Wednesday, April 26th Elections and Multi Camera Synchronization Ultra Low Latency Streaming by Jay Gedanken of Media Excel Media Excel is no newcomer to digital video and is an industry leader in encoding, transcoding and decoding. The HERO family of products are flexible, high performance, cost effective and robust, with many different configurations to fit your specific requirements. Jay will be talking about Multi Camera synchronization with arbitrary delays on the cameras as well as transcoding. Meeting space details will be released via the Chapter email group in the days preceding the meeting Visitors and guests are welcome! Our Chapter 8 Years AgoLast Meeting Minutes
|
| WMTV TV, Broadcast Engineer |
| WKOW PT MC Operator |
Program Ideas Appreciated
Amateur Radio News
Compiled by Tom Weeden, WJ9H
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has released a final version (March 2023) of the National Incident Management System (NIMS) Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Functional Guidance. The guidance, which provides a framework for communications resources within incident management, officially includes support from amateur radio operators. NIMS guides government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector to work together to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other emergencies.
"This is a major step in the recognition of the need and usefulness of amateur radio and other communications services in our national preparedness," said Josh Johnston, KE5MHV, Director of Emergency Management for ARRL, The National Association for Amateur Radio®. "It also gives official guidance to pave the way for future training and education of volunteers in ARRL's Amateur Radio Emergency Service® (ARES®)," Johnston added.
Amateur Radio Digital Communications Awards $420,000 to the FreeDV Project
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC), a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication, has awarded a $420,000 grant to develop and document FreeDV, an open-source amateur radio technology. The grant, one of the first for 2023, will be used to help advance the state of the art in HF digital voice and promote its use.
FreeDV is a graphical user interface application for Windows, Linux, and macOS that allows any SSB radio to be used for low-bit-rate digital voice. Speech is compressed down to 1600 bits/second, then modulated onto a 1.25 kHz wide 16 QPSK signal, which is sent to the microphone input of an SSB radio. The technology was initially developed by David Rowe, VK5DGR. Now, an international team of radio amateurs are working together on the project.
Among the many opportunities for FreeDV, the ARDC grant will also allow:
- Experienced digital signal processing developers to work with the volunteer staff to improve speech quality and low signal-to-noise ratio operation, making FreeDV performance superior to SSB over poor HF channels.
- Commercial HF radio companies to embed FreeDV into at least two commercial radios, greatly reducing set up effort and latency.
- Widespread adoption of a truly open-source, next-generation digital voice system for HF radio.
- A mature, open-source low-bit-rate codec that's useful for a variety of amateur radio and commercial applications.
- A suite of high-performance, HF data modems for open-source data applications, usable by any radio amateur.
Implementing the Low Power Protection Act
The Commission seeks comment on its approach to judge the qualifications of a LPTV station to become a Class A station by the standards established in the Community Broadcasters Protection Act of 1999 (CBPA) which established Class A criteria. Thus, to qualify for Class A status in the 90 days preceding the LPPA's January 5, 2023 effective date, and since then; at minimum (1) the station must have broadcast a minimum of 18 hours per day; (2) the station must have broadcast an average of at least 3 hours per week of Local Programming; (3) the station must have been in compliance with the Commission's requirements applicable to LPTV stations. In addition the station must be in compliance with the Commission's operating rules for full power television stations including being subject to the same license terms and renewal standards as a license for a full power television broadcast station.
Further, the station must demonstrate that it has not and will not cause any interference as described in the CBPA and as of January 5, 2023, the station operated in a Designated Market Area with not more than 95,000 television households.
Comments are due 30 days after publication in the Federal Register with Reply comments due 60 days after date of publication in the Federal Register.
Broadcast Engineering Badges with Scouts BSA
by Vicki W. Kipp
Did you know that Scouts BSA offers 135 merit badges, and a few of them relate to broadcast engineering?
For the Radio Badge, Scouts can either learn about ham radio or tour a radio station.
Every October, there's a Scouts BSA worldwide ham radio Jamboree-on-the-Air (JOTA).
In addition, Scouts BSA offers an Electricity Badge and an Electronics Badge.
Scouts BSA has a Morse code requirement in their Signs, Signals, and Codes Badge.
And if someone mentions Morse code, then, naturally, we're going to talk about amateur radio.
