Radio World

Is there an afterlife for “Franken FMs?”

WRME(LP) in Chicago broadcasts the MeTVFM format as a music companion to the MeTV network, which airs classic television programming. The LPTV station is owned by Venture Technologies Group and operated via an LMA with Weigel Broadcasting. It has received press attention for its success in attracting listeners.

VHF low-power analog television stations that present themselves as radio stations — airing audio on TV Channel 6 spectrum just below the U.S. FM band — face an approaching sunset date for LPTV analog service that could spell their doom.

Advocates argue that many FM6 stations provide important audio services to supplement their video signals and that “millions” of Americans tune to 87.7 FM to listen to programming not available anywhere else, particularly in ethnic and minority communities that are underserved. The very term Franken FM, they add, is a pejorative one coined by radio stations that fear additional legitimate competition.

But once LPTVs transition to digital in 2021, listeners will no longer be able to receive audio from Channel 6 stations on 87.7 MHz.

Their advocates say the industry has developed a technical solution to protect these services but that the FCC has left their future in doubt.

OPPORTUNISTIC

The audio carrier for TV Channel 6 can be heard on many car and tabletop FM receivers. Opportunistic low-power licensees use their TV transmitters to air separate audio and video content, according to those familiar with the practice. FM6 stations are programmed as radio stations, though they are still required to transmit a TV signal, sometimes merely travelogues or nature scenes, in other cases more useful information like visual traffic and weather. The TV signal is analog, “so no one is watching them,” according to one observer.

The stations can operate this way thanks to a loophole opened when the FCC created the LPTV rules, as Radio World has reported. FM6 stations operate in a number of major cities; there are approximately 30 presenting themselves as FM stations in the United States. They were nicknamed Franken FMs by broadcast engineers who were aware of the practice early and considered the signals to be, like Frankenstein’s monster, an unnatural mashup.

As controversial as the practice might appear, legal analysts say the LPTV licensees are working within FCC regulations, though critics feel the practice was not what the FCC had planned when crafting LPTV rules.

Until the 2009 digital transition, full-power TV stations could be heard on that part of the dial; but most audio signals at 87.7 FM have since disappeared.

FM6 operators want to continue to provide analog carriers in order to reach FM radios after the LPTV analog sunset date. That sunset has been extended several times, giving FM6s a longer life than expected. However, the FCC is not believed to be considering another extension.

“NO TECHNICAL BARRIER”

According to the LPTV Spectrum Rights Coalition, operators are continuing to work on technical solutions to provide maximum performance without causing impermissible interference.

“There is no technical barrier to allowing TV Channel 6 FM operators to continue after the July 13, 2021, LPTV analog sunset date,” said Mike Gravino, director of the Washington-based group.

“Remember, it is all about highest and best use of spectrum; and 87.7 FM is available in all markets, can be heard by most car radios and should be used as much as possible.”

The Preserve Community Programming Coalition (PCPC), a group of FM6 broadcasters, has asked the FCC to permit LPTV and TV translator stations on analog Channel 6 to supplement their future digital LPTV operations with a small analog audio carrier.

“This will allow listeners to continue receiving analog audio programming on 87.7 FM without disrupting the ATSC-compatible digital transmission using the majority of the 6 MHz channel,” said Ari Meltzer, a communications attorney with Wiley Rein LLP, representing PCPC and spearheading talks with the FCC.

A slide from a presentation to FCC officials given by FM6 broadcasters. They urged the commission to preserve the capability of LPTV stations operating on Channel 6 to continue broadcasting an aural signal that can be received on 87.7 MHz following the LPTV digital transition.

The goal of the group is not to extend the analog deadline, Meltzer said, but to allow existing Channel 6 FM broadcasters to continue delivering valuable and diverse audio programming that can be received on 87.7 FM following the digital transition.

PCPC estimates that approximately 50 LPTV and TV translator stations are authorized to broadcast an analog signal on Channel 6, more than half of which provide a separate audio stream for reception on 87.7 FM.

The group says analog Channel 6 LPTV radio stations on the air include KRPE(LP) in San Diego, WNYZ(LP) in New York City, WRME(LP) in Chicago and KZFW(LP) in Dallas.

It says that WRME in Chicago has outperformed several traditional AM and FM stations in several ratings categories; that Guadalupe Radio in southern California is an important Christian voice; that WDCN is the second largest Hispanic radio station in the D.C./Maryland/Virginia area; and that KXDP is the only station in Denver that broadcasts live news, traffic and weather reports in Spanish.

Audio from an analog carrier on 87.7 FM and Channel 6 DTV can coexist on the same channel, according to the PCPC presentation to the commission. “An 87.7 MHz audio signal can coexist on the same 6 MHz channel as a digital Channel 6 LPTV station without harming TV or FM reception.”

The group’s ex parte filing stated that “a television station typically utilizes 5.38 MHz of its 6 MHz channel to broadcast a digital signal. The unused 0.62 MHz can be used to transmit a supplementary audio signal.”

 

A chart from the group indicates that by “slightly narrowing the bandwidth used for the DTV broadcast on Channel 6, it is possible to insert an FM audio carrier at 87.76 MHz without degrading the DTV signal or derogating the ability of ATSC tuners to receive it.”

Meltzer said the PCPC is not proposing a shift in analog audio from 87.75 to 87.76 MHz. The exact placement of the audio carrier is less important than the fact that this is a proven concept consistent with the FCC’s rules, which do not require full compliance with the ATSC standard for digital LPTV stations, Meltzer said.

Advocates believe that by narrowing the bandwidth used for the DTV broadcast on Channel 6, it is possible to insert an FM audio carrier at 87.76 MHz without degrading the DTV signal.

“Procedurally, the FCC already has a full record on allowing digital LPTV stations operating on Channel 6 to add an analog audio carrier. The PCPC is merely asking the commission to clarify that the analog sunset rules do not prohibit the broadcast of a supplemental analog audio carrier when existing Channel 6 FM stations transition to digital,” Meltzer said.

According to the FCC, its records indicate there are no digital LPTV Channel 6 stations operating with an analog audio carrier at 87.75 MHz.

UNCERTAINTY

 

LPTV Channel 6 advocates say the commission’s “failure to address questions raised by its 2014 NPRM raises uncertainty about the future of these stations.”

In 2014, the Media Bureau released an NPRM seeking comment on whether digital LPTV stations should be allowed to operate analog FM radio type services on an ancillary or supplementary basis. At the time National Public Radio voiced opposition to the changes.

The FM6 advocates say there is no evidence that a Channel 6 TV station, operating within lawful parameters of its license, causes harmful interference to an FM radio station.

LPTV stations do not have codified rules to protect FM facilities in the reserved band (87.9-91.9 MHz), according to legal observers. And LPFMs are required to protect LPTV (and thus FM6) stations. In addition, FM translators must protect Channel 6 stations.

Since TV Channel 6 is adjacent to the noncommercial portion of the FM band, which runs from 88.1 to 91.9 MHz, there are interference concerns for some observers.

“If the FCC legitimizes Franken FMs, the TV6 radio operators need to follow the same rules applicable to radio, and protect adjacent NCE stations from incoming interference,” said Melodie Virtue, a communications attorney with Foster Garvey.

There currently are no interservice (TV-FM) protection requirements, Virtue said.

“LPTV, as secondary, needs to protect full-power NCEs. There should be protection in favor of the NCE full-power radio stations from FM6 audio stations if those are allowed to continue to exist after the LPTV digital transition deadline.”

PROTECTED CONTOURS

Data collected by REC Networks, an LPFM advocate, appears to support FM6 broadcasters’ argument that interference between FM6s and noncommercial broadcasters is not a concern.

REC told Radio World it has evaluated the service contours of all of the FM6 stations mentioned in PCPC’s ex parte comments. “We found that most of the service contours where those FM6 stations are, there is already a protected contour of a NCE FM station on 88.1 or 88.3 MHz,” said Michi Bradley, founder of REC Networks. “If there is any actual interference from a FM6 station to full-service broadcasters, existing NCE FM stations would already know about it.”

In a related matter, the FCC this year released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (MB docket 19-193) that could affect the LPTV FM6 stations. The NPRM, based on a petition from REC Networks, proposes to improve technical rules that primarily affect LPFM stations.

In it the FCC reaffirms the sunset date for LPTV analog transmissions. But the NPRM also states: “REC concludes (in its petition) that the LPFM rules significantly over-protect TV6 stations and could be reduced with little impact … REC supports but is not proposing a complete repeal of TV protection requirements.”

The FCC further proposes “to provide LPFM stations relief from television 6 protection rules and to eliminate TV6 protections entirely on July 13, 2021, and propose to institute a waiver process in the interim, i.e., as of the effective date of any new rule adopted in this proceeding and before July 13, 2021.”

Industry voices, like NAB, have long been guarded in comments about FM6 stations. NAB declined comment for this story.

Comment on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

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The music platform VuHaus has migrated to NPR Music to give its station clients and the artists it supports a much bigger distribution point.

The nonprofit platform was officially launched in 2015 by Public Media Co. (with a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting) to create a coalition of public radio member stations from across the country to showcase professionally shot in-studio live sessions that highlighted local artists, introduced new music, and promoted up and coming artists.

[Read: VuHaus: All About Music Discovery]

According to an announcement by Paragon Media Strategies, a consulting firm that continues to work with NPR News and others, the video performances, interviews and live streams from VuHaus stations will continue as Live Sessions at NPR Music.

The news comes at a time when both public radio and television revenue have grown in recent years, according to a report by market consultant Public Media Co. For the first time in 2018, the report said, radio’s higher growth rate has led to public radio revenue overtaking public TV’s revenue.

While the consumer-facing name of VuHaus will dissolve with the integration, the name will remain as part of the organization’s B2B station network and operating group. VuHaus will also continue to handle curation, manage station involvement and grow sponsorship revenue for its stations.

The move had been in the works for more than a year, according to Mike Henry, founder of Paragon, in a statement on its website.

According to a statement by Henry, when Paragon began conceiving the concept of a national video platform for public radio music stations, the goals were simple: For public radio stations to retain the expensive video production investments they had made over the years. “Their internal investments had created phenomenal original video content in support of emerging, national and local artists, but there were very few eyeballs and even fewer dollars to cover production expenses,” Henry said in a statement. “After hearing the same concerns from multiple stations, the idea was hatched to aggregate all their video content onto one consumer-facing platform.”

