CONTENTS
Scherer Will Serve Second Term as SBE President
September, 2006
Scherer Will Serve Second Term as SBE President
Officers, Six Directors Also Elected
Indianapolis, IN - Christopher H. Scherer, CPBE,
CBNT, of Overland Park, Kansas, was elected to a second term as president of
the Society of Broadcast Engineers. Scherer, editor of Radio magazine, will
begin his second term beginning September 27, following his induction during
the SBE Annual Membership Meeting in Verona, NY. Scherer is a Senior member
of SBE. Previous to serving as president of the 5,300 member organization this
past year, Scherer has served as national vice president and chairman of chapters
59 in Kansas City and 70 in Cleveland. He is also a past chairman of the SBE
National Certification Committee and continues to serve on that committee.
Scherer has been a member of the Society since 1989.
Commenting on his election to a second one-year term, Scherer said, “I
look forward to serving the Society for another year, and in particular working
with the current, re-elected and newly elected board members. We have established
the groundwork of several plans and projects that I expect will see significant
progress in the coming months.”
Also elected to a second term was vice president, Clay Freinwald, CPBE. Freinwald,
of Auburn, Wash., is a corporate engineer with Entercom. He is a member of
Chapter 16 in Seattle and has been a member of the national SBE board of directors
since 1999 and a member of the Society since 1968. He was elected an SBE Fellow
in 2004.
Elected to a second term as secretary is Vincent A. Lopez, CEV CBNT, director
of engineering at WSYT/WNYS TV in Syracuse, NY. Lopez has been a member of
the national board since 2000 and is chairman of the SBE Regional Convention
Strategies Committee. He previously served as chairman of the SBE Membership
Committee for four years. Lopez is also a past chairman of Chapter 22 in Central
New York and was elected an SBE Fellow in 2004.
Elected to a second term as Treasurer is Barry Thomas, CPBE CBNT, president
of Thomas Media. Thomas is a Senior member of SBE and a member of Chapter 15
in New York. He previously served as national secretary and also two terms
as a director. He has also served as chairman of the SBE Finance Committee.
Six members were elected to seats on the Board of Directors. They include:
- Ralph Beaver, CBT, President and CEO, Media Alert, Inc., Tampa, Fla.
- James T. Bernier, Jr., CPBE, CBNT, Director, Maintenance, Design and Engineering, Turner Entertainment Networks, TBS, Inc., Alpharetta, Ga.
- Keith M. Kintner, CPBE, CBNT, Radio-TV-Film Engineer, University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, Wisc.
- Thomas R. Ray, III, CPBE, Vice President, Corporate Director of Engineering, Buckley Broadcasting/WOR Radio, New York, N.Y.
- Christopher D. Tarr, CBRE, CBT, CBNT, Director of Engineering, Entercom Milwaukee/Madison, Delafield, Wisc.
- Larry J. Wilkins, CPBE, AMD, CBNT, Assistant Director of Engineering, Cumulus Broadcasting, Prattville, Ala.
They will be joined by six returning members of the Board and Raymond Benedict, CPBE, who will continue his service to the Board as Immediate Past President. The six returning directors include:
- Jon A. Bennett, CPBE, CBNT, Director of Engineering – Richmond, Cox Radio, Richmond, Va.
- Andrea B. Cummis, CBT, CTO, Sr. Vice President, Engineering and Technology, American Desi TV, Roseland, N.J.
- Dane E. Ericksen, P.E., CSRTE, 8-VSB, CBNT, Senior Engineer, Hammett & Edison,
Inc., San Francisco, Calif.
Ted Hand, CPBE, 8-VSB, Assistant Chief Engineer/RF Engineer, WGNT-TV, Portsmouth, Va. - Hal H. Hostetler, CPBE, Senior Engineer/I.T. Director, KVOA Television, Tucson, Ariz.
- Conrad H. Trautmann, CPBE, Senior Vice President of Engineering and Technology, Westwood One, Inc., New York, N.Y.
