Recent Posts
Linear Acoustic®: Keeping You in Compliance
New FCC rules concerning how television broadcasters provide local emergency information to the vision-impaired went into effect this year, and TV engineers need to ensure their facilities are in compliance. Fortunately, the Linear Acoustic® AERO.100™ / AERO.1000™ / AERO.2000™ series of loudness managers may offer a solution for some broadcasters.
Read More
Oyster Radio with Bill Eaton
Imagine you’re the engineer for a radio station that you really enjoy listen to. Imagine that station has a terrific reputation, with the respect of listeners, businesses, and local officials. Now add a million listeners worldwide on the Internet. Finally, realize that this radio station is in an idyllic vacation paradise with tropical beaches and a low-key lifestyle. We’re talking about Oyster Radio and Chief Engineer Bill Eaton - in Apalachicola, Florida.
Read More
Live from NAB 2015
We’re live from Central Hall - the Broadcast Electronics booth - at NAB 2015! A Who’s Who cast of radio celebrities joins us including Scott Fybush, Joost Bloemen, Greg Shay, Frank Foti, Jim Backus, Joe Talbot, and Jim Roberts. And don’t miss the final 8 minutes! You won’t get fooled again!
Read More
Learning by Doing with Marc Silverman
Where will the next broadcast engineers come from? Hofstra University in New York seems a good source. Marc Silverman is a student and he’s the Student Director of Engineering at WRHU-FM. Marc joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to talk about learning about broadcast engineering by example and by doing it.
Read More
Silverball Madness in Las Vegas
Those of us of a certain age fondly remember entertainment from the pre-computer days, a time when amusement parks, convenience stores and other entertainment establishments did not have video games, computerized entertainment centers or full-wall videos – no, we had pinball: bright, flashing, noisy, shiny electro-mechanical pinball machines. Magic devices that consumed both hours and quarters like a pro wrestler consumes breakfast; many of us spent too much time to count in front of these machines, until our empty stomachs, stiff legs or sore hands commanded us to quit.
Read More
Back to Nature – Vegas Style
The NAB show – six days of people-packed, full-tilt multimedia mayhem that takes sensory overload to the next level. If this annual experience leaves you feeling a bit shell-shocked, relief may be closer than you think. The Donald H. Baepler Xeric Garden at UNLV isn't on any of the tour maps, but offers a quiet commute with nature in the midst of the turmoil that is Las Vegas.
Read More
The Things You’ll See at NAB
New ways to talk with listeners - and share their video calls; IP-audio codecs keep getting smaller and better; same goes for FM transmitters with a new rack-mount 10 kilowatt model; the FCC proposes office closings for a modest savings, but will they be at NAB? Drones are hot for broadcasters and the FAA. Plus we look at who’s getting some big honors in Las Vegas next month. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack look forward to NAB in a couple weeks.
Read More
Wireless ISP Engineering with Patrick Parks
Many households are in rural areas not served by cable Internet or DSL. Radio engineer, Patrick Parks wanted better Internet service to his country abode well outside the Dallas metroplex. His efforts led to building a Wireless Internet Service Provider called SmartBurst. Pat joins Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack to us how it all works.
Read More
Quick! To the Fallout Shelter!
Ask anyone what they think of first when they hear “Las Vegas” and they’re likely to mention the retina-searing lights of the famous Vegas strip, the dazzling casinos, the over-the-top luxury hotels, the glitzy shows, and if they’re old enough, maybe even the Rat Pack at The Sands.
Read More
Stromberg Carlson and Sony clock radios
This installment of Found in the Attic is a twofer. It features a genre of consumer electronics that is rapidly disappearing from the store shelves: the clock radio. As millennials enter the consumer market in larger numbers, sales of clock radios decline. Why? They use the alarm function built into their smartphones, and have no need or interest in purchasing an additional item.
Read More