Aggregator

Bob Crane

In the history of affordable AM/FM portable radios, there have been few that combine sensitivity (the ability to reliably receive distant stations) with selectivity (the ability to separate them for clear, intelligible listening). Even fewer AM/FM portables have combined those characteristics with great sound, the most notable being the legendary GE Superadio/Superadio II series of the 1980s and early 1990s. (Many used Superadios are selling above their original list prices on eBay today.)

The new $89.99 CCRadio-EP PRO belongs to this exclusive club. Created by Bob Crane, long-time radio innovator/retailer and owner of the C. Crane Co., the CCRadio-EP PRO combines AM/FM sensitivity, selectivity and great sound in a large, analog-style radio receiver, complete with a large illuminated “slide rule” tuning dial. 

The CCRadio-EP PRO retails for $89.99.

Although the CCRadio-EP PRO looks like old-tech analog, it is anything but. Inside this 20th century-style case is the brain of a very 21st century digital radio.

A DECEPTIVE SIMPLICITY

At first glance, the CCRadio-EP PRO doesn’t look like a premium AM/FM portable. There’s a lot of unused space on its main front panel, like the blank dashboard of a economy car whose owner wouldn’t spring for an AM radio.

This uncluttered simplicity is misleading because the CCRadio-EP PRO is a sophisticated receiver. The deceptive appearance was a deliberate choice, driven by Crane’s core market for this radio: “It is somewhat embarrassing, but the original CCRadio-EP was made for my mother,” he said. “She painted with watercolors and drove until she was 90, but a digital radio was one thing she did not want to invest her valuable time in to learn.”

Now one mother is not enough to base a product launch on. However, when it came to the CCRadio-EP PRO, “We presumed there were a modest amount of radio listeners in the same boat,” Crane said.

“This radio was designed as a gift to radio lovers who want radio listening to be easy or uncomplicated or simple,” he added. In this way, “it has a similar position in the market as the older models of the GE Superadio.”

THE NITTY-GRITTY Internal componentry

Built as an enhanced version of C. Crane’s CCRadio-EP analog AM/FM radio, the CCRadio-EP PRO is contained inside a grey plastic case (with black trim) measuring 11.4 inches wide by 7.3 high and 2.75 wide. It comes with a 5-inch speaker and high-fidelity amplifier. Sound can be heard in mono through the front speaker, or stereo (for FM only) through earbuds or headsets.

Because he prefers analog technology, Bob Crane didn’t want to go digital with this new mode. But he had no choice.

“The analog chipset we used in the first model was not available anymore,” Crane told Radio World. “Analog chips are generally not manufactured anymore. We also lost our ferrite antenna manufacturer at same time. Changing chipsets is sometimes challenging but finding a new ferrite manufacturer was positively chilling.”

This knob allows for directionally tweaking the Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna. “We actually have a total of five coils on the ferrite devoted to AM reception,” said Bob Crane.

The top of the CCRadio-EP PRO has an extendable FM whip antenna plus power and display light buttons. (Being able to turn off the display light saves battery power and keeps from disturbing others at night.) There is also a flip-up handle that locks in place for easy carrying. The CCRadio-EP PRO is powered by an included 6V AC adaptor, or four D batteries.

The CCRadio-EP PRO’s speaker is on the left side of the front panel; the audio controls on the lower right side. These controls are the FM stereo/FM/AM switch for selecting bands, bass and treble knobs for adjusting audio quality and the wide/narrow bandwidth switch for the AM band. (This last switch is central to the CCRadio-EP PRO’s outstanding AM sensitivity. The narrow setting filters out adjacent AM stations to improve selectivity.) The large horizontal tuning display is at the top right side of the front panel.

[Read:  Windup Radio Inventor Trevor Baylis Changed Life for Many]

On the right side end of the CCRadio-EP PRO is the large tuning knob, the AM Fine Tuning knob (for directionally tweaking the built-in C. Crane-patented Twin Coil Ferrite AM Antenna) and the volume knob. 

“We actually have a total of five coils on the ferrite devoted to AM reception,” said Crane. “Four coils take advantage of the magnetic north/south axis of ferrite for a 3 dB boost over a typical AM antenna with one coil. The fifth coil is for the external AM antenna interface.”

