CHAPTER 24, Inc., MADISON, WI

Monthly eNews October 2021


Please support
our Sustaining Members.
To become a Sustaining
Member contact Fred Sperry.
Click here for display Ads.
Alpha Video
Bryan Nelson

Full Compass
Mike Ramirez

Heartland Video Systems
Mark Bartolotta

Journeyman Human
Richard Wood

Ross Video
Brian Stumpf

Sound Devices LLC
Jon Tatooles

Token Creek
John Salzwedel

WISC-TV CBS 3
channel3000.com

WKOW-TV ABC 27
wkow.com

WMSN-TV Fox 47
fox47.com

WMTV-TV NBC 15
nbc15.com
Our Next Meeting:
Wednesday, October 27th

Evolution of Industrial Batteries:
Lithium for the Broadcast Market


by Chris Cleary of Staco Energy Products

Staco engineers and manufactures regulators, UPS, variable transformers, test stands, power factor correction, harmonic filters, and more in the United States. At this meeting Chris Cleary, Sales Development Manager, will be discussing voltage regulation in broadcast facilities, including the technology of lithium batteries and how they may fit into our future.

7:00 PM - Meeting/Program
This meeting is Virtual
Connection information will be distributed
in the days just prior to the meeting.



Our Chapter 26 Years Ago


Last Meeting's Minutes
Submitted by Mike Travis, Secretary

The SBE Chapter 24 meeting was called to order by Matt Mommaerts at 06:02pm, September 9th, 2021 at the Marriott Hotel in Madison, WI. The meeting was held during the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic.

The meeting was adjourned at 06:04pm.

The meeting was followed by a presentation on WebRTC by Chris Crump of Comrex. Chris discussed the basics of WebRTC and its broadcast applications.


2020 Broadcasters Clinic awarded by SBE
from the WBA Newsletter

The SBE Wisconsin chapters and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association has won an award from the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) for the Best Educational Event for the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic held in October 2020.

One nominator noted, "They have consistently put on a highly attended event that has a strong mix of classic material, cutting-edge tech, and hands on presentations. They really try to make sure the wide scope of what is part of an engineering gig these days gets covered. Every year they seem to innovate even more with the presentation too. Starting in 2019 the whole event is now closed-captioned. How cool is that?! It's just the best event of the year in the area hands down. It was a shame to miss the hallway chats and lunch breaks with colleagues, but the information was just as good as any year and it worked!"


2021 Broadcasters Clinic a Success
by Kent Aschenbrenner, from the WBA Newsletter

I'm pleased to declare the 65th WBA Broadcasters Clinic a success. The Clinic was well attended with registrations received from 27 states and several Canadian provinces. For many, including exhibitors, the Clinic was the first in-person industry event attended since the pandemic. Positive comments and thanks were extended to program committee members and WBA staff.

Nationally recognized industry leaders presented relevant topics to our radio and television audience. Topics included the NextGen (ATSC 3.0) television standard, the "Alternate Broadcast Inspection Program," and virtual and cloud-based solutions for radio. Interactive sessions had participants installing and configuring containerized radio software during the popular "Nuts and Bolts" session. A roundtable discussion session was held on "Operating in a Post Pandemic World" in which participants shared their challenges and solutions immediately after the pandemic shutdown to today.

The Clinic program committee appreciates the continued support of the WBA Board, Michelle Vetterkind, Kyle Geissler and Liz Boyd.

Job Opening: ECB
Television Systems Engineer

Click Here
(October 5th application deadline)


Job Opening: WKOW TV
Part Time Master Control Operator

For information Click Here


Search for a new Sustaining Membership Chair

Chapter 24 is searching for an individual to take over as Sustaining Membership Chair for the chapter. Tasks involve sending out renewal notices to existing sustaining members of Chapter 24, sending application materials to prospective sustaining members, forwarding the received payments to the Chapter 24 Treasurer and providing announcements of new members and renewals at chapter meetings. All the necessary paperwork to do these tasks have already been created, so the workload for this position is minimal. This is a great way to be involved in Chapter 24 with a minimal time commitment.

If you are interested in taking over this position, please contact Chapter Chair Matt Mommaerts or current Sustaining Membership Chair Fred Sperry.

Thank you for your consideration!


NAB Show Canceled

The National Association of Broadcasters will not hold the annual NAB Show in October due to the COVID-19 pandemic and is looking ahead to an in-person 2022 NAB Show in April. The NAB will let registration for the 2021 show carry over to the Spring show now scheduled for April 23 thru 27 of 2022. Refunds are also available through May 2022.


SBE Annual Meeting


With the NAB Show being cancelled, which included cancelling the in-person events for the SBE National Meeting, the SBE Membership Meeting and Awards Program will be streamed online.

The program is planned to be streamed on October 18 as the monthly SBE WEBxtra. Watch for details on the SBE website and in SBE-news.


