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www.RadioMagOnline.com

CONTENTS

ON T1 1E COVERHandheld recorders now come

in all shapes, sizes andcapability levels; find one that

works for you on page 14.Cover design byMichael J. Knust.

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RadfoFeatures14 Trends in Technology: Portable recorders

by Chriss SchererJust point and shoot with these handy handheld devices

18 Facility Showcase: WPIG Buffalo, NYby Tom AtkinsBackyard Broadcasting takes a modern leap

26 DAB Answer Series: HD Radio's EPGby Rick DuceyWhat's on the radio?

27 DAB Answer Series: WFMTby Hal KnellerHD Radio comes to a fine arts station in Chicago

30 Tech Tipsby Chriss SchererTips, tricks, hints and more

Columns8 Viewpoint

by Chriss SchererBeing connected

10 Managing Technologyby Kevin McNamaraRadio applications of fuel cells

12 FCC Updateby Harry C. MartinForm 323 goes back to the drawing board

Departments6 Online

at www.RadioMagOnline.com

32 Field Report: Samson Q2Uby Chris Wygal

34 New Productsby Erin Shipps

40 Classifieds41 Contributor Pro -File

Meet Tom Atkins

42 Sign Offby Erin ShippsThe 100th anniversary of live opera transmission

February 2010 RadioMagOnline.com

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EM2000 is a 2000W FM transmitter modeup of the EM 25 DIG exciter (or EM 20/30 exciter) and theAM 2000 FM amplifier. AM 2000 includes eight 300W high -efficiency MOSFET technology amp dying modules, fed by 2independent switching power supplies, which are made towithstond the working conditions the omplifiying moduleswork independently thanks to a power combining structirethat provides high isolation between them.

OMB AMERICAfactory and laboratoriesphone. (305) 477-0973(305) 477-0974fox. (305) 477-06113100 NW 72nd. Ave. Unit 112MIAMI, Florida 33122 USA

OMB EUROPA From sewember in:departamento comercialtelefono. 902-187878fax. 902-187878Avda. Son Antonio, 41CUARTE DE HUERVA50410 Zaragoza, ESPANA

fabrico y loboratoriotelefono. 902-187878fax. 902.187878Pol. Ind. Centrovfa C/Paraguay, 6LA MUELA50196 Zaragoza, ESPANA

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MT/MR PLATINUM I GHtis a high-pwiormance Studio-do-Tronsmiter link. It is modeup of the 5W MT transmitter externally synthesized in 10MHzsub bonds with a step of 100KHt, and the MR doubleconversion receiver, that is externally synthesized, too. TheMT is'inicroorocessor controlled, and en ludes EC? displayfor the visucloation of the most relevant tronsmissaon rameters(frequency itidigit), forward and refleclec potter, modulationlevel), balcnced Mono, Stereo (MPX). Tie MR receiver hasthe same visualization system as the transmitter. II includesbalanced Mono and Stereo (MPX) outputs. Furthermore, theMT/MR Platinum Sit includes a iumptx in order to get aproper operition with digital signals.

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EM 10000 is a I OCCIOW FM Ira sniffle. madeup of he EM 250 COMPACT DIG exciter and three control unitswhich .;:ornbine -he power of six AM 2000 FM aleph ien. AM2000 includes eight 300W high -efficiency MOSFET technologyamplifying modules, fed by 2 independent switching powe- stpples,which are node to withstand the working conditions. The arnidifqingmodules wxks orvizipendently thanks to o power combiliny st-ucturethat es trig - isolation between them.

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www.RadioMagOnline,com

CONTENTS ONLINE

Currents OnlineRacily

Selected headlines from the past month.

FCC Issues Further NPRM to Nationally Test EASThe FCC, FEMA, the NWS and the EOP have begun planning for a national EAS test,with subsequent tests to occur thereafter.

APRE Accepts Nominations for Fourth EngineeringAchievement Award

Past honorees include Roger Karwoski, Chuck Leavens, Marty Bloss, Donald Creighton,Don Danko and John Kean.

