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Cable Operators May Now Adjust Their Rates For Inflation

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Henry Engineering’s BackUPS is a power controller for ensuring AC power to critical equipment that is powered with an uninterruptible power supply. BackUPS constantly monitors the output of the UPS, and automatically bypasses the UPS if its output fails or becomes unstable. This keeps the load powered-up, and allows the UPS to be disconnected for battery replacement or other maintenance.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

BackUPS includes a delay timer that ensures the UPS output is stable before the UPS is switched online. Whenever the UPS output comes on, the system monitors its output for a preset time period. The UPS will be switched online only if the UPS output is stable during this delay interval. The unit can detect UPS power interruptions as short as 10mS. The delay time can be set from 10 seconds to 16 minutes, and can be defeated if it is not needed.

BackUPS is fully automatic once installed. The mode switch can select manual UPS bypass mode, or automatic operation with or without the delay feature. BackUPS can also be remotely monitored and controlled. The remote bypass input allows the unit to “force bypass” the UPS via a GPI control input.

BackUPS can also be used as a “remote reboot” device, to reset and reboot equipment via off/on power cycling. It can supply up to 15 amps of AC current to the load.

Info: https://henryeng.com/

 

The post Henry Engineering Secures Power appeared first on Radio World.

LAKELAND, Fla. — For the past 20 years, I have been involved in a variety of roles within the radio broadcasting industry, both in front of and behind the mic. Through my experiences, I have grown to appreciate and value the experience that radio creates for the listener. As the industry continues to evolve, so have the challenges for radio stations that feel the pressure to produce more engaging shows with video content while working with limited budgets.

There had to be an easier way than using the piecemeal systems everyone has been cobbling together, so earlier this year, I partnered with Broadcast Pix out of my passion to simplify the video streaming process for both the radio host and the station’s producer. This has enabled me to help create RadioPix, a turnkey video streaming solution designed for radio stations, large or small.

[Read More Buyers Guide Reviews Here]

I now “take my own medicine” and use RadioPix every day in my role as broadcaster and producer for the “Shannon Burke Show.” As one of the hosts for JVC Broadcasting, we broadcast in three markets, with stations located in Florida and New York.

When I received one of the first RadioPix systems in late March 2020, my plan was to install it in the “Florida Man Show,” WDYZ(AM/FM) 660 kHz/105.5 MHz, studio, but the coronavirus outbreak caused me to change my plans, installing it instead in my home studio, from where I now broadcast.

It took less time than I expected. RadioPix is an out-of-box solution that is easy to install with your current radio setup. The small form-factor server was indeed plug-and-play.

It includes PTZ cameras and a dedicated user interface. I connected my mics via Dante and the system output to our IP switch and I was streaming. Besides Dante, the system also works with Wheatstone WheatNet and Axia Livewire protocols.

The behavioral intelligence software works as advertised, by using mic activity to trigger the preconfigured visually aware macros, my voice is all that was needed to trigger camera moves, videos, lower-thirds and more. It is really that simple.

My personal favorite is the “boredom” macro that automatically triggers if my guest is speaking for longer than a minute. It starts a sequence of video production moves; the camera shot pulls back, brings up the lower-third title graphic, goes to a wide shot, and then goes back to a closeup. It’s great and lets me stay focused on my guest, while RadioPix automatically creates entertaining live video.

I now use on RadioPix every day and so far, I am impressed by its ease of use and dependability — the system just runs by itself. By pushing the “Live Stream” button, my show is streamed live to Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn or Periscope. It has significantly reduced my workload; more importantly our viewers really seem to love it. We have been getting some great feedback.

We created RadioPix to be the perfect way to create live visual radio streaming, easy to install and set up in any existing radio station environment and our plan is to continually refine its features and content.

For information, contact Tony Mastantuono at BroadcastPix in Massachusetts at 1-978-600-1100 or visit at https://broadcastpix.com.

Jeff Adams is executive producer for the “Shannon Burke Show” and RadioPix product manager for Broadcast Pix.

The post Special Report: RadioPix Creates Visual Radio Shows appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission says it reached a settlement with two operators of pirate radio stations in the Boston area.

It said Acerome Jean Charles and Gerlens Cesar admit fault, will pay fines and agreed to 20-year compliance commitments. And they’ll dispose of their radio equipment.

It’s an unexpected development. In December the FCC issued notices of apparent liability to the men for operating Radio Concorde and Radio TeleBoston, respectively.

“The Enforcement Bureau negotiated the two Consent Decrees, which provide for a strict compliance plan over a period of 20 years to prevent Jean Charles and Cesar from ever resuming unlicensed broadcasting,” the commission announced.

“Jean Charles has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $4,000, and to pay a further penalty of $75,000 if he violates section 301 of the Act or violates the terms of  the Consent Decree; Cesar has agreed to pay a civil penalty of $5,000, and agreed to pay a further penalty of $225,000 if he violates section 301 of the Act or violates the terms of the Consent Decree.”