Three years ago when Houston Public Media became an affiliate for the music discovery video platform, the broadcaster’s comments were similar to the assessment of many — the new platform was a means of both supporting its local artists, giving them greater exposure and also introducing audiences to new emerging artists across the country. In the years since its founding, VuHaus has grown to 20 public radio and TV stations.

The VuHaus platform can be viewed at the NPR Music platform.

 

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The Texas broadcaster who pushed the FCC to allow voluntary all-digital transmission on the AM band in the United States is pleased that the commission plans to consider the idea.

“I think this is a uniquely positive step in AM revitalization,” said Ben Downs, reacting to news that the FCC will consider a proposal at its next meeting to take public comments and explore the implications. Downs is VP/GM of Bryan Broadcasting in Texas; he petitioned the FCC in March to initiate a proceeding to authorize the MA3 all-digital mode of HD Radio.

[Read: All-Digital on the AM Band? The FCC Might Allow It Soon]

“We’ve talked for years about the rise in the noise on the AM band and how the quality of receivers has declined. But this is the first time we’ve had a chance to directly resolve both of these issues,” Downs told Radio World in an email. “With the approval of AM all-digital, we have a technology that cleans up all the noise and hash we’ve been complaining about and sends an FM quality signal out of the speakers.”

Going all-digital would mean a station could not be heard on existing analog-only AM receivers. Downs said he recognizes that all-digital would not be the right choice for every station. “We asked for a voluntary standard because of that.”

But he said there are two circumstances where it makes a lot of sense.

One, he said, is an AM station competing with music that has an FM translator for “backup.”

“In that case, the station would be able to compete with high-quality audio while the translator covered listeners who only have analog radios.”

The other, he said, is a major-market station that wants to compete with music but hasn’t been able to break through the low-fidelity reality of AM radio receivers.

“Plus it would be nice to see title, artist and album on the AM dial just like our FM friends,” Downs said.

“There are enough HD Radios being driven around now that it makes sense for operators to think about this step. Every HD radio that’s been sold has the ability to receive AM all-digital. So do you take your chance with the 25% of cars with HD Radio or the shrinking percentage of people who listen to music on AM? It’s a market-based decision.”

Downs said he does not consider an all-digital option as the only answer to AM problems, but a piece of the solution. “And it directly impacts the problem we face on the AM band. I’m glad the FCC realized that AM radio just wants a level playing field. This coming vote allowing all-digital AM is a chance to give AM operators a tool to compete.”

Chairman Ajit Pai described the proposal in a blog post Monday: “Just as the FCC is trying to keep pace with changes in the market, so are AM radio operators, and the commission wants to give them as much flexibility as possible to compete in the digital age,” Pai wrote.

“AM radio stations are currently authorized to operate with either analog signals or hybrid signals, which combine analog and digital signals. In three weeks, we will consider a proposal to allow AM licensees to broadcast using an all-digital signal on a voluntary basis. It would seek comment on topics ranging from the predicted benefits of all-digital AM broadcasting to the interference potential of all-digital stations, as well as addressing the technical standards for all-digital AM stations. And because all-digital broadcasting would be on a voluntary basis, AM operators would be the ones deciding if transitioning is right for them.”

[Read Radio World’s recent ebook “What’s Ahead for All-Digital AM?”]

“I think this is a uniquely positive step in AM revitalization,” Downs told Radio World on Tuesday. “We’ve talked for years about the rise in the noise on the AM band and how the quality of receivers has declined. But this is the first time we’ve had a chance to directly resolve both of these issues. With the approval of AM all-digital we have a technology that cleans up all the noise and hash we’ve been complaining about and sends an FM quality signal out of the speakers.”

 

The post Downs Hails FCC Announcement on All-Digital AM appeared first on Radio World.

AM radio station operators in the United States may soon have the option of switching their transmissions to all-digital.

It’s not a done deal; but the concept is about to take a step closer to reality, because the Federal Communications Commission will consider a proposal at its next meeting that would start a process. It will take comments on whether to allow AM band licensees to make the switch if they want.

Ben Downs, VP/GM of Bryan Broadcasting in Texas, petitioned the FCC in March to initiate a proceeding to authorize the all-digital mode of HD Radio.

[Read a commentary from Ben Downs about why he asked the FCC to take this step.]

Allowing stations to use all-digital transmission is an idea that some broadcasters feel could give business-challenged AM stations in the United States new life or at least another option. Turning off their analog signals would mean that most existing receivers could no longer pick up that signal; but many AM broadcasters are currently heard on FM translator simulcasts now. And adding the all-digital AM option could open up new possibilities for them as the number of digital receivers in the marketplace continues to grow.

One station, WWFD in Frederick, Md., owned by Hubbard, is operating in all-digital AM under special temporary authority, as RW has reported.

Chairman Ajit Pai described the proposal in a blog post Monday: “Just as the FCC is trying to keep pace with changes in the market, so are AM radio operators, and the commission wants to give them as much flexibility as possible to compete in the digital age,” Pai wrote.

“AM radio stations are currently authorized to operate with either analog signals or hybrid signals, which combine analog and digital signals. In three weeks, we will consider a proposal to allow AM licensees to broadcast using an all-digital signal on a voluntary basis. It would seek comment on topics ranging from the predicted benefits of all-digital AM broadcasting to the interference potential of all-digital stations, as well as addressing the technical standards for all-digital AM stations. And because all-digital broadcasting would be on a voluntary basis, AM operators would be the ones deciding if transitioning is right for them.”

[Read Radio World’s recent ebook “What’s Ahead for All-Digital AM?”]

“I think this is a uniquely positive step in AM revitalization,” Downs told Radio World on Tuesday. “We’ve talked for years about the rise in the noise on the AM band and how the quality of receivers has declined. But this is the first time we’ve had a chance to directly resolve both of these issues. With the approval of AM all-digital we have a technology that cleans up all the noise and hash we’ve been complaining about and sends an FM quality signal out of the speakers.”

 

The post All-Digital on the AM Band? The FCC Might Allow It Soon appeared first on Radio World.

If you weren’t able to attend September’s IBC Show in Amsterdam or you just weren’t able to catch up on everything that was on the show floor, you can now catch up with a detailed look at some of the best products via the IBC 2019 Best of Show Award Digital Edition.

This new digital edition offers all of the Best of Show award-winning and nominated products from TVBEurope, Radio World and ProSoundNews Europe. All of the products included were praised for their innovations and how they can help drive the industry forward.

To access the IBC 2019 Best of Show Award Digital Edition, click here.

 

The post IBC2019 Best Of Show Award Digital Edition Now Available appeared first on Radio World.

MILAN — The Radioplayer Italia app will be available in Italy in early 2020.

Last July, many Italian radio broadcasters teamed together to foster their digital presence through any available device. They launched Player Editori Radio (PER) with the goal of giving their listeners a direct, immediate access to partnering stations’ live streaming content, as well as to podcast, extra content and native videos through a single app.

On Oct. 21, PER signed an agreement with Radioplayer, the international industry-backed radio platform, to launch Radioplayer Italia for the benefit of 44 million Italian radio listeners.

HYBRID FOLLOWING

Present members of PER include Italian public service broadcaster Rai, Radio Mediaset, Gedi, Sole 24 Ore, RTL 102.5, RDS, Radio Italia, Radio Kiss Kiss, Radiofreccia, and organizations Aeranti-Corallo and Federazione Radio Televisioni, which include most local broadcasters.

Player Editori Radio comprises public, commercial and local broadcasters in Italy.

Radioplayer is a non-profit radio aggregation model. There are shared technical standards for the browser, the radio-discovery apps and the back-end systems that power them, but broadcasters retain full control over their own branding, streaming, and commercial deals. In addition, each system is specific to the country in which it is available.

The Italian stations will also join the international Radioplayer data feed that powers the hybrid radio interfaces in many Audi, VW and Porsche cars. These smart devices can switch automatically between DAB, FM, and streaming, to keep listeners locked into their favorite radio stations.

As well as enabling “hybrid” switching between broadcast and streaming as reception varies, the new data feed can power next generation features such as personalized radio recommendations, search results and catch-up content.

“We welcome this new partnership,” said Michael Hill, managing director at Radioplayer. “Italy is a major car manufacturing center, and one of the top automotive markets in Europe. We are determined to keep radio strong in the car, and we’ll do it by working closely with broadcasters and car companies.”

PER and Radioplayer representatives celebrate the launch of Radioplayer Italia. (L to R) Massimiliano Montefusco, RDS; Mario Volo, United Music; Michele Gulinucci, Rai; Lorenzo Suraci, RTL 102.5; Laurence Harrison and Lawrence Galkoff, Radioplayer Worldwide; Paolo Salvaderi, Mediaset Radio; and Eugenio Lateana, RTL 102.5.

With the Radioplayer Italia app “we target all digital platforms,” added Michele Gulinucci, PER director. “One key fact is that each content comes directly from the broadcaster, with no additional advertising. Radio evolves by being itself.”

RELATION ENABLER

According to Eugenio Lateana, PER board member and R&D director for RTL 102.5, broadcasters have typically approached Telco companies, web giants and the automotive industry as individual players. Those large-footprint companies are used to dealing with global representative bodies, while they are less used to working with a multitude of individual players.

“The Radioplayer platform has now reached the critical mass required to sit at the same table with those global-business entities,” said Lateana. “More than a mere aggregator, Radioplayer is a relation-enabler between radio broadcasters and the automotive industry, as well as smart speaker manufacturers and other global players.”

Given the availability of the Radioplayer app on a car multimedia system, all partner stations will immediately be available in the dash, as well as podcasts and time-shifts.

Radioplayer APIs will also upload the most recent version of station logos and brands to the radio receiver. Within this workflow, Radioplayer essentially acts as a database populated by radio stations themselves, with no third-party interference. It also provides metadata directly from each station to receivers.

“No single broadcaster nor any national radio industry could realistically achieve that,” Lateana concluded.

 

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Sens. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) and John Thune (R-S.D.) have reintroduced the Reliable Emergency Alert Distribution Improvement (READI) Act, which is meant to improve the emergency alert system and prevent its accidental triggering.