Random Radio Thoughts
Cris Alexander, CPBE, AMD
Crawford Broadcasting Company
Satellite radio has been all the consumer rage
for the past few years, or so you would think based on a lot of the advertising
and press. But all is not well in the XM and Sirius camps. There are only about
10 million subscribers for both services combined, a fraction of what terrestrial
radio has. And both are bleeding red ink. Costs are way up, stock prices are
plummeting and there is now merger talk. And regardless of what you think about
Opie & Anthony, their return to terrestrial radio is perhaps a portent
of things to come. I consider all this good for the terrestrial broadcast industry.
A few months ago, we reported in these pages interference to non-commercial
FM stations operating in the reserved band by certain mobile XM and Sirius
converters. Some moms taking the kids to school while listening to the morning
news or Christian music were startled to have that programming suddenly replaced
with Howard Stern’s foul-mouthed shock talk.
California broadcast consulting engineer Bob Gonsett brought the issue to the
FCC’s attention and (a little surprisingly) the FCC listened. Tests were
ordered on all the XM and Sirius converters that transmit on an FM channel
and several were found to be far out of compliance with Part 15 limits. These
units have all been pulled from retailer shelves and there is the very real
possibility of a recall looming. This hasn’t helped the satcasters’ stock
prices.
My hat is off to Bob for taking the initiative on this. Through his efforts,
this growing source of interference has been stopped in its tracks and will
very likely be removed altogether. And I trust you’ll forgive me if I
take just a little pleasure in seeing the satcasters take it on the chin.
M2
A lot of us have been waiting a long time for a reasonably priced HD-R modulation
monitor to hit the market. Crawford placed orders for 25 of the Belar units,
the FMHD-1 and AMHD-1 shortly after NAB 2005. The FMHD-1 won a “Cool
Stuff” award at that show but to my knowledge has yet to ship a single
production unit a year and a half later. Despite delay after delay, we stayed
with Belar, letting our orders stand until July of this year when Belar called
and notified us that there were “problems with the circuit boards” and
shipment on the units would be delayed a few months more. This was after I
was promised at NAB 2006 that we would have the units within six weeks. I’m
certain that Belar is as frustrated as its customers, but when I got word of
the latest delay, I pulled the plug on all 25 orders.
At that point, I found I had few other options. I quickly ruled out Audemat-Aztec
because of price, and at the time, the Inovonics unit (FM only, but showing
a lot of promise) wasn’t shipping yet. I really needed AM units more
than FM units, so even if the Inovonics had been in stock, it would have solved
only half my problem. So that left me with the Day Sequerra M2. I changed all
25 Belar orders to M2s.
My M2 orders were the first for Crouse-Kimzey Company, one of the broadcast
equipment dealers with whom we work. But the sales rep was reasonably familiar
with the unit and its several options. We ordered all our FM units with option
2.1, which gets you FM analog multiplex monitoring of 19 kHz pilot; 38 kHz
stereo; 57, 67 and 92 kHz SCA; synchronous AM noise; and a baseband output
for external SCA/stereo decoding.
We ordered a couple of units with option
2.2, which gets you remote operation and monitoring via TCP/IP.
We took delivery on the first three units here in Denver and quickly put them
through their paces. The first thing we found, which may be a negative for
some installations, was that the high-level RF input is limited to 7 volts
p-p maximum. Our Nautel transmitters spit out 10 volts p-p nominal, so we had
to pad the inputs.
But beyond that, we found the units easy to use. Within minutes of installing
the first unit, we were able to make significant improvements to the time and
level alignment of the station, providing for seamless transition from analog
to digital and back. The M2 will provide indications of analog or digital modulation
but not simultaneous indications. You have to select between modes via front
panel controls, but that’s not a problem. It also allows full monitoring
of PAD via a multifunction display. RDS is not yet supported but Day Sequerra
promises an available upgrade this fall, which will make the M2 the complete
modulation monitor.
One nice thing about the M2 is that it works on both AM and FM and features
both high-level (RF monitor) and low-level (antenna) inputs. The M2 is equally
at home at the transmitter site or the studio.