Broadcast Electronics Gets New Majority OwnerFirstcity Crestone is now the majority owner of the broadcast manufacturer.

Telos Moves to New FacilityDespite expanding onto an additional floor several years ago, the equipment manufacturerstill required more space.

GAO Report Notes Needed Improvements at FCCA lack of written procedures to steer interbureau activity has created confusion in the FCC's actions.

AWRT Names Chickie Bucco as 2009 Achievement Award WinnerI he award honors an AWRT member who has helped strengthen the role of AWRT within the industry and contributed to thebetterment of the electronic media industry.

Find the micand win!

Tell us where you think the mic icon is placed onthis issue's cover and you could win a Samson Q2U

recordins ck courtesy of Samson.

Enter by March 10.Send your entry to

[email protected] your name, job title, company name,

mailing address and phone number.

www.samsontech.comNo purchase necessary.

For complete rules, go to RadioMoq0nline corn

SBE Updates Leadership CourseThe next course will be held Aug. 3-5, 2010, in Atlanta.

James Quello DiesHis FCC career spanned 23 years and included one year asinterim chairman.

Site FeaturesNAB Insider Newsletter

Our pre -convention newsletter kicks off March 9. Be sure toget all your pre -show info on products and sessions eachweek leading up to the convention.

Digital Radio Update NewsletterStay up to date with the source of digital audio broadcastingnews and information. The coverage extends to DRM, satelliteradio and more. Subscribe today.

New Products Extra! NewsletterLike new products? Subscribe to our twice -monthly e-mailnewsletter and be the first to know about the latest technology.

Advertiser LinksWeb links to the advertisers in the February issue.

Industry EventsThe Radio magazine Industry Events section lists upcomingconventions and conferences.

February 2010 RadioMagOnline.com

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VIEWPOINT CSCHERER@RADIOMAGONLINECOM

Being connectedHow connected are you? Do you carry a cell phone? Maybe a

Blackberry or Iphone? Perhaps an 'pod Touch or Zune with Wi-fi?The reality is we're almost always connected in some way. It's not

always the most reliable connection, but there is usually a connection. Withour increasing hunger for speed and data, we're not always satisfied withwhat's available, but it appears that is changing.

A recent report from ABI Research studied theproliferation of 802.11n Wi-fi in smartphonesin 2009. The result? Less than 1 percent. That's

probably not a surprise. The report goes on topredict that smartphones with Wi-fi will increaseto 84 percent by 2014. That's definitely animpressive number.

Some might wonder why you would needWi-fi if you can connect through the wirelessnetwork. If you use a wireless carrier for data,you know that it has limitations. It's not alwaysreliable mainly. Compared to an available

Wi-fi hotspot, you will likely have better resultsfrom the Wi-fi.

What difference does this make? It's anotherdelivery path.

How many ways con an audio signal reach alistener? Over the air is the method most familiarto us in radio. Some cell carriers offer a serviceto stream audio, such as Verizon Vcast. Thenthere's Internet streaming. I would consider thosethe main three methods.

Back to being connected: Everyone has a cellphone. Listeners might be willing to find a wayto hear their favorite stations on the phone. (It'smore likely that phone user has songs stored onthe phone and is using it like a media player.) Idon't see much acceptance of wireless -providedaudio. Meanwhile, the NAB is pushing to haveFM receivers built in to more phones. Also agood idea, especially if it doesn't take up morebandwidth on the wireless carrier. Progress onthis is slow.

Then there's Wi-fi on a phone. For now, theidea of having to access multiple menus just toplay a stream is cumbersome. But like everyfeature on a cell phone, popular functionsbecome easier to use.

The real capability for the three data paths landterrestrial radio is a data path in this instance)

VIEWPOINTwith a phone is for them to work in unison.The listener should not have to decide how hewants to hear a stream, he should only haveto decide the source of the stream. f I pick myfavorite rock station in Cincinnati, the phone candecide to first look for the FM signal, then lookfor a Wi-fi connection or the wireless networkto provide the stream.