Among other things, the bill would allow broadcasters to repeat presidential and FEMA alerts, something they can’t do now.

The bill was introduced last year — and passed the Senate — in the wake of an inadvertent missile alert triggered in Hawaii during which some people did not receive the alert. “Even though it was a false alarm, the missile alert exposed real flaws in the way people receive emergency alerts,” said Schatz, Oct. 24, ranking member of the Communications Subcommittee.

FCC Investigating Missile False Alarm

Local officials in Hawaii inadvertently issued an incoming nuclear missile alert, leading to some panic and an FCC investigation into the incident.

“South Dakotans understand how drastically the weather can change on a dime,” said Thune, chairman of the subcommittee. “For that reason, among many others, this legislation would make necessary improvements to help keep South Dakotans and communities around the country safe in times of emergency.”

The bill would:

1. “Ensure more people receive emergency alerts by eliminating the option to opt out of receiving certain federal alerts, including missile alerts, on mobile phones;”
2. “Require active alerts issued by the president or FEMA to be repeated. Currently, alerts on TV or radio may only be played once;”
3. “Explore establishing a system to offer emergency alerts to audio and video online streaming services, such as Netflix and Spotify;”
4. “Encourage State Emergency Communications Committees to periodically review and update their state Emergency Alert System plans, which are often out of date;”
5. “Compel FEMA to create best practices for state, tribal and local governments to use for issuing alerts, avoiding false alerts, and retracting false alerts if they occur, as well as for alert origination training and plans for officials to contact each other and federal officials during emergencies;” and
6. “Establish a reporting system for false alerts so the FCC can track when they occur and examine their causes.”

A House version has also been introduced by Reps. Jerry McNerney (D-Calif.), Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii), Pete Olson (R-Texas) and Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.).

“We applaud the leadership of Sens. Schatz and Thune and Reps. McNerney, Bilirakis, Gabbard and Olson for introduction of the READI Act of 2019 which develops guidance and best practices for how state and local governments can improve emergency alerts, particularly to address the issuance of false alerts,” said NCTA — The Internet & Television Association. “As participants in the nation’s emergency alert system, cable operators appreciate Congress’ efforts to improve coordination between federal and local authorities to ensure consumers receive accurate and relevant emergency and public safety information in their local communities.”

 

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Value engineering. What does that mean? As broadcast engineers, we typically don’t build devices, but we do build systems, often made up of equipment from multiple, disparate manufacturers. We start off by determining the goal of the project — just what is the system supposed to accomplish? We then begin drilling down to key elements of the system, their roles and how they interact with other parts of said system.

But always in the background, we’re forced to work within a framework of cost. It’s great to say, “If money were no object, this is what I would do …” but I have yet to work on a project for a radio station in which money was not an object. I’m quite sure the same goes for you. We all have budgets that need to be satisfied.

When we purchase a piece of gear, there are several aspects of it that we must consider:

• Role in the system
• Functionality
• How well it integrates with other parts of the system
• Upfront cost
• Operating cost

And let’s face it, a big part of the purchasing decision is whether we like a brand or not, and that comes mainly from prior experience. Trying a new brand, or a new technology, is often something people don’t want to do because they have no experience with it and can’t form any idea of how it will affect them negatively. “Tried and true” is something most of us want to stick with.

Value engineering comes into play when what you want to accomplish doesn’t fit within budgetary requirements. It’s as simple as that.

Say, for example, you’re moving an entire radio station cluster to a brand-new facility, and when you look at the overall cost for the entire project, you find that it’s short on budget by, say, 10%. (That’s also of concern because you’ve no contingency money at the end.)

Another cause for value engineering would be when you want to get a certain item, but it doesn’t fit within your budget parameters, so you are left figuring out what else can be removed, or otherwise made less expensive, so that your desired “thing” then does fit.

HOW TO FIND THAT 10 (OR MORE) PERCENT

It should be obvious that the easiest way to find savings is by studying the largest budget line items first, since they’ll have the most impact mathematically. In a studio move, for example, that will likely be consoles, followed by furniture. In a transmitter site build, that will likely be the transmitter itself.

If you’ve found out that you are over budget after completing your initial design, likely there will be some anger and frustration to get over. You could be saying to yourself, “We just can’t do it for that much!” and it’s probably true. (Although it’s putting the cart before the horse, many times budgets get set before the system design is complete. It happens that way all the time.)

The order in which I would look for savings, from the least worst to the worst, is this:

• Can I reduce some of the studios to a less complex (and less expensive) console model?
• Can I reduce the size of the routing system? Do I really need that many inputs and outputs?
• Can I defer the building of several of the studios until a different budget period comes along?
• Can I re-use one or more of the “old” studios at the new place until a different budget period comes along?

No one wants to take this approach, but it’s one of the many aspects of managing a large capital project that you must be able to do in order to succeed. Hopefully, you’ll have your project fully budgeted before the station owners say, “Just how much is this going to cost?” so that you don’t find yourself in this position. Be forewarned, though: Just because you have all the numbers added up doesn’t mean that the station owners will agree to that amount.

There’s much more on the topic of value engineering, which we’ll discuss in future editions of Best Practices. And as always, we welcome your contribution on the topic.

Doug Irwin, CPBE AMD DRB, is vice president of engineering at iHeartMedia in Los Angeles and a technical advisor to Radio World.

Comment on this or any story. Email rweetech@gmail.com with “Letter to the Editor” in the subject field.

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NXP Semiconductors in collaboration with the Digital Radio Mondiale consortium hosted the first annual NXP Cockpit & Infotainment Forum in New Delhi on Oct. 22.

Pictured from left to right are Ron Schiffelers, NXP; Ashok Chandak, NXP; Ruxandra Obreja, DRM; Alexander Zink, Fraunhofer IIS; SK Singhal, advisor TRAI; and Yogendra Pal, DRM India Platform.

The newly created one-day event featured presentations and demonstrations of the latest trends and solutions surrounding infotainment — from radio and audio to processing and connectivity. It also provided attendees with insight into the development of DRM and the inclusion of DRM receivers in many of the new models on the roads in India.

[Read: Air Highlights DRM Ahead of Cricket Matches]

DRM says participants also received updates on the All India Radio rollout as well as information on how NXP’s latest generation of software defined radio can facilitate DRM digital radio for infotainment system architectures.

The broadcasting and manufacturing industry as well as representatives from government bodies like the Indian regulator TRAI participated in the forum, sharing their information and experience. They, in turn, received information on the latest developments in the infotainment sector.

“The NXP-DRM car event in New Delhi was a great moment where our message was that DRM, whether in AM or FM, is just one standard with the same features and benefits,” said DRM Chairman Ruxandra Obreja. The demonstrqtions of DRM for FM showed how DRM can also enhance the performance of the many cars that an increasing number of Indians will own.”

 

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Times have changed since 1945, and the FCC wants to make sure that it is keeping up with those changes, seeking to update many of its media rules that may no longer be relevant. The latest such attempt comes with rules dealing with who has access to antenna sites.

The commission announced a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Oct. 25, seeking comment on whether current rules originally crafted in 1945 should be eliminated or revised. Specifically, the rules prohibit the grant, or renewal, of a license for a TV or FM station if the applicant or licensee controls an antenna site that is suitable for broadcasting in the area and does not make the site available for use by other similar licensees.

The FCC says that since the rules were introduced, there has been an increase in antenna sites suitable for broadcasting, a majority of which it says are owned by non-broadcast entities. Calling them “rarely invoked,” the FCC seeks comment on whether the rules are necessary in today’s environment to promote competition and a variety of broadcast sources.

All five commissioners approved of the NPRM.

“These rules date back to 1945,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. “At the time, there was a freeze on broadcast station construction in order to conserve equipment and material needed for World War II. The commission was also concerned about developing the still-nascent FM radio and TV services at a time when broadcasters were still the predominant antenna site owners. But that was a long, long time ago; today there are abundant FM and TV stations, the tower site market is flourishing and commission staff has been unable to find a single instance where these rules were successfully invoked. What they have found are parties citing these rules without a factual basis for doing so, resulting in unnecessary delay of commission proceedings.”

“We must keep up the effort to free traditional, regulated industries from regulatory burdens where appropriate; otherwise, they will continue to fight with one, or both, of their proverbial hands tied behind their backs,” wrote commissioner Michael O’Rielly in his statement.

No deadline for comments has been given at this time.

 

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A bipartisan quartet of House members want to force the FCC to auction C-Band spectrum rather than repurpose it via free-market deals between satellite operators and wireless carriers, as those operators prefer.

The FCC wants to free up as much of that midband (3.7–4.2 GHz) spectrum for 5G as possible, likely at least 300 MHz. Satellite carriers (most as part of the C-Band Alliance) want to be able to strike deals to free up the spectrum. But many in Congress have argued that the money for the public spectrum — to which satellite operators have licenses — should instead go to the Treasury to help fund rural broadband buildouts among other things.

[Read: C-Band Hearing Scheduled for the House]

That definitely includes the four House members who introduced the Clearing Broad Airwaves for New Deployment (C-BAND) Act Thursday (Oct. 24). They are Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), chairman of the Communications Subcommittee, Rep. Doris Matsui (D-Calif.), subcommittee vice-chair, and Reps. Bill Johnson (R-Ohio), and Greg Gianforte (R-Minn.).

“I am pleased to introduce the bipartisan C-Band Act, which would require the FCC to promptly conduct a public auction to provide more much-needed midband spectrum,” said Doyle. “This bill would ensure a transparent and fair process that would generate billions of dollars in revenue to address the urgent needs of millions of Americans such as building out broadband internet service in rural America while protecting users of incumbent services.”

The FCC would have a September 2022 deadline for auctioning the spectrum.

The act:

• “Requires the FCC to hold a public auction of C-Band spectrum;”
• “Allow for no less than 200 megahertz and no more than 300 megahertz of C-band spectrum [with 20 MHz set aside for guard bands];”
• “Ensures that incumbent C-Band users will be protected” by mandating that they get as good or better service than before. Cable operators, who are also eyeing the C-Band spectrum for 5G, have signaled they could support freeing up as much of that spectrum for 5G as is practicable, perhaps even all of it, replacing the satellite feed with fiber. Broadcasters are concerned that fiber would put their must-have programming at the mercy of an errant backhoe that failed to miss the utility, as it were.

