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9/16/20 - Greetings from the your broadcast friends out on the Desert...
Here are some things you might want to know about:
THIS THURSDAY AT THE LUNCH GATHERING
Our guest presenter this week is Ken Benner, one of the early SBE members and originator of the ABIP program. He will discuss ABIP and the thousands of inspections he has made over the years. Afterward, as usual, the room will be open for general discussion.
By the way, last week's presentation from Mary Ann Seidler of Multi-Cam Systems is posted: www.thebdr.net/the-lunch-gathering.
The Lunch Gathering will again be on Thursday at 2 PM EDT, 11 AM PDT. For more information and an invite for our programs, check www.thebdr.net/the-lunch-gathering.
DEALING WITH DISASTERS
The fires in California, hurricane Sally, and so many other weather issues are good reminders of how important emergency alerts can be. Although there is a lot of "siloing" by emergency managers, they frequently find out that "reverse 911" is not a panacea for getting the word out. While not easy, when broadcasters and local emergency managers work together, the public is better served.
KNOW YOUR GENERATOR WILL COME UP
More than one station in California was informed they would not have power for some time. The stunning speed that the fires grew, damaging infrastructure, shows why having a generator that is in good share with enough fuel for an extended period during emergencies is more important than ever. You might find these articles of value in planning for your stations:
1. Richard Rudman on Generator Maintenance
2. Clay Freinwald on Recovery in the Aftermath of a Disaster.
3. Gary Minker on making sure your generator tech knows his stuff.
CHANGES IN MICROPHONE LICENSING
In July, the FCC cancelled certification of wireless microphones that can tune to the 616-653 and 663-698 MHz bands. Even if the microphone can be used on legal channels (e.g. 614-616 and 653-663) being able to tune to the now prohibited frequencies can draw fines - as much as $16k/day/channel.
BLOCKING THE LISTENERS
As you may know, most of the smart speaker "assistants" that have been marketed to listen for commands like "What is the current temperature," "Play me a Beatles tune," or "Play WXXX" or, even "Where can I get a good Bar-B-Que?" But, because they listen all the time, occasionally they "hear" and act on an unexpected word, sending out a text or worse. Several groups are working on jammers to block Siri or Alexa from doing things you would prefer they not do.
LIFELINE WARNING
3M has determined a small number of their Protecta Rebel Self-Retracting Lifelines, manufactured between 10/14/19 and 2/25/20, may have a "manufacturing issue" .. and advises users to inspect them. More details are here.
FALL SUN OUTAGE COMING UP NEXT MONTH
Each Spring and Fall, stations have to accommodate interference when the Sun is in line with satellite receive dishes. Depending upon the satellite - and where you are - you may want to prepare for those times during the first half of October when sunbore will leave you with static for a bit. Among several sites that will calculate outages for your particular site, you might want to try this one.
FOR SALE
Perhaps you have taken the opportunity this summer to take stock of older gear in storage? The ForSale page is available for you to find new homes for that gear. Ads are free to individuals.
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Some recent articles of interest:
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May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR - and you!
https://worldwideantennasystems.com/
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PRODUCT NEWS
The LBA Group has announced that 100% of its technical staff have been certified for installing CBRS facilities.
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A collaborative approach to improving the FM + HD air-chain was announced by Nautel and The Telos Alliance. Using the world's first completely time-locked FM + HD air-chain that can be managed via the cloud. A demonstration video is located here.
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More news from manufacturers (and links) are at: www.thebdr.net/manufacturers-news
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May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR - and you!
http://www.digitalalertsystems.com/
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Do You Remember? This week in history:
Broadcast related items:
16 years ago (9/13/04) Oprah gave away 300 new cars to the studio audience.
30 years ago (9/13/90) "Law & Order" debuted, "ripped from the headlines... "
46 years ago (9/14/74) Eric Clapton's version of Bob Marley's "I Shot the Sheriff" hit #1.
58 years ago (9/15/62) The Four Seasons earned their first #1 hit with "Sherry"
65 years ago (9/14/55) Little Richard records "Tutti Frutti" - oh, Rudy!
86 years ago (9/15/34) the Mutual Broadcast System was formed.
99 years ago (9/15/1921) WBZ, Springfield, MA received a license from the DOC.
(While the PR folks say it was the first "broadcast" license,
it was just a bureaucratic action.)
... and here are some other historical events of interest:
27 years ago (9/13/93) a Israel-Palestine peace accord was signed at the White House.
61 years ago (9/19/59) Nikita Khrushchev was barred from visiting Disneyland and was mocked in LA.
67 years ago (9/14/53) Nikita Khruschev was elected leader of the Soviet Union and Banging Shoe band.
161 years ago (9/15/1858) The first transcontinental mail service to San Francisco begins.
This was not a good week for presidential health:
119 years ago (9/14/1901) President William McKinley dies from gunshot. The new President was ***
138 years ago (9/19/1881) James Garfield was assassinated. His replacement? ****
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*** Teddy Roosevelt
****Chester Arthur became the US President.
ANIMATING THE GROWTH OF THE US
This is an interesting graphic. Watch the counties as they are added to the US.
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