On the left side end are located a headphone jack, a line input jack that allows the CCRadio-EP PRO to serve as an amplified speaker for a connected music player/smartphone, and the AC adaptor power jack. 

Finally, the back panel of the CCRadio-EP PRO contains ports to attach a two-wire AM and/or coaxial-style FM external antenna, an Internal/external antenna switch, a 9 kHz/10 kHz tuning step switch (for using this radio in countries with 9 kHz spacing between AM stations rather than the 10 kHz gaps of the United States), and the battery compartment door. 

The company estimates that the CCRadio-EP PRO will run for up to 300 hours on D cell batteries, if the display light is kept off.

AM TV-STYLE PERFORMANCE

Back in 2010, I measured the crowded nighttime AM radio landscape in my hometown of Ottawa, Canada, using the stock AM/FM receiver inside my 2006 Mazda MPV minivan (which is still on the road today). Available at https://tinyurl.com/rw-am-dx, the test showed that U.S. AM stations such as WSB-750 Atlanta (935 miles away) can be received in Ottawa at night, when AM signals propagate over the horizon due to bouncing off the ionosphere.

I certainly expected the CCRadio-EP PRO to be even more sensitive than the Mazda’s AM radio, and it did not disappoint. The AM band on the CCRadio-EP PRO was jammed at night. But thanks to this radio’s wide/narrow filter set to the narrow setting (you lose a bit of audio range using the Narrow filter in exchange for eliminating adjacent channel overlap), the CCRadio-EP PRO was never overloaded. Scanning across the AM band in narrow mode was like flipping channels on a television set. The selectivity was that good.

Meanwhile, the AM fine tuning knob allowed me to boost a selected AM station’s power and clarity (as did rotating the radio on its horizontal axis to improve directional reception). In cases where two radio stations were on the same channel, I was able to tune one out in favor of the other. (Granted, AM signals did fade in and out, which is due to the nature of AM propagation at night.)

The most impressive proof of the CCRadio-EP PRO’s selectivity was its ability to separate New York’s WCBS(AM) on 880 from Chicago’s WLS(AM) on 890. WCBS is a powerhouse in Ottawa at night, even coming in occasionally during the day if the atmospheric conditions are right. On other radios, WLS would be drowned out by WCBS. On the CCRadio-EP PRO, WLS punched through.

FM STEREO SURPRISE

I assumed that the CCRadio-EP PRO’s FM performance would be excellent, and again this radio did not disappoint. It received and separated lots of FM stations effortlessly, even without the whip antenna extended.

The big surprise was how different each FM music station sounded on the ear buds. Depending on the era that the song was recorded in, the frequency separations varied widely. Some songs in stereo had the highs and lows congregated together. Others had the bass guitar on the far side of the left channel (or so it seemed to this listener), and the drums far on the right.

The CCRadio-EP PRO is what it promises to be, and more. For $89.99, C. Crane Co. has created a top-of-the-line AM/FM receiver that makes radio listening fun again, all driven by Bob Crane’s undying love for this medium, and for his mother.

Comment on this or any story to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post C. Crane Offers Up a Premium Portable appeared first on Radio World.

BRUSSELS — The second edition of Digital Radio Week took place Nov. 4–8, hosting a number of events and special broadcasts. The now nationwide gathering is designed to promote and inform Belgians about the benefits of DAB+, and digital radio.

Radio executives celebrate the launch of DAB+. Pictured from left are Francis Goffin, maRadio.be; Stéphane Gilbert, Radio Contact; Xavier Huberland, RTBF; Emmanuel Mesdag, Bel RTL; Jacques Galloy, 1RCF; Natacha Delvallée, Sud Radio; Marc Vossen,N-Group; Maria-Eva Jauregui, Antipode; Philippe Deraymaeker, Dh Radio; Gregory Finn, Fun Radio; and Eric Adelbrecht, Maximum FM. Credit: mmpress

“This year, for the very first time, DAB+ platforms (Digitale Radio Vlaanderen and maRadio.be), radio stations and governments team-up to add a national dynamic to the Digital Radio Week,” explained Eric Adelbrecht, president of maRadio.be, grouping RTBF and the commercial stations in Wallonia.

