Join SBE Chapter 36 at our after-work, in-person networking opportunity on Wednesday, August 16 at McGregor’s Grill, 10475 San Diego Mission Rd, San Diego, east of I-15 off Friars Road. This is an informal, no-host get-together for dinner and drinks. We’ll be there at 5:30 PM but come when you can. Parking here can be challenging, but there is authorized overload parking at the lot next door just west of the mini-mall where McGregor’s is located. There’s a trivia quiz at 9:00 that you can join if you’re into that.
All posts by Gary Stigall
FCC Announces LPFM New Station Filing Window
The FCC in late June announced a week-long filing window for new Low Power FM station licenses for the entire band in early November 2023. This will be the first filing window since 2013. Interested parties are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the application process. You can monitor the FCC’s LPFM web page for more information. San Diego applicants should know that there’s no open spectrum and that power limitations that apply near the Mexican border make interference-free operations unlikely.
The EAS Song
Some people can’t help but play with the artificial intelligence engine ChatGPT in ways that will make you cringe. Richard Rudman, EAS volunteer California State Emergency Coordination Committee Vice-Chair from Santa Paula sent us this little ditty he had ChatGPT compose. The best I can think of as a tune to sing it to is, “This Land is Your Land,” but the meter changes impossibly. Give it a go:
In the dead of night, when all is still,
A sound breaks through, a warning shrill,
It’s the Emergency Alert System, here to say,
Stay alert, stay safe, come what may.
(Chorus)
Oh, the Emergency Alert System,
A voice of caution, a call to listen,
When danger looms, it’s there to warn,
From storms to emergencies, day or morn.
(Verse 2)
Through the airwaves, the message spreads,
A lifeline in times of dread,
With its distinct tone and urgent plea,
It echoes across the land, for you and me.
(Chorus)
Oh, the Emergency Alert System,
A voice of caution, a call to listen,
When danger looms, it’s there to warn,
From storms to emergencies, day or morn.
(Bridge)
From tornadoes to floods, and everything between,
The EAS keeps us informed, a trusted machine,
With its alerts and updates, we stay aware,
In times of crisis, it shows it cares.
(Verse 3)
So let’s heed the call, when it rings out,
Follow the instructions, without a doubt,
For the Emergency Alert System is here,
To guide us through, to calm our fear.
(Chorus)
Oh, the Emergency Alert System,
A voice of caution, a call to listen,
When danger looms, it’s there to warn,
From storms to emergencies, day or morn.
(Outro)
So remember, my friend, when the sirens blare,
The Emergency Alert System is there,
To keep us safe, to keep us strong,
In unity, we’ll face whatever comes along.
June Online Meeting: KNBC Transmitter Engineer Dennis Doty Talks About His Years Atop Mount Wilson
Dennis Doty spends his days working on the mountain above the Los Angeles Basin making sure KNBC doesn’t miss a precious minute of airtime. It’s an interesting job, and he has a few things to say about the job he’s had for over 15 years. Dennis will cover some advice:
- Sometimes we need to listen to the weather guy
- Be prepared for rare events
- Expect the unexpected
- Do the best with what you have to work with
- Don’t become a liability
- Recover and work as a community
Join SBE 47 and 36 for Dennis’s Zoom presentation on Tuesday, June 13, at 11:30 AM PDT.
About Our Speaker, Dennis Doty
Dennis is a broadcast engineer with over 38 years in TV broadcasting. Fresh out of high school in the Imperial Valley, he started in master control at KECY El Centro back in the days before automation. They aired from satellite, film, ¾” UMatic, 1” and even quad 2″ tape formats. Dennis worked his way up through directing and technical directing, offline and online editing, then to station engineering at KESQ Palm Springs, FNN, Disney Channel and a few others.
In 2000, Dennis became Chief Engineer for XETV Fox 6 San Diego on the first Avid/Grass Valley disk-drive-based news operation, a proving ground to the automated newsroom systems we have today. After leaving Fox 6 he came back into LA working with a group of stations that lead him up to Mt Wilson. After a few years Dennis was contacted by NBC about joining their transmitter team on Mt. Wilson.
Dennis has been with NBC / Telemundo on Mt. Wilson and Mt. Harvard for over 15 years. Currently he is responsible for all NBC site operations. They man the site daily and 24/7 during extreme weather and fires.
DASDEC EAS Offers Software Update
Digital Alert Systems announced in May a major software update that they claim improves security, the user interface experience, and email notifications. Version 5.1 is available now for most DASDEC II and all DASDEC III EAS devices.