Channeling Your Inner SDI 

Building on insight and history in the television broadcast industry, The Telos Alliance created a new division to focus on the expanding needs of the TV audio market. Titled the “TV Solutions Group” (TVSG), the knowledge and resources of the two Telos Alliance TV brands, Linear Acoustic and Minnetonka Audio, are combined to provide a wide range of products, solutions, consultation, and custom development. Read more about TVSG here.

Here's the first of many TVSG tech tips:

Telos Tackles the Last Frontier

Public radio has a special place in the hearts and minds of listeners in rural communities. Often, it's their only link to the outside world. So it is in Alaska. “The Last Frontier” is served by 26 public radio licensees. Scattered across the state, they cover over 90 percent of the population. Reflecting the unique needs of each community, their program content varies widely, ranging from locally-produced entertainment to town meetings to regional and national news and information. At the hub of this network is Alaska Public Broadcasting (APB), whose headquarters are in Anchorage.

TWiRT 328 - Check the Radio and Turn Signals with Mark Persons

Gentleman engineer, Mark Persons, talks about mentoring engineering students from 150 miles away. Custom EAS Relay panels. Plus 4 dB steps in some car radios volume controls is crazy! And car-buying advice you don’t want to miss.  Plus Chris Tobin reports in from the Government Video Expo and Drone Show.

Guest: Mark Persons, President of M. W. Persons & Associates

Host: Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Keeping it Simple with SNMP

As broadcasters develop more complex networks for IP audio, SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) is becoming commonplace. At its most basic, it is a protocol for collecting information about and controlling managed devices on IP networks. These might include workstations, printers, servers, routers, and switchers. But it has the potential to do a great deal more for broadcasters.

Most of today's broadcast equipment with an IP connection supports the SNMP protocol. With a bit of time and creativity, SNMP can become the front end of a command and control system that feeds an onscreen dashboard, where all the key parameters of your station's facilities can be monitored.

Topics: SNMP

11 Cool Things About Telos Zephyr iPort Plus Multi-Codec Gateway

The Telos Systems iPort PLUS Mult-Codec Gateway is one of the most versatile products around, and we've just released new v2.1.0j software to make it even more so. Here, you'll find some of the best ways to use the Telos iPort PLUS to give your broadcast operation more flexibility and effectiveness.

Topics: iport plus, multicodec gatway, Zephyr

Vintage Audio: Detrola Model 276 “Super Pee Wee” Radio

Long before the Motor City was known as “Motown” it was simply called Detroit. And while it was the hub of the automotive industry, it was also the home base for lots of other manufacturing concerns, including the 6^th largest supplier of radios in the USA. This Found in the Attic examines the Detrola model 276 “Super Pee Wee” radio, discusses the history of the company, and talks about why private labelling was such a big deal for some manufacturers.

Topics: Vintage Electronics

TWiRT 327 - Denny Sanders and Processing the Buzzard

FM audio processing grew and developed right along with the Rock ‘n Roll radio format.  Denny Sanders played a key role in Rock Radio from Boston’s MIT to Cleveland’s Buzzard. Denny’s our guest along with Chris Tobin on This Week in Radio Tech.

Hosts:

Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Links from the show:

Denny Sanders on WMMS, November 1985 (in-studio video)

LABELING YOUR CABLES - Easy Everyday Solutions

3M™Scotchcode™ Write On Dispenser

xNodes Link Community Radio for Northern Colorado

With its beginnings on the University of Northern Colorado campus in 1967 as KCBL, 91.5 KUNC serves residents of Northern Colorado with a unique blend of locally-produced news, music, and other popular public radio programming. Now owned and operated by Community Radio for Northern Colorado, the group has grown to a network of over 14 stations and translators throughout Colorado.

Vintage Audio: Heath SG-8 RF Signal Generator

Heathkit equipment has consistently proven that you don't need to spend a lot of money to get reasonable test gear. This Found in the Attic feature, the SG-8 RF signal generator, is no exception. It was introduced by Heath in September of 1953, and sold for $19.50. Production continued through May of 1961. Despite the low cost, the stability and accuracy of this RF generator is pretty impressive.

The circuitry is simplicity in itself. The RF section consists of a single 12AU7. One triode section is a Colpitts oscillator, while the other is a buffer between the oscillator and output section. Four coils, for bands A-D, are switched via the band switch. The coil for band E, which covers 25-110 Mhz is really a section of bus bar wire.  Additionally, useful calibrated harmonics are available up to 220 Mhz.

Topics: Vintage Technology

TWiRT 326 - Let’s Get Ready to Re-Aim

Well, that’s one of many subjects that Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack are discussing on this episode. Others include Burli newsroom software, Harris VistaMax, Shure SM7, Telos iPort PLUS parallel audio distribution, and Krone block patch cables. And, will President Trump replace FCC Chairman Wheeler?  

Hosts:  Chris Tobin, IP-Solutionist and Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, & South Seas Broadcasting

Links from the show:

Gentlemen, Move Your Dishes - Radio Networks Moving to AMC-18 (or SES-11?)

Krone Block information from the Online Engineer

Connecting the Land Down Under - via Satellite and Terrestrial Internet