Public broadcaster Radio 2 offered free DAB+ receivers in a competition during the week. Credit: VRT

After one year of thorough testing, Karim Ibourki, Conseil Supérieur de L’Audiovisuel president, announced the launch of DAB+ in the southern Belgium

RADIO IS NOT DEAD

“Contrary to what some people think, radio is not dead,” Ibourki said. “Recent figures reveal that 85% of the European population listens to radio. Last summer, we assigned 123 radio frequencies, including four DAB+ only networks and eight DAB+ only independent stations. The audience will benefit from the transition to DAB+, resulting in a bigger diversity with more stations broadcasting.”

The new Nostalgie+ logo.

With the French-language public broadcaster RTBF acting as network operator, 23 stations are broadcasting in DAB+, covering between 98% (car) and 75% (indoor) of the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles Region. The region’s commercial networks and stations each pay RTBF some €100,000 per year for their DAB+ transmission.

Manufacturers joined the event with a DAB+ receiver campaign.

“We’re probably the biggest beneficiary of DAB+,” said Maria-Eva Jauregui, managing director of Antipode. “As a regional FM broadcaster covering the Walloon Brabant region, DAB+ now gives us access to the Brussels area, and some 1.4 million listeners.”

In Flanders, DAB+ is gaining momentum — during Digital Radio Week, Digitale Radio Vlaanderen published the results of a survey issued by market research company Ipsos, revealing that the DAB+ audience tripled (from 3 to 9%).

MORE DIGITAL STATIONS

The study also showed that 55% of the Flemish population is familiar with DAB+ technology. “Media is in full transition,” said newly appointed Flemish Media Minister Benjamin Dalle. “It’s my intention to continue supporting Digitale Radio Vlaanderen, both substantively and financially.”

DPG has just added the digital Q-Moose Bar channel offering “après-ski” ambiance. Credit: DPG Media

DPG Media, parent of Joe and Qmusic, used the occasion of the Digital Radio Week to announce the launch of three new channels. “Digital has become the new normal, and we evolve with our audience,” commented DPG Media Radio Director An Caers.

“After the recent launch of Willy, we have now gone ahead with Joe 60s & 70s and Joe Christmas on DAB+ as well as the digital ‘après-ski’ channel ‘Q-Moose Bar’.”

Both maRadio.be and Digitale Radio Vlaanderen promoted DAB+ listening during Digital Radio Week with radio and TV-commercials, educational videos, free DAB+ receiver sets and information on social media. The Digital Radio Week was also embraced by leading retailers nationwide.

In the French speaking part of the country, maRadio.be set up a seven-week commercial radio campaign with between 112 and 154 DAB+ spots per station, promoting the launch of DAB+ for a total investment value of some €1.2 million.

The post Belgium Holds National Digital Radio Week appeared first on Radio World.

.

.

.

.

.

While it hardly qualifies as cutting-edge technology, the project described here did provide a solution to an annoying problem I have faced several times: How do you get a decent off-air signal from an AM station, where the studio is in a modern curtain-wall office building and is located at or beyond the 5 mV/m contour of the station?

I saw evidence that several engineers had explored solutions in the past. The hardware was still around when I arrived. A very nice (and pricey!) commercially-made shielded loop was installed on the roof with inside phantom power for its preamp in the studio racks seven floors down. That didn’t really work. A better antenna signal could be had from the coax shield than from the actual loop antenna and preamp output.

Another iteration was the installation of pre-amplified loopstick antennas, taped to the window glass in one of the studios with coax routed back to the rack-mounted receivers. This, too, yielded a marginal signal — enough to tell if we were on the air, but not useful for critical evaluation at all.

Yet the stations both had very usable, listenable signals on my car radio parked in the building driveway.

A COMMON PROBLEM

As is always the problem with metal-skinned buildings, the openings in the exterior walls behave like sections of waveguide at frequencies below cutoff — virtually all of the field is cancelled. I concluded that no inside solution would ever work satisfactorily. Long runs of coax also weren’t working.

How could the car radio result be replicated in the building? To do that, I borrowed old technology and married it with some moderately-priced new technology to build what I believe is a solid solution.

Fig. 1: Home-brew shielded loop antennas.