As conditions and my location changes, thephone can switch to the most robus- path.

In the meantime, wireless networks will moveto 4G, perhaps HD Radio will again see anincrease in installations, and the NAB will keeppushing for FM receivers in phones. My view ofthe integrated receiving device just might comesooner than I thought.

Correction: The transmitter power chart in the JaruaryTrends in Technology feature had some errors in powerlevels. The online chart has been corrected.

What's your opinion? Send it to

radiogRadioMagOnlinecom

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MANAGING TECHNOLOGY www.RadiolV'aOnline.com

Radio applicationsof fuel cells By Kevin McNamara

your choices for powering a transmitter or studio site now include theuse of a technology invented in 1839: The fuel cell. Until recently,the costs to purchase and install fuel cells have been prohibitive; but,

lower costs, more choices of fuel and federal tax incentives might make thema viable alternative for your facility.

In simple terms the fuel cell is a device that combines hydrogen and oxygencreating on electrochemical reaction that produces heat, water and electric-ity. The hydrogen is produced from common hydrocarbon -based fuels suchas natural gas, gasoline, diesel or methanol. Oxygen is pulled from the air

around it. The combination produces a chemicalreaction, not completely unlike a standard battery.The fuel cell is essentially a battery with a systemthat constantly feeds the proper fuel into the cell.The process does not use combustion and as suchproduces no emission products.

There are sev-eral types of fuelcells, particularly

Hydrogen gas for higher -powerHydrogen applications, but

they are expensive andlend to operate at veryhigh temperatures (up to1,000 C). However, thePolymer Exchange Mem-

brane Fuel Cell (PEMFC)

is the technology cur-rently used for the small-

scale power generationused for transportationand other power applica-

tions. PEMFC systemsoperate at a lowertemperature (less than180 F) and have ahigher efficiency. Themost common fuels areLP or natural gas.

The systemcomponents

A fuel cell is createdwith six basic processcomponents.

-uel Processor/Reformer-This system extracts thehydrogen from the hydrocarbon fuel. The genericterm reforming is generally applied to the processof converting liquid or gaseous light hydrocarbonfuels to hydrogen and carbon monoxide. Thisprocess separates the fuel into hydrogen, water,

flow field

Unused fuel

Anode (negativity)

Backing layers

Water

Oxidantflow field

Oxidant

Cathode (positively)

Polymer electrolytemembrane

The components of a proton -exchangemembrane fuel cell.

carbon monoxide and heat. Electrodes - As in any battery, there is ananode (negative) and a cathode (positive). Theanode has channels that disperse the hydrogengas equally over the surface of the catalyst. Thehydrogen molecules are split into positively chargedions, giving up one electron each. The positivelycharged ions then migrate through the electrolyteto the positive post (cathode). The negativelycharged electrons travel through the external circuitto produce electric energy. Electrolyte - The electrolyte transports the posi-tively charged hydrogen ions to the cathode inorder to complete the electric circuit. In addition, itprovides a physical barrier to prevent the fuel andoxidant gas streams from directly mixing. Oxidant - Typically oxygen that is pulled fromthe air surrounding the fuel cell. The oxidant ischanneled through the cathode. Fuel Cell Stack- Each fuel cell produces 0.7V. Sev-eral fuel cells are connected together to produce the

desired output, 12V or 24V are most common. Power conditioning - converts and/or conditionsthe dc power to ac (if desired). Fuel cells typically need

some time to start producing power; many systemsutilize capacitor banks to store power to ensure aconstant power source in the event of transfer fromgrid power to fuel cell, this gives the fuel enough timeto start while providing uninterrupted power.

Applications and limitationsThere are thousands of fuel cell power systems de-

ployed in telecommunications applications in the U.S.

