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CHAPTER 24, Inc., MADISON, WI |
Edited by: Mark Croom Electronic Version: Leonard Charles Electronically Distributed by Chris Cain Contributors this month: Kevin Ruppert Fred Sperry Tom Weeden Tom Smith Terry Baun Articles Welcome!! Send correspondence to: Chapter 24 Newsletter 34 Rustic Parkway Madison, WI 53713-4700 or call (608) 271-1025 (home) or (608) 221-1979 (work) MEETING ANNOUNCEMENT Wednesday, February 15, 1995 5:30pm: Dutch Treat Dinner at the Grand Pagoda 7:00pm: Meeting and Program at the ECB, 3319 W. Beltline Topic: BTS Media Pool Video File Server Visitors and Guests are welcome at all SBE meetings. UPCOMING MEETINGS Tentative Program Subjects Mar 22, 1995 Wed Tour - MEGCC Facility Apr 20, 1995 Thu Elections-NAB Review May 23, 1995 Tue Advanced Technology-Sullivan NWS Doppler Radar CHAPTER 24 OFFICERS: CHAIRMAN: Leonard Charles (WISC TV) W - 271-4321 H - 274-0041 VICE CHAIRMAN: Paul Stoffel (WI Public TV) W - 263-2175 H - 241-4621 SECRETARY: Mark Croom(WNWC Radio) W - 271-1025 H - 221-1979 TREASURER: Stan Scharch (WISC TV) W - 271-4321 H - 831-1168 CHAPTER 24 COMMITTEE APPOINTEES: Membership - Leonard Charles Sustaining Membership - Fred Sperry Strategic Plan - Denny Behr Newsletter - Paul Stoffel/Mark Croom Program Committee - Steve Zimmerman - Mark Croom - Kerry Maki - Denise Maney Special Events - Kevin Ruppert Cert/Ed - Jim Hermanson Frequency Coordination - Tom Smith NATIONAL SBE PHONE DIRECTORY SBE National Office 8445 Keystone Crossing Suite 140 Indianapolis, IN 46240 Main Number 317-253-1640 Engineering Conference Line 317-253-0122 Job Line 317-253-0474 Fax 317-253-0418 BBS 317-253-7555 President: Chuck Kelly CBT Broadcast Electronics P.O. Box 3606 Quincy, IL 62305 W 217-224-9600 F 217-224-9607 H 217-228-7373 CIS ID# 70307,2642 Vice President: Terrence Baun CPBE Criterion Broadcast Services 5300 W. Garfield Avenue Milwaukee, WI 53208 W 414-449-5300 F 414-449-5380 CIS ID# 71525,1060 Secretary: Keith Kintner CSTE KLCS TV 58 1061 W. Temple Street Los Angeles, CA 90012 213-625-6958 F 818-362-5294 CIS ID# 72530,620 Internet: keith.kintner@gur.com Treasurer: Bob Goza CPBE KMOV TV 3315 Highway 50 Beaufort, MO 63013 314-484-3718 F 314-484-3840 Executive Director: John Poray CAE SBE National Office 8445 Keystone Crossing Suite 140 Indianapolis, IN 46240 W 317-253-1640 F 317-253-0418 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Jim Bernier CBT WTVH, Inc. 980 James Street Syracuse, NY 13203 315-425-5503 F 315-425-5513 David Carr CPBE KHOU-TV P.O. Box 11 Houston, TX 77001 713-284-8741 F 713-284-8700 Leonard Charles CSTE WISC TV 7025 Raymond Road Madison, WI 53719 608-271-4321 F 608-271-1709 Dane Ericksen PE CSRE CSTE Hammett & Edison, Inc. Box 280068 San Francisco, CA 94128-0068 707-996-5200 F 707-996-5280 Michael Fast CPBE WCBM Radio 1303 Burleigh Road Lutherville, MD 21093 410-356-3003 F 410-581-0150 Michael McCarthy CBRE WLIT FM/Viacom International 150 N. Michigan Ave., #1135 Chicago, IL 60601 312-329-9002 F 708-439-1464 P 800-592-3058 Edward Miller CPBE WEWS Scripps Howard 3001 Euclid Ave Cleveland, OH 44115 216-431-3687 F 216-431-3641 Troy Pennington CSRE WZZK AM/FM, WODL FM Radio 530 Beacon Parkway W. #300 Birmingham, AL 35209 205-916-1119 F 205-916-1151 Robert Reymont CPBE Nationwide Communications, Inc. P.O. Box 5159 Mesa, AZ 85211-0500 602-964-4000 F 602-644-7660 CIS ID# 71645,254 Internet: NCIRADIO@CRL.COM Martin "Sandy" Sandberg CPBE Consultant 9807 Edgecove Drive Dallas, TX 75238 214-343-5786 F 2114-343-9807 John Schneider CBRE RF Specialties of Washington, Inc. 19237 Aurora Avenue N. Seattle, WA 98133 206-546-6546 F 206-546-2633 CIS ID# 74603,3342 Tom Weber CSTE WISH TV 8 1950 N Meridian St. Indianapolis, IN 46202 317-921-8535 F 317-926-1144 CIS ID#: 73250,215 Chris Imlay, Esq. SBE General Counsel Booth, Freret & Imlay 1233 20th St. NW Suite 204 Washington, DC 20036 202-296-9100 F 202-293-1319 James Wulliman, CPBE Ennes Director 721 W. Calle Del Regalo Green Valley, AZ 85614 Phone and Fax 602-648-1250 NATIONAL OFFICE STAFF Linda Godby, Certification Peggy Hall, Membership Sarah Hayden, Signal/Conferences Julie Dinger, Secretary 317-253-1640 F 317-253-0418 Job