Our Next Chapter Meeting
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Britny Williams Chair |
Mike Norton Vice Chair |
Russ Awe Secretary |
Roy Henn Treasurer |
Look Back 27 Years
Last Meeting's Minutes
Submitted by Mike Norton, Secretary
On Wednesday, April 24, 2019, Chapter 24 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers held their monthly meeting at the studios of WISC-TV/Madison. There were 13 members present, 11 who held SBE certification.
Chapter Chair Rich Wood called the meeting to order at 7:05pm; the typical introductions were bypassed as all present knew each other. No corrections or additions were offered to the March meeting minutes as posted on the Chapter 24 eNews page, so on a motion by Stan Scharch and a second by Leonard Charles they were approved.
Treasurer Roy Henn reported that there were no financial transactions since last month, so the Chapter 24 checking account balance remains steady.
Leonard Charles reminded the group that the deadline for Chapter 24 eNews articles is at close of business on the first of the month. Information or submissions should be emailed to lcharles@sbe.org.
Rich Wood gave a membership update, and Chapter 24 currently has 48 members. Sustaining Membership chair Fred Sperry stated there are 14 sustaining member companies, with Ross Video being the most recent renewal.
For upcoming programs, Rich Wood reviewed the current schedule: The May 23 program will be by Werner Electric about DataCom 4K UHD cable/connectors, and will be held at ECB. The following meeting will held in conjunction with the WBA Summer Engineering Day on June 12 in Elkhart Lake. Tower maintenance by Tower MRL will be the topic at the July 25 meeting, and a tour of the rebuilt Wisconsin Public Radio studios is scheduled for August 25.
Certification and Education chair Jim Hermanson forwarded information for upcoming certification opportunities, with the next local exam window from August 2 - 12; the application deadline is June 3.
For local frequency coordination, Tom Smith said there was no recent activity to report. He did say there was a FCC Public Notice to register C-band satellite uplinks by May 28 (as well as C-band downlinks not yet registered). There was a brief mention about likely C-band spectrum reallocation and the effect it could have on LNB oscillator frequencies and required filtering which could impact downlink antenna systems.
Leonard Charles provided the SBE National report, pointing out the SBE Compensation Survey is currently underway and accepting input through May 16; the link for the survey is on the sbe.org homepage. Additionally, there are three new webinars coming in May, covering RF Safety, AM Towers, and ATSC 3.0 Networking; cost is $59 for members, $89 for non-members; if you are a current enrolled MemberPlus member they are all included in your membership.
For the Election Committee, Leonard Charles noted that as of earlier in the day approximately 36% of the membership had cast electronic ballots, and that voting would close that evening.
There was no old business or new business brought forward. Under professional or general announcements, Rich Wood thanked the members for making his tenure as Chapter Chair a welcome experience.
The meeting was adjourned at 7:18pm following a motion by Pete Deets and second by Russ Awe. The program that followed was the annual NAB Review with photos and topic highlights by both Kevin Ruppert and Mike Norton, followed by discussion.
SBE National Officer Changes
Amateur Radio News
compiled by Tom Weeden WJ9H
"DOD's use of the broadcast time slot on WWV/WWVH will benefit the MARS program's mission of outreach to the Amateur Radio community," said US Army Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS) Program Manager Paul English, WD8DBY. "The actual messages to be broadcast are coordinated by the DOD Headquarters that the MARS program supports."
The initial announcements are set for the period from April 20 - May 3, which coincides with the "Vital Connection" interoperability exercise being held in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Future time slots will coincide with the Vital Connection exercise Ohio in June; DOD COMEX 19-3 in August, and the DOD COMEX 19-4 in October. Following the proof of concept this year, DOD anticipates making use of the WWV/WWVH broadcast time slot full-time, year-round.
At the outset, broadcast messages will likely be static. For future exercises, announcements could be updated throughout an exercise. The messages will direct listeners to a specified website to provide reception reports and feedback.
The reception report will also ask the listener to submit a survey that will be shared among DOD, MARS, and WWV/WWVH personnel. English said that the survey will ask listeners questions about how often they listen to WWV/WWVH signals, how they use them, and what types of messages they would like to hear, but he notes that the survey is still under development.
"We want to provide feedback to WWV/WWVH to improve situational awareness of who is using their service and how it's being used, as well as future considerations," English said.
The International Amateur Radio Union (IARU) was represented April 8 - 10, when CEPT Committee SE24 - Short Range Devices met in Ankara, Turkey, to undertake further work concerning wireless power transfer/transmission (WPT). SE24 is considering WPT for electric vehicles (WPT-EV) and also for generic applications.
IARU already provided extensive input on the potential impact on radio communications resulting from spurious emissions from WPT devices, as detailed in CEPT ECC Report 289, published in January. According to that report, given the planned density of WPT systems for electric vehicles operating in the 79 - 90 kHz range, it is calculated that there will be a widespread and serious impact for the Amateur Service in the vicinity of WPT systems, should spurious emissions, measured at 10 meters, be at the current limits of ERC Recommendation 74-01.
At the Ankara meeting, IARU and other interested parties provided further input. SE24 will meet again in early July to focus on WPT issues.
