Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 896, Volume 18, #12 for October 14, 2026

ABOUT THE NON-NATIONAL NPT
If you get and relay an NPT (National Periodic Test) tomorrow (Thursday) – and you are not in Puerto Rico – the test currently planned from the FEMA means your EAS receiver filters need some attention. (For those in Puerto Rico, you should get and relay the test.) Again, these are tests. 

Last week, the FEMA sent out an NPT test, with the Alaska code 002000 (More details here). However, reports from around the nation indicate that a significant number of stations relayed this test because their EAS receiver was set to relay any NPT regardless of the coding.

AN NPT THAT IS NOT NATIONAL?
Yes, while earlier NPTs where all destined for national feeds, the FEMA decided this year to do a pair of more focused tests, to ensure the system was ready and operated as expected. Testing is good! Additionally, there has been a desire to run more than one NPT in a year, partially to avoid seasonal weather issues. Being able to segment the NPT might help stations ensure each region/state can be  addressed as needed, much like the RWTs now being sent on Mondays.

DASDEC owners: the company has put some information together so you can make sure your configuration is correct. including a video showing the configuration page.

GIVING ATTENTION TO THE AUDIO SYSTEM
For many stations, there is an item of data that is very important: TSL, or Time Spent Listening. It has been long known that by adjusting the way audio is brought into and handled in the program chain, TSL can increase – or drop off. Going from unbalanced audio to balanced audio or using a chain of analog to digital (A/D) or reverse (D/A) conversions can lead to tune-outs, even if a casual audio check does not spot a problem.

This week Hank Landsberg from Henry Laboratories is our guest, to discuss how to best get audio into the program chain – and avoid audio degradation once it is ingested..

Join us Thursday at 2 PM Eastern / 11 AM Pacific for a live demonstration to see how it works and how it will help you. The link for our presentation is at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ We will also be on YouTube live and the video will be archived on the BDR Lunch Gathering page.

By the way, we do have a Tuesday Reminder list, if you wish to be reminded of each week’s program. Just reply to this email and ask!  

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

 

ETRS FORM ONE IS DUE SOON
In advance of the Nationwide EAS Test scheduled for 2:20 PM EST on November 17, all EAS participating stations need to sign off on Form One. This form, on the ETRS (EAS Test Reporting System) at the FCC, is largely already filled in with your data, and essentially you are confirming it, including the EAS contact person, are correct. Form One is due by October 30th, so do it now and avoid last minute server issues.

LOUDNESS MAY NOT BE WHAT YOU THINK
Last week Cornelius Gould presented some graphic information on how to properly judge the loudness put out on-air and via streaming. In the video (link here), he shows why “normalizing” is not the ultimate solution.

VERMONT CITES BOB SHOTWELL
Bob Shotwell, a longtime engineer and ABIP inspector in Vermont, was awarded state’s The Friend Of Broadcasters Award to recognize his contribution to the industry in that state.

MORE COMPETITION IN THE SKIES
Last week, SpaceX announced it had acquired a 14-megahertz nationwide license using a large bunch of 800 MHz frequencies (reportedly for $8 Billion). In response, stock prices for AT+T, Verizon and T-mobile dropped on the news of coming competition from a forthcoming Starlink Mobile system.

EVERYONE SHOULD BE AWARE OF CYBER SECURITY CONCERNS
Back when the Internet got started, many folks referred to a lot of what went on as “like in the old Wild West.” Today, the air is filled with warnings, so we should be in a better place, right? Unfortunately, the last few months contain news of ever more-capable AI engines poking away everywhere, we are back to where being on-line can be is a dangerous place. It is not just passwords or fishing for openings or using ransomware, but AI empowers attackers to scale operations for weaknesses, automate exploit discovery and combine minor vulnerabilities for greater impact, making it harder for defenders to know and prioritize what to fix. And all so quickly it has to be acknowledge as alarming.

That is why we keep this topic churning, so your entire staff can be reminded and if they see something that does not “look” right, they should let the IT folks know, sort of like repairing a loose connection or broken fence wire.

