Hey, you know those spit shields like they have now at retail stores to keep from ruining their day or yours with coronavirus? Laguna Designs now sells a line of similar shields you can install in your radio studio. How cool is that? Check them out here. You can contact Mike LaPorte for more information, pricing, and availability.
KDTF-LD to Move to Soledad
The FCC on May 5, 2020 granted Entravision’s application to move Spanish language KDTF-LD from Mt. San Miguel to Mt. Soledad. Since last year’s repack, the station has operated on UHF channel 16, which is co-channel with T-band first responder fire and police in the Los Angeles metro area. The new antenna pattern will provide a deep null in the direction of Los Angeles and Orange Counties while transmitting a 15 kW ERP signal southeast toward San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, and Tijuana. Entravision operates Univision affiliate KBNT-CD channel 24 from the KGTV site on Mt. Soledad now.
SBE 36 Virtual Meeting May 20: Avateq Remote RF Monitoring
Much of what broadcast engineers do these days involves remote monitoring and interaction. What does your radio or TV signal look like at your transmitter? Or studio? From a satellite?
We’ve invited Avateq to tell us a bit about the science and application of remote RF monitoring. Along with general information about the company and the technology, Avateq will introduce viewers to live monitoring capabilities of different product models and open discussions on needed functionality and best practices of remote RF Signal monitoring.
Chapter 36 held our online meeting May 20 with an informative presentation from Avateq. Contact Avateq if you missed this event and would like to join a future presentation.
Avateq manufactures a line of RF signal analyzers and monitoring receivers. Find out more at www.avateq.com.
FCC Chooses New Logo
The Federal Communications Commission announced a new graphic design for a seal they intend to use at a new headquarters being built.
The design was a winning entry in an internal contest, submitted by Umasankar Arumagam. The logo uses a combination of new and old elements, including a flat-top AM broadcast tower antenna design from the 1920s.
The FCC move to their new campus has been delayed, as you might guess, by the pandemic.
100.7 FM is Officially KFBG
(Update 4/23/2020: The FCC approved the change and KFBG (FM) was using the new call letters today.)
According to RadioInsight, Local Media San Diego, recent buyers of KFMB-FM, have applied to change the station’s call letters to KFBG (FM). Garrett Michaels, who was the Program Director for KFMB-FM from 2016 to early 2017 and more recently for XETRA 91X, will program BIG-FM with a Classic Hits format of music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. 100.7 FM began using the new identity Monday but will have to wait for FCC approval on the call letters.
Historically, KFMB-FM began broadcasting in 1947 on 101.5 MHz from atop the North Park Theater, but gave up and signed-off in 1950. It started up again in 1959 on 100.7 MHz from Mt. Soledad with jazz music, then transitioned in 1960 to a beautiful music format that remained until the wildly popular B-100 personality-driven pop music format started in 1975.
Dean Imhof is the full-time chief engineer for Local Media San Diego, which includes XHTZ 90.3, XETRA 91.1, XHRM 92.5, and now KFMB-FM (soon to be KFBG (FM)) 100.7.