About This NewsletterMeeting AnnouncementUpcoming Meeting ScheduleMeeting MinutesWisconsin Historical ImagesTaste Of NAB Coming In JulyAmateur Radio NewsPressure On DTV TransitionFCC Holds Another Localism HearingSBE Short CircuitsNextel Deal In TroubleFCC RulemakingsLocal LegalsFM Auction To Be HeldChapter Sustaining MembersReturn to 2004 Newsletter Archives The Chapter 24 Newsletter is published monthly by Chapter 24 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers; Madison, Wisconsin. Original hard copy edited by Mike Norton on Pagemaker 5.0. Submissions of interest to the broadcast technical community are welcome. You can make your submissions by e-mail to:
Information and/or articles are also accepted by US Mail. Please address them to:
SBE Chapter 24 Newsletter Editor
2029 Greenway Cross #11
Madison, WI 53713-3000
Please submit text file on DOS or Windows 3.5" floppy diskette if possible.
Steve Paugh is the editor for the Electronic Version of this Newsletter uploaded monthly onto SBE Chapter 24's web page.
Thanks to Leonard Charles for his work on the Chapter 24 WWW page and electronic newsletter.
Contributors this month:
Jim Magee
Steve Paugh
John Poray
Stan Scharch
Tom Smith
Tom Weeden
© 2004 by SBE Chapter 24. Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the Society, its officers, or its members. SBE Chapter 24 regrets, but is not liable for, any omissions or errors. The Chapter 24 Newsletter is published twelve times per year. Other SBE Chapters are permitted to use excerpts if attributed to the original author, sources, and SBE Chapter 24.
Thank you to WKOW-TV for providing copying and folding facilities for the Chapter 24 newsletter!
Thank you to WISC-TV for maintaining the web server for the Chapter 24 Web page!
The Chapter will supply burgers and brats, condiments, buns, plates, cups and utensils. The grill will be started at 5:30 PM. Bring a dish to pass, an alternate entrée if desired and your preferred beverage (we have an alcohol permit).
Please sign-up on the chapter web site (http://www.sbe24.org)
Visitors and guests are welcome at all of our SBE meetings!
| DAY | DATE | TOPIC | CONTACT |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thurs | Jul 29 | Larry Bloomfield | |
| Weds | Aug 11 | Steve Paugh | |
| Thur | Sep 16 | Steve Paugh | |
| Weds | Oct 13 | Vicki Kipp | |
| Tues | Nov 18 | TBD | |
| Thur | Dec 15 | Timber Lodge Steak House |
Submitted by Jim Magee, Secretary
Chapter 24 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers met on Tuesday, May 18, 2004 at the studios of WMTV-TV, Madison, Wisconsin for the chapter's monthly meeting. There were 19 members in attendance, 15 of whom were certified, and 3 guests.
The meeting was called to order at 6:57 PM by Chapter Chair Vicki Kipp. The minutes of the April meeting as published in the May newsletter were approved. Treasurer Leslie Franzen reported a balance in the black. Chapter Chair Kipp thanked Stan Scharch for his many years of service as Treasurer. Membership Chair Paul Stoffel reported the chapter is currently sending 111 newsletters and the chapter has 64 members, down from 75 members last year.
Program Chair Steve Paugh announced that the next meeting will be the Chapter's summer picnic and will be held at Badger Prairie Park. The July meeting will be the Taste of NAB and will be held at Avid. There will be a number of door prizes for the Taste of NAB such as cable, software, headphones, SDI/NTSC transcoder, and more. The balance of the years programs are filled with the exception of November, with work on a possible headend tour.
Certification Chair Jim Hermanson announced the national office has a presentation that explains the SBE certification program and is encouraging each chapter to schedule a Certification Night between June 1st and Dec. 31st. The next testing window will be June 4-14 but the application period has closed. The following local testing window is August 13-23 with applications due June 11th. Newsletter editor Mike Norton announced the deadline for articles for the June issue will be Friday, June 4th at midnight. The folding party will be held Wednesday, June 9th at 5:30 PM at WKOW-TV.
Frequency Coordinator Tom Smith reported he had been contacted by a consultant for WWJD-FM (Marshall/Fall River) to tie up loose ends for an STL application. He also reported that the Maximum Service Television Association has filed a petition with the FCC proposing a plan for stations to use in selecting their final DTV allocation. Coordinator Smith reported the FCC has opened a Notice of Rulemaking that would allow both low and high power WI-FI data transmission on an unlicensed basis in the broadcast TV band. They are proposing the use of radios that would look for unused channels on which to transmit.
