Industry News

In this latest series of articles on the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on EEO rules, the National Association of Broadcasters takes a stance that is shared by other broadcasters who have publicly commented in the ECFS database — that there is no evidence of discrimination in broadcasting that justifies additional regulation or that more EEO rules will actually increase employment diversity.

The NAB filed their reply comments as part of the FCC’s request for reply comments on the commission’s Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance and Enforcement Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

“Instead of imposing more top-down, unproductive obligations, the commission should focus its efforts on practical measures that will directly impact diversity,” the NAB said, such as increasing public awareness of EEO opportunities and industry education.

[Read: 50 Broadcast Groups to FCC: Remove Obsolete EEO Rules]

The NAB also took a stand against a proposal suggested by a group of EEO supporters that called for more frequent EEO audits. Rather, the NAB said, the FCC should minimize the unjustified burdens of EEO audits by eliminating audits for small broadcasters.

“The record does not contain a shred of evidence of discrimination in broadcasting,” the NAB said in their comment filing. The NAB said that the group relies on conjecture to argue that intentional discrimination is a widespread problem in broadcasting and that it demands additional regulation.

“Moreover, to our knowledge, the commission has conducted tens of thousands of reviews of broadcasters’ EEO programs since the rules became effective in 2003, without one finding of discrimination,” the NAB said.

As other broadcast groups have done in this proceeding, the NAB also raised the question of constitutionality. “The existing rules already push the boundaries of constitutionality. No previous version of the commission’s EEO rule has survived judicial scrutiny, and the current rules persist in part because they have never been challenged,” the NAB said.

“[I]mposing more rules, especially the collection of data about the racial and gender composition of a station’s workforce on Form 395-B, could threaten their sustainability,” the NAB said. Thus, the commission should be extremely wary of imposing additional EEO requirements.

Comments on the FCC’s EEO proposed rulemaking can be seen in the commissions’ ECFS database using Media Bureau Docket Number 19-177.

 

The post Additional EEO Rules Are Unjustified and Unnecessary, According to NAB appeared first on Radio World.

Seeing the handwriting on the wall, the C-Band Alliance reworked plans for splitting the coveted midband spectrum by offering 300 MHz of bandwidth to the cellular industry for 5G expansion into U.S. markets.

Meanwhile on Capitol Hill, a new bill was introduced late last week that would force the FCC to conduct a public C-band auction in the major markets, with profits earmarked for rural broadband expansion, and not satellite operators.

[Read: C-Band Contention Ramps Up]

The proposed bill muddies the waters, since the C-Band Alliance was feeling fairly confident that, by reorganizing the midband spectrum one more time, they could deliver a solution that works for satellite operators and broadband.

Previously the CBA had offered 200 MHz to 5G, but the FCC has made it well known that more spectrum for 5G was required. The increase includes a 20 MHz guard band, leaving 5G with 280 MHz of usable space.

How Would The Proposed CBA Split Work?

I know what you’re thinking: How can a mere 200 MHz for C-Band’s incumbent users now be adequate, when earlier this year CBA’s “line in the sand” was 200 MHz for 5G/300 MHz for C-band users? According to the CBA, it’s a perfect storm scenario which includes:

• Migrating more non-CONUS clients to lower frequencies;
• A number of customers choosing not to renew their space segment contracts (the CBA noted the natural migration of customers to SD multiplexes, terrestrial, etc.);
• Efficiency gains at the uplink level via encoders and modulators.

Why Congress And Why Now?

Don’t doubt for a second that broadband (and their lobbyists) have been quite active on Capitol Hill.

This being said, at least a few members are concerned that their “vision” of a 5G America may be stymied by the FCC. In a joint statement, Rep. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J), Energy & Commerce Committee chairman, and Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Pa.), chairman of the Communications & Technology Subcommittee, stated they believe legislation may be the only way to “reduce uncertainty and benefit Americans.’’

In a nutshell, the Clearing Broad Airwaves for New Deployment (C-BAND) 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.

