Amazing Sound Quality for BestRadio Brasil with Z/IPStream

For one Brazilian internet broadcaster, finding the right sound proved a challenge. BestRadio Brasil in São Caetano do Sul, outside São Paulo, was born of an idea to create an internet radio station with the best possible quality—quality programs, music, and an amazing audio quality.

Topics: Streaming Audio

TWiRT 315 - Connectorized! 

Connectors! They come in many shapes and sizes, and usually have specific purposes.  Sometimes the same type of connector is used for very different things. Just because it fits doesn’t mean it’ll work. Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talk about the most common connectors for audio, power, RF, and data on This Week in Radio Tech.

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

Links from the show:

Installing a PL259 connector (video)

Installing an RJ45 connector (video)

List of common audio connectors and purposes

Pyle Network Cable Tester

Topics: Broadcasting

Telos' Triple Threat

Whether it's the sale of a single piece of gear, multiple items, turnkey installations with custom solutions, or equipment training, Triple Audio serves the needs of broadcasters across the Netherlands. In fact, there isn't much related to broadcast equipment that the company doesn't do. Among that is sales and distribution of gear from The Telos Alliance.

Marijn Fluitman, a project engineer, has been with Triple Audio for four years. The company is definitely engineering-driven. There are two managers and twelve employees, all engineers. They step into the administrative, sales and training roles as needed. “We're a bunch of young guys with the drive to do it all,” explains Fluitman.

TWiRT 314- Summertime Blues? No Way!

Stealthy antennas from those tricky mobile carriers... Can you count on mobile data bandwidth now - or in the future? Sun transit fade - on a terrestrial microwave path? A better Ethernet switch will solve that and more. And some TV stations are sharing the same frequency! Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack talk radio engineering on TWiRT!

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

Topics: Broadcasting

Vintage Audio: Wilkinson Transmitter Extension Meter

This chapter of Found in the Attic explores a forgotten chapter in the history of broadcast remote control technology, transmitter extension meter panels.

In the earliest days of radio, the Commission required all operating transmitter sites to be manned by someone with a First Class FCC license. That person was required to take meter readings every 30 minutes, maintain the transmitter log, and make repairs, or switch to a backup in the event of failures.

As technology evolved, and transmitters became more reliable, the rules were relaxed so that sites could be controlled remotely. In FCC lingo, the studio where the operator on duty was stationed was known as the control point. They Commission allowed most stations to have operators with a Third Class license and broadcast endorsement on duty. There were exceptions for directional stations, and those with higher power, which still required the First Class ticket.

Topics: Vintage Electronics, Vintage Technology

Thank You for Your Support

One of the things we frequently hear from our customers is how great our Telos Alliance Support team is. The 24/7 Support team regularly receives rave reviews from broadcasters from coast to coast and around the world. And while issues range from the straightforward to the very complex, the result is always the same for our customers—prompt, knowledgeable, and friendly service in minutes, not days.

Topics: The Telos Alliance

TWiRT 313 - New Tower Light Regs with Richard Hickey

New tower lighting standards from the FAA mean FCC licensed broadcast stations need pay attention.  Richard Hickey with Hilights, Inc. says that some of the rule changes could mean lower compliance costs for broadcasters - but others could cost more. Great advice on tower lighting with Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack, on This Week in Radio Tech.

Guest: Richard Hickey, Business Development Manager at Hilights Inc

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

Links from the show: 

Hilights, Inc.

FAA website designed for lighting and marking information

FCC Form 854 for refiling structures

FAA AC 70/7460-1L (the “New Rules” for lighting and marking)

Topics: Tower

Radio Station Rises from the Rubble

Natural disasters tend to bring out the best and worst in people. For KHKC 102.1FM, located in Atoka, Oklahoma, a tornado that hit on May 9th definitely brought out the best in a lot of people.

“The storm totally destroyed the studios and damaged our main tower, explains Bob Sullins, president of Keystone Broadcasting. “Station manager Ricky Chase and his daughter were in the studio when the tornado struck, and took shelter under a desk. Thankfully, they were not injured.”

Vintage Audio: Tektronix 310 Portable Oscilloscope

An earlier edition of Found in the Attic examined a surplus OS-8/U oscilloscope, and we noted that this was one of the first portable general purpose scopes. The honors for the first portable laboratory-grade oscilloscope goes to Tektronix, who introduced the model 310, which is the subject of this installment.

While the 310 eventually had a wide range of field service applications, it began in 1954 as a project contracted by IBM, who needed such a device for servicing its main frame computers. Initially, Tektronix didn't expect much demand for the 310 beyond fulfilling IBM's needs. Soon however, production could barely keep up with demand. Manufacturing of the 310 and 310A continued through 1971, a 16-year production run. When it was over, tens of thousands of these oscilloscopes had been sold.

Z/IP - ping Along at the RNC

Steve Neumann is Program Director at WINT in Willoughby, Ohio, about 15 miles to the east of Cleveland. When the station decided to broadcast live from the Republican National Convention in downtown Cleveland next week, they needed to know they’d be able to provide a stable remote feed back to their studios. Fortunately for WINT, Steve goes back a ways with Telos Alliance CEO Frank Foti.

Topics: Telos Z/IP ONE