Wireless telephone carriers are some of the biggestadopters of the technology since fuels cell systemsprovide much longer runtimes for backup powerapplications. There is also very little maintenancefor fuel cells as compared with the need to replacebatteries every Iwo years or the costs to maintainthousands of backup generator systems. Perhaps the

largest benefit is the ability of the fuel cell systemsto operate continuously over long periods of time.Since Hurricane Katrina, the federal governmenthas mandated that wireless carriers maintain 8hours of backup power (at a minimum) at each site.When compared with the traditional battery -backupsystem, fuel cells provide longer runtimes for a givenfootprint The runtime is only limited by the size ofthe fuel supply. The fuel cell also weighs much lessthan the amount of lead acid batteries required for

10 February 2010 RadioMagOnline.com

MANAGING TECHNOLOGYthe extended operation - this is a real considerationwhen located in the upper floor of a building.

In terms of broadcast applications, PEMFC systems

would not be suitable to run full power transmittersites. The largest PEMFC systems will provide upto 7kW of dc power. The systems can be gangedto increase the capacity, if necessary. In practicaluse, these systems are most suitable for applicationswhere you now use large battery -based, uninterrupt-

able backup power systems. These might includedata centers, engineering rooms, small studios,remote trucks, remote microwave sites and lowpower backup transmitter sites. Fuel cells wouldalso be the ideal power source for any emergencyplans such as portable, trailer -mounted, low -power

emergency transmitter systems and studios.

COStCost for PEMFC systems are about $3,000

per kilowatt, that would make the cost of a 5kWsystem approximately $15,000. Installationmight add another $2,000. While $17,000is a little higher than the equivalent battery -based UPS or generator backup, tax creditscould lower the purchase price of the PEMFC$5,000 or more putting it well within range ofthe traditional methods. Also when you consider

the total cost of maintenance over 5 10 or 15years between a generator or battery UPS, thePEMFC becomes about 30 percent cheaper,since there are no expensive batteries to replaceand dispose. Fuel cells have qo moving parts,which eliminates the mechanical issues andrepairs found in reciprocating, engine -drivengenerator systems. Perhaps the greatest benefitof PEMFC systems is that they are considereda green power alternative, which gives yourcompany some bragging rights.

Other considerationsThe installations of PEMFCs are specifically ad-

dressed in all national and most state and localbuilding codes including NFPA and IBC. A lotof the differences between fuel cells and otherpower systems in the codes have to do with thehandling of the fuel, fuel piping, ventilation andlocation of the system.

McNamara is president of Applied VVirelnss, CapeCoral, FL.

Want to know more about PEMFC and other fuelcell systems? The U.S. Department of Energy hasa site dedicated to efficient and renewable energysources including fuel cells. www.eere.energy.gov

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RadioMagOnline.com February 2010 1 1

FCC UPDATE wwvv. RadioMaOnline.com

Back to the drawing boardfor Form 323 By Harry Martin

O n Dec. 23, 2009, the FCC again postponed the filing deadline forcommercial station biennial ownership reports, this time indefinitely.However, commercial stations are still required to file ownershipreports, using the FCC's new Form 323, for new stations and to report con-summations of station sales.

On Dec. 8 the FCC finally took the wraps off its new ownership reportingform - six months after first announcing in the Federal Register that the new formhad been designed - and said that all commercial licensees would be requiredto file the new form as a new biennial ownership report by Jan. 11.

In response to this announcement, representa-tives from a number of law firms met with FCCstaff members to show that the new Form 323was, as a purely practical matter, unworkable.Based only on a week of experience with the newform the lawyers pointed out cumbersome onlineprocesses, system timeouts and slowdowns, andlosses of "saved" data, all of which contributed tomassive amounts of time being spent and wasted

DatelineFor noncommercial radio stations in Delaware, Indiana,

Kentucky Pennsylvania and Tennessee, their biennialownership report deadline is April 1. As noted above thedeadline for submission of biennial ownership reports forcommercial radio stations has been suspended.

