Barry Mishkind

The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource

... edited by Barry Mishkind - the Eclectic Engineer

This Week’s Newsletter

Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 844, Volume 17, #11 for October 15, 2025

TWO WEEK WARNING!
Even if the government is still shut, Daylight Saving Time ends in two weeks – on November 2nd at 2 AM, when it becomes 1 AM for most of the country (not most of Arizona nor Hawaii). There is less and less legacy gear that does not change automatically, but this is a reminder to check on your systems, from automation to antenna mode changes, and be ready.

SITE SECURITY WARNING
Last week we noted the price of copper had topped $5/pound. This week we note that FCC Commissioner Olivia Trusty is sounding the alarm over a rising tide of vandalism targeting communications infrastructure, which she calls a direct threat to public safety and broadband expansion. She urged lawmakers, industry, law enforcement and the public to partner in hardening networks, criminalizing willful damage, and preserving the FCC’s “Build America” connectivity goals.

Trusty urged for harsher laws and penalties against a “growing epidemic” of attacks to privately owned infrastructure. The commissioner also called on the communications industry as a whole to beef up protection at hubs such as tower sites. She recommended more cameras, tamper-proof housings, and alarms that indicate when some part of the infrastructure is cut.

SO WHY IS IT 50 OHMS?
Have you ever wondered why the common impedance is 50 Ohms? A hint might be that old-timers often refer to RF systems as “plumbing.”

CONTROLLING AUDIO AND SIGNAL FLOW
You might need nothing more than to switch an audio signal between into two paths. Or to have a selector for a number of incoming signals to one or more faders. Similarly, while remote control is much easier these days, it has often become more complex. Simplifying control for easier operation is important.

With these themes in mind, Ben Nason from Broadcast Tools is our guest presenter this week. Ben will discuss solutions that solve problems without killing the budget. Join us and learn things on Thursday at 2 PM Eastern / 11 AM Pacific. (The link request is at: www.thebdr.net/TLG/ )


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.

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!


STILL WORKING
While many/most of the FCC websites are down for the government shutdown, several folks have reported success in filing the Form One on the ETRS (EAS Test Reporting System). The October 3rd deadline has been extended, of course, but if you wanted to try to get into the ETRS – and know your credentials – this might be a good time.

You can/may insert a statement in any filing during this period stating you had it on time, but could not file due to problems with the FCC servers.

FINES MAY NOT BE FINE
There are ongoing court cases where the FCC is defending its ability to issue fines for violations of the Rules and Regulations. Recently, AT&T managed to get one Circuit Court to block a $57 million fine because they did not get a jury trial. Another Circuit Court affirmed the FCC’s rights to issue fines. The FCC is now asking the Supreme Court to rule on its fining authority.

SPECTRUM CHECKS ARE NOT ONLY FOR AM
While AM stations must do an NRSC measurement each year, FM is pretty much left alone after in installation. However, over time, some components may change value or fail completely, putting spurs on other services – including ATC (air traffic control). This may be the case recently in Virginia.

THE CALM ACT HITS CALIFORNIA
The 2010 Commercial Advertisement Loudness Mitigation (CALM) Act applies to broadcast and cable television. California now is adding streaming services to a similar State Law. This is another issue that might take Court action to resolve. In the meantime, do not leave a stream running while you are sleeping – you might get a sharp “wake up” blast in the middle of the night.

ATSC 1 SUNSET? … MAYBE
With the FCC seeking to lay down some rules – if they get to have an Open Meeting this month (on the 28th) – some of the things mentioned tend to suggest there will not be any immediate sunset of ATSC 1, but rather flexibility for stations to voluntarily determine when they wish to transition by doing ATSC 3, ATSC 1, or both. The NAB is pleased with this approach.

FOR SALE
A couple of audio processors, some microphones, and an RF amp are among the latest additions to the ForSale page. You can check out these and other items here. Check out these and other “finds” on the ForSale Page, here.
May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Some recent articles of interest:

                      More newsy items here…

                      May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

                       
                       MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

                      Nautel’s Challenge continues: the company is offering a rugged tablet, $500 gift card, and more.