Of course, this eleventh hour grandstanding is concerning to satellite operators. If this bill passes, who picks up the tab for the new filters, repoints and — in some cases — antennas that broadcasters will need to operate with 5G sharing the spectrum? Who will finance the launch of several new satellites?

All of these expenses would be covered under the C-Band Alliance proposal, but are not even addressed by the proposed bill.

Dusting Off The Crystal Ball

Will the FCC accept the CBA proposal? We’d like to answer with a definitive “yes,” but with legislation pending, who really knows?

But what we do know is that the clock is ticking. The midband issue has been in limbo for two years, and both C-band operators and 5G advocates are hoping for a decision, and soon. If the bill fails to pass, all indications point to the FCC making their decision in December.

We believe the CBA will be a part of the transition in some fashion, since the alliance has been very vocal in their intent to implement the safe and efficient clearing and repurposing of C-band spectrum. It only makes sense that you should have the owner/operators of the orbital antennas involved, right?

Let’s hope the FCC commissioners agree.

 

The post CBA Revises Its Proposal to the FCC, Congress Says It Is Getting Involved appeared first on Radio World.

The FCC is seeking a full-court review of a three-judge panel decision vacating its broadcast media ownership deregulation decision.

The commission filed a petition for review Thursday (Nov. 7), arguing that the three-judge panel decision of appeals court imposed burdens beyond those allowed in the Administrative Procedures Act, second-guessed the FCC to the point that it undermined congressional intent, and breaks with higher-court and sister-court precedents.

[Read: Court Sends FCC Back to Drawing Board on Media Ownership]

In September, that panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit vacated most of the FCC’s deregulatory order, saying the agency “did not adequately consider the effect its sweeping rule changes will have on ownership of broadcast media by women and racial minorities.”

The court was hearing an appeal by Prometheus et al. of the FCC’s fall 2017 decision under Chairman Ajit Pai to eliminate the newspaper-broadcast and the radio-TV cross-ownership rules; allow dual station ownership in markets with fewer than eight independent voices after that duopoly created an opportunity for ownership of two of the top four stations in a market on a case-by-case basis (the FCC was not calling it a waiver); and eliminate attribution of joint sales agreements as ownership; and created a diversity incubator program.” As well as create some diversity mechanisms to address the court’s long-standing concern.

Pai signaled back in September that the FCC would challenge the decision and made it clear what he thought of the court’s persistent remands of FCC deregulatory decisions.

“For more than 20 years, Congress has instructed the Federal Communications Commission to review its media ownership regulations and revise or repeal those rules that are no longer necessary,” said Pai at the time. “But for the last 15 years, a majority of the same Third Circuit panel has taken that authority for themselves, blocking any attempt to modernize these regulations to match the obvious realities of the modern media marketplace. It’s become quite clear that there is no evidence or reasoning — newspapers going out of business, broadcast radio struggling, broadcast TV facing stiffer competition than ever — that will persuade them to change their minds. We intend to seek further review of today’s decision …”

An FCC spokesperson was echoing that Nov. 7, saying “Over the last 15 years, while the media marketplace has changed dramatically, the same Third Circuit panel has repeatedly prevented the FCC from modernizing its ownership rules, including the newspaper-broadcast cross-ownership rule that dates back to 1975. We hope that the full Third Circuit will agree to hear this case and finally allow the FCC to update these rules for the digital age.”

“It is extremely disappointing that the FCC would prefer to fight rather than do what would benefit everyone, which is to assess the impact of its actions on its goals of localism, diversity and competition,” said Andrew Jay Schwartzman, senior counselor at the Benton Institute and one of the attorneys who argued the case for those challenging the deregulation. “As a legal matter, this petition comes 15 years too late; the FCC’s challenge is really to what the same judges found in 2004, and if it had problems with the initial holding, it would have had to make this appeal at that time.”

