TWiRT 548 - Combining FM Stations with Rob Bertrand and Andy Gunn

Too many FM antennas on one tower? They’re (maybe) creating intermod products? No room or structure for more tenants? It may be past time to consolidate all the FM signals onto a master FM antenna. WAMU-FM and WTOP-FM in Washington, DC, did exactly this - and worked with other FM tenants on the same tower to create such a combined, master FM antenna system. Rob Bertrand, CTO, and Andy Gunn, DoE, tell the story and give us a tour of the combiner room at American University.

Show Notes:
WAMU-FM on Wikipedia
WTOP-FM on Wikipedia
WAMU’s Master FM Antenna Assembled and Erected for Final Tuning and Test
New Master Antenna System Serves D.C.

Guests:
Rob Bertrand - Chief Technology Officer at WAMU 88.5
Andy Gunn - Director of Engineering at WAMU 88.5

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

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And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

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TWiRT 548 - Combining FM Stations with Rob Bertrand and Andy Gunn

TWiRT 547 - Docker for Broadcasters with Cam Eicher

Heads-up, broadcast engineers! Docker is coming your way. What's Docker? It's a brand name that's part of "containerized software" - and broadcast equipment is already moving there. Your audio consoles, talkshow system, and IP intercom can all run on PC or servers - on-site or in a data center. This is happening now!  Cam Eicher with Telos Alliance gives a great tutorial on Docker containerized software and more on this episode of TWIRT.

Show Notes:
What’s a “Bare-Metal Server”?
Let’s define “Cloud Computing”
Let’s be clear on what a “Virtual Machine” is.
Hypervisors - Type 1 and Type 2
Software container engines run on Linux
Let’s get on the same page about Docker.
OS-Level Virtualization
Fun to say, but what is Kubernetes?
What is Quay.io?

Guest:
Cam Eicher - Executive Director of Worldwide Sales at Telos Alliance

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

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TWiRT is brought to you by:
Nautel and the continuing informative live webinars. Sign up for free!
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.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. 
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

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TWiRT 547 - Docker for Broadcasters with Cam Eicher

TWiRT 546 - Nineteen Mix-Minus Feeds with Rob Ashard

Why is Rob Ashard managing 19 mix-minus feeds while taping a British TV show? When COVID keeps the audience out of the studio, Rob and his colleagues must go to them - in their homes and flats. Rob Ashard is the lead audio mixer for The Graham Norton Show and Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway. Audience interaction is critical, and these shows have found a way to make it happen. We’ll also discuss bringing a 60 year old portable tape deck back to life, plus learn about DE-RIG mixing kits.

Show Notes:
The Graham Norton Show
Ant & Dec’s Saturday Night Takeaway
Rob was mixing on a Studer Vista X console
Rob’s lavalier to USB mic is this or similar
Rob discussed not “crossing the line” in camera placement
Another video update from Rob on the EMI RE321 tape deck (on Facebook)

Guest:
Rob Ashard - Sound Supervisor at Ashard Audio Ltd

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas 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.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. 
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

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TWiRT 546 - Nineteen Mix-Minus Feeds with Rob Ashard

TWiRT 545 - Today's Challenges and Solutions with Cris Alexander

A broadcast company’s Director of Engineering faces more challenges from different directions than ever before. With telcos abandoning legacy services, fires threatening remote transmitter sites, AM tower sites having to move out, and thieves stealing copper or other valuables, the DoE job is full of daily dilemmas and crises. Cris Alexander, DoE at Crawford Broadcasting, deals with these problems and more, and depends on a team of local engineers as well. We get to spend an hour with Cris to hear about today’s challenges and some solutions.

Show Notes:
The Local Oscillator - current and back issues - A GREAT resource for all of us!
Tip of the Week: Paessler PRTG - network monitoring software
See Todd Dixon’s writeup on Paessler PRTG monitoring software in the April, 2021, edition of The Local Oscillator - starting on page 7

Guest:
Cris Alexander - Director of Engineering at Crawford Broadcasting

Host:
Kirk Harnack, The Telos Alliance, Delta Radio, Star94.3, & South Seas 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.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. 
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

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TWiRT 545 - Today's Challenges and Solutions with Cris Alexander

TWiRT 544 - Busta 'Crete with John Bisset

Bustin’ concrete, CIDR notation, Rat Magic, unlimited (almost) photo storage, more mouse eviction tactics, and the best site maintenance practices.  Whew! It’s all covered and uncovered on this TWiRT episode with the beloved John Bisset, author of “Workbench”. 

Show Notes:
Dexpan Non-Explosive Demolition Agent for Concrete Removal
Concrete Bustin’ Demo Video
Aha! “CIDR” stands for Classless Inter Domain Routing. Here’s a CIDR calculator
John talked about Middle Atlantic Rack Shelves as a possible substitute for Server Rack Rails
John likes ½” galvanized steel “hardware cloth” to protect larger openings from critters

Guest:
John Bisset - Director, Western US Sales at Telos Alliance and Author of the “Workbench” column in Radio World magazine.

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

Follow TWiRT on Twitter and on Facebook

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.
Angry Audio - with StudioHub cables and adapters. Audio problems disappear when you get Angry at AngryAudio.com. 
And MaxxKonnectWireless - Prioritized High Speed Internet Service designed for Transmitter Sites and Remote Broadcasts. 

Look for in-depth radio engineering articles in Radio-Guide magazine.

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TWiRT 544 - Busta 'Crete with John Bisset