Category Archives: Meetings

Meetings

Online Chapter 36 Presentation: STACO Updates the UPS

I picked up a new UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) the other day that had been shipped to me and to my surprise, it was quite lightweight. Turns out the premium manufacturers are now installing LiIon batteries and it might just save your back! What about Lithium Ion batteries? Are they safe to install in your facility? Do they hold a charge as well? How long do they last versus the traditional gel lead-acid cells? Can you simply swap the new batteries in place of your old gel cells?

Join Chapters 9 Phoenix, 47 Los Angeles, and 36 San Diego on August 26 at 12 noon PT for a presentation from Chuck Berry of STACO Engineering on the modern UPS.  Brought to you by STACO rep Doug Tharp of SCMS.

Meetings, National

SBE Cancels National Meeting

[From SBE National Headquarters] The 56th SBE National Meeting, planned to be held in Syracuse, NY on Sept. 22 and 23, will now be conducted via the internet. The event was to be held in conjunction with the SBE Chapter 22 Broadcast & Technology Expo. Chapter 22 has announced that this year’s event has been canceled due to restrictions imposed by the state of New York due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. SBE will hold a combined Annual Membership Meeting and National Awards Presentation via the internet at 4:00 p.m. PT on Wednesday, Sept. 23. Details on how to watch the on-line program will be shared soon via the SBE website, SBE-news email newsletter, and social media.

Local News, Meetings

SBE 36 Online July 14: Introducing Hybrid Internet/Broadcast Radio

In a few months’ time, there will be cars driving the streets of Southern California that have hybrid radio receivers. Connected to the Internet and receiving broadcast radio, this is an opportunity to evolve the experience of radio to match other media services. Hybrid challenges radio technologists to work together across the industry and within organizations to make the most of its capabilities. Nick Piggot, Director of the RadioDNS Project, will look at some technical details and what needs to be done right now to make it work for everyone.

Join us Tuesday, July 14 at 11:30 AM PT. This online meeting will be held in cooperation with SBE Chapter 47 Los Angeles. Members and interested parties are invited.

About Nick Piggot

Nick has spent the majority of his career working in the radio industry. He created a team that launched the world’s first commercial DAB digital radio stations, and then went on to deliver technology-driven online innovation for over a decade. Nick continues to play an active role in the development of DAB digital radio, most recently in the trials of open source DAB transmissions in the UK.

Nick is the Project Director (and one of the founders) of RadioDNS Hybrid Radio, which combines broadcast radio and IP together. RadioDNS works closely with the WorldDAB on the development of open technology standards and the promotion of Hybrid DAB/DAB+ to the automotive industry.

Meetings

Bob Orban Presents: “Maintaining Audio Quality in the Broadcast Facility”

Achieving excellent on-air and on-line quality audio is more important than ever because of the intensely competitive nature of available media. “Good enough” no longer works. Persuading audiences to listen and then return requires attention to quality at every stage of the production process, from program sources to audio processing. This presentation will help attendees achieve quality on-air and on-line audio broadcasting and netcasting goals.

Join Chapter 36 at either of two dates and times:

  • June 9th, Tuesday, 7:00 PM PDT, with Chapter 47 Los Angeles
  • June 24, Wednesday, 12:00 noon PDT, with Chapter 9 Phoenix

The presentation is open to members and interested guests.

You are eligible to receive the usual 0.5 SBE certification points for your attendance.

About Bob Orban

Bob Orban has been widely published and co-authored the chapter on “Transmission Audio Processing” in the NAB Engineering Handbook, 10th Edition. He currently holds over 20 U.S. patents. In 1973 he was elected a Fellow of the Audio Engineering Society. In 1993, he shared with Dolby Laboratories a Scientific and Engineering Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1995, he received the NAB Radio Engineering Achievement Award. In 2002, he received the Innovator Award from Radio Magazine.

In 2015 Orban introduced the Optimod PCn 1600, the first Optimod that runs natively on the host computer’s Intel x86 processor; the software does not use dedicated DSP chips. In 2016 Orban introduced the company’s new flagship FM audio processor, the OPTIMOD-FM 8700i, featuring versatile five-band and two-band processing for both analog FM transmission and digital media.

Meetings

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.