 

The post FCC Challenges Court’s Broadcast Dereg Smackdown appeared first on Radio World.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers has announced the creation of a new chapter, Chapter 106 Panhandle, which will serve SBE members in the Florida Panhandle, as well as southern portions of Alabama and Georgia.

SBE’s Board of Directors approved the new chapter at the SBE National Meeting in October. This brings the total number of active chapters to 115 across the country.

[Read: SBE Sets 2019–2020 Committee Chairs]

Mark Johnson, CSRE, of LinkUp Communications will serve as chair for the chapter; Cumulus Media’s Alan Lane, CSRE, AMD, DRB, will be vice chair; and Ricky Carter of Alarado Media will serve as the secretary/treasurer.

“The SBE members in the Florida Panhandle have been without a chapter for some time,” said Wayne Pecena, SBE president. “The efforts of Mark Johnson and others in the area to organize a chapter have paid off, and all the chapter leaders and organizers deserve the credit for their work in establishing the chapter to serve SBE members in the area.”

 

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Stephanie Donnell is an engineer with New Hampshire Public Radio, based in Concord, N.H., where she recently experienced an unusual problem with RFI noise appearing on the computer video screens in the studios.

The video for the affected monitors is source selected through an Avocent KVM (keyboard/video/mouse) system, shown in Fig. 1, with its central switch in the station’s technical operations center. With some toroids and snap-on ferrite beads applied to the Cat-6 cable feeding video into the Avocent converter boxes for the studio monitors, the noise was reduced to a manageable degree. However, this didn’t address the underlying source of the noise.

Fig. 1: The interference appeared to be related to the Avocent KVM.

Several theories were considered. Perhaps the noise was from cellular or wireless IP equipment shared on the rooftop directly above the studios. Another possibility was interference from one of the medical offices on the floor directly below the NHPR suite. Would rerouting the cable that fed the video monitors reduce the level of noise? A couple of attempts failed to produce any improvements.

Another thought was that the noise was somehow related to the AC power in the studios and offices. The noise problem had started following some kind of disturbance on the AC utilities across the entire city, as noted on the maintenance log. The log showed a momentary dip in the TPO of the 20 kW FM transmitter just a few miles away.

One thing that they initially tried was to isolate the entire facility from the local power grid by switching over to emergency generator power. In another test, they bypassed a fairly new central UPS, used to power several of offices. Neither of these resulted in any noticeable reduction in the noise.

In addition to the studio monitors, the noise showed up on a monitor that used one of the same KVM units in a recently vacated office. This proved to be helpful; Stephanie could work on the issue there, without worrying about disrupting operations in the studios that had the same issue.

Her troubleshooting began by trying to make sure the space was as electrically “quiet” as possible. She unplugged everything except the power to the video monitor and the KVM box; she unplugged a printer and a couple of small AC (switching) wall warts, which did not result in any changes. When she unplugged a slightly larger wall wart; the monitor screen suddenly became completely clear of the noise. When that wall wart was plugged back in, the noise returned. This larger AC power pack provided 12 volts DC for a desktop SAS intercom terminal in the office.

There were several of these intercoms around, including two in the studio where the problem was the worst. When they powered down one of the studio SAS intercoms, there was no change in the noise on the screens. But when the second SAS intercom was powered off, all of the monitor screens — not just in the studio but in all adjacent studios — became totally clear.

To determine that the actual RFI issue was due to the AC power pack, not something else with the SAS intercom terminals, Stephanie located a new power pack with identical voltage and current ratings. She connected it to the suspect SAS terminal in the studio. The results were the same as when the SAS was powered off. All of the computer monitors remained clear of noise.

Fig. 2: Very low ripple from the “good” power supply.

Digging a bit deeper, and having isolated the culprit, Stephanie decided to see what the noise level on the 12 volt output of the good and bad AC power packs looked like with the help of a scope. The “good” supply had around 40–50 mV of noise, as seen in Fig. 2. However the “bad” power pack had nearly 3 volts of some nasty looking noise, pictured in Fig. 3. Stephanie reasoned that much of that same noise was present on the Cat-6 cables going from the SAS terminals, back to the SAS mainframe, located adjacent to the TOC. The SAS cables also shared much of the same route as the Cat-6 cables connecting the different Avocent KVM boxes.