The C-Band Alliance initially propose private sales of 200 MHz, but is likely willing to boost that to 300 MHz if they can be private sales rather than an auction.

Incumbent users include broadcasters and cable operators, who receive their programming network feeds via the satellite spectrum.

The bill will definitely be a topic of conversation at the subcommittee’s C-Band hearing next week.

“ACA Connects salutes the House subcommittee for its introduction of this bipartisan bill,” said ACA Connects President Matt Polka. “The bill appropriately recognizes that any repurposing of C-Band spectrum for 5G must ensure the same or better service for existing users of the band, including the cable operators that rely on the band to deliver video programming to millions of households across the nation. If cable operators encounter any reduction in reliability, capability or quality of that service, or any increase in costs, it is competition and consumers that will ultimately suffer, especially in rural America. To head off these concerns, it is important that any C-Band transition fully compensate cable operators for any costs they incur in opening up the band for 5G, and that receiving programming via fiber instead of satellite is an option. We applaud the subcommittee for its leadership and look forward continuing to work together on this critical public policy issue.”

 

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The author is membership program director of the National Federation of Community Broadcasters. NFCB commentaries are featured regularly at www.radioworld.com.

By the time you read this, Facebook will have relaunched its News tab. The Oct. 25 rollout is the social media giant’s return to aggregating journalism. It comes at one of media’s more curious moments, in a period of curiosities aplenty.

Mark Zuckerberg testified before Congress this week, as the House Financial Services Committee inquired about the company’s plans to get into the cryptocurrency business. Facebook had bowed out of news curation after being pelted with accusations of propping up misinformation in its old news feeds during the 2016 elections. Facebook promised to refocus on personal streams. Many media outlets’ fortunes plummeted in the process.

[Read: Community Broadcaster: A Cautionary Tale]

The reentry into news rekindles what has to be a love-hate relationship between journalism and Facebook. No one doubts Facebook’s power to generate audiences or conversation in news. But the power lies in Facebook’s hands and news organizations have minimal influence in what the company’s priorities may be. After Facebook changed its tools to deemphasize news stories, media organizations that had come to depend on Facebook traffic saw stock plunges and layoffs.

Will it be different this time around? Hard to know. Facebook’s newfound interest in local news is encouraging. Given the local lens, for all the criticism of Facebook receives, rightly or wrongly, the News tab could represent a benefit and opportunity to local journalism hubs like community radio.

Facebook would be wise to tap into the vast network of community radio stations providing coverage to their towns, and giving a local perspective to national stories all of us have our eyes on. Whether it’s the excellent coverage by Marfa Public Radio of the El Paso mass shooting or immigration issues, WRFI’s coverage of housing in New York state, or KZMU’s coverage of the complex environmental issues in Utah, there is no shortage of essential stories being told. They’re stories told not from the viewpoint of a parachuting journalist from the coasts, but reporters that live and work in these communities. It is authenticity that is rare in journalism. It is refreshing. And local news from community radio is needed now more than ever, by Facebook and the nation.

Beyond making community news more prominent in feeds, Facebook could build trust by investing financially in community radio journalism and by giving training and access to the slate of new features. Not every community radio station may be able to take advantage of such support, but for those willing and able, a powerful ally can only lift up local voices. Facebook has a unique power in can wield for the betterment of community media.

While details for independent publishers remain sketchy, a process for publishers to submit feeds and stories is expected. One can hope Facebook may have learned from the firestorm during its last foray into news. It launched an initiative to improve news delivered on its platform, and one can hope community radio stations are active in getting themselves listed. Facebook should also take this journalism seriously. I love the Washington Post, Fox News and the like as much as anyone, but Americans deserve the richness community media offers.

 

The post Community Broadcaster: Facebook Needs Community Radio appeared first on Radio World.

Two things have been overlooked with phasing amplitude modulation. One is the importance of pulse modulation; the other is that logic gates can be used for analog signal processing. Both of these things were new areas to explore, along with how far was it possible go with these ideas.

There are three types of pulse modulation that can be used to build other waveforms with. There are pulse width modulation (PWM), pulse phase modulation (PPM) and pulse location modulation (PLM). Whereas PPM can be used to generate the other two forms, PWM only has amplitude information and PLM only has phase information. So to be able to move from one form to the other depends on what is required: amplitude, frequency modulation or both.

By using PPM, we can do both phase and amplitude modulation, as demonstrated with this new phasing modulator amplifier design. This technique is able to work with both radio frequencies (RF) and with light at optical wavelengths.

Over the last three years during which I have been working on this phase modulation technique, it has been a test case to prove and evaluate the findings. Once this is done, the process is repeated again and again, making small improvements with each iteration.

Throughout this research process, it was not possible to go on the internet and see how this technology should work. By being first, there is no limitation on what can and cannot be done. The downside is that it takes a large amount of time to make small amounts of progress.

I also had ongoing support from Stephen Nitikman at our local college electronic labs, working through many different ideas throughout this process.

Once everything was working in class D, this amplifier was pushed into class E and I replaced the low-pass filter with a bandpass filter. The negative was poor modulation of 65.536 kHz; it was too low to be received on an AM broadcast radio.

The next step was to increase the frequency again to go above 150 kHz, to fall within the longwave band. I found that PWM was a limiting factor to modulating the carrier, so it was time to move away from using PWM and to try again with PPM. This is how the two unknown classes of switching amplification were found. At this stage, I needed to do more research into other forms of switching amplification and could not find any match to what I was working with.

After these experiments, I added in a field-programmable gate array (FPGA) into the circuit and used its PPM waveforms as a starting point. It was then possible to modify these pulses with logic gates to build a phasing modulator.

Looking at what was done with the Tayloe mixer and taking a new approach is where the Taylor modulator came from. It is far more than a simple switching RF mixer. The Taylor modulator takes the analog building blocks and converts their analog stages into logic equivalents.

This is an interesting area of discovery that falls between both analog and digital technologies, letting us take the best parts of both to work with. Once I worked out the required logic blocks and how they would go together to build the analog digital modulator (ADM), I soon found it was possible to use it with in-phase and quadrature (I & Q) inputs.

REQUIREMENTS

There is, in my view, a need for a transmitter that has lower total harmonic distortion (THD) and higher amplifier efficiency than any broadcast transmitter that is in production. What is the best way of going about designing such a device?

With AM, there are a number of stages that present problems in reaching these aims. The way to move forward is to look at other ways to generate the desired type of modulation to eliminate many of these shortcomings.

The power amplifier would need to operate in a switching configuration for the highest level of conversion efficiency from the DC input to the RF output stage. The only way this could be done would be by using some form of phasing modulator in combination with a switching amplification process.

Let’s take a look at a couple of current I and Q mixer designs.

Phasing Modulator Version 1

Fig. 1: Basic phase modulator

The most common type of phasing modulator is made up of two balanced mixers offset by a 90° phase shift network. The oscillator is fed into this phase-shift network and each of the two inputs are driven via low pass filters. The two outputs are then combined and fed through a bandpass filter, leaving only the desired frequency. See Fig. 1.

Tayloe Mixer Version 2

Fig 2: Tayloe mixer.

The other common type of phasing modulator is the Tayloe mixer, whereby the phase offset is done in logic by a divide-by-four, generating in this case four phase angles: 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°. The mixing is done with an analog switch, rebuilding the desired output frequency and as with the other type, this is then run through a bandpass filter. See Fig. 2.

BACKGROUND

The phasing modulator has been around since the 1940s. In its early form, it was used to generate SSB as a more efficient transmission format over AM that was widely used at that time. This is when we started working with In-phase and Quadrature inputs, to represent each part of the waveform as Phase and Amplitude.

While AM radio broadcasts have been around for more than 100 years now, the basic idea remains the same, with many improvements made over time. AM radio sound quality has also changed over time. The biggest impact came about with the invention of the super heterodyne receiver and its limited bandwidth, which is a design feature to increase selectivity and reduce adjacent-channel interference, and has therefore limited the audio frequency response to below 7 kHz. This is only one of the factors that have an impact. The others are the overprocessing of modulating audio and poor linearity of modulators and RF amplifiers stages.

Up until now, we have been generating various waveforms and measuring the effects of the pulse widths to work out the minimum required bandwidth. The process described herein works the opposite way and uses pulses to generate various waveforms. This technique is able to work both ways.

This type of quadrature amplification was invented in 2017. After experimenting with an optical road safety system called the Electronic Eye Project, it was soon discovered that the same process could be modified to work at radio frequencies. This form of switching amplification is made up of two parts, one being a phasing modulator using In-phase and Quadrature inputs, the other a switching output stage that acts as the amplifier. For this process to work, it must have a minimum of four pulses: two for the In-phase components positive- and negative-going, and the same for both Quadrature components.

Classes of Amplification

From the beginning of electronic amplification devices, there was a requirement to understand how the amplification process has been done. The way this was worked out in the analog classes was by using angles to specify the on time in degrees. So you had Class A that conducts for all 360° of the cycle, Class B that conducts for 180° x 2 of a cycle, and Class C that conducts for just a few degrees of the cycle and uses an L-C tuned circuit combination to restore the full cycle. With switching amplification, classification is based on the type of switching and the way the output filtering is being done.

Types of Pulse Modulation

Fig 3: Basic pulse waveforms.

PWM has the same information on both sides of the pulse but is mirrored or 180° out of phase, and the phase information is canceled out, leaving just amplitude information. By converting PWM to PPM by removing one side, we keep all the encoded information as well as the all-important phase information. This is, in a way, like what you would get with amplitude modulation with the sidebands on each side of the carrier when all that is needed is just one of the side bands to convey the information.

PWM Amplification

Class D and I are switching amplifiers. Class D uses PWM. This process chops the sine wave into wide or narrow pulses. The widest point of the pulse is at the peak of the sine wave and the opposite at the minimum point. With Class I, there are two in-phase PWM carriers that are connected to a common clock, using a differential process where one input is offset to the other by 180°. This means the audio input needs to be phase-shifted by 0° and 180° to drive each PWM input.