We’ve had four units running for a few weeks now here in Denver and we’ve
got 19 or so units running elsewhere around the country. So far, it’s
been mostly good. We have noticed a tendency of the units to “lock-up” after
thunderstorms, even though the units are all operating on UPS power. I suspect
that static enters the unit (which has several microprocessors) through the
RF/antenna and/or audio connections. Some additional bypassing and series protection
is evidently needed.
Wheatstone
The CBC-Denver Wheatstone project is, for the most part, now complete. The
project wrapped up the middle of August after a very aggressive conversion
schedule. All four stations were converted in just a month. So far, we are
very pleased with this very high quality system. Wheatstone has lived up to
its reputation in getting the system to us on time and configured as ordered.
Give Ed Dulaney a call, come by and see the system if you’re so inclined.
Chapter of the Air
Last month, Entercom-Denver’s Jack Roland fired up a non-sanctioned “chapter
of the air” network on 2m/70cm. Locally it was on the WA2YZT Lookout
Mountain repeaters on 146.805/147.175 MHz (PL 186.2). Nationally it was up
on the Denver reflector (#9874) of the Internet Radio Linking Project (IRLP),
making it possible for amateur radio operators to check in from anywhere in
the world that there is an IRLP node. This effectively provides an alternative
to the 20-meter SSB SBE net that can be hit or miss depending on propagation
and interference (QRM). Jack is working on getting national SBE approval/sanction
of the VHF/UHF net. Watch your email for news in this regard, and be sure to
check in on the first and third Mondays of each month at 11:00 AM Mountain.
Contact Jack at jroland@entercom.com for more information.
Certification
We had four people test in the August window. Three tested for CBNT and one
tested for CBTE. The next exam window is November 10-20, and the application
deadline for that session is September 22. Radio guys, this is your big chance
to add that AMD certification!
If you have news to share with the Rocky Mountain radio engineering community,
drop me an email at crisa@crawfordbroadcasting.com.
Certification Update:
The SBE Certification Committee has established the following exam dates. Choose the exam period that is best for you.
Click here for
more information about SBE Certification.
Fees are as follows:
SBE EAS Exchange Debuts
The Society of Broadcast Engineers, in response
to those who have requested a forum dedicated and limited to the discussion
of issues related to the Emergency Alert System, has instituted the ‘SBE-EAS
Exchange. The EAS Exchange will be moderated by SBE EAS Committee Chair, Clay
Freinwald, CPBE. On occasion, another member of the SBE EAS Committee may also
moderate the discussion. SBE membership is encouraged to participate on the
EAS Exchange, but it is not required.
Participants can discuss equipment issues, the latest related FCC activity,
share EAS failures or success stories etc.
To subscribe to the SBE-EAS Exchange, go to http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/sbe-eas.
AMATEUR RADIO NEWS
By Tom Weeden, WJ9H
From Chapter 24 - Madison
An FCC that’s still optimistic and enthusiastic
about Broadband over Power Line (BPL) met August 3 to consider and unanimously
adopt a Memorandum Opinion and Order (MO&O) in response to several petitions
for reconsideration of its BPL rules - including one from the American Radio
Relay League. But one commissioner stressed that the FCC has an obligation
to protect Amateur Radio operators from BPL interference and to respond promptly
to interference complaints. The FCC suggested it was attempting to strike a
balance between interference to licensed services and the BPL industry’s
needs.
"This rule making proceeding was initiated to provide regulatory certainty
that will encourage investments in BPL, particularly so that consumers can
reap
the benefits," an FCC Office of Engineering and Technology (OET) official
told the commissioners. "Equally important, the Commission sought to ensure
that licensed radio services are protected against harmful interference." The
OET said the Commission also wanted to provide guidance so compliance measurements "are
made in a consistent manner with repeatable results."
The FCC adopted its current BPL rules - under a new Subpart G of its Part 15
rules governing unlicensed devices - in October 2004.