Fig.3: The AC ripple seen on the bad power supply.

Using a large bench vise she cracked open the bad AC power pack. It didn’t take long to find what she was checking for: a pair of electrolytic capacitors with bulging tops, seen in Fig. 4. This was a typical sign that they were “open” and no longer functioning as filters for the DC output.

Fig. 4: Bulging tops of the power supply electrolytics point to the problem.

It is interesting that this issue with the SAS intercoms had no noticeable effect on their operation but rather affected an an entirely different studio system. It also demonstrates that even capacitors in wall warts can be suspect.

Your contributions to Workbench help other engineers and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Send Workbench tips and high-resolution photos to johnpbisset@gmail.com.

John Bisset has spent 50 years in the broadcasting industry and is still learning. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He holds CPBE certification with the Society of Broadcast Engineers and is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award.

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All Ferncast products have a new core feature, with the company announcing the launch of its Aixtream software for live audio streaming and transmission platforms.

Aixtream can be used as a software installation or virtualization as well as Ferncast’s hardware platforms and has modules for OTT streaming, audio transmission over SIP, DVB-compliant transcoding, audio capturing and more.

 

One of the first customers to using this new technology is German public broadcaster Deutschlandradio. Ferncast’s Aixstream technology will handle the OTT streams of three of the broadcaster’s programs, which eventually totals 50 streams to reach all the decoding platforms and players.

In addition, Ferncast says that the FernPipe concept is also using the aixstream software.

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BRUSSELS — Countries that have approached the DAB+ digital radio standard as late adopters are deploying their networks at a much faster pace than early-riser nations, reports show. Speakers at the WorldDAB general assembly, which took place in Brussels Nov. 5–6, confirmed this fact.

WorldDAB President Patrick Hannon addresses WorldDAB general assembly delegates in Brussels. Photos: Davide Moro

LESSONS LEARNED

Consider Germany, the United Kingdom, Switzerland and other countries, which began thinking about transitioning their country’s radio industry to digital terrestrial broadcasting more than 10 years ago.

Jean-Paul Philippot is chief executive for Radio-Télévision Belge de la Communauté Française (RTBF), Belgium’s french-speaking public service broadcaster.

They were also tasked with having to picture — from scratch — the relevant ecosystem that went along with it. This included regulatory issues, spectrum availability, network planning, hard-to-find receivers and a relationship with the car industry still to kick off.

However, “late-adopter countries are speeding up their digital network deployment at a surprising pace,” explained Patrick Hannon, WorldDAB president.

“They are benefiting from the lessons learned by the pioneering countries that went before them, and they are well aware of the key actions they need to take,” he said.

“In addition,” he continued, “those countries can take full advantage of all the previous activities carried out by founding members of the WorldDAB.”

Kamel Haj Ammar is general engineer and director of commercial affairs for the Office National de la Télédiffusion (ONT), the public service broadcaster of Tunisia.

As examples Hannon mentioned the EU directive on the availability of digital receivers in new cars, the success stories of digital-only stations and the sound relationship built with major car automakers also in term of hybrid receivers and user interfaces.

Speakers from Belgium, France, Tunisia, Slovenia and Austria illustrated how their respective countries are advancing at a surprising speed on the digital path and, also thanks to a clearly-defined action plan, which has helped pave the way.

FOUND ITS WAY

According to the latest available figures, 51% of the Tunisian population is covered by DAB+ signals, and this figure increases to 61% in Austria, 73% in Slovenia and 95% in Belgium.

What’s more, it only took these newcomers a few years to move from nothing to the present point, while early adopter countries needed 10 years or more to do the same.

“It’s a real pleasure to see how the key action points from each implementation plan, which proves itself to be effective are so similar. This means we have probably found the right way forward,” Hannon concluded.