I fabricated two shielded loop antennas from home center components as shown in Fig. 1. Inside the tubing is 10 turns of ordinary hookup wire. I used some multi-conductor wire and joined the ends to make one long wire length (see Fig. 2). Recall that the purpose of a shielded loop is to make the antenna responsive to only the magnetic component of the transmitted signal.

Fig. 2: Multi-conductor wire with the ends connected together was used to make the actual loop conductors. Note the variable capacitor used to resonate the loop.

The shield is there to prevent successful capacitive coupling with electrostatic fields. Since the electrostatic fields from AM stations (and from most sources of interference) are vertically polarized, the electrostatic field induces voltage in only the vertical pieces of conduit. That same electric field exists inside the tubing as well and induces a voltage on the wire turns inside.

So how does this shielding help? Because the electric field in the vertical tubing sections induces voltage in the wire turns in opposite directions on either side of the loop. Thus the electrostatic contribution (in a perfect world) cancels. The gap in the conduit at the top of the loop (Fig. 3) is to avoid having the shield look like a shorted transformer turn, thus cancelling the magnetic component as well.

Fig. 3: A gap in the top of the loop creates the necessary electrostatic break, just like on your FIM.

This is how your field intensity meter works. Regardless that the meter scale is calibrated in volts per meter, it is a magnetic device. The relationship between the electric field and the associated magnetic field is a known constant (120π)t  and the Potomac folks figure you won’t be using the meter in other than an air environment, a pretty safe bet. Loop orientation works just like your field meter as well, with distinct nulls and maxima as you rotate it.

To provide just a bit of pre-selection to the loop, I added a small transistor-radio-style variable capacitor bought from an eBay seller. I calculated my ten turns to have about 200 microhenries, but with the capacitance contributed by the tubing and other unquantifiables, who knows?

My variable cap has two sections, each about 220 picofarads. I paralleled the sections and wired loop and capacitor as a tank circuit — the miracle of adjustable components. Just turn the dial until it works! Tune for maximum smoke. The result is a broad resonance, but helpful for me, since my location is in the 50+ mV/m field of two other AM stations.

To couple each loop to a receiver, I used some randomly chosen ferrites found in a drawer and made a small ferrite loaded transformer for each loop antenna. I figured the impedance of the loop would be low. I guessed maybe an ohm or two. So, a 1:5 turns ratio would get me somewhere in the 50-ohm neighborhood.

NON-CRITICAL DESIGN

As you’ve probably guessed by now, nothing in this design is particularly critical. The radios are ordinary Panasonic in-dash models bought on eBay for about $20 each. This, too, is anything but critical.

Now, with two steerable antennas, I have a decent signal from both stations. But how to get that RF down seven floors to the studio? The answer is not to try. Instead, I installed my two car radio receivers in a weatherproof box (see below) and clamped the whole business to a railing on the roof.

The signals from two AM stations, as well as power, are carried on a piece of Cat-6 cable following the telephone riser path down the seven floors and into our leased space. Power comes up on two paralleled pairs, and baseband audio is coupled from the radio speaker outputs on the other two pairs.

The radios I used are bridge amplifier designs, meaning that the speakers are driven in a balanced, differential way, but I used small audio transformers for isolation anyway. Preserving balance yields undiminished audio quality downstairs. I also added a local headphone jack for each, allowing confirmation of proper operation before leaving the roof.

The whole business was installed into what Amazon calls a “black, tactical, weatherproof case” as shown in Fig. 4. We’ve all seen these used for sensitive electronics that must be shipped. They have snap locks and gasketed lids. I just ordered a generously sized one and installed the shelves you see. The loop antennas attach using ordinary 3/4-inch plumbing components with the antenna coax fished through. I added reinforcement where the pipe flanges attach. Finally, the whole assembly is U-bolted to the railing.

Fig. 4: The Panasonic receivers were mounted in a black, tactical, weatherproof case.

WHAT ABOUT POWER?

Powering the system remotely involved a little I-squared-R thinking. The Cat-6 run overall was about 250 feet. Paralleled Cat-6 conductors at that distance worked out to be about 5 ohms overall. I had no idea what current the radios drew and, barely visible in the pictures, is a small lead-acid battery also in the enclosure. It’s there to hold up the radios’ channel memory if the downstairs power needs to be disconnected for some reason. It needs to remain charged.