TENS OF MILLIONS OF EUROS LOST
Suppose you went to the market to buy food for dinner, but there was nothing to buy? Several major supermarket chains in France were the victims of a recent cyber attack. Bad guys raised the temperature by triggering an automatic defrosting system. causing a lot food spoiling. Losses were in the tens of millions of Euros.

Some of you may have apps that adjust thermostat temperatures during critical power events. And, there are similar remote controls for newer refrigerators. No panic, but worth consideration.

FOR SALE
Looking for something? Have something to sell? Check out the ForSale Page this week.

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

 

  Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

• Critter Control – Jeff Welton
• Getting Ready for Winter – Barry Mishkind
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – No NPT Forms for 3 Year = $27k / NoV for 475% over power
• Getting Hear from There – Mark Durenberger
• The FCC EAS Proposals – where industry agrees … and where it doesn’t – Ed Czarnecki
• A Complete Station Audit is Important – Barry Mishkind
• A Free Tool for the New FCC EAS Password Rule – and More! – Ken Fine
• Do You Have the Right USB-C Cable? – Barry Mishkihd

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

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

By way of preparation for the NPT, Digital Alert Systems has posted a page devoted to the configuration file, including a video demonstration. Check it out here. 

= = =

Comlab Telecommunications and its Davicom division has been acquired by Nyx Hemera Technologies, a Quebec-based company specializing in intelligent lighting control and management systems for critical infrastructure.  The Davicom division will continue to operate as usual for customers.

= = =

Broadcast Electronics plans to introduce a 1 kW version of their AMX AM transmitter series at the NAB New York Show next week. The AMX now can cover 500 Watts to 5 kW using the Silicon Carbide technology. Among the AMX series features are MDCL operations for power savings and a SafeMode that protects the amplifier within 1 microsecond of lightning or other arc. 

= = =

American Amplifier Technologies (AAT) has announced that it has finalized the successful acquisition of Electronics Research, Inc. (ERI). The acquisition brings together companies with complementary capabilities and some of the most recognized names in broadcast transmission technology. AAT’s operations already include Shively Labs and Kathrein-Scala, alongside AAT’s broadcast transmission, RF, monitoring and control, and related product lines. ERI adds extensive capabilities in FM and television antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, broadcast towers, structural engineering, field services, and complete broadcast transmission systems.

= = =

SBE Chapter 39 has arranged a special tech event on November 12th in Tampa Bay, FL. The 2026 Technology Symposium will include 8 sessions, ranging from audio processing to IT security to program and transmitter issues. More information and registration is at: https://www.sbe39.com/

There are still other Fall Conventions running over the next few weeks.  

• CBI National Student Media Convention, October 14-17, Marriott Downtown, Philadelphia, Pa.
• Kansas Association of Broadcasters (75th Convention) Witchita KS Marriott – October 19th
• NAB New York – Javits Center, NYC – October 21, 22
• Kentucky Broadcasters Association (KBA) Annual Membership Conference, October 25-26, Loouisville, Ky.
• CCBE/OAB Conferences Toronto Canada – October 27, 28 

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

 

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

• 2 years ago (10/11/24) a hot air balloon hit the KKOB tower in Albuquerque, causing it to fail.
• 10 years ago (10/6/16) Prince’s Paisley Park was opened to the public.
• 22 years ago (10/8/04) Ray Charles went Platinum, six months after his death with “Genius Loves Company.“
• 35 years ago (10/4/91) “Good Vibrations” became a #1 hit – for Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch.
• 38 years ago (10/4/88) TV preacher Jim Bakker was indicted on Federal Charges.
• 40 years ago (10/4/86) Dan Rather was hit from behind by a man repeating a phase. *
• 46 years ago (10/11/80) Queen was #1 with “Another One Bites the Dust” for second of three weeks.
• 51 years ago (10/11/75) George Carlin came down from the balcony to inaugurate Saturday Night Live.
• 56 years ago (10/10/70) the Public Broadcasting Service launched.
• 56 years ago (10/4/70) Janis Joplin died of a drug (heroin) overdose, three days after recording “Mercedes Benz” a capella.
• 57 years ago (10/10/69) Sesame Street went on the air.
• 57 years ago (10/5/69) Monty Python’s Flying Circus premiered on BBC One
• 70 years ago (10/6/56) A House Subcommittee convened to investigate rigged TV quiz shows.
• 75 years ago (10/15/51) I Love Lucy went on the air. 
• 105 years ago (10/5/1921) the first World Series play-by-play (NY Giants/Yankees) was broadcast by WJZ. (The previous year 
• the scores from the World Series were broadcast by – 8MK/WWJ, Detroit.)

