• Contents for this Newsletter

About This Newsletter
Meeting Announcement
Upcoming Meeting Schedule
Meeting Minutes
Another Low Power Service
Proposed Changes To Chapter 24 By-Laws
Amateur Radio News
Windows Server 2003: A Friendlier, More Stable Windows Server
Notice Of Elections
FCC OKs Elimination Of 3rd Adjacent Protection From LPFMs
FCC Rulemakings
Computer Security Remains A Concern
Chapter Sustaining Members
Return to 2004 Newsletter Archives

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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:

© 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.

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Clay Moore of Focus Enhancements will demonstrate their FireStore product which fits on a standard DV camera and captures via Firewire on to a media drive which is compatible with non-linear editing systems. The media can then be directly read by a non-linear system. Clay will have a Power-Point presentation and will demonstrate the hardware. Afterward, Stu Stroup, of Grassland Media will show us his new production facility.

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Chapter 24 of the Society of Broadcast Engineers met on Tuesday, February 17, 2004, at the Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Center, Madison, Wisconsin for the chapters monthly meeting. There were 10 members in attendance, 7 of whom were certified and 3 guests.

The meeting was called to order at 7:07 PM by Chapter Chair Vicki Kipp. The minutes of the January meeting as published in the February newsletter were approved. Newsletter editor Mike Norton announced the deadline for articles for the March issue will be Friday, March 5th at midnight. The folding party will be held Wednesday, March 10th at 5:30 PM at WKOW-TV.

Treasurer Stan Scharch submitted his report that the chapter’s account had a positive balance. Sustaining Membership chair Fred Sperry reported on the recent renewals of Harris Broadcast and Wisconsin Public Television. Currently the chapter has 24 sustaining members.

Special Events chair Lonnie Cooks reported that there were no special events for the next 2 months, but he was working on upcoming events.

Program Committee chair Steve Paugh reported the next meeting with be Wednesday, March 17th and will be a presentation on DV Editing by Focus Enhancement, and will also be open for nominations. The chapter elections will be held during the April meeting. The Taste of NAB presentation has been changed to Thursday, July 29th starting at 7:00 PM. There will be a Dutch treat dinner before the meeting, most likely at J.T. Whitney’s.

Certification chair Jim Hermanson submitted his report that 1 CBNT exam was given February 7th out of town, and that paperwork for 1 recertification request has been submitted.

National Liaison Leonard Charles was in DC at a MSTV Engineering Committee meeting and referred everyone to the Short Circuits in the February Newsletter for National updates.

There will be a free webcast on 2GHz BAS spectrum and the most recent FCC changes to its decision. Pre-registration is required. To register go to http://www.tvworldwide.com/events/nab/2ghz/.

There was no new business. Under old business, Secretary Jim Magee submitted 3 proposed by-law changes for voting at the March meeting. Under Article IV- Sustaining Membership, he proposed a new section providing entitlement for 4 mailings at the Sustaining Member’s expense to the chapter members. Also submitted was adding 3 year term limits to the offices of Secretary and Treasurer. And the third proposed by-law change was adding to the Treasurer’s duties of a annual audit report to be submitted to the Chapter Executive Committee following the election of officers.

Under Tech Tips, Andrew Bigham of ATR Services is interested in purchasing old Ampex analog tape machines, especially ATRs.

The meeting adjourned at 7:16 PM

The program was a presentation by Bob Stoffs, Community Services Manager for Madison Gas and Electric on the West Campus Cogeneration Facility currently under construction.

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With all of the consolidation of radio and loss of local service to listeners, another low power broadcast service has been proposed to help increase locally programmed broadcasting. A low power AM service has been proposed in a petition to the FCC by former Chapter 24 member Fred Baumgartner.

This low power service would occupy the AM expanded band of 1605 to 1705 KHz. There are currently a little over 100 stations operating in that portion of the AM band. Full power AM stations in the expanded band operate with 10 kilowatts day and one kilowatt at night with non-directional antennas. Traveler Information Service stations also operate on some of these channels with 20 watts of power and a 45 foot antenna.