National Liaison Leonard Charles reported that the National SBE extends condolences to family and friends of Nick Berg, the young man killed in Iraq. Mr. Berg was in Iraq as a tower rigger and he operated Prometheus Tower Service primarily in the northeast area of the United States. Although he was not a SBE member, he did do a lot of work for member stations. A memorial fund has been setup, for more information visit www.nickberg.org.
Other national items reported: Fred Baumgartner is the chair of the newly formed SBE national education committee and he is soliciting members of his committee. If interested, contact Leonard for Fred's email address. Nominations for Members are now being accepted for the national slate of offices for this year's elections. A list will be published in the June issue of Signals. Nominations will be accepted through July 23rd. Ballots will be mailed Aug. 6th and must be returned by Sept. 9th. Winners will be sworn in on Oct. 27th at the national meeting in Boston. National Awards application deadline is May 31st. If you have not renewed your membership, you are still in the grace period before you are dropped. The National SBE produced a 40th anniversary video which was played at the national membership meeting in Las Vegas, and will be made available to chapters if they want a copy to play at their meetings.
Under new business, Chapter Chair Kipp reported that SBE Chapter 80 from Northeast and Central Wisconsin has offered to host a booth at the WBA/SBE Summer Engineering Workshop Exhibits on Wednesday, June 16th, but are looking to borrow our display case and promotional materials. A motion to lend these items was approved and seconded. There was no old business.
Under professional announcements: Terry Baun has been elected to the Wisconsin Broadcasters Hall of Fame. He will get his award in Appleton on June 17th at the WBA annual Hall of Fame banquet. The WBA Summer Engineering conference is the day before on June 16th. There is a page on the Chapter 24 web site with program information. The Broadcast Clinic will be at the Middleton Marriott Oct. 12-14, and the Program Committee is meeting May 25th.
Also announced was a statewide AMBER alert test on May 25th at 8:15 AM.
Other professional announcements, Chapter Chair Kipp reported that member Bill Fletcher is dealing with a serious health issue. A letter from former Chapter member Mark Croom had been received and read. Another Chapter member, Anthony Poleski has left WKOW and is working on earning a law degree in Milwaukee. Member Poleski continues to enjoy being in the Chapter and receiving our newsletter. The meeting adjourned at 7:12 PM
The program was a presentation by Dan Abelson of In Game Services and a tour of the new WMTV tower currently under construction.
This photo was taken near the intersection of Fish Hatchery and Badger Roads looking north. The subject is the new county garage. But, in the background is the old WHA (AM) tower site. The UW constructed this transmitter antenna array only a few years earlier.
Although this appears to be a two tower phased system, it is not. Instead the towers support a vertical wire omnidirectional antenna system which (if the picture would have shown it) looked something like:
The transmitter building is obscured in this photo. It is a nice single story brick building with a hip roof. This was all torn down in about 1980 and replaced with a small hut and single guyed tower, all located about 1/4 mile to the west in the UW Arboretum. It is still there today.
Our July SBE meeting will be a "Taste of NAB" Road Show produced by Larry Bloomfield and held this year at Avid Technology on Enterprise Lane. SBE Chapter Secretary Jim Magee will be the local coordinator. Start spreading the word, everyone is invited, SBE members and guests, local broadcasters, production, post-production and cable community personal are welcome. Don't forget to invite local high school electronics teachers, interested students and the local Ham Radio club. There will be something for everyone. A Dutch Treat dinner will be held at China One West on Grand Canyon Drive. Full details will be in the July meeting notice.
There are some fabulous door prizes to be given away during the evening. Here is a preliminary list of some of the items to be given away to lucky winners. Bring your business card to enter.
• A $50 credit with Clark Wire & Cable.
You can also enter your name for the grand prize drawing to be held at the completion of nation wide "taste of NAB" tour in August. All attendees are eligible for the drawing if they put a card in the bowl.
• Fluke has donated a Model 189 multimeter• FCC Chairman Michael Powell has assured US representatives Greg Walden, W7EQI (R-OR), and Mike Ross, WD5DVR (D-AR), that the Commission will act "as expeditiously as possible" on amateur radio restructuring. Walden and Ross wrote Powell a month ago to urge adoption of the American Radio Relay League's restructuring Petition for Rule Making (RM-10867) "in its entirety" along with rules changes needed to put it into place. Powell said the League's petition was one of many.