Both classes of amplification, therefore, are linear. What goes in comes out with very good efficiency. These are known as switching classes, and all require filtering after their output stages to remove unwanted harmonics. In class D and I, a low-pass filter is used.

The efficiency of these classes comes from the output device being turned hard on and off, minimizing power being dissipated within the switching device.

Quadrature Amplification

Quadrature amplification starts out with two signals that have the same frequency and are offset by 90°, which is expanded out to four phase angles that have an offset of 90° (0°, 90°, 180° and  270°). Unlike Class D, quadrature amplification works at minimum of four times the highest frequency, where Class D works at a minimum of two times the highest frequency.

Another difference between the other switching classes is that quadrature amplification uses PPM and not PWM. The latter has no phase information and is therefore used to vary only the amplitude. However, if you remove one side, you end up with both the phase and amplitude components. In quadrature amplification, the amplitude part is not used.

Phase information is processed within logic gates and by adding I and Q pulses together, and with that, it is possible to rebuild any type of analog waveform. This is where Nyquist is very misleading, stating you only need two pulses to regenerate a sine wave. This is not true for phase integrity, where you need a minimum of four. This is the key difference between quadrature amplification and what happens in Class D and many other switching classes.

Class P and Q

Fig. 4: Class Q on the left with class P on the right, where the sine and cosine swap based on what sideband information is required. Both of these classes are based on pulse phase modulation.

Class P and Q are unique due to the way that they are based on phasing principles, so you will have sine and cosine parts to the step waveform. These amplifiers employ four pulses as parts of the generated analog waveform: two positive-going and two negative-going. This approach is used in these new forms of amplification, moving on from the limitations of class D and the two-times-clock technique.

There are two forms of quadrature amplification, which I will call Class P and Class Q. In Class P (pulse), you have four PPM pulses that are offset by 90° from each other. In Class Q (quadrature), each side of the pulse has the in-phase and quadrature information.

Fig. 5: Prototype testing with an oscilloscope.

In Class P, each pulse must have less than 25% on time, and you have a gating window that the pulse must fall within. The PPM, therefore, is between 0% and a maximum of 25%. It must be triggered to start at 0°, 90°, 180° and 270°. With PLM, the pulse just needs to be within the gating window. The output waveform, therefore, has 0° and 90° positive-going, and 180° and 270° are negative-going pulses. Possible uses for Class P would be in applications where you need an extra level of processing between input and output stages, whereas Class Q has the higher efficiency of the two.

With Class Q, the maximum on time is 50%, where you will end up moving into Class E (square wave). Therefore, when amplifying a modulated signal, you always will be less than the maximum of 50% on the positive- and negative-going cycles to provide room for modulation. Where there is a sharp cutoff between the linear and nonlinear zones, this starts to have an impact above 25% pulse average until you reach 30%, where it mostly becomes nonlinear. Another way to look at Class Q is that it provides the linearity of class A with the efficiency of Class E, making it ideal for many forms of analog and digital modulation systems.

With quadrature amplification, it can also be used for audio applications, but there is no real advantage over existing classes like D and I, so my focus has been on RF applications where I and Q inputs are used.

The phasing technique used is the same for both classes. The only difference is in pulse processing stage of the modulator. In Class P, you have four time slots for each of the angles, where one side of each pulse is modulated (PPM). The location within that time slot can also vary, using pulse position modulation. In Class Q, each side is modulated. The positive side has two parts of the information and the negative side has the other two. With Class Q, the 0° and 90° phases are set in the pulse processing stage, but are not so important in the pulse converter stage.

As with Class D and all the other switching classes, output filtering becomes very important to rebuild the analog waveform. Both Class P and Q use low-pass, bandpass or a combination of both.

The table shows amplifier grouping types.

Table 1: Amplifier Grouping Types

A Class Q AM Broadcast Transmitter

By using one dual device and doubling the frequency, in logic I then did a divide by two, bringing the operating frequency back down to 660 kHz from 1.32 MHz. With this version, it modulated both digital and analog waveforms with very good linearity. For analog testing, I used AM Stereo (C-QUAM), and for digital, Digital Radio Mondiale (DRM) was used at 64QAM.

Fig. 6: ADM design version 4, modulating QPSK. Fig. 7: ADM design version 4, modulating 16QAM.

The current prototype has elements of all the other versions as well as new ideas for the first fully-working AM transmitter. Whereby in this configuration you are able to operate up to the maximum frequency of 10 MHz, this is well within the range of the AM broadcast band from 540 to 1700 kHz. All the testing was done over three frequencies, 660, 1110 and 1500 kHz, where there were gaps found between local radio stations. For the output power, I was getting a maximum of 200 watts at 100% modulation, using an LDMOS switching device.

Operating in I and Q Mode

Operating in I and Q mode with DRM using an offset of 12 kHz, there is no issue generating any waveform type, regardless of the type of information been sent analog or digital. A waveform as complex as COFDM can easily be modulated. The only limitation is the linearity of the phase modulators used. This is why the THD is so important.

Fig. 8: ADM design version 5, modulating QPSK. Fig. 9: ADM design version 5, modulating 16QAM.

Unlike other types of analog RF amplifiers, this configuration uses very nonlinear amplification, just two states: on and off. So phase noise and phase distortion effects need to be minimized wherever possible. This is why so much negative feedback was used in various parts of this circuit.

Fig. 10: Two-tone test.

From Fig. 10, you can see the version using two phase modulators with better switching output devices made an improvement over Version 4 using the four-phase modulator design. This was due the switching power MOSFETs that had a higher amount of phase distortion.

In version 5, a newer design was used for the negative feedback path, using two PWM signals through a low-pass filter driving back into each of the inputs of the phase modulators. With quadrature amplification, it is an ultralinear process, where most of the distortion takes place in the phase modulator stages (converting the analog inputs to PPM or PWM). With ongoing improvements, I am sure it is possible to bring this level of distortion down, closer to 0.5% at 100% modulation.

NEXT VERSION

Fig. 11: Two-tone test at 750 Hz and 1 kHz.

I now have my first working product based on the experimental work done with all the previous versions. The next version is a 100-watt model that operates in Class Q with a small number of improvements, such as using a new type of phase modulator design, providing a wider frequency range from LF all the way up to HF. It also has an in-built audio compander stage just before the preemphasis to provide improved signal-to-noise performance on the receive side. The plan is to go with this design for on-air testing here in Toronto this year.

Fig. 12: 99% modulation at 1 kHz.

The 1 kW model uses the NXP MRFX1K80H device. For higher efficiency, I am working with a switching DC power supply rail to operate in class G and Q using a combination of techniques from the older versions with flexibility from a common hardware layout. Quadrature amplification is a fully scalable process, making for much higher power levels above 1 kW possible with minimal design changes.

This transmitter design is lost on your average AM receiver. I am using a Denon TU-680NAB receiver connected to a Pioneer EX-9000 expander, and this is providing good off-air performance with this setup. With renewed interest in AM stereo, I hope manufacturers will soon get the message and start making receivers again — it is not that hard to do in a single DSP chip these days.

Grant Taylor started experimenting with a simple FM transmitter in high school. He spent the next few years experimenting with home-made television equipment within amateur radio. From there, he worked repairing and installing outside broadcast links in New Zealand, which led to working on local radio and television infrastructure projects. He experiments with new technologies that have applications in broadcasting.

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Purbeck Coast FM, which just began broadcasting earlier in 2019 in Dorset, United Kingdom, is going with WorldCast Systems as the supplier for its audio transmission system. WorldCast Systems’ U.K. distributor Baudion managed the project.

Needing a system to link its studios with the transmitter site 4 km away, Purbeck went with WorldCast’s studio-to-transmitter-link codecs, an Ecreso FM 300 W transmitter and an ATP IP Silver encoder that was installed at the studio, while an ATP IP Silver decoder was put at the transmitter site. The connectivity uses two IP paths, one through a microwave radio link and a second via internet VPN.

Purbeck shares its transmission site with other FM stations, so in order to comply with U.K. regulator Ofcom’s requirements, WorldCast Systems is supplying an additional custom, tuned filter to remove unwanted intermodulation products.

The station is using the Ecerso transmitter’s backup audio players as a program source, which allows the STL codec configuration to be monitored and optimized prior to the commencement of broadcasting from the studios.

 

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The authors are the founders, respectively, of StreamGuys and Barix AG.

Reliable urban performance is particularly important for competing with satellite, which often has dropouts even in cities with terrestrial repeaters.

As with most things in the broadcast universe, the transition from legacy to IP workflows has been gradual. In radio, this is perhaps best represented in the STL category.

For one thing, IP networks were uncharted, unproven territory for audio transport. The less reliable nature of IP as a transport medium versus tried-and-true T1/E1 lines was an immediate concern for broadcasters. From dropped packets to network outages, time spent off the air is money and listeners lost.

But there were other concerns as well. Working with IP meant learning an entirely new operation; configuration processes often required IT specialists to open firewalls and establish IP addresses on send (encode) and receive (decode) devices — a starting point that caused major frustration and confusion for many. This would grow even more complex for broadcasters seeking to adopt IP for point-to-multipoint architectures such as program syndication.

Once operational with live, local area connections, these send and receive devices, along with other boxes in the architecture that began to speak digital, required a great deal of local management and monitoring to ensure consistent reliability. That required being on-premise to manage all of these systems on the network.

Architecture of an uncompressed reflector and remote encoder system.

Security was also a concern — a concern that remains, but continues to grow stronger thanks to more secure solutions, and a better understanding of how broadcasters should protect their networks.

Early innovations like the Barix Reflector Service aimed to change these dynamics by providing a plug-and-play solution that simplified configuration, enhanced security and established a future foundation for cloud management. As these challenges have been addressed more strongly and broadcasters transition to IP more aggressively, the next logical question was how to optimize audio quality and support new media services over the network.

Radio has often been an industry of compromise; and with IP transport that compromise has been to the detriment of great-sounding audio. For radio studios and content owners in the adjacent audio production landscape, the focus is on creating high-quality, impactful audio. On the internet, the industry begrudgingly has accepted compressed formats — albeit for good reasons.

MP3 compression was widely accepted when the internet was slow; and in terms of compressed formats, it remains the most reliable when it comes to managing program-associated metadata. Nowadays, connections of 10 Mbps, 100 Mbps and even 5 Gbps are supporting 4K video to consumers, along with more efficient metadata management. It is now possible to send uncompressed streams over once-unthinkable 4G connections, for example, where T1 or better was traditionally necessary.