Line 317-253-0474 BBS (N,8,1) 317-253-7555 NATIONAL COMMITTEE AND TASK FORCE CHAIRS By Laws Committee Sandy Sandberg Certification Committee Jim Wulliman Chapter Awards Committee Leonard Charles Chapter Liaison Committee John Schneider Electronic Communication Committee Jim Bernier Engineering Conference Committee Jerry Whitaker 503-690-8798 Engineering Conference Promotion Committee Mike McCarthy FCC Liaison Committee Dane Ericksen Fellowship Committee David Carr Finance Committee Troy Pennington Frequency Coordination Committee David Carr High Frequency Broadcasting Task Force Doug Garlinger 317-773- 5050 Industry Relations Committee Terry Baun International Committee Sandy Sandberg Membership Committee Michael Fast Nomination Committee Robert Reymont Sustaining Membership Committee Edward Miller FROM THE CHAIR January's was the first meeting in my memory that had to be canceled due to the weather. It was a concerted effort to get the word out in the 11th hour. Hopefully we got to you before you attempted the drive to WTDY. We do plan to re-schedule that program later this year, and we will need to work on a method of notification of cancellation to make a re-occurrence easier to deal with. In a few short months, Chapter 24 will be electing new officers. Jim Hermanson has graciously agreed to serve as this year's nominations Chair. All of you desiring a run at an elected Chapter position, contact Jim as your first step. Following a meeting which included Don Borchert, John Laabs of the WBA, Chris Cain, Terry Baun, Paul Stoffel and myself, I am glad to announce that there will be a Broadcasters Clinic this year. It will take place on the same pre-announced dates in November and at the same place, the Holiday Inn SE. In addition, there will be a WBA Engineering Day in LaCrosse in July in conjunction with the annual Summer WBA Conference. Tentative plans for 1996 have the Clinic and the WBA Engineering Seminar merge into one event. Details are pending on that arrangement. CERTIFICATION EXAM DATES FOR 1995 SESSIONS: PLACE APPLICATION DEADLINE April 11 NAB Convention (Las Vegas) February 28 June 9-19 Local Chapters April 28 Sept. 7 SBE Conference (New Orleans) July 27 Nov. 10-20 Local Chapters September 29 Applications for exams can be obtained from Chapter 24 Certification Chairman Jim Hermanson or the SBE National Office and must be submitted to the National Office. Testing for Radio Operator's Certification and new TV Operator's Certification can be done during the regular exam dates or at other times. Nationwide there are currently 3306 SBE members who hold a certification within the four main certification levels and 13 Radio Operators. Jim Hermanson Chapter 24 Certification and Education Chairman WBA ENGINEERS WORKSHOP FOR 1995. Where: La Crosse/ Radisson Hotel When : Wednesday/ July 19, 1995 Cost : Same as last year: $25.00 for sessions and lunch. $40.00 for sessions, lunch, exhibits, reception and WBA opening Banquet. This years theme is: Networking: Broadcast Survival in the 1990's. Look for a mailing with more specifics from the WBA. SBE FILES REPLY COMMENTS The National FCC Liaison committee has filed reply comments on Docket 94-32, Transferring of Below 5GHZ Federal Government Spectrum to Private Sector Use. The comments urge and substantiate the transfer of part of that spectrum to the Broadcast Auxiliary Service. In addition, comments have been prepared on Mass Media Docket 94-130; Unattended Operation of Broadcast Stations and Updated Remote Control and Monitoring Rules. The SBE is not objecting to the change in Regulations allowing Unattended Operation but has proposed very strict guidelines on what kind of Automated Measuring and Control equipment should be required before Unattended Operation can begin. The level and methods of enforcement that should go along with such a regulatory change are also recommended in the comments. Your Chapter's National Liaison has a copy of the comments available to you upon request. LOCAL LEGALS By Tom Smith Applications: WMMM-FM 105.5 mhz Verona, Wi. Woodward Communications, Inc. seeks construction permit to change ERP to 2 kw at 174.8 meters. Transmitter location is 1.5 mi. East of County PB and 1/2 