"At this time, the Commission staff is reviewing and analyzing carefully all of the petitions, comments and proposed rule changes in this area," Powell responded May 21. "Because this matter is of great importance to you and the almost 700,000 amateur radio operators nationwide, the staff is working diligently to create a comprehensive solution to address the proposals the petitioners have submitted." The next step in the process, he said, will be to prepare a notice of proposed rule making for the Commission's consideration.
In addition to the League's filing, Powell pointed out, the Commission received 17 other petitions for rule making that address examination requirements and operating privileges for Amateur Service licensees. The various proposals attracted more than 5000 comments, he noted-more than 800 of them on the ARRL's petition alone. In their letter to Powell, Walden and Ross expressed their belief that the ARRL's plan "will encourage the development, refinement and use of new technologies; increase the number of young people involved in amateur radio; and provide incentives for amateur radio licensees to pursue technical self-training and opportunities for volunteerism in the best traditions of our country."
Other restructuring plans were filed by the Radio Amateur Foundation, RM-10868, and by the National Conference of Volunteer Examiner Coordinators, RM-10870. Fifteen other petitions for rule making came down on one side or the other of retaining the amateur radio Morse code examination requirement to operate on HF. Judging from Powell's letter to Walden and Ross, the FCC plans to address all 18 petitions within the framework of a single rule making proceeding.
• A Canadian ham, VE3HLS, has catalogued sounds of various types of interference that hams or shortwave listeners may encounter on HF frequencies. "The RF Noise Identification" web site includes a library of MP3 recordings of various types of RF noise from known sources and some that haven't been indentified. Also included are images of waveforms that provide an additional "fingerprint" of noise sources. <http://www.ve3hls.com/noise/rfihome.html>
• The FCC has extended to June 22 the deadline to file reply comments (comments on filed comments) in its broadband over power line (BPL) Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM), ET Docket 04-37.
(Excerpts from the arrl.org and eham.net web sites)
On Wednesday, June 2, the new Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, Energy and Commerce Committee, Fred Upton (R-Mich.) held hearings on Advancing The DTV Transition; An Examination of the FCC Media Bureau Proposal. Witnesses included Ken Ferree, Head of the FCC Media Bureau; Eddie Fritts, President of the National Association of Broadcasters; and Gary Schpiro, Head of the Consumer Electronics Association. This hearing was in response to some ideas from Ken Ferree to set a fixed date for the transition, including linking the access to downconverted broadcast DTV signals on cable as counting for the 85% total of homes with DTV capability. TV Technology reported that Upton made it clear he was in favor of the 2006 deadline at the hearing.
On May 27th, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International Inc. wrote a letter to Rep. Fred Upton asking for Congress to require TV stations operating on Channels 63,64, 68 and 69 to relinquish their channels, no later then December 31, 2006 which is the original date for the analog TV shutdown. These four channels are allocated for public safety use after the transition, and fire and police agencies would like to start using these frequencies as soon as possible.
From APCO Release, C-SPAN Telecast, and TV Technology News Byte
On May 26th, the FCC held another localism hearing in Rapid City, South Dakota. This hearing was scheduled from 5:30 to 9:00 PM and had 17 panelists scheduled. Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein presided at the hearing. Chairman Michael Powell was to attend, but did not make it. There was a open mike in which comments from the public were taken. The open mike was scheduled to last an hour and a half, but lasted until midnight.
The FCC will be holding several more of these meetings and is also taking written comments before the Localism Task Force makes it's report.
From FCC Releases (www.fcc.gov)
BENCH, LOPEZ NAMED SBE FELLOWS
The Board of Directors of the Society of Broadcast Engineers has elected Edward B. Bench, CPBE and Vincent A. Lopez, CEV, CBNT, Fellows of the Society. The two men will be recognized during the SBE National Meeting, October 27 in Marlborough, Mass.
To be elected an SBE Fellow, nominees must have rendered conspicuous service, made valuable contributions to the advancement of broadcast engineering or its allied professions, or have distinguished themselves by disseminating their knowledge of broadcast engineering and by promoting its application in practice.
In last month's newsletter, it was reported that Nextel, the MSTV, and the NAB arrived at an agreement to have Nextel pay for the 2 GHz transition to a smaller TV pick-up band. It was also reported that Verizon, Cingular, and others were objecting to the proposal. On May 21st, the Washington Post reported that Chairman Michael Powell reversed his vote which denied Nextel access to the spectrum in the existing 2 GHz TV pick-up band.
