The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource

Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 843, Volume 17, #10 for October 8, 2025

YES, WE HAVE NO LMS
With the government shutdown, over 4/5 of the FCC staff are furloughed (over a thousand) and, for broadcasters, LMS and OPIF are not running, along with other services deemed non-essential. Need an STA? You should be able to get it. Want to file an application? You will need to wait until the day after the government reopens.

AVOIDING UNWANTED WINTER GUESTS
No, we are not talking about family visits coming up. We mean those critters you find at your transmitter (or even studio) site. It does not take much room for some of those critters to wriggle in, seeking warmth for the winter. This is a good time to check, lest your visitors start chomping on wires, etc, seeking food (Please do not tell us you left that snack behind!). Jeff Welton has the suggestions, take a look and see how secure your site is.

FIBER FOR BROADCAST
Years ago, everything was copper wire – in the studio and in the world. But, steadily, over the years, Fiber Optics have taken over. Just try to get a copper phone line these days.

This week we are going to enjoy a discussion on basic fiber optic termination, inspection, and cleaning, including the different types of cables, connectors, and media converters – and how we can take advantage of fiber optics in broadcasting. Our guest presenter is
Benjamin Nemser of Nemal Electronics, someone who brings 45 years of experience in cable design, manufacture, and installation with him to answer our questions. Oh yes, and he can instruct you on flying business jets!

Join the discussion at our usual time: Thursday at 2PM / 11AM Pacific. We will definitely learn things!

As usual, we meet at 2 PM Eastern (11 AM Pacific) on Thursday. Link requests are easily found at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ Our videos are also shown on the youtube.com/thebdrnet channel.