Unlike the low-power FM service, commercial operation would be allowed in this low-power AM service. For commercial operation, it is proposed that each station pay a $100 license fee and 5% of gross revenues over $10,000. Each station would be require to operate 8 hours a week but not over 85 hours (about 12 hours a day). Ownership would be limited to one station and owners could not be part of any other full power or low-power station. Station would have to be manned 60% of the time. The rest of time could be automated. Stations could rebroadcast full power stations 15% of the time and air network programming 25% of the time.

Technical specifications would allow for 100 watts in rural area’s with combined population of less than 20,000 and 30 watts in areas with more than 20,000 population. Each stations antenna would be limited to 40 feet vertical element with a diameter of no more than 4 inches. The antenna tuning unit would be required to be within two feet to avoid transmission line radiation. Stations could use a horizontal dipole with each element being 40 feet for a total antenna of 80 feet and a balanced feedline limited to 20 feet.

A 100 watt station would have to be 225 miles from a co-channel full power station with 1st adjacent channel separations of 150 miles and 2nd adjacent separations of 50 miles. The LPAM would be required to be 15 miles from a Travelers Information Service (TIS) transmitter.

A 30 watt station would be required to be 185 miles from a co-channel full power station, 110 miles from a 1st adjacent station and 50 miles from a 2nd adjacent station. The transmitter would have to be 10 miles from a TIS transmitter.

The petition is posted as a comment to the Localism Task Force. Comments for the Localism Task Force can be found under rulemaking number RM-10803. Note that there are over 1000 comments posted to the Task Force. There was also an article in a recent issue of RADIO WORLD on the low-power AM petition.

(From www.fcc.gov)

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A couple of changes to the Chapter 24 By-Laws have been proposed and presented to both the Chapter and officers. Voting on these changes will take place during the March 17th meeting.

The first proposed change is an addition to Article IV: Sustaining Membership. This addition would entitle Sustaining Members to make four mailings per year to the Chapter membership. The postage would be paid by the Sustaining Member. This would allow sales or promotional materials to be mailed by the Chapter’s Sustaining Members without having to release the Chapter’s member database.

The next proposed change is adding term limits to the offices of Secretary and Treasurer, which are currently unlimited. The following is the existing section that describes the current term limits.

Section 2. The Chapter Chairperson and Vice Chairperson may be elected to consecutive terms, but shall not serve more than two consecutive terms in the same office, after which he or she cannot be elected to the same office for at least two years.

The final proposal is requiring the Treasurer to submit an annual audit report to the newly elected officers. With the proposed term limits on the office of the Treasurer, this by-law would help ensure that a new Treasurer would receive the Chapter’s books fully reconciled. The proposed addition in italics is shown with the existing Treasurer’s duties.

Section 9. The Treasurer shall supervise and be responsible for all accounts and moneys of the Chapter and shall establish such accounts as shall be designated by cooperative agreement of the Officers. A checking account shall be established for the Chapter. All records of the Treasurer shall be open to inspection by members in good standing at reasonable times. The Treasurer shall furnish an annual financial report to the Society Executive Treasurer and keep any other Chapter financial records as may become necessary. The Treasurer shall submit an annual audit report to the Chapter Executive Committee after the election of offices.

These items are scheduled to be voted on by all Chapter 24 members present at the Wednesday, March 17, 2004 meeting. A quorum of members (10% of registered membership) is required, and at least two-thirds for the members present must approve the changes for the by-laws to be amended.

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• The FCC released its Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on Broadband over Power Line (BPL) systems in late February. The NPRM–in ET Dockets 03-104 and 04-37–proposes amendments to FCC Part 15 rules to define so-called "access BPL," make rules specific to BPL systems and provide measurement guidelines for BPL devices and systems. Access BPL, a form of carrier current or power line carrier (PLC) communication, would apply RF in the HF to low-VHF range to existing low and medium-voltage exterior power lines to distribute Internet and broadband services. It was the aspect of feeding RF signals into outdoor power lines that initially raised amateur radio concerns regarding potential interference. Some BPL supporters champion it as a way for broadband to reach rural and other areas with limited broadband service because of the near ubiquity of power lines.

