Industry News

William Harrison, chief engineer at WETA(FM) in Washington, wrote us to share a simple way to connect an S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface Format) output to an EAS input on an AoIP system, in his case on an Axia xNode.

He uses a combination of two readily available adapters: an RJ45-to-F adapter and an F-to-RCA. William chose adapters from Tech Tool Supply as shown in the first photo, but you can find them elsewhere as well.

The adapter obviously doesn’t take into account the difference in peak-to-peak voltage between AES and S/PDIF, but it usually works, and it is incredibly easy and inexpensive.

William has only tried this to get audio into the xNode. Getting audio out of it, or using it with, say, WheatNet-IP may give different results; but the adapter cost is minimal, so you may want to try it.

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The process is straightforward. First plug an RJ45-to-F adapter into the xNode. (At the TechToolSupply site, a Rexford Tools female F to RJ45 Plug is Product Code RTC-RJ45-F). Then add an F-to-RCA adapter to mate to the S/PDIF plug (that’s Product Code SKY01130).

The same result can be achieved using an RJ45-to-BNC (www.newbecca.com/product/546275219824) and BNC-to-RCA adapter (at techtoolsupply.com, search Product Code 200-173).

William says the adapter combination also works great in getting the audio from consumer gear into your AoIP network.

I really connect 2U

Speaking of adapters, Dan Slentz amazes me with the things he finds on the internet.

The microphone people at Shure Products are selling a useful device called the X2u. It’s a connector adapter that mates the XLR connector of a professional broadcast microphone to a USB plug.

This makes for easy connection directly to a computer without the need for any additional hardware.

Ideal for podcasters or home recording studios, the connector adapter is compatible with Windows 7, 8, 10 (both 32- and 64-bit), as well as XP, 2000 and Mac OS X (10.1 or later).

What makes this adapter especially helpful is the built-in headphone jack. It lets you monitor the sound without an additional sound card. The adapter includes an integrated preamp with mic gain control, so signal level can be controlled. The X2u also has phantom power, so a condenser microphone can be connected to your computer.

This is a plug-and-play solution, no software is needed. A USB cable and zippered pouch are included, all for $99. Order from your Shure dealer or head to www.shure.com.

If you enter X2u in the search box, the search will also bring up over a hundred application notes; user questions and answers; and specifications.

Learn the basics

Dan also found something for every entry-level engineer on the Radio Shack website: a complete electronics course in 128 pages, originally written for Radio Shack in 1984.

Author Forrest Mims teaches the basics, takes you on a tour of both analog and digital components, explains how they work and then shows how they are combined for various applications.

This sounds ideal for the jock ops manager who wants to know more about electronics and move into engineering.

The lessons include circuit assembly tips and 100 electronic circuits and projects you can build and test. “Getting Started in Electronics” by Forrest Mims is an ebook costing less than $20. It’s available from www.radioshack.com.

Engineering textbooks

And speaking of learning, Charles Frodsham is a retired engineer, nearing 79 years young. Charles writes that he is starting to downsize his library of classic radio and antenna engineering textbooks collected over the years. Charles hasn’t had much success in finding buyers or even a non-profit to donate the books.

Finding classic radio engineering books is a rarity, so here’s what we’ll do. If you have an interest, send me an email with “Workbench Engineering Textbooks” in the subject line, and your contact information. I’ll forward your message on to Charles. These volumes were published between 1937 and 1956. If you are interested, my email address is johnpbisset@gmail.com.

John Bisset, CPBE, has spent over 50 years in broadcasting and more than 30 writing Workbench. He handles western U.S. radio sales for the Telos Alliance. He is a past recipient of the SBE’s Educator of the Year Award. Workbench submissions are encouraged and count toward SBE recertification. Send to johnpbisset@gmail.com. 

The post Inexpensive Adapters Speed AoIP EAS Connection appeared first on Radio World.

Chris Crump, CBNE, is senior director of sales and marketing for Comrex Corp. This interview is from the 2021 Radio World ebook “Remote Radio Phase II: What We’ve Learned During a Pandemic.”

RW: Chris how will our workflows and future infrastructure be different because of the pandemic and how radio responded to it?

Chris Crump: Back in the good ol’ days before lockdowns, self-quarantines and government-mandated stay-at-home orders, some of our customers had the luxury of using our products to broadcast their shows from home studios or mountain getaways. 

