on” studios, the Portland group is still using virtualized radio consoles for both regular and special broadcasts. Now Jeff is building another virtual studio for a country music star’s restaurant in Gatlinburg. Meanwhile, Chris Tarr and Kirk Harnack have built out virtual broadcast infrastructures benefitting their companies’ stations as well. Come along as we describe and even demonstrate some of this virtualized tech that’s making broadcasting easier than ever.

Show notes:

* A viewer asked about Kirk’s touchscreen monitors at WBZK. They’re Dell P2418HT 23.8" Touch Monitors

* Both Jeff and Kirk implemented the Axia Altus virtual audio mixing console.

* Kirk also implemented the Telos VXs virtual broadcast phone system into WBZK’s Altus console

Guest

Jeff McGinley - VP of Engineering at SummitMedia

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.

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

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.

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.