April 1 is the deadline for radio stations in Delaware andPennsylvania to electronically file their Broadcast EEOMid -Term Reports (Form 397) with the FCC.

April 1 is the deadline for radio stations licensed inthe following states to place their annual EEO Reportsin their public files: Delaware, Indiana, Kentucky,Pennsylvania. Tennessee and Texas.

in completing the form. Indeed, the group told ofcases involving moderately complex ownershipstructures where the completion of a single formhad taken hundreds of work hours. One sugges-tion for improvement was to allow the submissionof other media interests' information, which nowmust be entered manually for each attributableowner for each station, in the form of a machine-readable spreadsheet. This modification, it waspointed out, would substantially reduce the timerequired to prepare reports by multiple station

owners without compromising the FCC's datacollection goals.

The law firms followed up with a joint letterrequesting an extension of the Jan. 11 deadlineas well os various mechanical modifications to theform to alleviate the data loss and manual datacollection problems that had been encountered.The letter focused exclusively on the mechanics ofthe form. In the meantime, one of the participatinglaw firms, Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, supportedby 10 state broadcast associations, followed upat the U.S. Court of Appeals in D.C. on an earlierunaddressed challenge to more fundamental legalissues regarding the privacy problems raised bythe requirement in new form that all individualstakeholders submit FRNs based on their socialsecurity numbers.

On Dec. 23, the FCC agreed to suspend theJan. 11 deadline. The suspension is indefinite,and is intended to allow the staff to investigatewhat changes can be made to get the form towork more efficiently without compromising thecompleteness, quality, usefulness and aggregateability of the data. The Order provides that, onceproblems with the revised form have been resolved,the FCC will announce a new deadline whichwill be at least 90 days from the date the revisedversion of the new form is made available. Thecourt challenge by Fletcher Heald and the statebroadcast associations remains pending.

When the biennial form is eventually required tobe filed, it will still have to reflect ownership as ofNov. 1, 2009. That means if the new form wereto become available on, for example, March 1,2010, reports would be due 90 days later, i.e., byJune 1 - seven months after Nov. 1, 2009. Thus,some licensees and individuals will be reportingoutdated information likely relating to entities orindividuals with which the reporting licensees mayhave no connection, or only a past connection.Thus, the data the FCC will be collecting once itrestarts the biennial ownership reporting processwill be both outdated and flawed.

Martin is a member of Fletcher, Heald & Hildreth, PLC,Arlington, Virginia. E-mail: martinefhhlaw.corn

12 February 2010 RadioMagOnline.corn

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TRENDS IN TECHNOLOGY

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Portable, affordable and amazing qualityThere are many forms of portable recording options,and they range from a device the size of a cell phoneto a laptop to rccks of equipment. In most cases,

radio usually requires the smaller form factor to capturean interview, sou'c byte or impromptu performance.With this more common use in mind, we'll focus on thesmaller options.

One attribute of portable recorders that continues tochange rapidly is the amount of storage space. Tie costof solid-state storage has continued to drop to the pointthat 32GB of memory can be bought for less than $5/GB. Because of the law cost of storage, many recordersthat are only a few years old may be at a disadvantagewith limited storage capacity.

All recorders ncw rclude USB connectivity as well.Some can function as audio interfaces (sound cards),too. This simple i-iterface makes it easy to access thecaptured audio events.

Other common fea-ores of many recorders incluce auto-matic record levels, -nul-iple file formats (WAV and MP3 beingthe most common), mic and line inputs, and clear metering.Some recorders provide basic editing functions for field edit-ing. Many have some type of built-in microphone.

Form factorsPortable recorders -ake several shapes, but the dedi-

cated recording cevi:e is the most common. Handheldand compact, these small boxes place a great number

of features. in a tiny package. Their bright displays andsimple transport functions allow even the most inexperi-enced user to record quality audio.

The squa-ish devices typically have some type of mount-ing option available, whether it's a camera tripod threador a custom clip. This makes it easy to place the recorderon a desk or podium during an event.