mi. South of County M in Verona Township. Grants: WHA-TV Channel 21 U.W. Regents granted modification of construction permit to change ERP to 1127 kw visual at 453.1 meters. Action was Oct. 26,1994 WMSN-TV Channel 47 Channel 47 LP was granted construction permit to change ERP to 1152 kw visual at 450 meters. Action was Nov. 7,1994 WIBA-FM 101.5 mhz Double L Broadcasting LP was granted a construction permit to make changes in antenna to 308.8 meters. Action was Dec. 7,1994 All of the above actions are for changes related to the move to the new candelabra tower on Mineral Point Road. (From Broadcasting&Cable Magazine) AMATEUR RADIO NEWS by Tom Weeden, WJ9H - More than 200 amateurs are providing communication in the Kobe, Japan area following the January 16 earthquake that killed more than 5,000 and left tens of thousands homeless. Amateur radio is being used to connect relief centers and to exchange information on road conditions. The Japan Amateur Radio League (JARL) also reports that hams are trafficking messages concerning the health, welfare and whereabouts of residents and the availability of food and water. The Japan Amateur Radio Equipment Industry Association has supplied 200 hand-held transceivers and three repeater stations to aid in the effort. 400 of the 600 relief centers (with a total of 240,000 evacuees) are being served by this communications system. - On February 1, the FCC amended its rules to provide for a "vanity" call sign program for amateurs. For the past several years amateurs have not been able to select a call sign but were issued calls sequentially through an automated process. Effective March 24, hams will be able to request a specific call sign. Priority will be given to amateurs requesting a previously-held call or the call of a close relative who is deceased. Following those requests, the FCC will announce a date when Extra-class hams may apply for a vanity call, then Advanced- class,then any licensee. The dates for the opening of these application "gates" will be made by periodic Public Notices. The fee for a vanity call sign will be $70 over a 10-year period. - What happens when interference is so bad that the Coast Guard's voice radio and satellite telephone can't make it through? According to the news service Canadian Press, two ships, the Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker "Louis St Laurent" and the US Coast Guard icebreaker "Polar Sea," had both reached the North Pole and were experiencing electromagnetic interference from the Pole. A reporter from the Press, attempting to communicate with the ships, "managed to receive a barely decipherable voice transmission...but could not make himself heard." The report said that for the better part of a day, "the only communications with the two ships was by Morse code." - (From packet-radio bulletins and February 1995 "QST" Magazine) ATV UPDATE by Kevin Ruppert Advanced TV (ATV) is back in the Television News headlines! Looks like we are FINALLY headed down the road to the FCC finals. The word from our nation's capital is that there will be a recommendation for an ATV standard submitted to FCC by the third quarter of 1995. According to industry sources, this means that ATV is headed out of the research lab, and into broadcasting, with very little chance that FCC recommendation will stall now. The Grand Alliance and the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS) have completed an HDTV system specification. Channel allotments and assignments have been approved and are already being rolled out as has been reported here in the Newsletter. In the meantime, interactive TV continues to be one of the most publicized business opportunities in our technical future. The most popular seem to be methods which provide a variety of methods to select and view programs on a demand basis through the use of a television, remote control, and a decoder. This video on Demand (VOD) system will allow viewers to navigate, browse, preview, select and view libraries of digitized video programs and partake in new at home services, such as ordering theater tickets, fast food, video rentals, and other purchases. Surveys show that the majority of Americans still do not