BPL supporters and opponents are miles apart on the interference issue, which the FCC is examining in a request for public comments that has been ongoing since last April. The American Radio Relay League (ARRL) says it has found radio interference in every place it has tested short-wave BPL systems, while representatives of the BPL industry say they can’t find interference caused by their systems. Last year the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) and the Association for Maximum Service Television (MSTV) had filed comments with the FCC against BPL, citing the likelihood of interference to VHF channels 2-5. The FCC’s Electronic Comment Filing System can be accessed at <www.fcc.gov/cgb/ecfs/>.

• The UW Space Place Amateur Radio Center (N9UW) has scheduled an amateur radio General class upgrade workshop for the weekend of May 15-16. The workshop will cover the written element but will not cover 5 words per minute Morse Code, which is required to earn the General Class license. A license examination session on Sunday afternoon will conclude the workshop. The UW Space Place is on South Park Street in Madison. More information can be found at <www.spaceplace.wisc.edu/sparc>.

(Excerpts from www.arrl.org and www.infoworld.com/article/04/01/07/HNbroadbanddog_1.html)

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Late in 2003, a new server intended for a module in a DTV distribution chain arrived at my work place. While the faster processor and larger RAM of this new server were features to be appreciated, the new feature that caught my attention was that the new server came loaded with Microsoft Windows Server 2003 loaded on it. Just when I had gotten used to Windows Server 2000, Microsoft sent out a new product to be learned.

From the beginning, this Windows Server 2003 was different that its predecessor, the Windows 2000 Server. For example, the desktop and start menu looked like Windows XP instead of the classic view of traditional Microsoft operating systems. When you attempt to restart or shut down Server 2003, it confronts you with a drop down menu (Figure 1) that forces you to explain why you’re closing Windows. Restarting or shutting down the server requires you to input a narrative explaining why. (Figure 2) Some may consider this an invitation to input a flip response. I’ve read that Microsoft added this shut down accountability interface because Windows Server 2003 is so stable that you should hardly ever need to close it. The Shut Down Event Tracker is accessible on Windows 2003, should you wish to review it. This new feature can be disabled so you don’t have to type in an excuse every time you shut down the computer.

Figure 1. Selectable reasons to close Windows Server 2003.

Figure 2. You must type in an explanation before you can proceed with restart or shut down.

The "Shut Down Tracker" procedure aside, Windows Server 2003 offers some benefits. Active directory is improved and server administration is easier. Server 2003 supports Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) or Internet Protocol next generation (IPng), a 128-bit evolutionary version of the current 32-bit IPv4 intended to meet the increasing demand for Internet addresses. Server 2003 includes network efficiency and security enhancements. A web-based Microsoft Management Console (MMC) hosts MMC snap-ins for all resources. The Console is a host for Server management functions and snap-ins are the management tools.

Like its predecessor Windows Server 2000, Windows Server 2003 comes in four versions. Windows Server 2003 Web Edition is built for web serving and hosting. For a small or medium size network, Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition replaces Windows 2000 Server. The Enterprise Edition of Windows 2003 is intended for a large demanding network. Windows Server 2003 Datacenter Edition, ideal for call center operations, can simultaneously support over 10,000 users and up to eight-node clustering.

Most people choose to use a version of Microsoft Windows Server over a desktop Microsoft Windows operating system to take advantage of MS Server’s Active Directory (AD) capability. Microsoft’s AD identifies all resources on a network and makes those resources available to applications and users. With Server 2003, administering AD is easier. The enhanced AD interface allows drag and drop selection of multiple objects.

The new AD credential manager speeds up remote user access to the network. Health monitoring of AD, a new feature, allows the administrator to check replication of the AD database between domain controllers (DC). With Windows Server, a domain controller is a server that authenticates domain logons and maintains the security policy and master database for a domain. When the master set of directories from the domain controller is copied from a server to other servers in order to maintain identical sets of directories and files on multiple computers it is called replication.