Commenting after the OET’s presentation of the MO&O, Commissioner
Michael J. Copps reiterated that the FCC must also ensure that BPL providers
protect existing spectrum users from interference. "This applies with
special force to Amateur Radio operators whose skills and dedication once again
proved so valuable in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina," Copps remarked. "Amateur
radio serves the public interest in so many ways that we must be always mindful
of its needs." Copps said he believes the FCC’s MO&O "strikes
an acceptable balance," but added that the Commission "must be available
and positioned to respond to interference complaints with alacrity. Amateur
operators shouldn’t have to wait for months to get complaints resolved
- they deserve better."
As his predecessor Michael Powell did before him, FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin
led the cheering squad for BPL, which, he said, "holds great promise as
a ubiquitous broadband solution that would offer a viable alternative to cable,
digital subscriber line, fiber, and wireless broadband solutions."
His Republican colleague Deborah T. Tate echoed Martin’s enthusiasm,
calling the FCC’s goal of ubiquitous broadband deployment in the US "an
exciting prospect." She went on to say that the FCC will continue to find
an appropriate balance between regulation to mitigate potential negative ‘side
effects’ that accompany BPL "and a hands-off approach that gives
BPL the room it needs to develop in a free market." She said the MO&O "strikes
the right balance with minimal regulatory burdens."
Consumer FM Transmitter Adaptors Continue to Stir
You might remember a recent story on local consultant
Bob Gonsett's pursuit of satellite radio's common use of tiny FM transmitters
to couple their audio to car radios. It appears that many of those devices
violate Part 15 FCC regulations, using illegal frequencies just below the FM
band and often use excessive power.
Radio World magazine reports that NPR tested a number of FM modulators and
found a third of them violating terms of Part 15 with excessive output.
Those findings continue to reverberate as the FCC pulls certification of XM
Satellite Radio and Sirius radios that don't meet Part 15 regs. The companies
filed with the SEC statements that admit their revenues may be temporarily
hindered as they fix new radios to comply with Part 15.
Also, the NAB's David Rehr says that he wants the FCC to order receiver manufacturers
to stop selling satellite radios with FM transmitters that exceed emission
limits. In fact, he is asking for a recall of noncompliant devices already
sold.
Static Line
Noise From All Over!
R.W. Abraham
Chapter 3 – Topeka
Bob Locke pointed me to an interesting article on Voltage Standards. The full
piece can be read at: www.evaluationengineering.com/archive/articles/0506/0506about_volt.asp.
For many years, the most accurate source of a known voltage was the Weston
standard cell. Although these devices were commonly found in standards labs
throughout the world, they were finicky and delicate at best. The output voltage
was nominally 1.01830 V at 20°C and varied slightly with temperature and
atmospheric pressure in quite predictable ways.
A group of cells was maintained by a lab and each cell periodically measured
by comparing it to one of its peers. The value of the reference voltage the
lab used in calibration work was based on a statistical combination of the
voltages from each of the cells in the group.
Connecting two cells in series opposition compared the voltage difference of
each. Typically, cells differ by no more than a few microvolts, so even using
measuring equipment with only kilohm-level input impedance ensured that current
was at the nanoamp level. Ideally, no current should be drawn from a standard
cell to avoid disturbing its voltage. Modern instruments based on semiconductor
technology achieve greater than 100-M? input impedance, making routine cell
comparison straightforward.
The Weston standard cell is a type of artifact standard, but the standard volt
now is defined in terms of a Josephson junction oscillator, a so-called intrinsic
standard. The oscillation frequency of a Josephson junction is given by:
F(Josephson) = (2eΔV)/h where the relationship between frequency and voltage
across the junction depends only upon the fundamental constants e, the charge
of an electron, and h, Planck's constant.
For 1 µV applied to the junction, the frequency is: FJosephson = 483.6
MHz
The standard volt now is defined as the voltage required to produce a frequency
of 483,597.9 GHz. However, since voltage and frequency are linearly related,
practical primary voltage standards are based on an array of thousands of Josephson
junctions running at a lower frequency.
The Josephson junction consists of an insulating barrier between two superconductors.