One might imagine the two men feel they got off lightly. In December the FCC proposed forfeitures of $151,005 and $450,000 in this case, the latter being the largest fine ever proposed by the FCC against a pirate radio operation. [Read details here.] And subsequently, federal law was changed to allow even higher penalties in pirate radio cases.

The FCC said then that Cesar, operator of Radio TeleBoston, had allegedly broadcast three unauthorized transmitters on two different frequencies, which led it to propose the maximum penalty amount for all three transmitters.

Chairman Ajit Pai said in December that the NALs in this case were intended to send a strong signal that the FCC will not tolerate unlicensed radio broadcasting. In each case, he said then, the operator in question was given multiple warnings that he was violating the law.

Now both have ceased broadcasting and “have agreed not to materially assist anyone else committing such acts,” according to the FCC.

Boston is one of the cities most plagued by illegal radio operators, as we’ve reported at various times.

 

 

The post FCC Settles With Two Beantown Radio Pirates appeared first on Radio World.

Dear Radio World:

First some background:  I grew up in a small city in Kentucky, where my first job was at the local radio station. It was only AM at the time.

When they got a CP for an FM station, I was in college. The best summer job that I ever had was building that FM station.

It is still on the air today, with the same ownership.

I regularly listen to the local news back in Kentucky from my current home 900 miles away. Radio: “The Sound Medium.” May it always be thus.

I give a resounding “NO” vote to all-digital AM.

One question in closing: Is there still only one all-digital AM in the U.S.?

If so, why only one??

Sincerely,

Lewis D. Collins (Retired), Peabody, Mass.

The post Letter: Digital AM … Still Only One? appeared first on Radio World.

StreamGuys AudioLogger

StreamGuys has added new capabilities in its flagship SGrecast live stream repurposing and podcast management platform that help broadcasters expand their revenues by automatically converting live streams into podcasts without needing to manually tag midroll ad breaks in the results.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

StreamGuys says that its AudioLogger (pictured) already offers multiple and flexible methods for transforming live streams into podcasts including both schedule-based automation and manual control enhancements in the SaaS solution’s recording feature. Now it offers a fully automated, metadata-driven podcast publishing workflow.

Previously requiring producers to manually place inline ad markers into its 24/7 live recordings before publishing the resulting podcast, the upgraded AudioLogger gives users the option to preserve midroll ad break metadata from the live stream — thus enabling subsequent dynamic ad insertion in the published podcast without manual effort. The enhanced AudioLogger also supports metadata-triggered recording, giving users more flexibility than prescheduled recordings.

Info: www.streamguys.com

 

The post StreamGuys Polishes Offerings appeared first on Radio World.

The WWVH building seen at night.

Last year was one of both celebration and uncertainty for WWV, the station adjacent to Fort Collins, Colo., that transmits automated time broadcasts on the shortwave bands.

On the plus side, it marked the 100th year of WWV’s call letters, making the site, operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, one of the world’s oldest continually operating radio stations.

On the negative side, WWV and its sister time station WWVH in Hawaii nearly missed this centennial. That’s because NIST’s original 2019 budget called for shutting down the pair, along with WWVB, the longwave code station co-located next to WWV, as a cost-saving move.

Fortunately, these cuts never happened, and WWV, WWVH and WWVB seem likely to keep broadcasting the most accurate time from NIST’s atomic clocks, at least for the immediate future. (No further cuts have been threatened.)

That’s good news for the stations’ many supporters, who say that time broadcasts still matter in the Internet Age.

What They Have to Offer

Today, listeners around the world can get the most accurate time possible via WWV and WWVH’s broadcasts on the shortwave bands.

To make this happen, “WWV broadcasts continuously on six shortwave frequencies: 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 MHz,” said Glenn Nelson, an electronics technician at WWV and WWVB. “WWV has 11 operational HF transmitters (including standby equipment), eight transmitting antenna towers, and associated time and frequency distribution equipment.”

Timecode generators at WWV.

Located on the southwest portion of Kauai, WWVH “broadcasts 5 kW on 2.5 MHz and 10 kW on 5.0, 10.0 and 15.0 MHz,” said WWVH Station Engineer Dean Okayama. “The time/frequency systems and transmitters are similar to WWV.”

Both stations are known for the automated voices that tell the current time; WWV uses a male voice, while WWVH uses a female one, both timed to speak one after the other whenever both stations are heard on their shared channels.

This NIST service also broadcasts standard time intervals, standard frequencies and other information including solar conditions affecting radio propagation. Both stations report the time using the  Coordinated Universal Time zone, a.k.a. Greenwich Mean Time, which is five hours head of Eastern Standard Time.

In the early days of radio, WWV/WWVH’s standard frequencies were used by commercial broadcasters to calibrate their transmitters to their assigned frequencies.

“In the 1930s, WWV began broadcast standard time interval pulses,” said Nelson. “In the 1940s, the U.S. Navy granted WWV permission to broadcast time of day announcements (this had been the exclusive responsibility of the Naval Observatory up until then). Voice announcements of time were added in the 1950s and a digital time code was added in 1960. In the ’70s, the WWV audio signal was made available by telephone at (303) 499-7111, and this service has continued to the present day.”

