Enjoy your summer. See you in September!
KFMB-AM Restores 50 kW Nighttime Power
Making Waves – Commentary
In case you missed it, the FCC last week dismissed KFMB-AM San Diego’s FCC application to decrease its nighttime power to 10 kW.
Say whaaaat?
KFMB-AM went from 5 kW to 50 kW nighttime power on 760 kHz in 1992 when state highway 52 was built between its towers and the station could leverage the Caltrans displacement funds to up its power. They tightened their peanut shaped antenna pattern with the third tower in order to continue to protect co-channel WJR Detroit. The lower daytime power is a rare case in the U.S. , but with KBRT Avalon short spaced at 740 kHz, KFMB wasn’t allowed to increase its daytime power past 5 kW. In most U.S. locations, stations either lower power at night or change to a directional pattern to protect the signals of stations that came before them.
July 19 Meeting at iHeart: Orban Processing
Bob Orban will teleconference in to discuss analog and digital radio audio processing, including techniques for processing bass (including subharmonic synthesis), the uses and pitfalls of de-clippers, use of multidimensional phase correction to minimize mono reception while minimizing multipath distortion, and use of parallel compression for pre-processing. He’ll also touch on loudness management of digital radio and streaming using both the BS.1770 and the Jones Torick (CBS) algorithms, 
with particular consideration given to the 2015 AES TD1004.1.15-10 “Recommendation for Loudness of Audio Streaming and Network File Playback” publication. Bob will show measurements assessing how effectively conventional radio-style audio processing controls loudness, and will include practical suggestions about loudness management, and will wrap up with a brief discussion of two recent Orban products for radio and streaming.
Members and guests are welcome to our monthly meeting Wednesday, July 19th at 12 noon at iHeart Media, 9660 Granite Ridge Drive in San Diego. Orban will buy pizza for the occasion. Continue reading July 19 Meeting at iHeart: Orban Processing
SBE Chapter 36 Ham Radio Repeater Gets EchoLink
The EchoLink node is now active on the Mt. Soledad ham repeater! Search “KI6KHB-R” on EchoLink and feel free to use the repeater out of the San Diego area. Remember, a valid Amateur Radio license is needed along with an EchoLink registration.
Wireless Microphones After the TV Spectrum Auction
SBE General Legal Counsel Chris Imlay wrote an excellent article in the June 2017 edition of Signal, the print newsletter of the Society, in which he discusses what spectrum we should expect for wireless microphones after TV stations have moved and mobile carriers like T-mobile have set-up their services. It’s not as bad you might think, but you may have to buy new mics or intercoms.
Continue reading Wireless Microphones After the TV Spectrum Auction