Also at Ankara, IARU attended the Short-Range Devices Maintenance Group meeting (SRD/MG), where it was noted that further work was needed in SE24 before spurious emission limits for WPT devices could be addressed in a regulatory sense. IARU was represented in Ankara by IARU Region 1 President Don Beattie, G3BJ, who is spearheading the IARU's work in this area.
The issue of WPT-EV is World Radiocommunication Conference 2019 (WRC-19) Agenda Item 9.1.6, for which studies are still under way. Broadcasters, land mobile services, and others have also expressed concern about spurious WPT-EV emissions. Further work remains regarding generic WPT systems for such applications as cell phone charging, power tools, and household appliances.
(Excerpts from the American Radio Relay League's arrl.org web site)
FCC NEWS
compiled by Tom Smith
NEW C-BAND DEADLINE
The FCC has set a deadline for operators of C-band earth and space stations (satellites) to certify information on file with the FCC on their licenses or registrations. Those operators that licensed or registered their earth and space stations in 2018 during the period of April 18th to October31st do not have to certify their information, but those earth and space stations that were licensed or registered prior to April 18, 2018 need to review their information and make any needed updates to their information on file with the FCC by May 28, 2019.All temporary fixed or mobile must also file the following information:
☐ Address where the equipment is typically stored
☐ The area within which the equipment is typically used
☐ How often the equipment is used and the duration of such use (i.e., please provide examples of typical deployments, e.g., operation x days a week at sports arenas within a radius of y miles of its home base)
☐ Number of transponders typically used in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band and extent of use on both the uplink and downlink
☐ Licensee/registrant and point of contact information
☐ Expected end-of-life for satellite
☐ The approximate dates that any additional C-band (3.7-4.2 GHz band) satellites with a currently pending application in IBFS are planned for launch to serve the United States market (note whether this satellite is a replacement)
☐ Any additional C-band satellites that do not have a currently pending application in IBFS that are planned for launch to serve the United States market and the approximate date of such launch (note whether this satellite is a replacement)
☐ For each transponder on each satellite operating in the 3.7-4.2 GHz range that is operational and legally authorized to serve customers in the United States, provide the following for the most recent month, i.e., for March 2019
o The frequency range of the transponder and the transponder number
o The total capacity (megahertz) and in terms of the number of megahertz on each transponder that are currently under contract (also provide this data for one month in 2016)
☐ For each day in March 2019, the average percentage of each transponder's capacity (megahertz) utilized and the maximum percentage of capacity utilized on that day. Parties may supplement this required daily data for March 2019 with historical trend data over recent months up to three years (provide the date range at which the data was collected) to show utilization variances
☐ For all data reported regarding capacity under contract and capacity utilization, specify the percentage (if any) only for customers outside of the United States
☐ The center frequency and bandwidth of the Telemetry Tracking and Command (TT&C) beam(s)
☐ The call sign and geographic location (using NAD83 coordinates) of each TT&C receive site
The notice including filing information can be found at (DA-19-278A1.pdf). This notice was released on April 11th and is part of the information the FCC is updating and collecting as part of its plan on reallocating all or part of the C-band (3.7 to 4.2 GHz) for 5G broadband use.
FCC RELEASES INCENTIVE AUCTION INFORMATION
On April 22nd, the FCC released notice DA-19-307A1 on the release of information on all of the stations that participated in the Incentive Auction. On April 13, 2017 the FCC released information on those stations that received winning bids for their spectrum, but withhold information on those stations that did not receive a winning bid for their spectrum. According to Broadcasting and Cable, 858 stations participated in the auction or a little less than half of the 1800 TV stations that the FCC was interested in. There were a total of 2200 full power and Class A stations before the Auction. The reason for the two year delay in releasing the information on the participates that did not win was to prevent employee dissent, if they had found out their job had been in jeopardy by the possibility of their station ceasing operation. It also was to prevent competitive issues with other stations. There is a searchable database that lists all the stations that participated in the auction which can be drilled down to the amount offered in each round of each stage of the auction and tell if a station was eliminated either by their choice or was not needed by the FCC. Individual stations can be searched by call letters, bidder (company that was bidding) or FRN as well as round, stage, choice of outcome such as going off air, or going to high or low band VHF. The database can be found at reverse-bids. You can find if your station or any competitors participated in the auction by searching the database.All DIGITAL AM
The FCC has accepted a Petition for Rulemaking to allow all digital AM station operation. The petition was filed by Bryan Broadcasting Corporation and asks the FCC to allow AM stations to broadcast in an all digital mode. Currently, AM stations can operate in a hybrid mode with both AM modulation and digital sidebands. In the petition, Bryan suggests that all digital AM operation is possible now because of AM translators and that an AM station can be converted with all digital operation without a loss of listeners because those without an AM digital receiver can still listen on FM. The digital signal can be received on any HD radio. The petition requests that the conversion to all digital operation would be voluntary and up to the station to implement. Comments are due on May 11 and the docket number is RM-11386. A number of comments have already been file and can be read here.Certification and Education
compiled by Jim Hermanson
Congratulations to Britny Williams of Wisconsin Public Radio, William Shifflet of Wisconsin Public Television, and Travis Wussow of Wisconsin Public Television, each for being recently recertified as a Certified Broadcast Technologist (CBT)!