Patrick Hannon, WorldDAB president (left) presents Sergio Natucci, chief operating officer at DAB Italia, with the 2019 WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service (Per Erik Selemark Award).

The more than 200 delegates who took part in the general assembly confirmed Patrick Hannon as WorldDAB president, Joan Warner and Jacqueline Bierhorst as vice-presidents and Ron Schiffelers as treasurer.

Also during the event, the organization awarded the 2019 WorldDAB Award for Outstanding Service (Per Erik Selemark Award) to Sergio Natucci, chief operating officer at DAB Italia.

WorldDAB gives this award annually at its general assembly to an individual member of WorldDAB in recognition of his or her exceptional efforts in carrying out the promotion and rollout of the DAB.

marks the first time this award goes to a person representing the commercial broadcasting sector.

The post Late DAB+ Adopters Benefit From Experience, Move Faster appeared first on Radio World.

A group of 50 state broadcaster organizations are telling the Federal Communications Commission that it’s time to remove outdated equal employment opportunity rules.

Many of the proposals presented in the FCC’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on equal employment opportunity would increase burdens on broadcasters and be of questionable constitutionality and little practical utility in achieving the commission’s stated goals, the group said.

The broadcasters filed their comments as part of the FCC’s request for reply comments on the commission’s Equal Employment Opportunity Compliance and Enforcement Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

[Read: A Debate Over EEO Audits]

The FCC wants to reduce the regulatory burdens associated with the EEO rule without altering the substance of the rule.

“That can be accomplished quite simply and quickly by eliminating what has now become clear are repetitive and unproductive random EEO audits,” said the state organizations. Stations’ EEO performance is already reviewed at license renewal time and during mid-term reviews, and previous audits have confirmed “that they are not needed, as they have found a very high level of EEO compliance among broadcaster,” the group said in its filing.

“Alone among all other broadcast rules, the EEO Rule is the only rule enforced by random audits,” the group said. “There is no rational basis for implementing such an unusual, repetitive, and burdensome enforcement mechanism for EEO.”

The group also pointed to the questions of constitutionality that were raised about previous EEO rules. “[T]he DC Circuit has openly and repeatedly questioned whether the FCC has any compelling governmental interest in regulating the employment practices of broadcasters at all, a matter it has never had to reach in invalidating the prior iterations of the FCC’s EEO rules.”

As a result, any modified EEO rules adopted by the FCC should be as narrowly tailored as possible, the group said.

The New Jersey Broadcasters Association, which was as part of the 50 broadcaster group comment, filed a separate set of comments to advocate again that the FCC reassess its current documentation and paperwork approach to nondiscrimination and employment diversity.

“In the absence of evidence that the current FCC’s paperwork and recordkeeping requirements prevent or reduce discrimination, or increase employment diversity, the FCC should direct its regulatory efforts to finding effective ways to achieve the important goals of nondiscrimination and employment diversity,” the NJBA said.

The FCC’s current EEO requirements are unproductive and are not serving to achieve their intended goals, the organization said. Instead, it’s time for the industry to come “together to explore more effective options that will truly reduce discrimination and increase diversity in the broadcast station workplace,” the NJBA said.

Comments on the FCC’s EEO proposed rulemaking can be seen in the commissions’ ECFS database using Media Bureau Docket Number 19-177.

 

The post 50 Broadcast Groups to FCC: Remove Obsolete EEO Rules appeared first on Radio World.

The MMTC believes a key to ensuring diversity and fairness in the hiring process is to audit stations to ensure nondiscriminatory practices are taking place.

Those are the suggestions issued by the Multicultural Media, Telecom and Internet Council in response to comments filed by the National Association of Broadcasters and ACA Connects  — which are all part of the Federal Communications Commission’s request for reply comments on the commission’s EEO Compliance and Enforcement Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.