… and 281 years ago (10/11/1745) Dean Ewald Jurgen von Kleist inventis the Leyden Jar (the first capacitor).

And here are some “regular news history” type items:

• 4 years ago (10/5/22) New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge hit his 62nd home run of the season, breaking Roger Maris’ 1961 American League record.
• 36 years ago (6/13/90) the demolition of the Berlin Wall was official.
• 37 years ago (11/9/89) the Berlin Wall started coming down and Germany was reunited after 41 years. 
• 46 years ago (10/10/80) Midway released the video game Pac-Man to arcades in North America.
• 79 years ago (10/5/47 Harry Truman delivered the first-ever presidential speech on TV.
• 90 years ago (10/9/36) Hoover Dam begans transmitting electricity to Los Angeles.
• 100 years ago (10/6/1926) Babe Ruth set a World Series record by hitting three home runs in one game.
• 117 years ago (10/7/1919) – World’s oldest airline still operating, KLM, was founded.
• 138 years ago (10/9/1888) The Washington Monument was opened to the public.
• 143 years ago (10/4/1883) The Orient Express departed on its first official journey from Paris to Constantinople.

… and 155 years ago (10/8/1871) flames sparked in the Chicago barn of Patrick and Catherine O’Leary, reportedly igniting a two-day blaze that killed 200 – 300 people, destroyed 17,450 buildings, left 100,000 homeless and caused tremendous damage. Legend has it that a cow did it … but it was a bad period for Chicago, with 20 fires the week before this one, alone.

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

Those Are Some Crowded Skies!
The recent breakup of an old satellite has added some more pieces of debris to the space shared by satellites in low Earth orbit. Take a look and click on the “debris” box for a scary view.  

= = =

PLEASE TELL US WHAT’S WHAT
There are so many areas into which we would like to expand, but it is feedback from you that helps us decided where to go first. Are you interested in a certain piece of gear or technology? Let us know. Even better, would you be willing to do a user report and share your experience? 

PLEASE INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN US
We sure hope you are finding the BDR and the Newsletter to be of value to you. If so, there are two things that you can do to ensure the BDR keeps pulsing along:
        1. Invite a colleague or a friend to sign up for the Newsletter. Since it is only one-time-a-week, you will not be accused of flooding their in-boxes!
        2. Anytime you deal with one of our sponsors, letting them know the BDR is important to you will make them happy – and ready to keep on supporting the BDR.

– – –

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

barry

– – –

Now … some extra stuff .. some important … some just interesting.

MORE DETAIL HERE – YOU HAVE PROBABLY READ THIS BEFORE…
Those you who read the Newsletter might notice that more detail is provided on some timely issues than on the BDR site, itself. That is one reason we encourage you to invite your friends to subscribe. We are Opt-In only… and we give you two promises (OK, four!):
(1) no inbox flooding – it is one-time-a-week, and
(2) we do not give out anyone’s address.. ever.
(3) no cookies are placed on your computer.
(4) no Google ads are grafted onto your computer screen.

(Need to change your address? No problem. Or, what can we do to make the BDR more useful to you? Just reply and send us a note about what you like, or what you think is missing.)

unsubscribe from this Newsletter