own, or plan to own or use a personal computer in their household. Industry experts say that, in order to get the much publicized "Information Superhighway" services into the average home, it will have to get there via a device which looks and operates very much like a TV set with a remote control. No keyboards, just a "point and click" trackball as the sole interface. NEW HDTV CHANNELS? By Tom Smith The Broadcasters Caucus and the Association for Maximum Service Television submitted a list of potential allocations for the proposed Advanced Television Service to the FCC. The list pairs a second channel for the current 1,691 television permit holders. Also the NAB and the four major networks signed the filing. The FCC will consider industry support as they examine the report. They will also consider if the 70 VHF allocations in the report should be used. For the Madison area the proposed allocations are as follows: WISC ch. 25, WMTV ch. 32, WHA ch. 8, WKOW ch. 66, WMSN ch. 48, and unbuilt ch. 57 WJNW in Janesville would receive ch. 42. An earlier table proposed by the FCC listed the channels 20, 35, 44, 60, and 62 for Madison and channel 56 for Janesville with no station assigned to any particular channel. There were no channel pairings made for allocated, but unapplied channels and in fact these channels may be used for ATV. The final allocation table will not be made till all information from the interference tests of the ATV system is studied. (From Broadcasting&Cable Magazine) NATIONAL YEAR END STATS 1994 was a very good year for the National SBE. * SBE membership was up 16 for the year. * The grand total of new certifications for '94 is 282 * Financially, the SBE had net income at year end that was appreciably more than budget. The Exact figures will be discussed at our February meeting and are available from your Chapter Chair. * The new Radio Operator's Certification Handbook was released March 1994 with more than 150 copies sold by year end. The new TV Operator's Certification Handbook, to be released within weeks, already has pre-publication orders of over 160! * The SBE Engineering Conference in Los Angeles achieved a 23% increase in attendance over the convention held in Miami. * Liability insurance for contract engineers became a reality. * A resume referral service, began in December. * The SBE Job Line was added to the SBE BBS, resulting in an immediate and tremendous jump in use by members. * The awareness of the SBE as an important industry organization was reflected in a net increase in National Sustaining Membership, which grew by a net of 6, to 69 members. DBS TAKES OFF By Tom Smith The RCA Direct Broadcast Systems has taken off as the fastest new entry into the consumer electronic products market. As of the first of the year, RCA has shipped 600,000 units and DIRECTV had activated over 350,000 subscribers and reached its 1994 goal. DIRECTV is adding over 3500 subscribers a day and expects to increase that number to 4500 to 5000 a day. DIRECTV projects that they will reach their break-even point of 3 million subscribers in the second half of 1996. Thomson Consumer Products, parent of RCA, plans on increasing its production of receivers by 50% and expand is Juarez, Mexico plant by 150,000 sq. feet. Also, sometime this year SONY should enter the receiver market as RCA's exclusive rights end after they sell their 1 millionth unit or in December 1995, which ever comes first. PRIMESTAR, owned in part by TCI, also increased its subscribership from August to the first of the new year. Their subscribership list tripled during that period. The acceptance of both services was due to the competitive advertising of RCA, DIRECTV, PRIMESTAR and Hubbard's USSB. PRIMESTAR spent 55 million dollars in 1994 and plans to increase it's budget in 1995. DIRECTV plans to spend 40 million dollars in 1995. The pay per view service for DIRECTV also seems to be successful. With the $2.99 price, the $2.50 monthly coupon in the monthly bill and starts of the movies every 30 minutes, DIRECTV has found a PPV system that is consumer friendly and is being accepted. Because of the fast acceptance of DBS services, Congress is considering it a strong new competitor