Sometimes it seems like we broadcast engineers now live in a black box era, when we tend to just retire and recycle a failed piece of equipment instead of repairing it. This can be due to the faster obsolescence cycle as devices are marketed with vast improvements in performance and storage. Besides, what devices now come with schematics? And even if they did, you would have to contend with multilayer boards and tiny surface-mount components. Continue reading Check Out This Component Tester
UT-TV Lays Off Remaining Employees
After its sale to Tribune Corporation, publishers of the Los Angeles Times, the San Diego Union Tribune management immediately laid off 178 employees, including all printing press and UT-TV staff. Manny Cervantes, SBE Chapter 36 Vice Chairman and the last engineer at UT-TV. He had been the facility’s Chief Engineer during its three-year attempt to bring live and recorded news video to the utsandiego.com website and cable TV. Manny said yesterday that the UT-TV staff recently numbered only 12 until the May final layoff. Manny had been a systems engineer for TV Magic until the company failed in 2012.
UCSD-TV Flash Cuts to Digital
K35DG on Mt. Soledad switched to an ATSC broadcast on channel 35 on May 28, 2015, just one day ahead of an FCC-imposed deadline that would have eliminated their eligibility for spectrum auction participation as a Class A low power TV station. The flash cut was conducted by yours truly with a new Anywave 5X exciter and PA140W power amplifier from RF Specialties. The new system has an ERP of only 150 watts due to spacing restrictions and Mexican treaty limitations. UCSD is retiring its Larcan NTSC transmitter installed in the early 1990’s.
May 20 Meeting: Grass Valley and the Role of IP Broadcast Infrastructure
The presentation will be an overview of IP based broadcast infrastructures. We address some of the fundamental questions broadcasters have been asking. Why do we even want IP at our core? What advantages do IP-based designs bring to my facility? What liabilities do IP designs bring to broadcast systems? We’ll cover current and emerging SMTPE standards on equipment and how current baseband technology will migrate into the IP world.
Join us Wednesday, May 20, at noon at KGTV, 4600 Air Way in San Diego, at I-805 and CA-94. Grass Valley will buy lunch. Everyone is welcome.
About Our Presenter
Robert Erickson is the Regional Account Manager for Grass Valley a Belden Brand, covering Broadcast, Post-Production, Government and Military sales for the San Diego and Los Angeles Markets. Robert started with Grass Valley in 2008 as a Senior System Engineer designing critical infrastructure systems for broadcast networks worldwide. In late 2013 Robert moved to Los Angeles to embark in his new sales role for Southern California. Prior to joining Grass Valley, he was the Director of Engineering for KTUZ Telemundo in Oklahoma City, and Chief Engineer for KOKH/KOCB FOX and CW in Oklahoma City. Outside of work Robert is an amateur radio operator, avid motorcycle rider and outdoorsman. On weekends he can usually be found exploring the southern California region and all the eccentricities that go along with it.
Scott Mason Remembered
We learned that Scott Mason, SBE board member and longtime KROQ chief engineer and air personality died Sunday morning, April 19.
San Diego members may not know Scott, though we had a highly attended meeting a few years ago in which we had emergency and FCC monitoring vehicles on display at Clear Channel studios. Scott hauled from Los Angeles the regional CBS Radio emergency backup trailer outfitted with transmitters and antennas, and gave an educational tour.
He served on the SBE Board of Directors for many years and I was lucky enough to have served with him from 2012 to 2014. He was always generous of his time, having been not only as a leader for Los Angeles SBE Chapter 47, but for Boy Scouts and for Red Cross first aid classes. His most recent title at CBS Radio was West Coast Regional Engineering Director.
What fascinated me was his history at KROQ (FM) in LA. Since 1979, he served both as an on-air personality and engineer. He hosted “Love Line” until quite recently.
But Scott had health problems and went through a kidney transplant in 2013. It was quite a story, with a CBS Radio co-worker supplying the kidney. He did not look healthy and happy at our last meeting.
You can read more about Scott at a memorial page created in his honor at KROQ.CBSlocal.com.