Program Ideas Appreciated

The Chapter 24 meeting schedule is available here. While our 2021 schedule is full our 2022 calendar is wide open. Is there a topic you would like to see covered at one of our local Chapter 24 meetings? Or, better yet, is there a topic that you'd like to speak about at an upcoming meeting? Please forward any ideas to Matt Mommaerts or to one of the Chapter 24 officers for consideration.


Amateur Radio News
Compiled by Tom Weeden, WJ9H

Deaf Youths Speak to Space
Amateur Radio on the International Space Station (ARISS) will offer a group of pupils at the Mary Hare School for deaf children in Berkshire, England an opportunity to speak with an astronaut via amateur radio. The contact is expected to take place sometime between October 10-17. The event will mark the first time an ARISS contact has been arranged with a school for deaf youth. "It is a very exciting event -- a world first for deaf pupils," said Alex Ayling, a science teacher at the school. "I think it is very important to our deaf pupils, as it shows whatever your challenges with communication, there is no limit to what you can achieve. The sky is not the limit."

The Newbury and District Amateur Radio Society (NADARS) will provide "the amateur radio experience" for the students, through ham radio events and activities at the school. Lessons related to ARISS include a crystal radio, electricity and circuits, forces, energy, sound, electromagnetism, space and space exploration, the ISS, and rocketry. During September, the school has been conducting a competition, inviting students to enter questions from one of five categories -- science in space, space technology, living in space, space communication, and Earth from space. The school staff will pick the 10 best questions, and those students will be invited to ask their questions. The astronaut's response will then be rendered as text for the students. At the school, an expected audience of 250 spectators will be able to see the radio contact firsthand. The remaining students and audience members will be linked in via a web feed.

Amateur radio equipment has been on board the ISS for more than 20 years, and most astronauts hold ham radio licenses. A live web feed will be available.

Mary Hare School is the largest school for the deaf in the UK, educating some 240 profoundly and severely deaf children, aged 5-19, each year. The school's Ambassador is Pippa Middleton, younger sister of Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton.



WWV
The WWV Amateur Radio Club is once again activating Special Event Station WW0WWV for the 102nd anniversary of WWV.

Since October 1, 1919, WWV has been the call sign of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), formerly the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), and has broadcast the time standard to the United States via shortwave radio since the 1940s.

The WWV Amateur Radio Club and associated stations will be on the air as WW0WWV from October 1 through 3. The club's web site wwvarc.org/october2021 states: "WW0WWV represents amateur radio's unique interest and support of WWV, WWVH, and WWVB as important scientific standards. These stations helped usher in the beginning of the electromagnetic radiation age over 100 years ago, and still today define Time, define Frequency, and coordinate our entire national infrastructure down to the picosecond."

(Excerpts from the American Radio Relay League's arrl.org web site)


For the Record
(Wisconsin FCC Actions Granted)
compiled by Leonard Charles
from the FCC Daily Digest

There were no Wisconsin actions in September


Certification and Education
compiled by Jim Hermanson

The Open 2022 Exam Schedule
Exam Dates Location Application Deadline
(to SBE National Office)

  February 4-14, 2022


  Local Chapters (Madison Area)


  January 3, 2022


  June 3-13, 2022


  Local Chapters (Madison Area)


  April 15, 2022


  August 5-15, 2022


  Local Chapters (Madison Area)


  June 10, 2022


  November 4-14, 2022


  Local Chapters (Madison Area)


  September 9, 2022


Each year, account balance permitting, Chapter 24 will reimburse half the application fee to any member of Chapter 24 in good standing who successfully obtains any SBE certification level not previously held by that member. Contact the SBE Chapter 24 chairperson or certification chairperson for more information.

When you are ready to take an SBE exam, note the open exam schedule, complete the appropriate application (found here... http://www.sbe.org/applications) and send it directly to the SBE National office (see address below) with the respective fee. You will be notified once your application is approved. Your local certification chairman will receive a list of applicants and exams in his/her chapter and arrange for a proctor. He/she will then contact applicants to schedule a mutually agreeable date, time, and place for the exam(s) within the respective exam date window. This must be coordinated before the exam will be sent by SBE National. Completed exam(s) will be mailed back to SBE National for grading. Pass/fail results will be mailed directly to the applicants within approximately six weeks.

The majority of SBE certifications are open book and access to the Internet is allowed to give a more "real world" situation.

You may mail, email or fax your applications to:

Megan E. Clappe
Certification Director
9102 N. Meridian St.
Suite 150
Indianapolis, IN 46260
317-846-9120 Fax
mclappe@sbe.org


To apply for a specialist certification, an individual must currently hold certification on the Broadcast Engineer, Senior Broadcast Engineer, Professional Broadcast Engineer or Broadcast Networking Engineer Certification level. Exams must be completed within three hours and consist of 50 multiple-choice questions (two points each) and one essay question (20 points maximum). Examinees are provided one essay question to answer. Exams are pass/fail, and a score of 84 is a passing grade.