to cable and is using that new competition as a reason to introduce bills to de-regulate the cable industry. (From BROADCASTING&CABLE, TELEMEDIA WEEK, and The WISCONSIN STATE JOURNAL) SBE CHAPTERS TALK EAS EBS SYSTEM MODIFICATIONS by Dave Biondi Broadcast Services Company, Houston, TX To assist you in converting your present EBS equipment to the new 8 second standard, I have accumulated the technical modifications to Gorman-Redlich, TFT and McMartin type EBS Encoder/Decoders. Remember, only the Decode function can be modified, until all broadcasters in your EBS Broadcast Area have decided to switch to the new standard. Do not make the encode modification until this happens. Gorman-Redlich - All Models The outputs of the 107 Hz filters for the two tone decoders go into a diode, a parallel R/C circuit, another diode and combine into a voltage divider. Where these two diodes tie together, there is a 47 uF Tantalum capacitor. Change this to a 22 uF 16-25 volt Tantalum. The decoder will now activate at about 6 - 7 seconds. On the encoder, turn the 1 Megohm Activate Internal Adjust pot counter clockwise until the tone is at 9 - 10 seconds (recommended). This modification may require a slightly longer closure of the activate switch to allow the 47 uF timing capacitor to fully charge. T F T - 760 Series On the decoder board, replace C13 with a 22 uF 25 volt Tantalum capacitor. Replace R26 with a 182K ohm 1/4 watt 1% resistor. This should cause the decoder to activate in 4 seconds. On the encoder board, cut the trace at Z3 pin 1. Then jumper to Z4 pin 9. This will give 8.5 - 9 seconds of encode tone. If you want to put a 8.5/23 second select switch in, install a SPDT switch on the back panel of the chassis with the common on Z3 pin 1 and the other switch terminals on pin 9 & 11, respectively, to select the tone times. McMartin - EBS-2/TG-2 In the EBS-2 Decoder, parallel R37 with a 560 K ohm 1/4 watt 1% Resistor. This should decode in 5.5 - 7 seconds. In the TG-2 Encoder, adjust the trimpot near the NE555 chip clockwise to 9 seconds. The manufacturers I contacted to get this information all expressed frustration at the inundation of phone calls they had received for the modifications. We can help, by passing this information along to others in the broadcast community. If you have questions or desire additional information, you may contact Dave Biondi at The Broadcast Service Company, 713-926-2209. (from THE BROADCAST NEWSLETTER, SBE Chapter 28, Milwaukee) CHAIR'S CORNER by Mike McCarthy, Chapter 26 Chair EAS is the new buzz word circling the FCC these days. At a glance, the new rules, which are slated to become a new FCC Part 11, seem to cover all the issues that the current EBS falls short of satisfying. The existing two-tone system is being shortened to eight seconds and eventually will require only one on-air test each month. The new system will allow more incisive data to be transmitted to specific groups or regions and can include subcarrier protocol. A major difference of the new system is its use of multiple sources for monitoring, including NOAA weather radio. This may prove advantageous for stations who wish to provide timely weather warnings, but are equipped to monitor only the CPCS station. (excerpts from THE SIGNAL LOOP, Chapter 26, Chicago) THE FCC's THIRD GENERATION ALERT SYSTEM By Clay Freinwald The FCC has just released their proposal to replace the aging Emergency Broadcast System. I say "Third Generation" because the First was started back in 1951 (Conelrad), then in 1963 it was EBS. In 1996 it will be EAS, Emergency Alert System. Boiling down the almost l00 pages of the release is not an easy chore. Whereas you will be reading about this for the next few months in all the trades, here is a list of high-points: * The new system will be primarily Data with provisions for handling voice. * Every Broadcast Station will be getting new equipment. * Look for the prices of the new gear to be in the range of 2 Grand, more for TV, less for Radio. Total cost to the Broadcast Industry is estimated to be "AS LOW AS $8.7 MILLION". * The new equipment must be installed by July 1, 1996. (look for lots of it at NAB '96) * The existing equipment will be