Some recorders have features that musicians will value,such as a metronome and tuner. Some offer 4 -track record-ing, which may be suitable for liwe music. Many havesome option tc remotely control the device. There are caseswhere a wired remote could be handy, although somemodels offer a wireless remote, which would be useful if therecorder is placed in an inaccessible spot. One examplewould be on a podium at a news conference.

There are two models that have packaged the recorderinto a microphone handle. For inerviews, this can lookmore natural -han holding a little box, but it has the ad-vantage that it can hold a mic flag to make the station'scall letters visible. The mic-style recorders have simplifiedtransport Euttons and minimal displays. For a user, know-ing the segueices is not as simple as reading a display,but they are still easy to use.

The interial mics on most recorders will provide audioquality rargirg from good to great. Except for the stick-mic retorters, all recorders provide at least mic inputs.Personally, I Ike the robustness o; an X1.12 connector fora mic. Many inputs use 3.5mm connectors.

14 February 2010 RadiorAVnline.com

B Chriss Scherer editor

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RFSPA Pittsburgh PA Ed 866-412-7373

RFSPA Philadelphi 1 PA Phil 888-737-4452

RFSGA Thomasville GA Chris 800-476-8943

RFSGA Crestview FL Bill 850-621-3680

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RFSCA Las Vegas NV Bill 888-737-7321

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RECORDER LINEUP

Recorder Dimensions Weight' Inputs Connectors Outputs Connectors Speaker?

AEQ PAW -120wwvv.aeqbroadcast.corn

American Audio/Musician's Gear Pocket Record

www.adjaudio.corn

121mm x 51.5mmx 23mm 1109 mic, line 3 5mm

line,headphone

3 5mm

Kora MR1

Marantz PMD620www.d-mpro.corn

41k

GIM -Audio Microtrack IIwww.m-auclio.c,

Olympus LS -11.,\A,w olvmpusamerica.com

Sony PCM-D50www.sony.com/proaudio

Sony PCM-M10.v \ A sony com/ fyoaucho

Tascam DR -071, -C1M.COM

Tascam DR -100www.toscam.cc

Yamaha Pocketrak CX

Zoom H2www.samsontech.c,

HZoom Hainww.somsontech.corn

HHB DRM-85 Flashmicwww hhbusa com

155mm x 84mmx 30 5mm

120mm x 64mmx 24mm

102mm x 62mmx 25mm

105mm x 60mmx 28mm

I 31.5mm x 48mmx 22 4mm

156mm x 73mmx 35mm

115mrn x 64mmx 23mm

137mm x 55mmx 27mm

151mm x 80 5mmx 35mm

129.5mm x 46.5mmx 17.5mm

110mm x 63.5mmx 32mm

156.3mm x 73mmx 35mm

244mm

182g mic, line 3.5mm

110g mic line 3 5f1IfIl

130g mic, line mic: 3.5mm,mic/line: TRS

165g mic, line 3 5nirn

370g mic, line 3.5mm, optical

188g mic line 3 5mm

line,headphone

line,headphone

line,headphone

line, S/PDIF, line/S/PDIF:headphone RCA, h.p:3.5mm

3.5mm

3.5mm none

3.5mm,optical

3 5mrn

none

none

178g mic, line 3.5mm 3.5mm none

238g mic, line XLR, 3.5mm line 3.5mm 2

92g mic, line 3.5mm headphone 3.5mm

1] :-.),1 ,111 'in. 3.5mm 3.5mm none

280g mic XIR/TRS 3.5mm

414g on/lversion

line,headphone

line,

headphone

line,headphone

line,headphone

line,headphone

headphone 3

1

Yellowtec IXMwww.yellowtec.corn 255mm 400g line 3.5mm headphone 3.5mm none

Add-on Dimensions Weight* Inputs Connectors Outputs Connectors Speaker?

iff Alesis ProtrackBelkin Go Studiowww.belkin.corn

3Umnn

250mm x 100mm x136mm

421g mic/line XLR/TRS, 3.5mm headphone 3.5mm

Software Host File Formats Price

Audiofile Engineering FireWAV, AIFF, CAF,

www.audiotile-engineering.coIphone/Ipod Touch MC, ALAC,rnRAC, Ogg Vorbis

$6

Bias Iprorecorderwww.iprorecorder.corn

1phone/Ipod Touch 16/44 WAV $5

Enco (dadwww enco com

1phone/IpodTouch/Ipad

WAV free

RCS (pushwww. 105 WO!