The exact composition of the superconductor isn't important, but the entire array
must be operated at 4°K to meet the superconducting requirement. Josephson
junction arrays represent the most stable and predictable standard voltage source.
In comparisons between similar array-based standards, differences in the nanovolt
range were recorded. Just as labs could buy Weston cells, voltage standards based
on Josephson junction arrays are commercially available.
Sandia National Laboratories has both a laboratory and a portable array and quotes
uncertainty on the 10-V range as ±0.017 ppm. This compares with about
0.11 ppm for a group of Weston cells! Find more information at the link given.
Wichita's WeatherData headed by former KSN Weatherman Mike Smith, is being sold
to the nation's largest weather-forecasting firm, AccuWeather, officials from
both companies said recently.
WeatherData will remain in Wichita, with WeatherData founder and chief executive
Mike Smith staying on to run the operation, but ownership of its staff, offices,
technology and patents will transfer to AccuWeather. Accuweather will likely
be adding jobs, instead of cutting them. WeatherData is hiring meteorologists
and technology staff at the present time, and will continue to focus heavily
on detailed real-time information about tornadoes, thunderstorms, lightning,
hail and flash floods for companies and individuals. WeatherData had become the
premier authorities in those areas worldwide, acknowledged Myers of AccuWeather. "They
are the experts." Acquiring them will boost expertise in this very important
sector. At the present time, AccuWeather has 325 employees; Weather Data has
23.
Smith was quoted that he sold because WeatherData needed development capital
for its high-tech products and services, but had had trouble finding funds to
do so. The sale will insure that, and WeatherData will benefit from AccuWeather's
larger marketing department and client list.
Bob Locke also mailed me an article on an improved Lithium-ion battery which
can be charged in as little as 8 minutes! A new battery electrode system has
improved current transfer characteristics, reducing charge time, or allowing
for greater power bursts from the battery to the load. The battery can be recharged
up to 20,000 times and has up to triple the power density when compared to old
lead-acid or nickel-metal hydride types.
This should improve performance of electric vehicles in both reduced recharge
time and in acceleration, a major complaint in the past. A danger that can occur
with major current transfer is a rapid build up of heat when unplanned resistance
develops. Connector resistance from corrosion or oxide build up in cables or
internal battery connections could result in excessive heat or explosion if not
detected and remedied quickly, as some laptop users discovered when Lithium-ion
batteries were introduced in that application. Battery chargers for these batteries
should be made to connect with internal battery temperature sensors to throttle
back or shut off the charger should an unsafe heating event be detected.
If these batteries find acceptance for use in hybrid or electric cars, who knows,
the builders may even be able to increase the wheelbase to the point of adding
a rear seat!
THE YXZ REPORT
by Kent Randles K7YXZ CBRE
Senior Engineer, Entercom-Portland
Chapter 124 Secretary
watercooled at sbe124.org
LIFE WITH HD RADIO
Holding at 12 FM HD signals (eight with HD2) and one AM HD signal on the
air in the Portland market.
Still waiting for three more brands of tabletop HD Radios to go on sale.
Ibiquity.com has taken AM stations off of their station lists.
I had the opportunity to drive to and spend 4-day weekends in Sacramento and
near Seattle since I wrote last month's newsletter. There are a lot more FM HD
transmitters on the air in Sacramento than there were last year, but no
HD2's yet. I was delighted to be able to see text from San Francisco Bay Area
stations there.
There are many HD's on in Seattle, including at least one AM, and 106.9 KRWM,
not being owned by a company in the HD Digital Radio Alliance, had
nostalgia-formatted 880 KIXI on their HD2 in stereo.
FORMER TRANSMITTER BUILDING, NOW SWANK HOUSE, FOR RENT
From Gray Haertig
The Kaye-Smith House (former KXL transmitter building) is up for rent. For those
who didn't take a tour during the 2004 engineering BBQ, this is a 1,750 sq. ft.
house at the south end of Council Crest Drive in the Healy Heights area of Portland.