After March of 2020, broadcasting from home became a necessity. Comrex moved quite a bit of product to help customers across several verticals adapt to the new way of working. 

In early 2021 I’ve been talking to a lot of customers who have related conversations with management about reducing office and studio space. As building leases come up for renewal, it is making a lot of sense for air staff and content creators to work from home, and the cost savings is substantial. 

We’ve been specialists in remote broadcasting since 1961 and up until now, remotes have been about sports and news coverage or the occasional NTR event. But now, remote is how the majority of broadcasters/content creators are working. Needless to say, it’s been a great time (businesswise) to have the word “remote” in your company description. 

RW: Which Comrex products have played critical roles in these new workflows, and why?

Crump: Our ACCESS NX Portable IP audio codec was front and center in helping broadcasters to get their air staffs equipped to broadcast from home. Our production team worked overtime and weekends over the past year to keep up with the demand. 

The volume of NX Portables was matched with the complementary studio units, the ACCESS NX Rack and ACCESS MultiRack. One large corporate broadcaster made a substantial purchase of our BRIC-Link II IP audio codecs, which they pair with a small podcasting mixer in a convenient and easy-to-configure take-home kit for air talent. 

Our Opal IP audio gateway saw a sizable increase in demand for podcasters that needed an easy way for their guest to connect to them remotely. 

I think it’s fair to say that our entire product line solved a lot of different problems for engineering staffs all over the world as the pandemic took hold. .. .We are having lots of conversations with customers about new solutions for the new and unique scenarios that are presenting themselves in the wake of current events.

RW: Talk to me about the required level of home connectivity and ISP support for work-from-home operations.

Crump: Since we introduced our ACCESS IP audio codecs around 2004, we have worked very hard to ruggedize this platform and make it the most reliable means of transmitting broadcast quality audio, even on challenging networks. 

That being said, my general advice to anyone that asks “what kind of connection should I get” is get the best service you can afford. And that service should reflect the seriousness of your endeavor. In some cases, having two network options is not only a good idea but crucial. 

As more and more people have been working from home, engaging in endless Zoom video calls and kids digital learning from home, we’ve seen huge demands on network infrastructures. We created our CrossLock VPN technology to respond to these kinds of demands to avoid packet loss and provide stability. Part of what makes CrossLock so special is its ability to utilize multiple data networks and load balance between them to respond to packet loss or even network outages in a very nimble and transparent way. 

So, to recap: Get the best network you can afford, then get a second or third network (wired broadband or 4G LTE) and let CrossLock on your ACCESS or BRIC-Link II codec do all the heavy lifting for you to keep you on the air.

RW: What advanced considerations did stations deal with? 

Crump: I can tell you that we heard a lot of very interesting stories from Comrex users, talent and engineers with unique “work from home” challenges faced on a daily basis — from a cat that “learned” how to disconnect the host from the station with a well-placed paw, to a host who uses a closet as a studio because a closet full of clothes is the best acoustic treatment ever. 

I think that many engineers grappled with a shortage of mix-minuses, especially on older analog consoles. It’s certainly an argument for upgrading to a fancy new AoIP console/routing system like WheatNet, Axia or SAS. These all have mix engines with the ability to generate as many mix-minuses as you need. 

I’ve personally had a lot of conversations with announcers about setting up mix-minus on their home consoles. In fact, we’re finishing up a few videos on the topic that we hope our customers will find useful.

RW: Anything else we should know?

Crump: We have always been a strong advocate of improving the listener experience on any platform where content is meant to entertain, educate and inform. 

The main mission of Tom Harnett, our technical director, is to rid the airwaves of low-grade, tinny telephone audio. Our Opal IP audio gateway was one of those first big steps for us. And it’s really nice to hear it being used more and more on the airwaves. 

I’m pretty excited about some of the things I’m seeing and hearing from our development team, especially considering how well they lend themselves to the new way that broadcasters and content creators are having to work. Sure, it’s a “new normal” or whatever, and there are lots of challenges; but we think the new normal is going to sound pretty great if we have anything to do with it.

The post “The New Normal Is Going to Sound Pretty Great” appeared first on Radio World.

The Federal Communications Commission has issued bidding instructions for the 114 applicants that are qualified to bid in its upcoming Auction 109.