1phone/Ipod Touch free

Both styles of recorders may offer fixed (internal) orremovable storage. Some have both. There are prosand cons to either. Fixed storage has the advantage ofnever being lost or the recorder not be loaded when it'sused. With internal storage, power on and record. Onedrawback to internal storage is filling the capacity. If therecorder is used for long interviews or periods where it isnot possible to offload material, the recorder can't recordany more. With removable storage, a new card can beplugged in and recording can go on.

Many recorders with removable storage accept cardsnearing 32GB. This allows for recording times that


On -boardMics?

Internal RemovableStorage Storage Power Battery Life Recording Formats Price Notes

1 2GB none 2 x AA USB b: 3WF'-"P2 i't1)3rrr (t.

$645

2 x cardioid 128MB SD 4GB 2 x M 5Vdc 5 hours 16/44WAV, MP3 $100 includes two lovelier mics

cone 20GB noneinternal

rechargeable, 5Vdc 2.5 hours24/192WAV, BV\:F,DSDIFF, DSF, WSD $899 mic included

2 x cardioid none SD/SDHC 2 x AA, 5Vdc 4 hours 24/48WAV, MP;: wired remote control jock,5V phantom power

none, includesT mic

none CF Type I and IIinternal

rechargeable USB5 hours 24/96WAV, MP;: $200 phantom power

2 x cardioid, X -Y 8GB SD/SDHC 32GB 2 x M 5Vdc 23 hours 24/96 WAV,MP3, WMA $399 remote control jack

2 x cardioid 4GB Memory Stick 4GB 4 x M 6Vdc 14 hours 24/9(3VVAV $450 wired remote control jack

2 x cardioid Micro SD/4GBMemory Stick

2 x M 3Vdc 19 hours 24/96WAV, $400 prerecord buffer,wired remote

2 x cardioid none SD/SDHC 32GB 2 x AA 5Vdc 7.5 hours 24/48WAV, MPLI $170

2 x cardioid,2 x omni none SD/SDHC 32GB 2 x M 5Vdc 5 hours 24/48WAV, MP3 $429

remote control jack,wireless remote

2 x cardioid, X -Y none Micro SD 1 x M 54 hours 16/48WAV, AAP3 $250

4 x cardioid none SD 16GB 2 x M 9Vdc 4 hours 24/96WAV, MP3 $150 4 -channel recording

2 x cardioid,90°/120° none SD/SDHC 32GB 2 x M 5Vdc 11 hours 24/96 WAV, MP3

wired remote jack, M -S mode,4 -channel recording

omni, cardioid 1GB none 2 x AA 6 hours WAV, B\NF. MP2 $ 1 000 line -input modelalso available

omni, cardioid none SD 3 x MA re -chargeable LION 15 hours WAV, BWF, MP2 $1,000Beyer Dynamic orYellowtec capsule

On -board mics? Models Power Battery Life File Formats Price Notes

2 x cardioid Classic 6 & 7; Nano 2, 3,Chromatic; Touch 2

4 x W,ac adaprer 3 hours 16/44WAV $150 provides phantom power

2 x cardioid Classic; Nano 2, 3; Video 4 x AM, 5Vdc 4 hours 16/44WAV $100

can approach days in length when a compressed audioformat is used.

