Finding Your Axia Devices

Every Axia device ‘advertises’ itself on the network so that other Axia products can find them. In addition to this, the advertisement is used to know what sources are configured on a device and if they are in use elsewhere. Sometimes when scanning for new devices a piece of software may not ‘discover’ anything. This is generally caused by only a couple of things that are very easy to correct.

Suitcase Radio: Zenith Portable Receiver

One of the great things about radio is its portability. Take it to the beach, in your boat, on a train. Take it just about anywhere. What's changed over the years is how easy it is to do that. Nowadays we take the portability of radio for granted, as we stuff a smart phone with a built-in FM tuner in our pocket and head out the door. It wasn't always that easy. This month's Found in the Attic examines suitcase radios, in particular the Zenith 6G601D Universal.

Open Source Automation with Fred Gleason

Is free, open-source software a viable option for running your radio station? Fred Gleason, co-founder of Paravel Systems says it’s worth consideration. His Rivendell radio automation software is open-source, widely deployed, fully professional - and free to use. Paravel’s financial model is to charge for pre-configured hardware and for support, but both are optional. Fred talks to us about Rivendell open-source radio automation and call screening software.

Digital Transmission Primer with Ward Silver

I’ve often said, “This here digital’s the coming thing.” We all know it’s here now, and here to stay. Perhaps we’d be well-served to understand some techniques for transmitting digital information over radio frequencies (RF). Ward Silver, N0AX, is a teacher, a contributing editor to the American Radio Relay League (ARRL), and author of the book, “Ham Radio for Dummies,” as well as many others. We’re getting a lesson from Ward on Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM) as well as I & Q signals. Symbol constellations, predictive coding - we’re diving right in.

Dash Radio

Founded with a belief that the programming on commercial radio is circling the drain, DashRadio launched at the end of August to deliver an alternative. With 50 channels of 24/7 music ranging from hip-hop to jazz to electronic to oldies to disco and everything in between, DashRadio is available on the web and through apps for iPhone and Android. “Our next target is the connected car, that's really where the future lies,” explains John Halterman, President of Operations at DashRadio.

Setting up a service with studios for live shows and 50 streams with a realistic budget isn't easy, and that's where the Telos Alliance comes in to the picture. “We couldn't have done it without you,” adds Halterman.

IT-based Broadcast Infrastructure and Audio Trends

In the last several years, the broadcast industry has begun making the rapid transition to IT-based infrastructure both for new facilities as well as upgrades of old facilities. Standards such as SMPTE 2022 have facilitated the transition from specialized rack-mounted appliances to commodity hardware that is increasingly cloud-enabled for scalability and redundancy. Encoding, decoding, packaging, switching and more are all virtualized to the point where even connectivity now is becoming largely virtualized for both traditional linear broadcast and second screen.

War Stories with Eric Adler

Chris Tobin and Kirk Harnack have been broadcast engineers for, well, a few decades. This week we were both encouraged by our conversations with Eric Adler, who is quickly learning the profession in his role as a Broadcast Engineer at WSKG Public Broadcasting. Eric is also the Chapter Chair for SBE Chapter #1 in Binghamton, New York. We’re all sharing stories, tricks, and tips on this episode of TWiRT.

Hunting Robots and Cranking it Up

In this edition, we focus on some technical tips regarding Telos Zephyr and Nx Phone Systems.

A Visit to Amsterdam's Red Light Radio: New World of Internet Radio Based in Notorious Spot

Amsterdam has always been one of the main art and cultural centers of Europe, so it is no surprise that some of the most creative online audio services in the world emanate from this city. There is the fascinatingly bizarre Radio Patapoe, the diverse cutting edge presentations of DFM, and one of the relatively new services, Red Light Radio.

C.Crane Radios with Bob Crane

Anyone listening to late night talk radio has probably heard of the C. Crane Company and their high-quality consumer radios. As engineers we tend to worry about the studio and transmission end of radio broadcasting. Bob Crane, founder of C. Crane, took a different approach to broadcast quality. He and his engineers work on the receiving end, and it’s making a positive difference. Bob joins Chris Tobin and me to let us in on the magic behind great radio reception.