The question remains: With upload bandwidth no longer a concern, why compromise a radio station’s audio quality with compression?

Compressed formats still have a role in content networking and distribution, but when packaged for last-mile delivery to the consumer, the concept of “no compromise” in the signal chain is enormously important. This, along with a desire to support new media services and business models, makes an increasingly stronger case for broadcasters to move to an uncompressed IP transport service.

MOVING TOWARD GREATNESS

Similar to how broadcasters grew comfortable with IP, operating within the cloud is no longer a technical uncertainty. The transition has been similarly gradual, but the evidence exists that moving to the cloud is both operationally sound, while also simplifying systems management. This also reduces exposure to security risks, as the devices within the architecture are phoning home to the CDN or service providers, versus living inside the broadcaster’s network.

For example, there is no longer a need to run encoders on-premise for an uncompressed service. In most cases, the in-studio overhead is reduced to a stable desktop solution — typically well under $1,000.

Today’s premium encoders no longer need to sit inside the studio environment, and instead will reliably take in an input signal and its associated metadata in the cloud. In addition to reducing equipment costs and maintenance, operationally this cloud-based architecture unlocks the potential to mix-and-match digital signage processors, as well as codecs. The latter provides the flexibility to repackage program audio in HLS or segmented formats required for the radio affiliate, tower and or/consumer.

The metadata component unlocks a lot of this potential and flexibility at the final production stage. In addition to simplifying encoding into several formats, the presence of metadata provides more information to the listener to visualize and enhance the user experience. That same information also simplifies royalty reporting for the artists.

Enabling the service comes down to a stable, dedicated connection on the WAN interface — the same configuration that an ISP would embrace — that can support a bandwidth payload of 1.4 Mb per second. A 1.4 Mbps payload will support uncompressed PCM audio at 44.1 kHz, which delivers a human resolution up to 20 kHz — the standard for compact disc audio. This is representative of the Nyquist frequency, delivering a high-fidelity signal at approximately half of the sampling rate.

PCM audio, which represents the starting point of the uncompressed audio, remains a more reliable format for external IP distribution landscape. While AES67 inside the studio has come to fruition, PCM is still better equipped to tolerate the latencies and network condition variables of long-haul IP transport; our tests and real-world deployments prove latency at sub-1 second, with very minimal packet loss.

With more data moving across the network in an uncompressed format, packet loss or slight bandwidth interruptions will have minimal impact on the resulting audio quality.

There will come a time where 192 kHz resolution will be more reliable to manage over long distances, but PCM will provide the high fidelity of an uncompressed audio service with optimal reliability on today’s networks.

SOLVING PROBLEMS

While understanding the path to uncompressed transport is necessary, what matters most to broadcasters is solving problems and supporting new services. Let’s outline some of these scenarios, the value that an uncompressed transport platform delivers.

Quality Sourcing

Operating within a cloud workflow requires that the broadcaster send the program audio data into the cloud. While this can be achieved with a compressed stream, that signal will require further compression from downstream transcoding or transrating, among other processes. The more the audio is encoded and compressed, the greater likelihood of stream latency, undesirable audio artifacts and other issues with quality of experience.

With uncompressed source audio, a single encoding stage will support a varied bouquet of codecs and bitrates required for many consumer formats. And, with one device accommodating all encoding, the outputs are more tightly aligned from a latency perspective. This remains true when outputting different protocols, such as RTMP and HLS, at the encoding stage.

Therefore, working with uncompressed source audio — in addition to enhancing sound quality for audiences — will deliver a wide array of tightly aligned outputs encoded once from the master quality source.

Encoder Upgrades

As referenced earlier, moving encoders to the cloud introduces several new operational efficiencies, both in terms of upgrade and network growth.

On-premise encoders are offered in two flavors: a hardware device with fixed, limited CPU and RAM resources, and a software solution that typically runs on a PC or Mac. Both offer limitations that are amplified when working within an uncompressed environment.

The built-in capabilities of a hardware encoder are typically finite, and upgrades are often limited by what the vendor makes available. Any significant changes, such as adding a new codec or an increase in CPU processing, will likely require replacement of the encoder, with a potentially lengthy configuration process to bring the new system online.

While a software encoder is typically easier to replace, the supporting computer infrastructure hosting the software may require an upgrade. Over the long term, the management of that software, computer hardware and operating system will escalate costs and labor — and potentially put more stress on an already overburdened IT department.

Cloud encoders offer a simpler upgrade path. Most can be sized on the fly to amplify computing resources without wasting unnecessary resources and power, while also eliminating the need to replace the OS or software. An increase in available CPU, RAM and/or disk resources can be executed through a simple reboot process.

Scaling the infrastructure is also much easier in the cloud environment, with greater flexibility to increase the number of encoders efficiently without burdensome integration costs and labor.

Systems Management

The audio contribution and distribution pool continues to broaden, and broadcasters are finding themselves more limited by the locations of their on-premise encoders. For example, a remote contribution application may be limited by the resources and gear of the corresponding studio. Perhaps the content has been supplied to an affiliate that has no control of the master studio.

More specifically, an on-premises encoder increases the challenge of encoding at the right point in the signal chain. If the on-premise encoder is not at the precise location where the broadcaster desires, this means that encoding at the distribution point to the end user or desired application may not be possible — potentially introducing more than one encoding stage in the workflow.

Encoding in the cloud solves this problem by offering the option to insert the encoding output at any relevant place in the signal chain. If the broadcaster wants to condition and process a signal prior to sending to an affiliate, that affiliate could use an uncompressed master signal to feed their headend. From there, the uncompressed feed can be transported without any encoding required. Instead, a decoder can be supplied that can pass through the unmodified source at very low latency.

Using a cloud encoder also enables the broadcaster to send high- and low-bitrate signals in two formats, such as HE-AAC v2 and AAC-LC — and then output them as both RTMP, HLS and Icecast audio sources. A single uncompressed signal at the studio, with a fixed bandwidth rate of 1.4 Mbps, is all that is required, which equates to much less than the combined total of sending high and low bitrates for each protocol.

The overarching benefit here is that the management burden at the studio is reduced to one output to support a wide array of audio contribution and distribution requirements.

 

OUT IN THE REAL WORLD

Philadelphia-based WXPN, the public radio service of the University of Pennsylvania, is one example of a major broadcaster that has embraced the benefits of uncompressed audio over IP for program syndication. The broadcaster set out to develop a more sustainable distribution model for its XPoNential Radio channel, leveraging the Reflector Service from StreamGuys and Barix.

XPoNential Radio was originally distributed to affiliates via satellite and offered only for use on HD2 or HD3 channels. WXPN wanted to widen the usage of the channel to include primary broadcast, and while it continues to use satellite for national programming, the station sought an alternative, sustainable distribution model for the smaller-scale XPoNential Radio. Despite cost-effectiveness being one of the station’s motivations, quality and reliability were also key criteria.

The WXPN architecture leverages uncompressed PCM audio, which is transported between the encoding and decoding endpoints across the CDN infrastructure, while link management is simplified through a cloud-based portal. The station has achieved lossless, CD-quality audio enabled by uncompressed delivery to affiliates as far away as Alaska. New affiliates plug in Ethernet, power and audio cables to receive XPoNential Radio programming. Affiliates connect using 1.4 to 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth, which is plenty to receive the uncompressed signal and deliver it to consumers.

Moving the service to the cloud simplifies management, with station personnel able to access the portal to confirm that all clients are connected and streaming. The portal also allows operators to start, stop and configure delivery to each affiliate. Service can also be terminated for any client directly through the management portal.

Affiliates also don’t need any “special” internet connectivity to use the service. A very modest 1.5 Mbps of bandwidth is enough to receive the uncompressed signal, and most consumer-level internet connections are sufficiently reliable and stable. Even WXPN does not require hefty bandwidth regardless of how many affiliates they serve, as the Barix Reflector service takes a single feed from the origin (a Barix codec), with StreamGuys’ delivery network scaling out the bandwidth for reaching recipients.

 

BRINGING IT TOGETHER

As we look deeper into the future, the enhanced reliability and flexibility of an uncompressed IP service will provide a strong value proposition that will be hard to deny. Uncompressed STL will simply deliver T1-like audio quality over IP unhindered by downstream processes like transcoding, while syndicators will save a great deal of money and labor in the transition from satellite to IP for contribution and distribution.

Moving encoders into the cloud will support more formats and services while reducing the systems management burden, both at the studio and elsewhere in the audio contribution and distribution chain. The opportunity to better manage metadata alongside the uncompressed program audio stream will strengthen business opportunities and the consumer experience. And, the adaptability to accommodate even high-resolution formats as network conditions evolve will surely open new doors from both a service provision and listener experience perspective.

Kiriki Delany, a musician, computer geek and multimedia specialist, founded StreamGuys in 2000. Johannes Rietschel, a communications engineer by heart, founded Barix AG in 2000 and serves as CTO.

The post Make the Most of Your Uncompressed Opportunities appeared first on Radio World.

The author is president of WorldDAB.

LONDON — The last 12 months have been an exciting period for DAB digital radio. At the end of last year, the European Union adopted the European Electronic Communications Code (EECC), which will require all new car radios in the EU to be capable of receiving digital terrestrial radio. Shortly afterwards France confirmed the launch of national DAB+ with the support of all their major broadcasters.

Patrick Hannon

DEVELOPMENTS

Progress has continued throughout 2019 — in May, Austria launched national DAB+ services and in the summer, Sweden saw the launch of national commercial DAB+.

More established markets have maintained their momentum in driving DAB+ digital radio forward. Following Norway’s switch-off in 2017, Switzerland has confirmed the switch-off of national FM services by the end of 2024; Germany and the Netherlands continue to make strong and steady progress, and the United Kingdom is seeing record levels of digital listening.

Belgium, the country hosting this year’s General Assembly, is also seeing high levels of activity, with both the Flemish (Dutch Speaking) and Wallonia (French speaking) regions demonstrating their commitment to the growth of DAB+.