used for a while and during the de-bug period. * We will be able to reduce the length of the existing EBS tones during the transition to as short as 8 seconds starting July 1, 1995 (For those of you that have TFT- EBS equipment they plan on offering a kit for 10 to 15 Dollars or will modify your model 760 for about $200. * After July 1, 1997 the old EBS system of tones will become history and the new EAS system will be on line. * The EBS attention signal will still be used with EAS as an ATTENTION SIGNAL only. Guess the Fed's figured that people are used to responding to it. * The new equipment will likely be a box with two inputs as we will all be monitoring at least two sources. * Gone is the daisy chain of stations monitoring stations monitoring stations; the new system will be a WEB and the Emergency Committees will establish who we will monitor with the requirement that the FCC review and approve these plans. * The new equipment will likely have a display of some sort so we will be able to monitor what's going on as well as what has taken place. Count on a use for that old dot matrix for logging EAS activity. * The EAS box will permit either manual transmission of EAS messages or fully AUTOMATIC, the latter for use with un-attended stations or in cases where operator intervention would not be an asset. * Quite a bit of effort has been put into making sure the system is secure with penalties for mis-use. * The Commish elected to use a non-standard Baud Rate to help separate EAS from the rest of the world of data (520.83 bps - Mark = 2083.3, Space = 1562.5. Mark and Space time is 1.92 ms. Characters are ASCII 7 bit) * A real plus: the new equipment and system will have the ability to address several specific geographic areas. * We will still test the system. The FCC will require 4 tests a month, 3 of which can be silent or un-obtrusive this means we will transmit the data only. One test will be full blown, real world test, with everyone testing at the same time. Testing will occur in two time periods, in odd-numbered months testing will take place from 8:30 AM to local sunset. In even-numbered months during the other times. Just like with EBS, a REAL EAS activation will count as a test. * Much like EBS, ALL STATIONS will be required to install this system to handle NATIONAL EMERGENCIES. Regional and Local EAS will have to be handled differently. * Due to the Digital nature of the system look, for product offerings tailored to the Television Industry that will have video outputs that will make it easy to get EAS info on the air in a crawl format. * Cable TV will be included in this process so as to reach "wired" viewers. It's estimated that EAS will cost Cable Systems between 10 and 15 Grand. * Look for makers of Radios and TV's to offer AUTOMATIC TURN-ON. Using the EAS Data Stream to AUTOMATICALLY turn on receivers. (This will eliminate the need for folks to leave the sets turned on day and night to receive storm warnings etc., as is the case now). * Yes the new system will work with RBDS, a natural. * NOAA Weather Radio will be a part of the system. They will transmit the same EAS information and are very likely to be an input in any local WEB system. * The EBS Checklist (required hanging at present) will be replaced with an EAS Handbook, complete Authenticator List operator instructions etc. * The makers of the new EAS units will be required to supply an instruction book AND A VIDEO TAPE on how to install and operate the system. SUMMATION It looks like the FCC has really done its homework and now it will be up to the manufacturers to go to work and come up with equipment that will do the job. I look for EAS to become something real in the minds of those that have looked at EBS as an inferior nuisance. This is a giant step forward. What's going to be exciting is sitting down with the representatives of the various Public Agencies and designing a system that will actually work and will FINALLY ACTUALLY be able to AUTOMATICALLY get Emergency Information into the eyes and ears of our population. Broadcasting is going to play an important role in EAS, much more than it has been able to do under the two previous systems. [Editor's note: You can