Go Dumpster Diving at WISC-TV Addressing the New World of DTV Multichannel Audio WISC-TV Is Cleaning out Its Storage Building
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Society of Broadcast Engineers Newsletter Chapter 24 July 2007 Madison, Wisconsin In this Issue Amateur Radio News ............ 3 be eco-friendly FCC Meeting ........................ 4 From the Chair ...................... 5 find hidden treasures WisconsinEye ........................ 6 Next Meeting Thursday, July 17 go dumpster diving at WISC-TV Addressing the New World of DTV Multichannel Audio WISC-TV is cleaning out its storage building. In an effort Steve Strassberg, Strassberg Associates, the to keep excess material out of the landfill, WISC is inviting distributor and spokesman for the Linear Acoustic you to attend a dumpster diving party on Saturday, July 21 company, will present an informative program from 1 to 4 p.m. All items are free, as is and must be removed on DTV audio. It has been over 10 years since by the end of the day. Manuals and extender cards will be ATSC officially published the standards describing the audio system for digital television. With the available for most items. end of analog over-the-air rapidly approaching, You’ll find an eclectic assortment of audio, video, how is audio today? Many would agree that it is computer and RF gear, along with racks and various cable far less consistent and far more prone to level and scrap. The collected material will be on display inside the Old image shifts than ever before. Seemingly every Transmitter Building at the south edge of the front parking network handles the audio side of DTV in a dif- lot, rain or shine. ferent manner, the results audibly amplify these differences. Consumers are now presented with Contact Steve Paugh at WISC-TV, 608-277-5139, or a large number of audio sources, none of which [email protected] for more information. seem to be consistent either within the source or between sources. So what is broken? Is it emission, distribution, contribution, production or a fatal combination of several? Metadata was designed to prevent this mess, but is it being effectively used? Perhaps it is being abused or ignored? What is the solution? Join us for an engaging discus- sion of the standards, tools and techniques that are being refined to solve some of these issues and what can be done about the remaining problems. Dutch Treat Dinner 5:30 p.m. Perkins, 1410 Damon Road, Madison (no reservation - just gather together) Meeting and Program at 7 p.m. Dumpster Diving Party Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Center, 3319 W. Beltline Hwy, Madison Saturday, July 21, 1-4 p.m. WISC Old Transmi�er Building 7025 Raymond Road, Madison Coming Up Wednesday, Aug. 15: Loudspeakers & the “B Chain” Thursday, Sept. 13: TBD/Broadcast Clinic Planning Wednesday, Oct. 10: Broadcast all-new From the Chair column • see page 5 Clinic/History of WHA Radio Page 2 SBE Newsletter July 2007 Chapter Contacts Chapter Leadership Meeting Minutes Chair June 2007 Dennis Baldridge W: 489-3999 Chapter 24 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers meet on June 17, 2007 at [email protected] Badger Prairie County Park in Verona for its annual picnic. There were 10 mem- bers present of which 8 were certified. Vice Chair There were also two guests present. Clifford Groth (Clear Channel Radio) Steve Paugh conducted the grill- W: 274-5450 ing duties starting at 5:30. There was a Thanks to [email protected] short meeting after dinner. Outgoing Steve Paugh Secretary chair Clif Groth opened the meet- Tom Smith (WHA-TV) ing. Clif reported that the chapter had for his W: 263-2174 received its annual dues rebate from grilling skills. [email protected] the national office of the SBE. Elec- tion Chair Steve Paugh announced the Treasurer new slate of officers for the next year: Leslie Franzen (WMTV-TV) Dennis Baldridge, Chair; Clif Groth, W: 274-1515 Vice Chair; Tom Smith, Secretary; and [email protected] Leslie Franzen, Treasurer. Clif com- mented on his year as Chair and thank Past Chair everyone for their help. Jim Magee [email protected] Treasurer Leslie Franzen noted he was working on the annual report, Committee Appointees Program Chair Steve Paugh gave an update on the upcoming meetings, Certification Chair Jim Hermanson gave an Program Committee update on upcoming exam dates and Frequency Coordinator Tom Smith noted Steve Paugh 277-5139 that WSUM would be moving its STL in the near future due to construction of Fred Sperry 264-9806 the new University Square high rise blocking its signal. Steve Zimmerman 274-1234 Kevin Ruppert and Kevin Peckham supplied the music for the evening and after the meeting played old radio jingles and air checks which lead to a lively Membership discussion of radio past. Paul Stoffel Thanks to Steve Paugh for his organization of the picnic and his grilling skills [email protected] and to the