On May 24th, the Washington Post reported that Nextel was still lobbying hard for the spectrum. Nextel was seeking spectrum at 1.9 GHz, which is adjacent to the PCS wireless band. This would allow the use of equipment that could be reengineered from existing dual band cellular/PCS equipment. It now looks as if Nextel will be assigned spectrum at 2.1 GHz, which is just above the 2 GHz TV pick-up band. This would require newly designed equipment for Nextel Service.
This battle may go on for some time and affects many TV broadcasters news operations.
From Washington Post (www.washingtonpost.com)
PROPOSED RULEMAKINGS
MB Docket No. 03-15
Second Periodic Review of the Commission's Rules and Policies Affecting the Conversion to Digital Television
The Association for Maximum Service Television, Inc. (MSTV) has filed a petition with the FCC outlining a proposal for a channel election and repacking of the TV band when the analog service is shut down and all TV broadcasting is digital. The MSTV is proposing a five step process in order to reach a final table of assignments.
The first step would be to clean up the FCC database. MSTV have proposed that sometime soon after May of 2004, the FCC freeze all requests for channel changes, new DTV allotments and changes to DTV transmission facilities that would result in increased service areas. The FCC would also be required to resolve Canadian and Mexican coordination issues. Stations would have 45 days to correct any FCC database errors, and stations not operating at full authorized levels would have to file a statement of intent to construct those full facilities or if they choose, lesser facilities. The MSTV has suggested that this be done by September of 2004. In February of 2005, the FCC would issue a database of all DTV eligible licenses, listing their final protected service areas and populations, including their maximized DTV service commitments.
The second step is the first round of channel elections in June of 2005. Stations with both their NTSC and DTV channels with in the final TV core band (channels 2-51) will choose whether they wish their DTV operation to continue on their assigned DTV channel or if they plan to return to their NTSC channel. Those returning to their NTSC channel will be required to protect DTV service areas of stations that wish to remain on their DTV channels. Stations selecting to return to their NTSC channel will still have the right to reselect their DTV channel later in the process and it will remain protected. Stations with one in-core and one out-of-core channel will be assigned the in-the -core channel and it will be protected to the NTSC grade B or the maximized area of the DTV signal, depending on which one is in-core. In July of 2005, stations with two out-of-core channels would select three possible channels they would like to use. These choices are subject to the selections of the in-core channels by the other two groups of stations.
Step three is the issuing of provisional authorizations based on the first round of elections. Stations receiving authorizations include: in-core stations wishing to remain on their DTV channel, stations that return to their NTSC channels when those channels do not cause interference to stations electing to remain on their DTV channels, and coverage of the station on the former NTSC channel will be the same as the former NTSC grade "B" or the maximized DTV channel. Finally the FCC will give a station with two out-of-core channels, one of the three channels it selected.
The fourth step is a second round of channel elections. In December or 2005, stations with two in-core channels and electing their NTSC channel could refile for that NTSC channel if it did not meet the initial coverage requirements. They would have to give up service area and the right to return to their DTV channel. In January of 2006, stations with one out of core channel could request a third channel, as well as stations with two low band VHF channels. Stations with two out-of-core channels that had interference problems with all three channels they selected in the first round, would have another chance at selecting three new channels.
Step five is the FCC publishing the final DTV table of allotments. Before issuing this list, the FCC would have to settle any conflicts, with the following criteria and preferences: Stations that were on the air longest with a DTV signal, impact on the public's access to DTV services (most coverage), if one or both stations are low-band VHF, coordination problems with Canada or Mexico, zoning or environmental issues that may affect a stations request for a channel, and any other factor that may be relevant at the time.
MSTV addresses a number of other issues in the petition including low band VHF issue, making an informed choice, exceptions of the industry and branding.
This petition was filed on May 6, 2004 and can be found on the MSTV website (www.mstv.org).
ET Docket No. 04-186
Unlicensed Operation in the TV Broadcast Band
ET Docket No. 02-380
Additional Spectrum for Unlicensed Devices Below 900 MHz and in the 3 GHz Band
On May 13, 2004, the FCC adopted a Notice of Rulemaking that would allow unlicensed WI-Fi data transmission systems in the TV broadcast band. The Commission believes that these devices can be used without interference to TV broadcasts. Four Commissioners issued statements with Chairman Michael Powell and Commissioner Michael Copps being for the action and Commissions Kevin Martin and Jonathan Adelstein supporting the action, but voicing concerns about possible interference to TV broadcasts.