download the complete text of FCC 94-288 from the WWFCC Bulletin Board (206-443-6170) in file Area 6. The file is called ORMC4004.TXT.] (from the SBE WAVEGUIDE, Chapter 16, Seattle) SBE "SHORT CIRCUITS" January 30, 1995 SBE MEMBERS SAVE ON NAB SPRING CONVENTION REGISTRATION SBE members can register for the Spring NAB Convention in Las Vegas at the NAB member rate of $335, a savings of $300! (more than five times the amount of SBE dues for one year!) Registration and Housing forms for the convention are available from NAB through their fax-on-demand system. Call (301) 216-1847 from the handset of your fax machine and follow the voice prompts. SBE, NAB JOINTLY PRESENT ENGINEERING CONFERENCE AT NAB SPRING CONVENTION SBE is working with NAB to present four and half days of great broadcast engineering sessions and workshops for the 49th Engineering Conference to be held during the NAB Convention in Las Vegas. The convention will be held April 9-13, 1995 at the Las Vegas Convention Center. Over 70,000 attendees are expected to attend the convention, which includes a half million square feet of exhibits showing the latest in broadcast and related technology. SBE members will want to attend the Membership Meeting, scheduled for Tuesday, April 11, at the Convention Center from 5:15 to 6:00 PM. Certification Exams will be offered the same day, from 9:00 AM to 12:00 Noon. The deadline to apply to take an exam during the convention is February 28. BOARD MEETING SET FOR NAB SPRING CONVENTION The Board of Directors of SBE will hold its spring meeting during the NAB Convention, Sunday, April 9, from 8:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel. SBE members are welcome to attend the meeting. Check the hotel monitor for the meeting room location. ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP DRIVE TO BEGIN MARCH 1 SBE will kick off its annual Membership Drive beginning March 1. Each SBE member will be encouraged to recruit "One New Member" during the effort. Any member who recruits one or more new members will be eligible for prizes, including the Grand Prize of a trip for two to the SBE Engineering Conference and World Media Expo in New Orleans, September 6-9, 1995. Details about the Drive will be mailed to all members in February. MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS DUE APRIL 1 SBE Membership Renewal notices will be mailed in mid- February to all members. Dues will again be $55 for Members and Associates and $10 for Students. Renewals are due by April 1. SBE INTRODUCES TV OPERATOR HANDBOOK The Society of Broadcast Engineers will release the "Television Operators Certification Handbook" in February 1995. The Handbook will help prepare television operators to handle their day-to-day responsibilities. It includes basic information and procedures typically used at most stations. FCC rules applicable to all stations and an outline of a typical station operations manual are also included. Completion of the Handbook will prepare the reader to take a 50 question exam offered by the Society. Successful completion of the exam will earn the candidate certification from SBE as a Certified Television Operator. The Handbook will be released in February. Orders are being accepted now and shipment will be made as soon as they are available. You may order through the SBE National Office. The Handbook sells for $35, which includes shipment within the United States. The price also includes the exam fee. WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR MIDWEST The Kansas City and St. Louis chapters of SBE will jointly host an Ennes Regional Workshop at Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri, June 15. It will be held in conjunction with the Missouri Association of Broadcasters Summer Convention. Details will be forthcoming later this spring. SBE ENGINEERING CONFERENCE AND WORLD MEDIA EXPO - NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA, SEPTEMBER 6-9, 1995. Mark your calendars and plan your budgets to take in this annual conference and unique exhibition featuring the combined shows of SBE, SMPTE, the NAB Radio Show and RTNDA. The Call For Papers for this year's SBE Engineering Conference continues until March 1. Send a brief synopsis of the paper you are interested in presenting to the SBE National Office. SBE BEGINS CAREER PLACEMENT REFERRAL SERVICE In conjunction with Keystone International, Inc., the dominant broadcast engineering employment service in America, SBE members are now able to take advantage of a new service that helps those seeking a change in employment. Keystone International will evaluate and consider SBE member candidates when looking to fill client (TV and Radio stations and corporate video) needs. *There is no cost to the member for this service.