Hardware compatibility with Windows Server 2003 may leave something to be desired. In my opinion, the compatibility Catalog for Windows Server 2003 could stand to increase the number of suitable devices. Hardware that worked with Windows 9x, 2k, or XP may not be supported by Windows 2003. For best results, seek software that bears the "Certified for Windows Server 2003" logo and hardware labeled with "Designed for Windows Server 2003." (Figure 3)

Figure 3. These labels indicate that a software or hardware product has qualified to be included in Server 2003s compatibility catalog.

Overall, the new Windows Server 2003 is easier and more stable to use than Windows 2000 Server.

References: "Sams Teach Yourself Windows Server 2003 in 24 Hours" by Joe Habraken, 2003; "Windows Server 2003 for Dummies" by Ed Tittel and James Michael Stewart, 2003; Windows Server Catalog at www.microsoft.com.

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In April we will hold elections for Chapter 24 offices of Chair, Vice-Chair, Secretary and Treasurer for the 2004-2003 term. All interested members of Chapter 24 who are current in their dues are eligible to run for elected office. The nominations committee is now accepting nominations for all four offices. As of this date, the following members have been nominated for the following offices.

During the March 17th meeting, the nominations committee will solicit the members present for additional nominations. If you would like to run for an office, or know someone who wishes to run, please bring it to the attention of the nominations committee. All nominees are requested to submit a short biography for publishing with the ballot. The nominations committee consists of Steve Paugh (Chair), Jim Hermanson and Leonard Charles.

The appointed offices do not fall under the jurisdiction of the nominations committee and are appointed by the Chair of Chapter 24. Traditionally, the existing appointed officers continue for another term automatically. If you are a current appointed officer and would like to step down, please contact the current Chair Vicki Kipp. If you would like to serve as an appointed officer please make your desire known to the Chair. To a large extent, the success of Chapter 24 is due to the tireless dedication of the appointed officers. Their hard work often goes unseen by the membership and we owe them a debt of gratitude for their service. The appointed offices are Program Committee Chair– Steve Paugh, Program Committee Members– Fred Sperry and Steve Zimmerman, Newsletter editor– Mike Norton, Membership– Paul Stoffel, Sustaining Membership– Fred Sperry, Special Events– Lonnie Cooks, Certification and Education– Jim Hermanson, Frequency Coordination– Tom Smith and National Liaison– Leonard Charles.

The election ballot will be included in the April newsletter. The deadline for nominations and the submission of biographies will be 48 hours prior to the deadline for submissions to the April newsletter, as announced during the March 17th meeting.

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On February 19th, the FCC sent a six page letter to Congress recommending that low-power FM stations be allowed to operate on the third adjacent channel to a full power FM station and to FM translators and boosters. This recommendation is based on a report by the Mitre Corporation, based on tests they conducted which reported that low-power FM Stations operating on the 3rd adjacent channel did not cause interference to full power stations beyond 1.1 kilometers from the low-power stations transmitter.

When the FCC originally approved LPFM, they did not include 3rd adjacent protection. Congress then enacted legislation after complaints from the NAB, NPR, and others that required LPFM’s to provide 3rd adjacent protection. They also required the FCC to do a study to find if it was possible to eliminate the 3rd adjacent protections. Mitre did the study and concluded that the protection was not need. This letter is the FCC’s report to Congress on the issue. The FCC also asked that further testing that Congress had requested not be done, due to cost ($800,000) and lack of need. Mitre suggested that LPFM transmitters be required to use tighter emission masks on their output filters to ensure that 3rd adjacent interference remained within acceptable limits.

(From www.fcc.gov)

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The FCC has published in the FEDERAL REGISTER the notice of proposed rulemaking concerning cognitive radios. These are smart radios that would listen or use some database method to change frequency or power to avoid interference with a licensed unit. The FCC previously issued a notice on the rulemaking, which was covered in the January 2004 Newsletter. The publication in the FEDERAL REGISTER on February 17th set the deadline of May 3rd for comments and June 1st for replies.