[Read: 82 Small Broadcasters Weigh in on EEO Rule Changes]

A series of initial comments on the issue was filed by MMTC in early September whereby the organization recommended four steps the commission should take immediately to improve EEO enforcement: increase the percentage of audits undertaken each year; institute deeper audits of randomly selected stations; install a whistleblower phone line; and publish a primer with best practices and model EEO programs.

Both the NAB and ACA, however, expressed concerns about the suggestion to increase the number of audits. The NAB said the FCC’s EEO audit program is already a material drain on local broadcasters’ resources. “Also, NAB knows of no other context — apart from instances where the commission grants money to an outside entity — where the commission aggressively audits compliance with its rules,” the NAB said. “Rather, in nearly every other instance, the agency adopts rules and then expects compliance. If an entity is found to have violated FCC rules, it faces various consequences.”

“This is the same approach the commission should take to EEO compliance,” the NAB said, adding that fewer than 1% of audits have revealed a violation of EEO rules.

But MMTC argues in later comments that just because discriminatory actions aren’t being found, doesn’t mean they’re not happening. EEO compliance is uniquely audit-worthy because compliance is seldom knowable except by insiders, the organization said. “Discrimination may be a subtle process which leaves little evidence in its wake,” the organization said by way of quoting the D.C. Circuit court. “On the other hand, engineering rule misconduct is generally discernable by members of the public.”

MMTC also counters NAB’s claims that existing reporting efforts are burdensome on smaller-market stations. Rather, MMTC said, nearly all of the information that stations must provide is already maintained as part of customary modern personnel practice.

“In a professional work site, none of this information has to be created just for an audit,” the MMTC said. “Consequently, the actual cost of responding to an audit is negligible.”

ACA also addressed the issue of cost in its filing comments, saying that it opposes enhanced onsite audits because the cost would outweigh the benefit. In response, MMTC said that the commission can be faithful to its EEO goals and its cost/benefit mandate by conducting a pilot program to test expanded audits.

Comments on the FCC’s EEO proposed rulemaking can be seen in the commissions’ ECFS database using Media Bureau Docket Number 19-177.

 

The post A Debate Over EEO Audits appeared first on Radio World.

Broadcast engineers can generally anticipate using a fair amount of creativity. That creativity manifests itself in simple and complex control, monitoring and delivery systems. Engineers spend sleepless nights saying, “This is going to be a great addition to our operation, but how am I going to …?”

The Failsafe Switching Gadget installed (just below the Moseley STL). Note the optional half-rack panel with Angry Audio logo.

Such was the case during a studio renovation wherein I deployed Yellowtec YT3105 microphone arms. The on-air staff was impressed with the LED tally light that was situated right above the microphone. How, though, do I get that sorcery to work? The preinstalled YT3105 cable has five wires; three for the microphone and two for the LED. I had to build a 5-pin pigtail that would break out the mic and LED connections. This was all hidden above the ceiling where the YT3105 cabling met with a confusion of power supplies and terminal strips to facilitate switching the LEDs.

In addition to YT3105 LED conundrum, the talent positions in these studios needed headphones. I wanted to put normal turrets in front of each position, but there wasn’t enough surface space on the studio furniture. So, this meant the talent got under-the-desk headphone volume boxes and no cough switches.

Fast-forward a few months to another project that involved transporting audio from a satellite downlink site to the studio. There were primary and backup audio paths (T1 and IP). Through an assortment of silence sensors and audio switches, I can switch to the backup if necessary, but it sure would be nice to have it all in one box.

So, what is there to do about all these issues? Nashville-based Angry Audio is owned and operated by veteran console designer Michael “Catfish” Dosch, who has been associated over past years with well-known brands like PR&E, Axia and Lawo.

Angry Audio understands broadcast engineering and the simple yet annoying problems that it involves. Plus its solutions look really slick. I found the Mic Tally Gizmo, the Guest Gizmo and the Failsafe Switching Gadget. Two words: Problems solved.