* Fees are paid by Keystone International clients. The service is completely confidential. To participate, contact the SBE National Office at (317) 253-1640 and ask about the new Career Placement Referral Service for members. ("SHORT CIRCUITS VIA BBS" is published by the Society of Broadcast Engineers, Inc., 8445 Keystone Crossing, Suite 140, Indianapolis, Indiana. For more information about SBE, contact John L. Poray, CAE, Executive Director, through this BBS or call the SBE National Office at (317) 253-1640.) PANASONIC TO INTRODUCE NEW DIGITAL ENG DECK By Tom Smith PANASONIC plans to introduce a new ENG tape deck at the 1995 NAB. The deck will use 6 mm tape and will be compressed probably at between 4-1 to 6-1. The new format will also allow offloading to a server or non-linear editor at faster than real time. PANASONIC also felt that disc based systems were to costly and to fragile for ENG use and chose to go with tape for the present. (From TELEVISION BROADCAST) SONY TO INTRODUCE NEW DIGITAL PRODUCTION SYSTEM By Tom Smith SONY has announce a new integrated multi-level digital system to be shown at the 1995 NAB convention. This system is designed to be compatible with existing SMPTE 259e standards and will work with the digital routers and distribution equipment currently on the market. The storage for the system will be a hybrid of tape, hard drives and 8" 3.2 GB mag-optical discs in a multi-drive server. The system will support Digital Betacam video at 90 MB, a studio quality video at 30-40 MB and a ENG level at 18 MB which is 10 to 1 compression. The 18 MB signal could be transmitted at double speed through a KU band half transponder SONY also announced a tape streamer type of recorder for ENG camera recording. SONY rejected disc based recording as not robust enough and as too costly. Much comment from other manufacturers has been made already about the system SONY is proposing. Sony said that they decided to wait and develop an integrated system, then develop products that were islands. SONY also hopes that other manufacturers will develop products that will integrate with their system. (From TV TECHNOLOGY and TELEVISION BROADCAST) Equipment for Sale WBEV Radio has converted to digital commercials using the Computer Concepts Digital Commercial System. With the conversion, they have some cart and automation equipment which they would like to sell. 2 each IGM SC Automation System -16 Source Cards plus spare -Logging encoder and video terminal -One was new in 1990, the other in 1992 2 each ITC Delta triple stack cart players, mono with 3 tone and rack mount. New in 1990 2 various Harris Criterion cart machines 2 each ITC Omega cart players, mono in excellent condition 3 each SMC 350 Carousels, mono with IGM interfaces, new 1990, excellent 3 each IGM Go-Cart 24 Carousels, new in 1990, excellent 1 each Harris CCIII triple deck mono, 3 tone with rack mount 2 each Harris CCII cart player mono, 3 tone with rack mount 1 each ITC SP delay cart recorder with rack mount 1 each ITC 750 R2R player stereo 1 each Stanton 310 stereo TT preamp 1 each Technics SP-15 TT with Microtrak arm 1 each IGM Go-Cart 48 mono for parts CHAPTER 24 SUSTAINING MEMBERS Our latest renewal: Clark Wire and Cable Thanks to all our Sustaining Members: BTS Broadcast Communications CTI Comark Communications Electronic Industries Emmons Associates Fuji Film I&I Harris Allied Broadcast Maney Logic MRC Telecommunications Panasonic Broadcast Roscor Wisconsin Scharch Electronics Skyline Communications Sony Broadcast Tectan, Inc. Teleport Minnesota The Tape Co. 3M Audio & Video Video Images WISC-TV 3 WKOW-TV 27 WMSN 47 WMTV 15 |