SBE Certified Logo

If you hold a valid SBE Certification, you are authorized to display the SBE Certified logo on your business cards, letterhead, resume, website and email signature. For the proper use of this logo and to download please visit the Press Logo page.



October Webinars


SIP Series, Module 2: Service and Troubleshooting Techniques for VoIP

October 21, 2021 | 1 p.m. CT


Module 2 of the SIP series answers the question: What do I do when I have issues with my VoIP-based broadcast phone system? The webinar explores practical VoIP troubleshooting techniques using real-world examples from broadcasters, and is designed to assist broadcast technologists in identifying the root cause of common VoIP problems. It will also provide tips and tricks for working with telecom providers to resolve upstream issues more quickly.

This presentation will be useful for broadcast technologists with a small to medium amount of experience with VoIP, as well as for those who are currently tasked with maintaining existing broadcast VoIP systems, such as talk show phone systems and SIP PBXs. The material assumes a basic level of familiarity with VoIP within the context of broadcast systems, which was provided in Module 1 of this series.

Your Instructors

Shaun Dolan, Partner, Inrush Broadcast Services
Christen Roberts, Technical Advisor, IQ Wired


Shaun Dolan is a partner at Inrush Broadcast Services, a technology integration firm. He focuses on delivering the benefits of virtualized architectures while incorporating tried-and-true broadcast technology. His team provides turnkey project management, solutions consulting, and outsourced engineering support to respected media creators across the US. Previously, Shaun was a product manager at Telos Alliance, where his team developed a new virtualized broadcast talk show system and managed the VoIP product line.





Christen is a telecom ninja, well-known among broadcasters for her ability to solve the toughest telecom problems. In her role at IQ Wired, a boutique consulting firm that bridges the gap between technology and people, she works with business enterprises to get them connected to the right-fit service providers. She expertly translates business initiatives into technology that works, resulting in efficiency and expediency; saving time, money and sanity. Her gift is building authentic relationships and trust with clients and service providers through co-creation and continual improvement.



SBE Recertification Credit

The completion of a Webinar from Webinars by SBE qualifies for 1 credit, identified under Category I of the Recertification Schedule for SBE Certifications.

Registration and Pricing

This webinar will be approximately 90 minutes long.

SBE Members: $62
MemberPlus Members FREE
Non-Members: $92
Register Here

Questions?

If you have questions regarding this course, contact Cathy Orosz via email or by phone at 317-846-9000.




Virtualized Environment

October 28, 2021 | 1 p.m. CT

Emerging technology is simplifying a broadcast facility infrastructure by moving to a software-based platform. This webinar will discuss moving from hardware to cloud virtualization of traditional hardware-based systems and the benefits of it. Both presenters are members of the NAB Radio Technology Committee and are working with equipment manufacturers to develop technology solutions to simplify things, make it interoperable and to fit within existing infrastructure.

Your Instructors

Roz Clark, CPBE, CBNT, Senior Director of Engineering - Radio, Cox Media Group
Jason Ornellas, CBRE, CRO, Regional Director of Engineering - West Coast, Bonneville International Corporation


Roz Clark is a 35-year veteran in broadcast engineering. Proficient in project management, facility design, design and maintenance of high availability systems, disaster planning and recovery, and staff team building. He is active in industry associations and leadership in development of technologies to improve efficiency and reliability.








Jason Ornellas was awarded the 2020-2021 Excellence in Engineering award by Radio World for numerous facility builds and helping push the industry forward. He has been involved in broadcast engineering for almost 17 years and involved in managing technical facilities, system designs & building integration. He's a regular contributor to radio engineering publications and continuously presents at industry conferences.





SBE Recertification Credit

The completion of a Webinar from Webinars by SBE qualifies for 1 credit, identified under Category I of the Recertification Schedule for SBE Certifications.

Registration and Pricing

This webinar will be approximately 90 minutes long.

SBE Members: $62
MemberPlus Members FREE
Non-Members: $92
Register Here

Questions?

If you have questions regarding this course, contact Cathy Orosz via email or by phone at 317-846-9000.



More information about registering using the SBE MemberPlus benefit

All SBE webinars are included at no additional cost for members who renew or join using the $175 SBE Member Plus membership option. Through this option you get access to all SBE webinars for no extra cost. Members can renew and newcomers may join online at the SBE website using the SBE MemberPlus option.

Access to the SBE webinars through the SBE MemberPlus program is limited to the MemberPlus-purchaser only. You are not permitted to distribute, sell, copy, share, project or otherwise make the webinars available to any other individual or group without express written permission by the SBE.



Several state-of-the-art radio, TV, multimedia, and IT engineering training is available through this page...

http://sbe.org/education/webinars-by-sbe/on-demand-webinars/

More information on SBE Education Programs is available here...

http://www.sbe.org/education/



Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), its officers, or its members. SBE Chapter 24, Inc. regrets, but is not liable for, any omissions or errors. Articles of interest to Chapter 24 members are accepted up to the close of business the 1st day of each month. Send your article to lcharles@sbe.org.