[Read: EuroDAB Italia Begins Airing BBC World Service]

A further important development in Europe is the introduction of regulation requiring consumer receivers to include DAB+. Such laws will come into force in Italy and France in 2020, while a similar law — coming into effect in December 2020 — has just been passed in Germany. For WorldDAB, encouraging the adoption of such rules in other markets will be a priority in 2020 and beyond.

Joan Warner, CEO Commercial Radio Australia, addresses the audience at the 2018 WorldDAB general assembly.

We are also seeing interesting developments outside of Europe, with numerous markets pursuing trials in the Middle East, North and South Africa as well as Southeast Asia, and more significant developments in Australia and Tunisia. The former is now seeing its highest ever levels of DAB+ radio being fitted in new cars, while the latter — which is a potential gateway to the wider Arabic speaking region — has recently launched the first regular services in North Africa.

PROTECTING RADIO BROADCASTERS

Against this positive background, it’s increasingly clear that broadcasters and policy makers are concerned about the growing power of the tech giants in relation to national, regional and local content providers. This is likely to be a key topic of discussion at this year’s General Assembly. As WorldDAB, our focus will be on highlighting the contribution which DAB+ radio makes toward promoting and protecting the interests of national and local radio broadcasters.

Of course, the digital radio listening experience is evolving, and DAB+ is not the only digital platform. The key to long-term success is to position DAB+ at the heart of broadcasters’ digital strategies, and ensure its unique characteristics are preserved as the radio industry moves forward.

All of the above topics will be covered over the two days of the event held in Brussels, Belgium, and we look forward to seeing as many of you as possible there.

 

 

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Dave Kolesar is senior broadcast engineer for Hubbard Radio. Mike Raide is manager of broadcast engineering at Xperi Corp. WWFD is serving as a real-world testbed for MA3, which the authors say provides more coverage and less adjacent-channel interference than hybrid MA1.

For AM stations, today’s HD Radio technology hasn’t done much to level the playing field with FM, satellite and streaming services such as Spotify. One major reason is that the current system uses the MA1 waveform, which, although it provides HD Radio capabilities such as high-fidelity audio, artist information and album artwork, may do so in only part of a station’s coverage area.

Fig. 1: The MA1 (hybrid) waveform.

MA1’s digital carriers also require three times more bandwidth than the analog signal, so they create more adjacent channel interference — an annoyance that’s among the reasons why people choose alternatives such as FM, SiriusXM or Pandora. So by providing a better listening experience for some stations, MA1 actually undermines others.

But HD Radio has another, far superior waveform that AM stations could use: MA3, which minimizes the interference problem and extends HD Radio’s capabilities to the vast majority of a station’s coverage area. The difference is MA3 is an all-digital signal, whereas MA1 is a hybrid of analog and digital.

In the MA1 mode, the analog carrier is flanked by primary, secondary and tertiary OFDM carriers, each with its own power level. In MA3, the primary carriers replace the analog carrier, and their power increases by 15 dB. MA3 also relocates the secondary carriers to the upper sideband and the tertiary carriers to the lower sideband, and both have their power increased to –30 dBc.

Thus the MA3 mode requires 20 kHz of bandwidth, while MA1 needs 30 kHz.

Fig. 2: The MA3 (all-digital) waveform.

MA3’s spectral efficiency provides two major benefits. First, MA3 protects the listening experience for first and second adjacent stations because the narrower bandwidth means less “slop” onto their signals, which is a longstanding problem with MA1, particularly after sunset. Second, MA3’s lower bandwidth requirement means it’s more likely to be capable of using antenna systems that were inadequate for MA1. As a result, more stations potentially can upgrade to digital because MA3 enables them to avoid the expense of replacing their antenna system.

Over the past year, WWFD in Frederick, Md., has served as a testbed that vendors, broadcasters and the FCC can use to understand how upgrading a station to MA3 affects antenna systems, transmitters and engineering practices. Here are the lessons learned so far, and a preview of the drive-test results that will be covered in a follow-up article.

THE STRATEGY AND BUSINESS CASE FOR GOING ALL-DIGITAL

Fig. 3: WWFD retuned daytime antenna Smith chart.

Owned by Hubbard Radio, WWFD runs an adult album alternative format on 820 kHz. It operates 4.3 kW non-directional during the day and switches to a 430 W two-tower array at night.

WWFD also has a 160 W translator, W232DG, on 94.3 MHz. Most WWFD listeners migrated to the translator after it signed on in July 2017, which made it feasible from a business perspective to replace the analog carrier with MA3 on an experimental basis.

If those tests were successful enough to continue using MA3, the translator could be used to educate listeners about the availability and benefits of the all-digital AM outlet. One example is explaining that when the translator’s signal starts to fade, they can switch their vehicle’s HD Radio to 820 and keep enjoying crystal-clear music for another 30–50 miles.

Fig. 4: WWFD retuned daytime antenna Smith chart marker data.

The FCC granted Hubbard a one-year STA to operate WWFD in MA3 mode, a switch that took place on July 16, 2018. Getting to that point took a lot of time, effort and collaboration with Kintronic Laboratories and Cavell, Mertz and Associates for the antenna system, and Broadcast Electronics, Nautel and GatesAir for the transmitters. Xperi Corp. lent its expertise to set up the digital transmitters, and to verify the operation of the antenna system.

GETTING A 58-YEAR-OLD ANTENNA SYSTEM DIGITAL READY

Fig. 5: WWFD retuned nighttime antenna Smith chart.

Early on, the MA3 mode would be used on 1670 kHz via a diplex into the existing 820 kHz antenna system. The 820 antenna system had undergone several modifications over the decades, including tower changes as part of a frequency change in 1987, and had not been characterized since it was last modified in 1991.

The first step was to measure every coil and capacitor, verify schematics and correct mistakes. Kintronic Labs helped with this process by analyzing the results and recommending changes. For example, they determined that the antenna system’s day and night performance was inadequate for all-digital transmission — no surprise, considering that WWFD has always been entirely analog and never used the MA1 mode. To support digital operations, a rule of thumb says that the SWR should be 1.4:1 ±15 kHz from the center frequency. WWFD’s was 1.8:1 at 10 kHz for the day mode, and 2.1:1 at 10 kHz for the night mode.

To bring things to the desired levels, Kintronic Labs redesigned the phasor and ATU networks. The goal was to enable optimal phase shifts to provide enough bandwidth to support all-digital transmission, while also keeping the number of new components to a minimum.

Several challenges stood in the way. For example, WWFD’s two towers are less than 90 degrees high, which restricts the bandwidth of the tuning units. The system also has filter and detuning networks both for the 1670 kHz operation and to protect another station whose 930 kHz facility is less than a mile away.

Fig. 6: WWFD retuned nighttime antenna Smith chart marker data.

One set of changes involved the ATUs, where the L networks were converted into T networks so the phase shifts could be adjusted to optimize bandwidth. Inside the phasor, the T networks that adjust each tower’s phase shift were converted to series LC networks. This enabled fine-tuning controls for the larger shifts at the ATUs. Longstanding issues needed to be addressed as well. One example is the discovery of an unbonded, abandoned RPU line, which had created extra capacitance across one tower’s base insulator, adversely affecting the tower’s self-impedance.

The daytime network uses only the T network in tower 2, where the tuning process simply required adjusting for an impedance of 50 + j0 at the transmitter. With all of the modifications and repairs, the bandwidth turned out to be more than adequate, with a measured SWR of less than 1.35:1 at ±10 kHz.

The two-tower directional nighttime array was more complicated. Dummy loads were inserted at each ATU’s input, with an Array Solutions Power AIM 120 looking backward into each network from the antenna side. The matching networks were then set for the complex conjugate of the drive point impedance measured when the array had been in substantial adjustment.

With the networks reconnected, the phasor controls were used to put the array back into substantial adjustment. A bridge was inserted at the output of each phasor port, and the transmission lines were matched to 50 + j0 using the “cut and try” method.

Finally, the input network to the phasor (i.e., the “common point”) was adjusted to provide the transmitter with an impedance of 50 + j0. Now in tune, the night network was swept for bandwidth, and had an SWR of not more than 1.37:1 at ±10 kHz. The entire antenna system was now capable of passing the MA3 waveform.

FINDING THE RIGHT TRANSMITTER

For analog, WWFD uses a Harris Gates Five as the main transmitter, with a Nautel AMPFET Five for auxiliary service. Re-using the AMPFET Five for MA3 wasn’t an option because it can’t support digital, so a BE AM-6A was brought in as the new main transmitter. A Nautel AM IBOC exciter and BE ASi-10 were added to generate MA3 waveforms, and for testing and demonstrating interoperability between different manufacturers’ equipment.

Next, each transmitter’s audio input was connected to its exciter’s magnitude output, while each transmitter’s external oscillator input was connected to the phase output. The first round of tests used the Nautel exciter and AM-6A transmitter, with the balanced magnitude exciter output interfaced to the balanced (left) audio input of the transmitter through an H-Pad variable attenuator.

The tests followed the manufacturer’s instructions for implementing the MA1 mode. Once the transmitter was tuned properly for MA1 operation, the exciter was flipped to MA3 mode. The transmitter’s audio input was set to not exceed 95 percent negative modulation, while positive peaks were typically above 150 percent.

With a spectrum analyzer monitoring the transmitter’s RF output, the phase delay was adjusted for minimum spectral regrowth. Ideally this adjustment should be done with the secondary and tertiary carriers turned off (i.e., in MA3 core mode, with just the primary carriers being transmitted). That’s because some regrowth may be hidden underneath the secondary and tertiary carriers in the full MA3 mode.

Now optimized, the MA3 secondary carriers were turned back on. At ±25 kHz from the channel center, the regrowth was limited to –65 dBc with reference to the pilot channel. These results ensure compliance with the NRSC-2 spectral emissions mask.

DEVELOPING A NEW POWER MEASUREMENT PROCEDURE

Fig. 7: WWFD transmitter configuration.

The STA didn’t change WWFD’s licensed operating parameters for power output and directionality. But because the MA3 mode is an OFDM method of transmission, all-digital power can’t be measured using the traditional analog AM practices.

For example, MA3’s peak-to-average ratio is significantly higher than that of analog AM, so the transmitter’s power level meter may read inaccurately. Also, if the transmitter isn’t optimized for MA3 mode, the peak-to-average ratio may be reduced, and a different power level reading may result than if the transmitter been optimally adjusted.