Two Kevins for their entertainment for the evening. Sustaining Membership Fred Sperry Respectfully submitted, 264-9806 Tom Smith, Secretary [email protected] Certification & Education August SBE Jim Hermanson 271-4321 Chapter 24 newsletter [email protected] Important dates Frequency Coordination Tom Smith Copy deadline: Sunday, August 5 263-2174 [email protected] Folding party: Wednesday, August 8 National SBE Chapter Liasion E-mail submissions to John Salzwedel Leonard Charles W: 271-4321 at [email protected] F: 271-1709 [email protected] Please submit articles as Word or text documents or by pasting copy into the body of an e-mail. Pdfs also accepted. For graphics, jpgs preferred. July 2007 SBE Newsletter Page 3 Amateur Radio News complied by Tom Weeden, WJ9H Sunspots & radio flux repeaters affected by the “Pave Paws” with representatives of the FCC. They The National Oceanic and Atmo- radars (PPR). Citing an increasing have the ultimate responsibility for spheric Administration’s (NOAA) Space number of interference complaints, enforcing any mitigation plan, up to Environment Center (SEC) released the US Air Force has asked the FCC and including ordering specific repeat- their monthly forecasts of sunspot num- to order dozens of repeater systems to ers to shut down operations. The FCC ber and 10.7 cm radio flux. The SEC either mitigate interference to the Pave is aware of the complex nature of this forecasts that the smoothed sunspot Paws radars or shut down. The ARRL problem and the mitigation strategy number reached its low value of 11.7 is working with the US Department being proposed by the DoD. in March 2007, and predicts that the of Defense (DoD) to develop a plan to solar flux will reach its low of 75.4 this mitigate alleged interference from 70 month. This is the fourth month in a cm ham radio repeaters to this military Excerpts from the American Radio Relay row that the SEC predicts the solar flux radar system on both coasts. League’s Web site at arrl.org and will bottom out in July. According to the DoD, the in-band ARRL Wisconsin Section Manager Don Based on the SEC predictions, this interference from Amateur Radio Michalski, W9IXG.) is probably at the bottom of Cycle 23 fixed FM voice repeaters has increased and extremely close to the beginning to an unacceptable level. Pave Paws of Cycle 24. Two events will mark the radars are used for national security beginning of the next sunspot cycle: functions, including early detection of The observation of the first opposite water-launched missiles. They are criti- magnetic polarity sunspots compared cal to national defense and are in use to Cycle 23 sunspot polarity, and the 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Entercom Madison 94.9 WOLX / 105.1 Charlie-FM / 105.5 Triple M observation high solar latitude sun- The situation affects 15 repeaters 7601 Ganser Way spots — the Cycle 23 sunspots are within 100 miles of Otis Air Force Madison, WI 53719 now very near the solar equator. Base on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, (608) 826-0077 Although sunspots have been ob- and more than 100 repeaters within served since Galileo’s time, in 1848 a 140 miles of Beale Air Force Base near Swiss astronomer named Rudolf Wolf Sacramento, California. came up with a method of counting ARRL Regulatory Information sunspots which is still in use today. Wolf Specialist Dan Henderson, N1ND, dubbed the 11-year solar cycle period of stresses that the Defense Department KEVIN STATZ 1755-1766 as “Cycle 1.” Senior Broadcast Technician acknowledges Amateur Radio’s value (608) 274-3464 (800) 810-5865 Fax (608) 274-3176 8-year-old WI boy in disasters and emergencies and is www.madisonvideorepair.com [email protected] passes general license being extremely cooperative — and 1409 GREENWAY CROSS MADISON, WI 53713 a wholesale shutdown of US 70 cm exam Amateur Radio activity is not on the Richard Wood, President Wisconsin kid makes good: Jack- table. Box 51/1965 W Ridge Road son Tenor, KC9KVU, age 8, recently The Amateur Radio Service is a Cottage Grove, WI 53527 passed his General license exam and secondary user in the 420-450 MHz e-mail [email protected] almost passed the Extra! He is a band, both by the Table of Frequency www resonantresults.com Telco 608-839-3950 member of the Green Bay Mike and Allocations and the FCC Part 97 RF SYSTEMS SPECIALIST Fax 608-839-3949 Key Club and will be in the 3rd grade regulations. & INFRARED TESTING Cell 781-929-7179 at Holy Apostles Catholic School in As such, Amateur Radio licens- Green Bay. His proud father is Joe, ees, jointly and individually, bear the N9UPU. responsibility of mitigating or elimi- nating any harmful interference to the ARRL working with primary user, which in this case is the DoD on repeaters Government Radiolocation Service 5727 Tokay Boulevard The American Radio Relay League that includes the DoD Pave Paws Madison, Wisconsin 53719 systems.