The Open 2019 Exam Schedule
| Exam Dates | Location | Application Deadline (to SBE National Office) |
| August 2-12, 2019 | Local Chapters (Madison Area) | June 3, 2019 |
| November 1-11, 2019 | Local Chapters (Madison Area) | September 24, 2019 |
A reminder that each year, account balance permitting, Chapter 24 will reimburse half the application fee to any member of Chapter 24 in good standing who successfully obtains any SBE certification level not previously held by that member.
When you are ready to take an SBE exam, please fill out the appropriate application and send it into the SBE National office (see address below). You will be notified once your application has been approved. Approximately 3 weeks before the exam time, your local certification chairman will receive a list of applicants in his/her area. He/she will then contact those applicants to schedule a date, time and place for the exams. The exams will be mailed back to the National office for grading. The pass/fail grades will then be mailed directly to the applicants.
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Megan E. Clappe Certification Director 9102 N. Meridian St. Suite 150 Indianapolis, IN 46260 317-846-9120 Fax mclappe@sbe.org |
May Webinars
Thursday, May 2, 20192019 RF Safety
Stephen Lockwood, senior engineer and partner with Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers will be presenting. This course provides an updated overview of RF radiation issues and practices for broadcasters, including: proving compliance at a broadcast site; biological effects of RF radiation and the distinct differences between RF radiation and ionizing radiation; FCC and OSHA regulations - what they are and what you need to do to comply; workplace hazards; transmitter sites; SNG and ENG trucks; remote operations (where news personnel can find problems such as on rooftops); the unique issues at AM stations, RF hazard protection equipment - you may not need it but your contractors probably will; and signs - what they mean and what you need. It is designed for broadcast station personnel, including chief and assistant chief engineers, transmitter site engineers, ENG and SNG maintenance personnel and management who need to have an understanding of RF Safety issues and regulations. It is recommended that persons taking the SBE RF Safety Course have at least a basic knowledge of electronics and understand the concept of frequency and power.
Members $59. MemberPlus Members FREE and Non-Members $89. Register Here.
Thursday, May 16, 2019
AM Tower Webinar
Bobby L. Cox, PhD EE, Senior Staff Engineer with Kintronic Laboratories will be presenting. The variety of tower-mounted transmission equipment one may encounter these days continues to grow. Wireless telecommunications providers regularly upgrade their transmission systems, STL systems continue to evolve, and various systems with remote radio units (RRUs) are widespread. As local zoning and building restrictions grow more challenging, finding tower space for upgrading or adding equipment can be difficult. AM broadcast transmitter sites are found in most cities nationwide and can often provide the opportunity for co-location on their tower, giving new revenue streams for the AM stations. Care must be taken to properly engineer the addition of new equipment onto AM towers, particularly when the tower uses a base insulator. This webinar will give an overview of the hardware involved in co-locating equipment on AM towers, and the engineering precautions that must be taken to result in a successful co-location.
Members $59, MemberPlus Members FREE and Non Members $89. Register Here.
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
ATSC 3.0 Networking: Module 1 Introduction to ATSC 3.0 Station Architecture, Networking Standards and the Physical Layer
Wayne Pecena, CPBE, 8-VSB, AMD, DRB, CBNE presents this multi-part webinar series that will provide a foundation in networking technology utilized in an ATSC 3.0 infrastructure. ATSC 3.0 promises to revolutionize the television broadcast industry with integration of traditional over-the-air (OTA) signals and broadband delivered IP content. A key attribute of the ATSC 3.0 standard is the use of the Internet Protocol (IP) as the transport platform. The use of IP as a core transport platform creates the need for the broadcast engineer to have a high competency in networking technology to successfully design, build, and support the ATSC 3.0 infrastructure.
Members $59, MemberPlus Members FREE and Non Members $89. Register Here.
Several On-Demand Webinars ranging from ATSC 3.0 to cybersecurity to networking to RF courses are available at https://www.sbe.org/sections/edu_seminars.php.
Recertification Credits for SBE WEBxtra
For those holding SBE certification, viewing the SBE WEBxtra qualifies for 0.5 points in category G (attendance), just like attending a local chapter meeting.SBE Mentor Webinar
Mark your calendar for Wednesday, May 8 for the second webinar of the series: "RF Engineering" to be presented by Steve Twiselton. Look for more details on the presentation. All SBE Mentor Program participants will receive login information two business days before the LIVE event. Please know that, if you cannot attend the LIVE event, an archived version of the presentation will be available for the convenience of your viewing at anytime.Please know that ONLY SBE Mentors and Mentees can view this presentation. Interested in participating in the program? Contact Education Director Cathy Orosz at 317-846-9000 or corosz@sbe.org.
Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), its officers, or its members. SBE Chapter 24, Inc. regrets, but is not liable for, any omissions or errors. Articles of interest to Chapter 24 members are accepted up to the close of business the 1st day of each month. Send your article to lcharles@sbe.org .