One scout identified Last Man Standing as his favorite TV show. The ABC hit sitcom features a working ham shack with two Icom radios, QST magazine, an ARRL Handbook, a Morse code certificate, and a DXCC award. The leading man/ham, Mike Baxter (KA0-XTT), is played by Tim Allen. The Last Man Standing role inspired Tim Allen to get his ham radio license in real life.
I'm a ham, but I don't know Morse code. So I recruited SBE Chapter 24 member Tom Weeden, WJ9H, to teach my son's Scout Troop about Morse code.
Tom Weeden demos a Morse code keyer
Tom taught the boys about the origins of communication codes and let them try keying Morse code. The scouts got to choose a word and key that word for him to interpret. Tom decoded each 'dit' and 'dah' one letter at a time and wrote it on the board.
It can be a gamble to have adolescents make up a word for you to guess in front of an audience. But these are scouts we're talking about. The scouts that Tom selected had him decode words like: "B-S-A," "G-O-O-D-B-Y-E," and "R-E-S-P-E-C-T."
Tom Weeden decodes the letters scouts are keying as scouts try to key a word in Morse code
The scouts initially keyed on a Super Simple CPO kit designed by David Cripe, NMØS. The Super Simple CPO is a kit with a two-transistor astable multivibrator circuit. The CPO is a good practice tool, but the acoustics of a huge cinderblock meeting room and several dozen people made it a little hard to hear.
For that setting, we supplemented with a smartphone app called "MorseKey," and cranked up the smartphone volume. The "MorseTyper" app would also work well.
For practicing Morse code, "MorseMania" is a free and friendly app and website. For decoding Morse code, there is the more complex "CG Morse" smartphone app.
Tom Weeden shared resources for learning ham radio, including the Four Lakes Amateur Radio Club's (FLARC) in-person Technician class license course at the UW-Space Place.
The scouts learned, they keyed, and they may even become hams or ham ambassadors someday.
Ben, an active scout, discusses ham radio with Tom Weeden
Suppose you want to become a Scouts BSA Merit Badge Counselor (MBC) for a broadcast engineering-related badge. In that case, you can be invited to apply by a specific troop, or you can apply independently with the local Scouts BSA Council to be approved to lead that badge for any area troop, if there is a request for an MBC for that badge.
Some MBCs lead badges at day-long merit badge academies. Scouts can choose between many badges and earn a badge or two at the academy, if the scout has completed all of the badge requirements by the end of the session. Scouts are often asked to complete some badge requirements at home before attending the merit badge day to fit everything in.
Scouts BSA has many enthused MBCs who volunteer to lead badges. But there's not always a counselor in every troop for every technical or specialized badge.
For Scouts BSA, every volunteer must undergo a background check, complete two hours of Youth Protection Training every two years, and must never be alone with a scout. Scouts BSA practices "Two Deep Leadership." Learn more about Scouts BSA at www.scouting.org.
When you teach a scout something new, you never know what may become of it down the road.
SBE Membership Drive Runs thru May 31
SBE Schedule at NAB
|
Friday, April 14 9am - 4:30pm: SBE Ennes Workshop Westgate Conference Rooms 7,8,9,10 Saturday, April 15 9am - 4:30pm: SBE Ennes Workshop Westgate Conference Rooms 7,8,9,10 6:30pm - 10pm: Certification Committee Meeting LVCC Meeting Room W230 Sunday, April 16 8:30am - 12pm: SBE Board of Directors Meeting LVCC Meeting Room W230 11:30am - 12:30pm: SBE Technology Update LVCC Meeting Room W219-W221 Tom Mikkelson and Stan Moote moderate this session 2pm - 3pm: SBE Education Committee Meeting LVCC Meeting Room W230 Monday, April 17 9am - 11am: SBE Frequency Coordinators' Meeting LVCC Meeting Room N263 5pm - 6pm: SBE Membership Meeting LVCC Meeting Room W216-W218 6:15pm - 7:15pm: SBE Member Reception LVCC Meeting Room W226 |
| More Information |
NAB Announces 2023 Engineering Achievement Awards
For the Record
compiled by Leonard Charles
Wisconsin FCC Actions Granted from the FCC Daily Digest
|
Station: WRDB, 1400Khz, Reedsburg, WI Action: Minor Change in Licensed Facility |
Certification and Education
compiled by Jim Hermanson
| Exam Dates | Location | Application Deadline (to SBE National Office) |
June 1-12, 2023 |
Local Chapters (Madison Area) |
April 21, 2023 |
August 4-14, 2023 |
Local Chapters (Madison Area) |
June 16, 2023 |
November 3-13, 2023 |
Local Chapters (Madison Area) |
September 8, 2023 |
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. Before the exam time, your local certification chairman will receive a list of applicants and exams in his/her area 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.