Finally, there’s a small 12-volt fan in the box as well. I guessed 2 amps for the radios which, with 5 ohms on the way, means my 12 volts will be 2 volts on the roof. I could have done some bench measurements and built a supply, but when I can buy a 30-volt 3-amp adjustable supply with metering and overcurrent protection on Amazon for $60, why bother? The supply is pictured in Fig. 5.

Fig. 5: This $60 variable supply was perfect for powering the receivers and keeping the battery trickle-charged.

With the battery disconnected, the supply voltage was gradually raised until the receivers saw about 13 volts. I then noted the current. When the battery was connected, the voltage came down to about 12.8 and the current increased by about 50 milliamperes. That seemed a reasonable amount for trickle charging one of the 7 amp-hour batteries commonly used in UPS devices. We’ll see.

Anyway, the completed project, which is shown in Fig. 6, was simple, straightforward, not too terribly expensive, and solved a long-standing and annoying problem. For engineers it doesn’t get any better than that.

Fig. 6: The completed rooftop installation.

Frank McCoy is chief engineer of Salem Communications’ Chicago cluster. Got an idea for a hands-on engineering article? Email rweetech@gmail.com.

The post Receivers in a Box on the Roof appeared first on Radio World.

Inovonics has released firmware updates for five of its INOmini receiver-monitor models. The company says the update “improves the internal reference clock” as well as addresses other issues since the June release of these products.

The new firmware is available at each product’s description page and is also aggregated on the Downloads section. The models with available updates are:

• INOmini 661 DAB+ Firmware
• INOmini 673 FM/RDS Receiver
• INOmini 674 AM Reciver
• INOmini 676 NOAA Receiver
• INOmini 679 HD Receiver

Read instructions for downloading and installing the updates here.

 

The post Inovonics Updates INOmini Firmware appeared first on Radio World.

All four commissioners and the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission stand behind the decision to propose hefty fines against two Boston-area individuals accused of allegedly operating radio stations without a license.

At its December meeting, the FCC proposed two forfeitures — one of $151,005 and the second of more than $450,000 — an action that marks the largest fine ever proposed by the FCC against a pirate radio operation.

[Read: Failing to Notify FCC of Primary Station Change Proves Costly]

The commission proposed a forfeiture of $453,015 against Gerlens Cesar, the operator of Radio TeleBoston, for allegedly broadcasting three unauthorized transmitters on two different frequencies. According to the FCC, Cesar allegedly simulcast Radio TeleBoston on three unauthorized transmitters on two different frequencies, which had the potential to cause interference in various locations in and around Boston and at different channels on the FM dial. As a result, the commission proposed the maximum penalty amount for all three transmitters.

Cesar had been notified that his broadcasts were illegal, but the FCC said he continued to broadcast Radio TeleBoston from multiple transmitters and frequencies.

In a second action, the commission proposed a fine of $151,005 against Acerome Jean Charles who the FCC accused of being the long-time operator of an unlicensed radio station in Boston called Radio Concorde. Despite several FCC warnings, Jean Charles apparently continued to broadcast radio signals without authority at power levels that require an FCC license.

In the case of Radio Concorde, the FCC received a complaint from a local Boston-area broadcaster who said that Radio Concorde’s broadcast on 106.3. MHz from the Mattapan neighborhood in Boston was interfering with the station’s new FM transmitter station at 106.1 MHz. The complaint was investigated by field agents from the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau who repeatedly warned Jean Charles that his alleged broadcast were in violation of FCC rules.

According to the FCC, Jean Charles ignored repeated warning from FCC field agents. He has been given an opportunity to respond to the commission’s Notice of Apparent Liability before further action is taken.

According to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, the two Notices of Apparent Liability send a strong signal that the FCC will not tolerate unlicensed radio broadcasting. In each case, he said, the pirate radio operator in question was given multiple warnings that he was violating the law. In each case, therefore, the commission moved to proposing the maximum forfeiture amount permitted under the Communications Act.

“The harms of unlicensed radio broadcasting are serious: pirate stations interfere with licensed stations — whose owners have invested time and money in providing lawful service to the public — and can also cause interference to critical public safety systems,” he said.