These systems would operate on Channels 5 through 51 with channel 37 protected for space research, and channels 2 through 4 protected for use by VCR's and other TV playback devices. The transmitters would operate with one watt for fixed units and 100 milliwatts for mobile units. No transmitting antenna can have a gain of more then 6 dBi. Fixed units must have either a GPS receiver and access to a database so that it can determine vacant TV channels at its location, or must be installed by a professional installer who must determine the location of the system and what TV channels are unused in the area. The installer must configure the device to operate on unused channels only. The device or operator must periodically access a database on channel availability to ensure that the channels that the transmitter is operating on remain vacant. Portable units must be able to receive a control signal from an unlicensed transmitter or from a TV or FM station indicating the channels that are vacant in the area. The systems must transmit an ID signal and the hardware, and the software for determining vacant channels must be tamper-proof as well. The system must be able to detect tampering and shut down if tampered with.
TV stations are protected from interference to their grade "B" coverage or DTV service contour and a channel is considered vacant at 5 to 20 dB below that contour level depending on the band and if the station is analog or digital. Channels 14 through 20 are also protected in major markets when land mobile is allowed on those channels.
The proposed unlicensed systems will not be allowed to operate within 60 kilometers of the Canadian border and 32 kilometers of the Mexican border on VHF and 40 kilometers on the UHF band.
This notice was released on May 25. 2004. Comments are due 75 days from publication in the FEDERAL REGISTER with reply comments due 30 days later.
(Disclosure: The author filed comments concerning this issue during the Notice of Inquiry that the FCC had previously issued.)
MB Docket No. 04-210; DA 04-1497
Media Bureau Seeks Comment On Over-The-Air Broadcast Television Viewers
On May 27, 2004, the Media Bureau asked for information on those television viewers that rely on over-the air TV broadcasting. They want information on how to minimize the impact to these viewers when the switchover to DTV occurs and analog TV is shut down.
In the first part, the FCC would like to know the number of households that rely on over-the air TV, the number of households that subscribe to cable or DBS and may have some sets in the home that are not hooked up to the cable or DBS service. They would like to know the number of analog TVs in all households and the number on DTVs that receiver over-the air DTV in all households. The Media Bureau also seeks information on over-the-air households such as age, race, income, education, ethnicity and the geographic location of these households, including region and if they are urban or rural.
The last questions in this part asks for information on why households do not subscribe to cable or DBS. They want to know if those who do not subscribe to cable or DBS do so because they cannot afford it., can afford it but choose not to, or if it is because of lack of service such as no cable in area or DBS that lacks local-into local.
The second part of this request for comment asks for information on the handling the transition. The Media Bureau wants to know if the market place will deal with the problem of loss of analog service. Will people buy digital to analog converters on their own or will government action be needed. Some of the suggested actions include subsidizing the converters, having the government buy and distribute set-top boxes, and if they should supply more then one set-top box per household. They also ask if they should supply set-top boxes for some cable homes, as well as who should finance any government subsidy, and should it come for any auction proceeds or should the auction winners pay the cost as part of a band clearing mechanism.
Comments are due on July 12, 2004 and replies are due on August 5, 2004.
From FCC Release (www.fcc.gov)
GRANTED
The FCC granted applications for FM translators in the following cities:
Waupun, WI on 104.3 MHz for Sister Grace, Inc. Action was on May 11, 2004 and released on May 17, 2004.
Platteville,WI on 93.3 MHz for Edgewater Broadcasting Inc. The callsign is W237BG. Action was taken on May 24, 2004 and released on May 28, 2004
From FCC Daily Digest. (www.fcc.gov)
The FCC will start an Auction for contested FM applications on November 3, 2004. This Auction was originally scheduled on February 21, 2000, but was postponed due to a conflict in the rules. Noncommercial applicants can file for FM allocations in the non-reserved commercial part of the FM band, but these applications are not subject to auction. Because of this, the FCC did not have a way to decide whom to grant a construction permit to. They finally came to a solution and granted some of the non-commercial applications, and put the rest of the open channels up for auction. The FCC is in the process of making the final rules for the auction.
There will be 290 construction permits up for this auction. There are two construction permits up for auction in Wisconsin; one is in Solders Grove and the other is in Two Rivers.
From FCC release (www.fcc.gov)
Return to 2004 Newsletter Archives
Return to Top