The quick disconnect LNB:
Umm…
Zmog!
Category: General
Fixing small problems
This happened recently at an AM station we were doing work for. It seems the modulation monitor was not working when connected to the backup transmitter. A quick check of the RG-58 coax showed that I had the correct cable plugged into the monitor selector relay. Another check with an ohm meter showed the cable was okay. Then I looked at the connector on the monitor port of the transmitter and saw this:
Looks like the pin is too far back in the connector. This is an old-style BNC connector with solder in center pin:
The center pin has a blob of solder on it, preventing it from seating properly in the connector body. I could have lopped it off and applied a new crimp on connector, but my crimp tool was in the car. I didn’t feel like walking all the way through the studio building, out into the parking lot and getting it. Therefore, I used a file and filed off the solder blob then reassembled the connector:
The transmitter was installed in 1986, I think the connector had been like that for a long time.
It may seem like a small detail to have the modulation monitor working on the backup transmitter, however, the modulation monitor is also the air monitor for the studio. Switching to the backup transmitter but not having a working air monitor would likely have caused confusion and the staff might think they are still off the air. I know in this day and age, a lot of station do not even have backup transmitters, but when something is available, it should work correctly.
I like my cool network analyzer and all that, but sometimes it is the Mark 1, Mod 0 eyeball that gets the job done.
Trends in Terrestrial Broadcasting, II
Things seem to be relatively quiet these days, with no earth-shattering developments, no big news stories, etc. My workload consists of mostly driving to one location and cleaning things up, then driving to another location and cleaning more things up. Nothing really new to write about. However, industry-wide, there have been some developments of note:
- More AM HD radio only testing out in Seattle. We hear that these tests are phenomenal but have yet to see any data. The HD Radio proponents keep pushing for an all-digital transition. To that I say good, let those stations (AM and FM) that want to transition to all digital do so, provided they conform to the analog channel bandwidths and do not cause interference to analog stations. It should also be an either/or decision: Either transmit in all digital format or revert to analog only format, with no more interference causing hybrid analog-digital.
- BMW depreciates AM radio in some models. It seems the all-electric car generates too much electric noise to facilitate AM reception. My question; are these mobile noise generators going to cause reception problems for other vehicles too? What if I want to hear the traffic on 880 or 1010 and one of these things roles by? There are larger implications here and the FCC should be concerned with this.
- General Motors pauses the HD Radio uptake in some models. No real reasons were given, but more emphasis on LTE in the dashboard is noted. We are reassured by iBquity that this trend is only temporary.
- Anxiously awaiting this year’s engineering salary survey. For science, of course. Here is last year’s survey.
- Clear Channel is no more! They have gone out of business and a new company, iHeart Media, has taken over. Things will be much better now, I can feel it.
- John Anderson finds a chilly reception at the last NAB confab: An Unwelcome Guest at the NAB radio show. This is not surprising but kind of sad. John has been a reasonable critic of IBOC and wrote a book titled: Radio’s Digital Dilemma.
- Not too much going on with the AM revitalization. Tom King of Kintronics notes that the fault is in our receivers.
- Government shortwave broadcasters continue to sign off permanently. Radio Exterior de Espana ceases operations.
- European long wave and medium wave stations are also throwing the big switch; Atlantic 252 (long wave), as well as German long wave stations on 153, 177, and 207 KHz, medium wave stations 549, 756, 1269, and 1422 KHz also are signing off. Those 9 KHz channel spacings look strange don’t they. What fate awaits US AM radio stations?
- I am reading Glenn Greenwald’s book, No Place to Hide. I knew this, you should know it too.
Transportation
Broadcast Engineering from a contracting standpoint requires a lot of driving. I mean a lot of driving. Since switching from full-time Director of Engineering to a contracting field engineering position, I have already worn out two vehicles. Having reliable transportation is a key component of this job. Of course, the other consideration is the price of gasoline which can range from expensive to horribly expensive depending on the warring or not warring that is currently taking place.
Thus, when it came time to replace my strange-looking but roomy and reliable Scion xB, I did some research. My complaint about the xB, other than the looks, was the lack of ground clearance and lack of all-wheel or four-wheel drive. After a bit of reading, it seemed the Subaru Crosstrek XV was a good choice. Long story short, I got my car last week and got a pretty good deal, as the car dealer was looking to get rid of all their 2014 stock.
As I was leaving the dealership, the salesman had one final question. The conversation went something like this:
Sales guy: “Mr. Thurst, can I ask what it was that sold you on this car?”
Myself: “Sure, it was the oil filter.”
SG: “What?”
Me: “The oil filter.”
SG: “No, I heard that, I just don’t understand. It wasn’t the price or the fuel economy or the features?”
Me: “Nope. To be honest, you did give me a good price, I like the all-wheel drive, the ground clearance, the gas mileage, and all that. But when I popped the hood to look at the engine and saw the oil filter, I was sold.”
SG: “No one has ever said that before. Welp, good luck, and thanks for buying your car from us.” (now walking backward into the dealership, smile fixed on his face and nodding slowly)
Here is a picture of the Subaru FB20 boxer engine:
See the oil filter right next to the oil fill plug, up right and easy to get to. Not only that, some design engineer put a catch basin around the filter mount, knowing that when the filter was unscrewed, all the oil would run out of it. Without the catch basin, that oil would run down the engine block creating a mess that would get worse with each oil change.
Little things. Little things mean a lot.