Pai pointed out the other “legal alternatives” to unlicensed broadcasting including former windows for low-power FM construction permits, permits for vacant FM allotments as well as internet streaming.

Both Chairman Pai and Commissioner Michael O’Rielly praised the efforts of the Enforcement Bureau, saying that field staff members “relentlessly pursue these rogue, illegal actors” even as the plague of pirate radio operations continues to persist for the FCC.

“[P]irates not only harm legitimate broadcasters and their listeners in multiple ways, but also put their own audiences at risk by failing to broadcast any emergency alerts or abide by consumer protection regulations,” O’Rielly said.

Although O’Rielly admitted that the FCC may never see a single dollar from these illegal operators, “our goal must be to use our enforcement authority to help shut down the perpetrators, those aiding and abetting, and any landlord willing to house such activities.”

 

The post FCC Proposes Record-breaking Forfeitures to Pirate Radio Operators appeared first on Radio World.

According to the latest WorldDAB market report, more than 82 million consumer and automotive DAB/DAB+ receivers had been sold in Europe and Asia Pacific by the end of Q2 2019. This, it shows, is up from 71 million one year earlier.

The new data gives an overview of DAB receiver sales, road and population coverage, household penetration and the number of national stations on DAB/DAB+ compared to FM. The report covers Australia, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. It also also details the rollout status in 24 emerging markets including information on trials and population coverage.

Key findings from the WorldDAB report include:

• More than 40 million receivers have been sold in the U.K., with 65% of households having at least one DAB receiver
• In Switzerland, 65% of all radio listening is via digital platforms, and 35% of all listening is on DAB+. Switzerland has also confirmed digital switchover will take place no later than the end of 2024
• Italy, France, Netherlands and Belgium all show positive signs of growth in the last year
• In Norway, following its digital switchover in 2017, radio listening is now back to similar levels as achieved in 2016

“2019 has been an exceptional year for DAB+ radio. By mandating digital terrestrial capabilities in all new car radios, the European Electronic Communications Code is transforming the European radio landscape. This year we have seen DAB+ launches in Austria and Sweden, and next year France will launch national DAB+. In the Asia Pacific region, Australia is seeing its highest ever levels of DAB+ in new cars, and Tunisia is the first country in Africa to launch regular DAB+ services,” said Patrick Hannon, WorldDAB president. “A record 12 million DAB receivers were sold worldwide in the last 12 months, and we expect this figure to grow in 2020 as DAB+ uptake continues to rise.”

To download the latest infographic, click here.

The post WorldDAB Reports DAB Receiver Sales at 82 Million appeared first on Radio World.

We reported in May that URCA, The Utilities Regulation & Competition Authority in the Bahamas, had shuttered Sportsradio 103(FM), owned by Navette Broadcasting.

At the time, the broadcaster claimed that the decision was “unlawful and unconstitutional,” and that it was “eager” to have a date in appeals court to defend itself and prove its “rightful claim” to the 103.5 FM radio license. There is a question now, however, about whether that day will ever arrive.

In recent developments, Kahlil Parker, Navette Broadcasting’s attorney, said to the appellate court that the decision to close its client’s broadcast company was a “unilateral decision” and “without due process of law.”

The company had originally filed two appeals but then requested to begin judicial review proceedings. Navette ended up withdrawing the first two appeals, but then the court dismissed Navette’s application for the judicial review proceedings.

Parker said he subsequently — and tardily — filed a notice of appeal against that decision. He did so late, he said, because he erroneously thought the judge’s verdict was a final judgment and that he couldn’t appeal it. When he realized however that he was mistaken, he belatedly requested the appeal.

Now, according to reports, URCA’s lawyer argues that Navette shouldn’t be granted time to appeal due to its “continuous refusal” to “abide” by the appeal process.

As a result, Navette Broadcasting still does not know whether it will be sanctioned for unintentionally not carrying out the appeal process correctly, or if it will be granted more time to state its case.

The post Navette Broadcasting Awaits Day in Court appeared first on Radio World.

Announces procedures, deadlines, and minimum opening bid amounts for the upcoming auction of FM Broadcast construction permits

.

.

.

.

.

.

.