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September 20 Meeting: Ground is a Myth!

Ground is something you stand on, but in an electrical sense, the meaning is much less clear. When it comes to broadcasters and ground, things get really confused. We drive rods into the earth, but why? Let’s take a look at whether any of this makes sense, and what theory tells us about “ground”, and if it exists in any sensible way at all. We’ll talk about DC grounds, RF grounds, and even about gravity.
Join us Wednesday, September 20th, 2017 at noon at iHeartMedia, 9660 Granite Ridge Drive, San Diego. Chapter 36 will provide pizza for this great lunch ‘n’ learn session.

About Our Speaker

Kristen McIntyre, K6WX, has been interested in radio since she was about 5 years old.  She started in Amateur Radio in 1979 getting her ticket while at MIT.  Kristen has worked in many diverse areas from analog circuit design to image processing to starting and running an ISP.  She is currently working at Apple in Core Networking, and spent many years at Sun Microsystems Laboratories where she was researching robustness and emergent properties of large distributed computer systems.  She is a long time denizen of Silicon Valley and has worked at or consulted for many of the usual suspects.  Kristen is an active ham and loves to chase DX on HF with her Elecraft K2 which she built while visiting her mother in Florida.  She is an ARRL Technical Coordinator for the East Bay Section, president of the Palo Alto Amateur Radio Association, the Q&A columnist for Nuts and Volts magazine, and is active in many local clubs.  Kristen was recently inducted into the CQ Amateur Radio Hall of Fame.

Using Drones in Broadcast Operations

Drones, or unmanned aerial vehicles, are useful in several broadcast operations, including ENG, tower inspections, site documentation, signal measurements, and even training videos. During this hour and half webinar, we will explore these uses and discuss FAA requirements, including how to get your Remote Pilot license, and some of the challenges and opportunities drones can bring to your stations. Sam Wallington, vice president of engineering, Educational Media Foundation (K-Love/Air) presents on Thursday, October 19, 11:00 AM to 12:15 PM PDT.

Details About the Webinar & Registration

Preparing for the September 2017 National EAS Test

By Larry Wilkins, SBE EAS Advisory Group

All engineers should be aware by now that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has scheduled the 2017 national EAS test for Wednesday, Sept. 27 at 11:20 p.m. PDT. This test will be originated and distributed via IPAWS only; the same manner as the 2016 National Test. The test will be sent with the event code NPT for National Periodic Test. All stations are expected to receive the NPT message from IPAWS or off-air and then to relay the NPT message on-air using their normal studio EAS equipment. The message will be sent with both English and Spanish language text and audio.

More Details Here.

Lightning Strike Knocks Off KNSJ

East County Magazine reporter Miriam Raftery says that an August 5th weekend thunderstorm caused KNSJ Descanso at 89.1 MHz to go off-the-air until repairs estimated at over $2,000 can be made.

The transmitter and antenna sit atop Monument Peak in the Laguna Mountains, giving the station a strong signal over San Diego and into Imperial County, “but the high elevation also leaves the transmitter vulnerable to extreme weather.”

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