                       If you are running MDCL on your AM station – or looking to cut AM power costs – join the challenge. Submit your actual or potential savings by October 30th to win one of several prizes. You can find the Challenge Rules at: https://www.nautel.com/mdcl-energy-savings-challenge/

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                      NAB’s                       New York Show is next week: October 22-23, 2025 at the Javits Center in NYC.

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                      GatesAir                       has been sold to Saothair Capital Partners of Wayne, PA.

                      May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

                       

                      Do You Remember? This week in history:
                      Broadcast related items:

                                  • 8 years ago (10/13/17) Dolly Parton donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt University Children’s Hospital in Nashville.
                                  • 11 years ago (10/15/14) Chuck Berry performs for the last time – at the St. Louis club Blueberry Hill.
                                  • 12 years ago (10/12/13) Lorde became the youngest solo artist to write and record a #1 hit: “Royals.”
                                  • 48 years ago (10/15/77) Debby Boone hit #1 for 10 weeks with “You Light Up My Life.“
                                  • 49 years ago (10/16/76) the #1 spot on the pop chart was taken by “Disco Duck.” (It was last novelty song to do so.)
                                  • 61 years ago (10/17/64) it was Manfred Mann who hit #1 with “Do Wah Diddy Diddy.”
                                  • 68 years ago (10/14/57) the Everly Brothers topped the charts with “Wake Up Little Susie.“
                                  • 74 years ago (10/15/51) “I Love Lucy” premiers on television. (It is still going in reruns!)
                                  • 102 years ago (10/16/1923) the Walt Disney Company was founded.

                                  …and 106 years ago (10/17/1919) the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) was officially launched as a public company.*

                                  And here are a few more newsy-type items:

                                  • 36 years ago (10/17/89) an earthquake near San Francisco killed 63 and brought down a major bridge.
                                  • 48 years ago (10/18/77) Reggie Jackson aka “Mr. October”hits three homers in three swings.
                                  • 52 years ago (10/17/73) OPEC states declared an oil embargo against the West. Do you remember the lines?
                                  • 61 years ago (10/14/64) Nikita Khruschev was ousted as Soviet Leader and chief shoe banger.
                                  • 66 years ago (10/17/59) Control Data Corporation (CDC) released their CDC 1604 computer, the world’s fastest computer at the time – and the first commercially successful fully-transistorized computer.
                                  • 78 years ago (10/14/1947) Chuck Yeager was the first person to break sound barrier, in the X-1 rocket plane.
                                  • 92 years ago (10/18/33) R. Buckminster Fuller tried to patent his Dymaxion Car.
                                  • 94 years ago (10/17/31) Al Capone went to prison for tax evasion.
                                  • 108 years ago (10/15/1917) Mata Hari was executed by the French. She was more myth than spy.

                                  … and let’s reach way back for a few interesting ones:

                                  • 158 years ago (10/18/1867) the US took possession of Alaska after buying it from Russia. Whose “Folly?”**
                                  • 174 years ago (10/18/1851) Moby Dick was published.
                                  • 232 years ago (10/16/1793) Marie Antoinette was beheaded.
                                  • 233 years ago (10/13/1792) the White House Cornerstone was laid.
                                  • 258 years ago (10/18/1767) the Mason-Dixon line survey was completed.




                                  May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

                                   

                                  *Originally, GE held the controlling interest in RCA and built a lot of the early products, including transmitters. Eventually, there was a split, but decades later, GE purchased the whole company.

                                  ** It was called “Seward’s Folly” when Secretary of State William Seward bought Alaska from Russia for $7 million – 2 cents an acre. Critics saw no value in the huge, distant place. Today, Alaska is almost 20% of the US land mass.

                                  MIDWEEK BONUS

                                  All the time, new items are introduced. Sometimes they are the result of intense study and conjecture. Other times, when we see it, we all just say “I should have thought of that!” as the invention is so “natural” that we wonder why it took so long for someone to make it. Here is a list, according to TIME, of the best inventions so far this year.

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                                        We sure do appreciate you spending time with our Newsletter. And even more so when you recommend us to your colleagues and friends.

                                        barry

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                                        Yes … you might have seen it before, but we should do this: some extra stuff .. some important … some just interesting.

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