It was built in 1947 as the transmitter building for KPRA (later KWJJ-FM), Portland's
third FM station. Later it served as studio and transmitter building for one
of the incarnations of Channel 27. It was used as the 95.5 KXL-FM (now KXJM)
transmitter building until KXL AM & FM was sold to Paul Allen's Rose City
Radio in 1998.
WOODBURN'S 96.3 LPFM
From http://www.pcun.org/updates/PCUN%20Update%2054.pdf
Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN) "negotiated a long-term
lease with the City of Woodburn for PCUN to place the KPCN-LP broadcast antenna
on top of the municipal water tower (about 140 feet), maximizing the station's
broadcast area, and attracted strong support from activists at KBOO, listener-supported
radio in Portland.
Ever seen a radio station assembled in a weekend? Come to Woodburn and not
only see it, but do it and celebrate it! For the past four years, Philadelphia-based
Prometheus Radio Project (PRP) has criss-crossed the country and the world
dedicated to the notion that "it takes a community to raise a radio station".
The "Barnraising" is a combination conference and intensive work
party. Participants can attend workshops on topics ranging from basic engineering
and programming to media democracy. Work crews will hook up and test equipment,
complete remodeling tasks, while other volunteers handle an array of conference
tasks and prepare for a community celebration on the last day. The celebration
on August 20th will include the first broadcast on KPCN-LP!"
Clay's Corner
Featuring News, Rumors and Views
From Usually Reliable and Irrefutable Sources
By Clay Freinwald
SBE Seattle Chapter 16
At this writing I just returned from spending
a week in Madison, Wi…A
very nice place with weather that I could do without. Severe thunderstorms
and tornado warnings (not just watches) are a bit hard to take for a fellow
used to our PNW weather….I had a degree of pleasure telling some folks
there that I could not live in their area…when they asked why…I
said, with a smirk…cause it appears to rain all the time….that
felt good…especially knowing that the urban legend of it raining all
the time in Seattle is extremely strong.
Watching TV in an area with severe weather is an interesting and different
experience. The network stations will burst into network programming with
their weather-guy who will explain, in great detail, what’s going on
using snazzy Doppler radar graphics etc. These are not just 60 second drop
in’s…but rather can go on for some time. In the mean time they
will have a large Red with White graphic crawl in addition to a corner devoted
to the Weather Radar. The network show, and spots, only get about 80% of
the picture. I can’t imagine any station doing this in Seattle…then
again perhaps I should be thankful.
In July we got to see just what severe weather can do to towers as many came
down in St Lewis. While I was in Madison I did find it interesting that one
of their big towers (1400 feet) would often switch from Red Lights to strobes
during periods of heavy lightning….apparently fooling the sensors into
thinking that it was daylight. They say that a true heavy T-Storm is one
that you can read a newspaper by…these were close.
The SBE elections are over and we have 6 new members of the BOD…the
only new face is Chris Tarr from Milwaukee. All the others are either re-elected
or have served previously. This will begin my second year as VP. Our next
meeting will be at the Chapter 22 event in Verona, NY the 26th and 27th of
September.
Congratulations to Gary Hart on his retirement from PNW Bell/Qwest after
a long career whose highlights include being a partner to us in the Broadcast
industry. If you’ve been in this biz in Seattle you have a number of
Gary Hart stories…among them tales of how he saved the day. We will
miss you Gary….!
Add another station to the list of those operating with HD Radio…This
time its KXOT on 91.7 transmitting from the Indian Hill tower West of Federal
Way. (former location of 97.3 and 106.1). The tower was re-guyed, a new Dielectric
antenna, a new Harris Z16 transmitter etc. This is the second station to
operate HD in the NCE band behind KPLU. Programming is from KUOW in Seattle.
Coverage to the North is going to be limited due to a DA that limits coverage
to the NE. Their 60dbu follows the ship-canal in Seattle and cuts between
Mercer Island and Bellevue….but coverage extends South to Olympia.
Another new Harris rig is to be found operating in a split-level-parallel
arrangement on West Tiger on 96.5 as that CBS station joins the HD Radio
club.