MIC TALLY GIZMO

Luckily, I inverted the Yellowtec YT3105 riser poles and supported them from a rigid aesthetic contraption on the ceiling. It allowed me to hide the homemade Y-adaptors and power supplies for the YT3105 LED and microphone harness. However, the Angry Audio Mic Tally Gizmo takes care of all of that by hiding ugly wiring. The rugged steel construction and surface-mount design allow the 5-pin XLR to plug in on the desk right next to the Yellowtec pole mic pole assembly.

Simply drill out a 2 1/8-inch hole in the desk and the Mic Tally Gizmo drops in. The back side has a male XLR jack that serves as a pass-through for the mic, a 15 V DC plug (wall-wart is included) to power the YT3105 LED and 1/8-inch jacks for LED logic. There are two logic ports. One activates the red LED and one activates the white. All the Yellowtec YT3105 functions are handled cleanly by the Mic Tally Gizmo. Everything comes to one place, and no homemade adaptations are required. The powder-coat finish looks great on any surface.

GUEST GIZMO

Studio design is evolving in such a way that the room is becoming less heavy. There are fewer equipment racks atop and under studio desks. Now we merely see computer peripherals, speakers and microphones. This lends itself to smaller desk design with less surface space. I experienced this firsthand in the studio design where I had no room for talent surfaces or turrets. The Guest Gizmo is a perfect solution for this.

Just like the Mic Tally Gizmo, the Guest Gizmo boasts a rugged powder-coated steel design. It fits into a 2 3/4-inch hole. The surface-mounted top panel has an illuminated cough button, 1/4-inch headphone jack and volume knob. The built-in headphone amplifier packs plenty of headroom. On the rear of the Guest Gizmo, inputs are left and right line level via balanced 1/4-inch jacks. A 16 VAC (wallwart included) powers the built-in headphone amp. An additional 1/4-inch TRS jack can be connected to the Insert jack found on the Mic inputs of live-sound mixers, providing broadcast-style remote mic muting even when the board lacks muting logic. The surface-mounted front panel is 3 inches by 3 inches and takes up very little desk space.

FAILSAFE SWITCHING GADGET

We move on from the gizmos to the gadgets. The 1RU Failsafe Switching Gadget is housed in a near-bulletproof half-rack wide steel enclosure. It comes with a 120 V power cord, so there’s no additional wallwart to put in the rack. The Failsafe Switching Gadget monitors audio on the “A” input. When audio fails on the A input, the system switches to the B input. The silence threshold level, manual switching, automatic switch delay and switch recovery behavior are controlled on the front panel. The recovery function allows for deciding how much human intervention is needed in the event of an audio failure.

Basically, the unit will either switch to the B input and stay there indefinitely, or will switch back to the A input when main audio is restored. The two XLR stereo inputs and stereo outputs are on the back of the unit as well as a 9-pin D-sub connector for remote A/B input switching, reset and status monitoring. The Failsafe Switching Gadget makes the switch between A and B inputs fully transparent with no clicks, pops or breaks in the audio. The active audio channel is indicated by bright red illuminated buttons on the front panel. When the unit loses power, it switches to the B input.

Angry Audio offers a handful of other ultra-useful appliances and cable adapters that simply make life easier. The construction and quality of the components make for clean and robust audio. Plus, the powder-coated finish and steel construction make the Angry Audio products aesthetically rugged and stylish. As Angry Audio grows its line of gizmos and gadgets, the “How am I going to do that?” factor for radio engineers will be more and more enjoyable.

Know of a product or a company that fellow readers should know about? Tell us at radioworld@futurenet.com.

PRODUCT CAPSULE:

Angry Audio “Problem Solvers”

Mic Tally Gizmo
+ Consolidates wiring mess
Price: $111

Guest Gizmo
+ Useful feature set
+ Strong amplifier
Price:$166

Failsafe Switching Gadget
+ Offers audio restoration options
Price: $222

For information, contact Angry Audio in Tennessee at 1-615-763-3033 or visit
https://angryaudio.com.

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