Thus, a new procedure is necessary to verify that transmitters are operating at licensed power when in MA3 mode.

INITIAL DRIVE RESULTS DEMONSTRATE REAL-WORLD BENEFITS

Qualitative field strength measurements used the station’s existing Potomac Instruments FIM-21 meter, which was checked against an FIM-4100, which is specifically designed to handle the MA3 mode. The FIM-21 and FIM-41 meters indicate lower field strengths in MA3 than what a FIM-4100 reads because the latter has passband filters that encompass the entire waveform. As a result, measurements must be compared side-by-side, and a multiplication factor for each individual meter (due to variances in the IF filter sections for the FIM-21 and FIM-41 meters, or any superheterodyne meter) should be used when a qualitative check is desired, and a newer meter is unavailable.

Daytime drive tests used multiple vehicles’ factory OEM radios. Under ideal daytime conditions, the MA3 primary carriers can be decoded down to the 0.1 mV contour, as confirmed via reception reports and drive testing at or near Harrisburg, Pa., Breezewood, Pa. and Cambridge, Md. Critical hours propagation phenomena typically reduce reliable coverage to the 0.5 mV contour.

Nighttime MA3 reception generally follows the station’s nighttime interference free (NIF) contour: Wherever an analog carrier-to-noise ratio of 20 dB is achieved, the MA3 carrier will generally be received. Early evening reception goes well beyond the NIF. As co-channel skywave interference increases during the evening, coverage is reduced to the NIF. In the station’s 2.0 mV contour, in-vehicle reception was reliable, without zero dropouts in either the Frederick urban core or underneath bridges. Reliable urban performance is particularly important for competing with satellite, which often has dropouts even in cities with terrestrial repeaters.

The MA3 waveform is adversely affected by the deep nighttime null that WWFD uses to protect WBAP in Dallas. Drive testing shows that reception is lost on this axis before the predicted contour, due to the directional antenna system suppressing the center of the channel more than the sidebands. This is likely to be a common condition in arrays with high degrees of carrier suppression and disappears once off the null axis.

TO REVITALIZE, DON’T COMPROMISE

The work thus far by WWFD, Xperi and its other collaborators shows that MA3 has a viable, highly promising role in enabling the AM revitalization sought by both the industry and the FCC. This promise is reflected in NPRM petitions to allow MA3. One example is Bryan Broadcasting’s March 2019 petition, which subsequently received numerous positive comments in support. This growing interest and support among station owners, equipment vendors and the rest of the industry highlights why WWFD’s testbed is so important.

In particular, the drive tests demonstrate that MA3 can provide not only high-fidelity audio, but also album artwork, artist information and other data, throughout a station’s coverage area. All of these features will help AM stations compete with FM, satellite and streaming in both vehicles and homes.

Just as important, the drive tests show that MA3 avoids all of MA1’s biggest drawbacks, starting with excessive bandwidth requirements that result in adjacent-channel interference. Another is MA1’s annoying hiss due to how its digital carriers often bleed into the analog signal in receivers with wide IF bandwidth. Finally, unlike MA3, MA1’s digital carriers are 30 dB lower in amplitude than the analog carrier, which limits digital signal robustness and reception range.

Day and night drive testing currently is underway. Next time we will explore the lessons learned from those drive tests, and discuss further optimization of the antenna system as well as power measurement options.

Comment on this or any story. Email rweetech@gmail.com.

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A hearing on C-Band spectrum, titled “Repurposing the C-Band to Benefit All Americans,” has been scheduled by the House’s Energy & Committee and its Communications & Technology Subcommittee for Tuesday, Oct. 29, at 10 a.m.

The use of the C-Band spectrum in the 3.7–4.2 GHz band is currently used by broadcasters and satellite operators, but is being considered for possible use by 5G.

[Read: FCC Wants Additional Comments on C Band Issue]

“The FCC must repurpose the C-Band in a manner that promotes competition, spurs the 5G revolution and yields revenue for important priorities here at home,” said Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J), Energy & Commerce Committee chairman, and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), chairman of the Communications & Technology Subcommittee, in a joint statement. “There may be a need for legislation to reduce uncertainty and benefit Americans.”

They added, “What we don’t want is the Federal Communications Commission to become mired in litigation that slows 5G deployment. We must ensure the American people benefit from this process, and we look forward to discussing these important issues at the hearing next week.”

Information regarding the hearing, including a livestream, will be available on the Energy & Commerce Committee website.

 

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Those tornados Sunday night in Dallas sent KNON(FM) dark after a direct hit on the building housing the radio station’s studios.

Dave Chaos, station manager for KNON, was at home enjoying the Dallas Cowboys football game on TV when his radio station was literally blown away by the tornado.

“Great game but it was a horrible storm. I had a call at home that we had lost power at the radio station about an hour prior. Then the tornado hit the building and about all was lost,” Chaos says.

[Read: Months After Hurricane, WTJX Fights On]

The office building housing the radio station in North Dallas suffered major damage, including blown out windows. In addition, part of the building’s roof was blown off. Serious damage was done to the station’s main studio and offices, Chaos said. Some of the station’s broadcast equipment was damaged by the estimated 140 mph winds and broken glass and likely won’t be salvageable.

“We had several employees at the radio station when the tornado hit. They hid in the bathroom as the tornado roared past and shook the building. It scared them but they were uninjured,” he said.

KNON returned to the air less than 36 hours after the tornado, Chaos said, and continues to broadcast from a small brick building located at its transmitter site, which is located in Cedar Hill, approximately 20 miles southwest of its former studios. The transmission site remained intact following the storm.

“We are broadcasting at full power from an empty transmitter room and plugged straight to the transmitter. It’s about a 10 x 10 room. We have a few tables with a 16-channel Behringer mixer board, two CD players and two mics,” Chaos said. “We also have a USB connection into the board so we can plug laptops in with music to play.”

Chaos says the station will have to find a new permanent home since the damage to the station’s building is so severe. “We’ve already been told by the owners of the building we will not be able to rebuild there.”

KNON, which is owned by Agape Broadcasting Foundation, broadcasts at 89.3 MHz and also streams online. It plays jazz, punk, metal, gospel, R&B, Latin, blues, country, Cajun, reggae and Native American music, according to its website.

The radio station is a “nonprofit, listener-supported community radio station, which derives its main source of income from on-air pledge drives and from underwriting or sponsorships by local small businesses.”

The National Weather Service confirmed this week that a total of nine tornados hit the Dallas-Fort Worth area last Sunday night. The strongest twister, rated as an EF-3 by the weather service, packed 140-mph winds. No one was killed by the tornados and no major injuries were reported.

 

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The radio industry is mourning the death of long-time engineer Gary Lee Ellingson of Moorhead, Minn., who passed away on Oct. 11. He was 67.

According to an obituary on Inforum and the West Funeral Home in West Fargo, N.D., Ellingson was born to Oscar and Olga Ellingson of Thief River Falls, Minn., 24 years after the birth of his sister Helen. He was the youngest of four siblings, including Helen, Harry and Orville.

His father passed away after Ellingson turned two years old, and he and his mother regularly attended the Evangelical Free Church in Thief River Falls.

While working at a local radio station in the 1960s, Ellingson made a life-long commitment to religion and long talked about the correlation between current events and scripture. He pursued a career in missionary radio after attending Moody Bible Institute in Chicago in the fall of 1972. It was there that he met his wife, Billie Sue Shreve, and the two were married June 4, 1976, in Circleville, Ohio.

Ellingson went on to finish his college education at Northland Community College in Thief River Falls, including two years of electronics study at the Area Vocational Technical Institute, followed by Grace College of the Bible in Omaha, Neb.

While attending Grace, Ellingson worked full time as chief engineer for KGBI and KROA, two Grace radio ministries in Omaha and Grand Island, Neb. It was during that time that Ellingson developed a method of correcting interference between an antenna and the tower upon which it is mounted and distributing the mechanical load on the tower while allowing the antenna to be rotated around the tower. Through a friend in his Greek class at Grace, Ellingson was introduced to Wendell Miller, a registered professional mechanical engineer and patent agent in Goshen, Ind. Gary’s invention resulted in four United States Patents with the systems still being manufactured today.

Ellingson also worked for Motorola as a field service technician and then took a job as dispatcher-jailer at the newly constructed Law Enforcement Center in Thief River Falls where he installed all of the radio equipment.

Ellingson and Billie Sue moved back to Thief River Falls with their first two children, Daniel and Andrew, and he continued working in broadcast engineering as a field service engineer, and eventually went full time in manufacturing the antenna positioning system. He and a number of friends and relatives pooled resources to complete the patent process and went on to form Polar Research Inc.

The couple, with arrival of a third child, Mathew, moved to Moorhead, Minn., where Ellingson took a job teaching electronics at Moorhead Area Vocational-Technical School and he added a part-time announcer job at KFNW radio in Fargo. Their daughter, Kristin, was born shortly after moving to Moorhead.

In addition, he served as a pastor at New Hope Evangelical Free Church in Moorhead and went on to become director of engineering for the University of Northwestern in St. Paul, Minn., a missionary and liberal arts university.

Ellingson is survived by his children Daniel (Alissa) from Woodbury, Minn; Andrew (Krystyna) from Thief River Falls, Minn.; Matthew (Maria) from Minnetonka, Minn.; and Kristin from North Dakota. He is also survived by nine grandchildren: Samuel and Abigail from Woodbury; Gweneth, Logan, Farrah and Natalie from Thief River Falls; and Layla, Penny and Gloria from Minnetonka. He was preceded in death by his parents Oscar and Olga; his siblings Harry, Orville, and Helen (Adamson); and his wife Billie Sue, who passed away Dec. 1, 2018.

At Ellingson’s request, in lieu of gifts or flowers, please consider giving the equivalent amount to Ravi Zacharias International Ministries, 3755 Mansell Road, Alpharetta, Ga., 30022 or Bethel Church, 2702 30th Avenue South, Fargo, N.D., 58103.

Visitation will be held at West Funeral Home, West Fargo, N.D., on Oct. 23, with the funeral held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 24, at Bethel Church in Fargo, N.D. Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens in Fargo.

 

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