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 Certification Exam Preparation
To help prepare for an SBE certification exam, for information on taking the test, and to see passing scores, visit this page https://sbe.org/certification/sbe-certification-exam-preparation/.
SBE Education Committee Launches Disability Survey
The SBE Education Committee is undertaking a survey that could have far-reaching benefits for some of our current membership, as well as future membership. Spearheading the initiative is SBE Education Committee member Len Watson, CPBE. The goal is to help those members connect with opportunities or to help those who were forced to leave due to challenges.
SBE Plans Expanded Ennes Workshop at the 2023 NAB Show
The SBE is planning to hold a two-day SBE Ennes Workshop at the 2023 NAB Show. It will be held April 14 and 15 at the Westgate Resort and Casino. Registration for the Workshop will be separate from the NAB Show convention registration, and will be available on the SBE website, sbe.org, in January. The registration fee will include access to the two days of instruction in either the RF 101 or NextGen Broadcast track, and continental breakfast and a midday refreshment on both days.The NextGen track is suitable preparation to take the SBE ATSC3 Specialist Certification exam. An exam session will be provided after the Workshop. Separate advance exam registration is required. Applicants also need to hold the requisite SBE Certification. Details on the exam opportunity will be included with the online Workshop registration.
May Webinars
Lighting Everything from Zoom Calls to Special Live Events
Thursday, May 4, 2023 | 1 p.m. CT
This session starts with a few basic lighting specifications and will work through light differences with an eye on color temperature and color rendering index of many LED light engines. The many options available for specific jobs as well as the history of lighting design will also be covered.
You will learn about basic lighting set ups and their challenges and conclude with a review of the recent Super Bowl halftime show lighting list to highlight the engineering needs for the event.
Your Instructor
Bob Culley, President, LightStream Design, Inc.
With more than 40 years of experience as a lighting designer for the media, Bob Culley started his career with MTV in 1981 and has worked lighting The Daily Show and PBS/Channel 13 in New York. With a focus on new technology, his consulting services design new studio lighting from tiny rooms to huge stages.
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
Registration Link
If you have questions regarding this course, contact Cathy Orosz via email or by phone at 317-846-9000.
2023 SBE RF Safety Course
Thursday, May 11, 2023 | 12 p.m. (Noon) CT
The SBE RF Safety Course provides an updated overview of RF radiation issues and practices for broadcasters, including:
- Proving compliance at a broadcast site
- Biological effects of RF radiation and the distinct differences between RF radiation and ionizing radiation
- FCC, OSHA, state & local regulations - what they are and what you need to do to comply
- Workplace hazards
- Transmitter sites
- SNG and ENG trucks
- Remote operations (where news personnel can find problems such as on rooftops)
- The unique issues at AM stations
- RF hazard protection equipment - you may not need it but your contractors probably will
- Signs - what they mean and what you need
It is recommended that persons taking the SBE RF Safety Course have at least some basic knowledge of electronics and understand the concept of frequency and power.
Your Instructor
Stephen Lockwood, CPBE, AMD, PE
Stephen Lockwood is a senior engineer and partner with Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers, with more than 35 years experience in the field of broadcasting and telecommunications engineering. He is a Registered Professional Electrical (P.E.) Engineer in Washington, Alaska, and Wyoming, and holds a BS in electrical engineering and a BS in engineering physics from Oklahoma Christian University. He is a Senior Member of IEEE, and Broadcast Technology Society elected AdCom Member, Member and past president of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE) and is a Member of Project Management Institute where is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP). He is a member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers where he holds the Certified Professional Broadcast Engineer (CPBE) and AM Directional Specialist (AMD) certifications, and he holds Amateur Radio Operator License K7SSL.
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
Registration Link
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 MemberPlus membership option. You get all the live and archived Webinars by SBE in the SBE catalog plus any new webinars the SBE adds during the membership year, all 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.
Take Advantage of SBE's Comprehensive Archive of Webinars
Did you know that the SBE offers more than 140 archived webinars on technical, regulatory and management topics? Go to On-Demand Webinars - The Society of Broadcast Engineers (sbe.org) to see what is available to you. Is there a topic that is missing from our archives that you would like to see? Contact Education Director Cathy Orosz at corosz@sbe.org with your requests!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.