Just when we all thought that the FCC was about to announce some actual rules
for HDR, the meeting was cancelled. Shortly afterward Ibiquity (the HDR folks)
announced changes to the RF spectral mask. The change would, in effect, allow
more spectrum for the emissions from HDR FM stations.
USDTV FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY
By Tom Smith
Chapter 24
USDTV has filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on July
6th in Delaware. USDTV was a provider of a low cost alterative to cable and
satellite TV. They provide twelve channels of subscription television using
excess capacity of local broadcasters DTV transmissions. USDTV was founded
in 2003 and had 16, 000 subscribers in four markets. The cost of subscription
was $19.95. USDTV started its service in Salt Lake City were it was headquartered
and expanded to Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and Dallas. Last year, a number of
broadcasters invested $26 million in USDTV. They included the FOX Television
Stations Inc., Hearst-Argyle Television Inc., McGraw-Hill Broadcasting, Lin
TV Corp., Telcom DTV LLC and Morgan Murphy Stations. The company has assets
of between $1 million to $10 million and liabilities of $15 million.
Steve Lindsley, founder and CEO said that must carry issues on cable and lack
of new broadcast partners was the cause of the need to file for bankruptcy.
In filing for Chapter 7, the company will be sold or liquidated and Lindsley
has said that there was an interested party. A creditors meeting was to be
held on August 3rd and the new owners would be announced and operations be
taken over by September 1st.
Broadcasting and Cable did an editorial that underscored the problem with USDTV
filing for bankruptcy. The problem they stated that broadcasters had was coming
up with a viable economic plan for their digital spectrum. B & C seemed
to feel that multi-casting coupled with low cost programming was the way to
go. Part of USDTV’s problem according to B & C was the need for subsidizing
the sale of the set-top box and a turnover of half of its subscribers yearly
due to non-payment or dissatisfaction of the limited choice of programming.
USDTV had about 120 employees and nearly all were laid off. Even though they
continue to provide programming, their website stated that they were unable
to take calls or answer e-mails concerning subscriber problems.
In visits to a couple of DTV forums on the web, the general consensus of the
viewers forums was the possible loss of USDTV was a good thing as stations
would not have an incentive to reduce bandwidth of their high-definition signal.
They complained about the poor HD pictures because of bandwidth loss due to
bandwidth going to USDTV programming.
In England, a subscription DTV service was tried first and failed; when a free
multicast service was created, DTV took off with a sizable number of set-top
boxes having been sold for the reception of the Freeview service. The Broadcasting
and Cable article quoted Lin TV CEO Vince Sadusky that it took a while to develop
a web strategy and that "Anyone who says they’ve got the answer
is lying" concerning DTV.
From Broadcasting and Cable (www.broadcastingcable.com), the Daily Herald (www.heraldsextra.com)
and the Deseret News (www.deseretnews.com)
Humor
DEEP OBSERVATIONS ON LIFE
"
The problem with the designated driver program, it's
not a desirable job, but if you ever get sucked into
doing it, have fun with it. At the end of the night,
drop them off at the wrong house."
--Jeff Foxworthy
"Relationships are hard. It's like a full time job, and
we should treat it like one. If your boyfriend or girlfriend
wants to leave you, they should give you two weeks' notice.
There should be severance pay, the day before they leave
you, they should have to find you a temp."
--Bob Ettinger
"My Mom said she learned how to swim when someone took
her out in the lake and threw her off the boat. I said, 'Mom,
they weren't trying to teach you how to swim.'"
--Paula Poundstone
"
Why does Sea World have a seafood restaurant?? I'm
halfway through my fish burger and I realize, Oh my God....
I could be eating a slow learner."
--Lynda Montgomery
INTERESTING FACTS
"Stewardesses" is the longest word typed with only
the left hand and "lollipop" with your right.
Maine is the only state whose name is just one syllable.
No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or purple.
"
Dreamt" is the only English word that ends in the letters "mt".
The words 'racecar,' 'kayak' and 'level' are the same whether they are read
left to right or right to left (palindromes).
