TWiRT 736 - AM Band Signal & Noise Study with John Kean & Dave Hershberger

John Kean, Dave Hershberger, and Tom King recently set out to take measurements of RF noise levels on various roadway types from open interstate highways to city streets, to determine how the noise would affect AM broadcast reception. These environments reflect the current habits of AM radio listening, which is primarily in vehicles. In addition to RF noise level, RF signal levels were measured for three AM stations operating on frequencies in the low, middle and high ends of the AM broadcast band. These measurements provide a better understanding of how AM radio reception is affected by RF signal strength and noise in a range of roadway environments from rural to dense urban environments. On this episode of TWiRT, John Kean and Dave Hershberger join us to describe the testing methodology and the results and conclusions we can infer from them.

Show Notes:
NRSC-R102: Measurement of AM Band RF Noise Levels and Station Signal Attenuation
SDRplay RSPdx-R2 Wideband Full-Featured 14-bit SDR Covering 1kHz to 2GHz
Test Plan for Measurement of Multipath Distortion Parameters for AM SFNs

Guests:
Dave Hershberger - Senior Scientist (retired) at Continental Electronics
John C. Kean - Senior Engineer at Cavell, Mertz & Associates

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & Akamai Broadcasting

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 736 - AM Band Signal & Noise Study with John Kean & Dave Hershberger

TWiRT 735 - Back to Basics - Radio Automation with Chris Tarr

Radio automation systems seem daunting at first glance. Those new to their programming and operation are often surprised by the number of pre-requisites and source material needed to put a radio format together, especially when the automation system is thought to do these things for you. Not to worry, Chris Tarr is here to clear up confusion and doubt, and help broadcasters consider some of the key aspects of implementing a radio automation playout system. 

Show Notes:
Aiir, makers of PlayoutONE
WideOrbit Automation for Radio
Rivendell Radio Automation
BSI Radio Automation Software

Guest:
Chris Tarr - Group Director of Engineering at Magnum Media, Inc.

Hostt:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 735 - Back to Basics - Radio Automation with Chris Tarr

TWiRT 734 - Grand Ole Console with Jim Gilmore

When a classic audio mixing console needs to be refurbished and brought back to life in Tennessee, everyone knows to call on Jim Gilmore. One reason is that he may have installed it in the first place! Jim might be a true Renaissance Radio Engineer! From on-air work, to traveling the world for Harris Broadcast, to engineering at The Nashville Network to CMT, to even teaching audio classes at Belmont University, Jim has certainly “been there and done that”. Join us as Jim shows us a totally refurbished audio console, originally built by WSM engineers, and used for a decade at The Grand Ole Opry at the Ryman Auditorium. Plus, meet Linda Chambers, CEO and Co-Founder of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, as she takes us through Bran Ahern’s 42-food Encatron Mobile Recording Studio! 

Show Notes:
The Musicians’ Hall of Fame and Museum
Special thanks to Jackson Albrecht, Sound Engineer at Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum
How to Move a Recording Studio by Joe Chambers

Guests:
Linda Chambers - CEO & Co-Founder at The Musicians’ Hall of Fame and Museum
Jim Gilmore - Legendary Broadcast & Recording Studio Engineer

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 734 - Grand Ole Console with Jim Gilmore

TWiRT 733 - Transmitting Through Snow & Ice in Florida with Charlie Wooten

Charlie Wooten is usually dealing with tornados, thunderstorms, and hurricanes. But last week brought a rare hazard to the Florida Panhandle - an ice and snow storm. With chunks of ice falling from hundreds of feet above, Charlie was keeping his stations on the air. Let’s find out what Charlie did to prepare for this snowstorm, and how his planning for other bad weather provided more assurance for continued operation for his 12 transmitters in the Florida Panhandle.

Show Notes:
The Freeze State of Flurryda: The science behind the epic snow and a magical one percent
A rare winter storm across Panhandle sets Florida snow records and knocks out power
Charlie mentioned Hugo’s Cellar, a classic steakhouse in the Four Queens Hotel, Las Vegas
Charlie travels often to Amateur Radio Station 9A1A in Croatia. Here’s info from QRZ.com.

Guest:
Charles Wooten - Regional Engineering Manager at iHearMedia

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 733 - Transmitting Through Snow & Ice in Florida with Charlie Wooten

TWiRT 732 - Broadcasters Need Today's Technology with Shaun Dolan and Rob Bertrand

Today we're diving into a critical topic: the evolution from solo engineering efforts to collaborative support models in broadcasting. Just as a one-person band can only play so many instruments at once, a single engineer can't tackle every technical challenge alone. By banding together and working in groups outside traditional broadcast companies, we can support one another, foster career growth, and achieve a healthier work-life balance. Our guests Rob Bertrand and Shaun Dolan aim to do just that at Inrush Broadcast Services,, a 14-person broadcast technology service provider.

Show Notes:
Inrush Broadcast Services is a consulting engineering firm serving the radio industry and adjacent media fields.
Shaun mentioned PagerDuty, a web platform designed to coordinate working teams and their efficient response to customers’ needs.
Shaun likes CoScreen, a multi-user screen sharing platform that makes collaboration truly efficient.
Rob is delighted with the Scout Pro 3 Ethernet cable tester and identifier from Klein Tools. Kirk loves it, too.

Guests:
Shaun Dolan - Partner at Inrush Broadcast Services
Rob Bertrand - Partner at Inrush Broadcast Services

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, South Seas Broadcasting, & Akamai Broadcasting

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook - and see all the videos on YouTube.

TWiRT is brought to you by:
Broadcasters General Store, with outstanding service, saving, and support. Online at BGS.cc. 

Broadcast Bionics - making radio smarter with Bionic Studio, visual radio, and social media tools at Bionic.radio.
Aiir, providing PlayoutONE radio automation, and other advanced solutions for audience engagement.
Angry Audio and the new Rave analog audio mixing console.
The new MaxxKonnect Broadcast U.192 MPX USB Soundcard - The first purpose-built broadcast-quality USB sound card with native MPX output.

 
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TWiRT 732 - Broadcasters Need Today's Technology with Shaun Dolan and Rob Bertrand