The auction will offer 135 FM construction permits and four AM CPs. Bidding begins Tuesday, July 27. A mock auction will take place earlier in the month.

The commission has put out a public notice with bidding instructions and other important info, including the announcement that one FM CP, in Livingston Manor, N.Y., has been removed from the list; it said the Media Bureau determined that the allotment was not properly added to the Table of FM Allotments and so it was included in the list in error.

Relevant links appear at the end of this story.

The FCC reminded bidders that they are responsible for investigating “technical and marketplace factors that may have a bearing on its valuation of the construction permits in Auction 109. The commission makes no representations or warranties about the use of this spectrum for particular services.”

It also encouraged bidders to do their own research into the existence of any pending proceedings, pleadings, applications or authorizations, and to inspect any prospective transmitter sites in or near the service area for which it plans to bid, to confirm availability.

It also noted that the Media Bureau has protected the parameters of the four previously licensed AM stations on the relevant frequencies in the St. Louis area.

Read the public notice.

Attachment A  — Permits available

Attachment B — List of applicants that are qualified to bid, with their upfront payment amount and maximum eligibility in bidding units.

Attachment C  — List of Qualified Applicants

Attachment D  — Applicants Not Qualified to Bid

The post FCC Issues Bidding Instructions for Auction 109 appeared first on Radio World.

Bahraini national radio broadcaster Bahrain Radio has undergone a lengthy and thorough renovation. Central to the renovation is becoming a digital plant with Lawo equipment at the heart.

According to a release, “The entire facility has been refurbished, from nine radio studios and control rooms to the MCR (Master Control Room) and CAR (Central Apparatus Room), with a parallel overhaul of furniture, equipment, automation systems, radio library and acoustics.”

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Ministry of Information Affairs Assistant Undersecretary for Technical Affairs Eng Abdulla Ahmed Abalooshi explained, “Our radio station and studios were built in 1980. They were really old, and we used to have the occasional breakdown with no support available for them. All our FM and AM stations are processed in these studios and go through the MCR; our radio channels are also available on satellite and OTT. With this project, we have transferred our entire radio technology to a digital platform and have added a few elements that will make life easier for the production people in our radio department.”

Based around a Lawo MADI network, other Lawo equipment includes consoles, routers, VisTool virtual radio system and VSM IP broadcast control system. An RCS radio automation was also installed.

Thinking toward the future, Bahrain Radio scaled the renovation for 15 stations. It currently has nine.

Overseeing the project was GloCom, a Middle East-based broadcast and multimedia technology integrator.

Submit announcements for Who’s Buying What to radioworld@futurenet.com.

The post Bahrain Radio Renovates With Lawo appeared first on Radio World.

HC2 Holdings, the parent of a broadcasting company that is paring down its over-the-air TV station roster under President/CEO Wayne Barr Jr., has completed the previously announced sale of its insurance segment.

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The Office of Economics and Analytics (OEA) and the Media Bureau of the FCC have identified 114 applicants that are qualified to bid in “Auction 109,” the Commission’s plan to offer four AM construction permits that will replace deleted facilities in St. Louis and some 135 FM construction permits.

However, anyone hoping to bid on a facility in the Catskills region of New York is out of luck.

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It’s the home of “Michigan’s Positive Hits,” and today can be heard on 21 radio frequencies across the Mitten State.

Soon, a 22nd signal will be added to the mix, filling a hole that allows Smile FM to serve Huron County and the neighboring towns of Cagetown and Cass City.

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WASHINGTON, D.C. — After 25 years on Capitol Hill, the Staff Director of the influential House Energy & Commerce Committee, which has oversight of the FCC, is planning his August departure from the legislative body.

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Though most broadcast media have returned to their studios, many interviews will continue to take place on Zoom. The bar has been raised for showing up looking sharp and professional.

How should you prepare for a press interview? Veteran public relations executive Rosemary Ravinal offers these tips.

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In Indiana’s biggest market, there are two big FM spoken word stations that attract listeners. One is owned by Emmis Communications. The other is an NPR Member station operated by Metropolitan Indianapolis Public Media.

The latter licensee is expanding. And, it’s thanks to Purdue University‘s decision to sell its radio stations — becoming the latest in an increasingly lengthy list of schools opting to part ways with their audio broadcast properties.

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