The FCC has set the deadline for comments concerning the use of the interference temperature method of determining interference limits when approving new uses for various spectrum bands. The Notice was adopted on November 13, 2003 and released on November 28th. The notice was published in the FEDERAL REGISTER on January 28th and gave a comment due date of April 5th and a reply due date of May 5th. For more information see the December 2003 issue of the Newsletter.

On February 19th, the FCC released a Public Notice opening a limited comment period on whether the FCC should retain the 50% UHF discount, in light of the Act by Congress that raised the TV ownership limits to 39% of the national audience.

Comments are due on March 19, 2004, with replies due on March 29, 2005. A summary of the Notice was published in the FEDERAL REGISTER on February 27th. The Notice can be found on the FCC website at www.fcc.gov/Daily_Releases/Daily_Digest/2004/dd040220.html.

Some months back, the FCC issued a Notice of Inquiry on the feasibility of transmitting broadband data over power lines. The FCC has gone to the next step and issued a notice of Proposed Rulemaking to set rules for the new service. Broadband over Power Lines (BPL) is not a new idea. Many colleges have transmitted AM radio on campus to their student housing over power lines for years. Power companies have used the system to transmit load management data, such as data to turn off air conditioners and water heaters during high power usage. The X-10 control system is another example of using data over a power line. These systems have used limited power and bandwidth and served limited areas. For most of the systems they operated at frequencies under 2 megahertz, but could operate at frequencies up to 30 MHz.

The BPL systems would be allowed to operate above 30 MHz. These systems would adhere to Part 15 emission rules for unlicensed transmissions. They would operate on 1 kilovolt to 40 kilovolt lines with some kind of RF link or bridge at the transformer just before the customer drop.

There were a number of groups expressing concerns or opposing the adoption of broadband over power lines. They included hams, government agencies such as FEMA and the National Telecommunication and Information Administration, and many phone companies. Hams and government agencies were concerned about interference into radio receivers and phone companies were concerned about signals getting into their lines, which are normally placed several feet below power lines on the same poles.

The FCC is proposing a number of regulations concerning interference and measurement of it on these systems. They are proposing that BPL devices would be required to have adaptive interference mitigation techniques to prevent interference to public safety users and hams. To do this, BPL systems would have to be able to reduce power, change frequencies and finally shut down when causing interference. The FCC is also proposing that a database of locations, frequencies, and modulation types be kept to aid in resolving interference issues. A number of proposed rules on measuring interference potential of BPL systems are published in the notice, so adoption of the final rules are fairly certain with only minor changes

The notice was adopted on February 12, 2004 and released on February 23, 2004. Comments are due 45 days after publication in the FEDERAL REGISTER with replies due 30 days later.

From FCC Releases (www.fcc.gov) and the FEDERAL REGISTER (www.access.gpo.gov)

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Microsoft has heard and understood they need to work on one thing: Security, security, security. The method they now use to build software is: "Secure by Design, Secure by Default, and Secure by Deployment". Redmond has undergone a ‘Security Mobilization’ and all new products must meet these Trusted Computing guidelines. Here is a new MS acronym for you: NGSCB. It stands for Next Generation Secure Code Base. It’s the latest buzzword in Seattle.

But MS can produce secure code as much as it wants, if -we- don’t keep up with patches everyone is still at risk. And it does not get any better either. For instance, there is a worm out there now, using an IE vulnerability that does not even have a patch for it. The grim reality is that if you look at the time between release of a patch and when hackers have developed a virus exploiting the vulnerability it gets awfully short:

It’s easy to see where this goes. It will be less than one day after a patch is released that a virus will be released which exploits it. Think this through for a moment, it means that the current ‘second Tuesday of the Month’ patch release schedule is doomed: always too late. You need to have a layered security posture with both scanning and patching elevated to a high art.

(Excerpted from w2knews.com)

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