There are only four words in the English language which end in "dous":
tremendous, horrendous, stupendous, and hazardous.
There are two words in the English language that have all five vowels in order: "abstemious" and "facetious."
TYPEWRITER is the longest word that can be made using the letters only on one
row of the keyboard.
A dime has 118 ridges around the edge.
A goldfish has a memory span of three seconds.
The winter of 1932 was so cold that Niagara Falls froze completely solid.
There are more chickens than people in the world.
THE PERKS OF BEING OVER 50
1. Kidnappers are not very interested in you.
2 In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.
3. No one expects you to run--anywhere.
4. There is nothing left to learn the hard way.
5. Things you buy now won't wear out.
6. You enjoy hearing about other people's operations.
7. You get into heated arguments about pension plans.
8. You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.
9. You sing along with elevator music.
10 Your eyes won't get much worse.
11. Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.
12. Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them
either.
Etc.
Newsletter Committee
Bill Harris
(505) 767-6735
billharris@ix.netcom.com
Garneth M. Harris
Newsletter archives are available online.
Visit www.smpte-sbe48.org/oldnews for an index
of
newsletter back issues.
Note: Old newsletters may contain outdated
information, web links or email addresses. News archives are not
updated when
relevant information changes.
Views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the Societies, its officers, or its members. We regret, but are not liable for, any omissions or errors. The Denver SBE and SMPTE Newsletter is published approximately twelve times per year. It is prepared with a combination of text and graphic data. Submission deadline is 10 days before the last day of each month. Other SBE or SMPTE chapters are permitted to use excerpts if attributed to the original authors, sources, and/or the Denver SBE/SMPTE Newsletter.
Total:
<%
'Dimension variables
Dim fsoTotal 'File System Object
Dim tsTotal 'Text Stream Object
Dim filTotal 'File Object
Dim lngVisitorNumberTotal 'Holds the visitor number
'Create a File System Object variable
Set fsoTotal = Server.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'Initialise a File Object with the path and name of text file to open
Set filTotal = fsoTotal.GetFile(Server.MapPath("hits_news.dat"))
'Open the visitor counter text file
Set tsTotal = filTotal.OpenAsTextStream
'Read in the visitor number from the visitor counter file
lngVisitorNumberTotal = CLng(tsTotal.ReadAll)
'Increment the visitor counter number by 1
lngVisitorNumberTotal = lngVisitorNumberTotal + 1
'Create a new visitor counter text file over writing the previous one
Set tsTotal = fsoTotal.CreateTextFile(Server.MapPath("hits_news.dat"))
'Write the new visitor number to the text file
tsTotal.Write CStr(lngVisitorNumberTotal)
'Reset server objects
Set fsoTotal = Nothing
Set tsTotal = Nothing
Set filTotal = Nothing
'Display the hit count as text
Response.Write(lngVisitorNumberTotal)
%>
Month:
<%
'Dimension variables
Dim fsoMonth 'File System Object
Dim tsMonth 'Text Stream Object
Dim filMonth 'File Object
Dim lngVisitorNumberMonth 'Holds the visitor number
'Create a File System Object variable
Set fsoMonth = Server.CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
'Initialise a File Object with the path and name of text file to open
Set filMonth = fsoMonth.GetFile(Server.MapPath("hits_mon.dat"))
'Open the visitor counter text file
Set tsMonth = filMonth.OpenAsTextStream
'Read in the visitor number from the visitor counter file
lngVisitorNumberMonth = CLng(tsMonth.ReadAll)
'Increment the visitor counter number by 1
lngVisitorNumberMonth = lngVisitorNumberMonth + 1
'Create a new visitor counter text file over writing the previous one
Set tsMonth = fsoMonth.CreateTextFile(Server.MapPath("hits_mon.dat"))
'Write the new visitor number to the text file
tsMonth.Write CStr(lngVisitorNumberMonth)
'Reset server objects
Set fsoMonth = Nothing
Set tsMonth = Nothing
Set filMonth = Nothing
'Display the hit count as text
Response.Write(lngVisitorNumberMonth)
%>