Why They Still Matter

The possible closing of WWV, WWVH and WWVB did not pass unnoticed. Tens of thousands of supporters signed petitions opposing the move, for a variety of reasons.

Even today, WWV and WWVH’s standard time broadcasts and frequencies are a great help for engineers calibrating equipment.

Part of the 15 MHz antenna system at WWV.

“While time-of-day information can nowadays be obtained through the internet, the combination of circuits involved in internet distribution can result in delays,” said Dr. Kim Andrew Elliott, retired Voice of America broadcaster and audience research analyst, and now producer of the experimental broadcast Shortwave Radiogram.

“These delays usually involve fractions of seconds, but that is enough to be significant in certain endeavors such as high-speed trading. For a lack of delay, nothing beats terrestrial radio. It is held back only by that pesky speed of light.”

WWV/WWVH’s audio tones are also precise and thus useful.

“On WWV, the 440 Hz tone (the musical note A above middle C) is broadcast once each hour, during Minute 2 on WWV, and Minute 1 on WWVH,” Elliott said. “You can tune your violin using WWV.”

On a more scientific note, these reliable signals play an important role in forecasting “space weather,” which can have a serious impact on the world economy whenever it gets “stormy.”

“As WWV’s signals move from their transmitter site in Fort Collins to shortwave receivers, they pass through the ionosphere and undergo slight delay and frequency changes,” said Dr. Philip Erickson of the MIT Haystack Observatory’s Atmospheric and Geospace Sciences Group.

“These changes, if measured carefully, contain much information on waves, density changes and other phenomena that form space weather known to affect national telecommunications, long-distance power grids, and human spaceflight.”

Initially, these changes could only be detected using professional-grade receivers. But times have changed.

“Atomic clock signal accuracy at the Colorado and Hawaii transmission sites means that modest receivers using inexpensive, modern technology can use these time signals as beacons to sense ionospherically induced changes,” Erickson said.

“This allows the formation of a distributed space weather network in the backyards of thousands of amateur radio enthusiasts across the continental U.S.”

Such a concept is being realized now by the Ham Radio Science Citizen Initiative (HamSCI;  www.hamsci.org), which is developing a personal space weather station for use by citizen scientists.

They Would Be Missed

These benefits would come to an end should NIST’s time stations ever go dark.

“The ideas I’ve outlined, plus other similar concepts, naturally extend WWV’s 100-year historic mission into the 21st century, and form an important part of national infrastructure in both the professional and emerging citizen science field,” said Erickson.

“It is vital that these signals continue to operate for the benefit of advancing human understanding of our near-Earth space environment.”

WWV 10 MHz transmitter and standby.

It’s not just WWV and WWVH that would be missed: “The general public will take notice if NIST station WWVB shuts down as its 60 kHz signal controls self-setting clocks known as ‘atomic’ clocks,” said Thomas Witherspoon, editor of the shortwave radio website the SWLing Post.

“Many don’t realize it, but a large portion of wall clocks, alarm clocks and watches, not to mention weather stations, cameras and potentially a number of other devices, have a built-in receiver that self-calibrates,” he said.

“NIST notes that there are more than 50 million radio-controlled clocks in operation and another few million wristwatches that rely on WWVB for self-calibration.

“The thing is, these devices are so embedded in our lives here in North America we scarcely notice them, and many consumers likely assume they’re set by the internet. They’re not.”

A Defense Against Fake News?

WWV and its sister stations could also have relevance now for another reason.

“The internet has become infamous as a purveyor of false information and counterfeit sites,” said Kim Andrew Elliott. “This is true even during emergencies, including the coronavirus outbreak.

“WWV and WWVH can be useful transmitters of emergency information: They are much more difficult to spoof than a website,” he told RW. “If a fake station tries to transmit on WWV/WWVH frequencies, co-channel with WWV and WWVH, the listener will hear immediately that something is not right. If the fake station comes from overseas, it will usually sound distant, compared to the signal we are used to hearing in North America.”

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

 

The post Why WWV and WWVH Still Matter  appeared first on Radio World.

ACDDE to Convene August 3, 2020 Virtual Workshop to Examine the Role of Libraries on Broadband Adoption and Literacy

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Codec and audio network equipment maker Digigram has a new cloud-based service for linking remote contributors to studios.

Iqoya Connect will link equipment and users along with providing management and monitoring tools for remote codec fleets and the destination studio codecs.

[Check Out More Products at Radio World’s Products Section]

According to Digigram for the remote user, perhaps a journalist, Iqoya Connect “features a unified web platform where the user’s custom profiles and audio settings are saved.” Connecting back to the studio is kept as a simple mostly automated two-step process.

For reception personnel back at the facility, Iqoya Connect uses a global monitoring interface that provides “real-time monitoring of the codec fleet on one screen … as well as direct access to devices in the field if required.” Codecs can be programmed and live support enabled as well.

“When designing Iqoya Connect, our goal was to simplify the audio professionals’ daily experience while offering more flexibility, security and efficiency,” said Xavier Allanic, Digigram’s vice president of sales.

Info: www.digigram.com

 

The post Digigram Makes a Connection appeared first on Radio World.