Power is another important consideration. Standard batteriesand internal rechargeables have considerations simila tostorage. Non -removable batteries typically charge when therecorder is plugged in to a USB port. This makes it easy tokeep the recorder charged, but limits the time the recordercan be used in the field without being returned to a USB port.With common batteries, fresh cells can be installed on the fly.The Yellowtec IXM has fixed and removable batteries.

Since the first handheld personal devices lPDAs) wereintroduced in the late 1990s, there have been efforts to

turn them into professional field recorders. The first attemptsusually required add-on hardware making them awkwardand bulky. Now that Ipods have become so ubiquitous,using them to record is natural. There are several softwareprograms available for the 1pod Touch and (phone. Addinga mic, such as the Blue Mikey, creates a practical optionfor field recording.

Going one step further with an 'pod, there are options toadd metering and enhanced connectors to the !pod. Thesedocking adapters are bulkier than dedicated recorders, butif you're set on using an (pod, 'here are choices. The twonoted on our list are still compact.


FACILITY SHOWCASE

A huge leap in technology eases WPIG's upgrade burden.Re-builumy u rudio studio is a pretty straighttui wu: dtask. Though there are different levels of intricacies,you would usually move the studio operation into

I temporary room, rebuild the old studio, then movethe operation back into the newly outfitted room. Thetime involved would, of course, depend on the level ofthe rebuild, but moving the operation into another roomtemporarily makes the job go much easier. What if youwere given the task of rebuilding radio studios whilekeeping the operation running from the same studios youwere tasked to rebuild? This was the job at hand at ourFM/AM combo in Olean, NY.

WPIG and WHDL badly needed a rebuild. The automa-tion was still the DOS -based DCS system from Computer

L-JI IL pis utiu must of the uuuiu Lot isuius were even older.The operation, though at once state of the art had over a20 -plus year time span, become unreliable and the soundquality had deteriorated. The studios, originally built in the1930s, are nestled in the Southern tier of Western NewYork near the New York/Pennsylvania border an hour anda half drive south of Buffalo. Originally, the building washome only to WHDL-MA until The FM (WHDL-FM) camealong in 1947. It is now the heritage super power class BFM country station WPIG. There are three studios, iwo air,one production room and a combined rack and engineeringroom involved in this job. The AM transmitter is co -locatedhere as well. Needless to say, space was limited, thus theneed to rebuild around the present operation.


WPIG's on -air studio features aLogitek Remora -10 console.

Where to beginThe first need was to select a state-of-the-art

automation system that would give a goodamount of flexibility to the operation. Backupwas also an important aspect. The automationsystem needed to have the ability to keep thestations on the air if a central server failed orone of the main on -air work stations failed.Ease of setup was a must and we wanted tobe able to stream WAV files from a centralserver over Ethernet. Another primary focusin the automation decision was its ability torun with off -the -shelf hardware if need be,in case of failure. This was very important.Being located in a smaller town, a hardwarefailure could mean those dreaded three words:Off the air.

In the early days of automation, hardwarespecifications were finite, but I am sure thathaving the ability to put an off -the -shelf soundcard, or for that matter, an off -the -shelf workstation to use would be a distinct advan-tage, at least for the short term. You knowthe scenario, a major failure happens on aholiday weekend and you cannot get parts.Given all these requirements, Media Touchfrom OMT was selected as the automationsystem of choice. The hardware purchasedincluded five workstations, two for each on -airstudio and one for production, a central serverwith a RAID five hard drive array, a gatewayworkstation, and an additional workstationto run the Media Touch logger software torecord network feeds and air checks.All workstations except for the gateway

were outfitted with M -Audio Delta audiocards affording the station balanced inputsand outputs. The gateway workstation's mis-sion in life is to be the location audio files,log files and any other files that need to beput into the automation system from outsidethe system, are deposited, scanned for anyinfections, and then copied to the appropriatedestination in the automation. As a company,we do not allow the automation system to bedirectly connected to the Internet. The reasonsare many but the most important is that wedo not want to render the on -air product use-less due to an infection being passed alongto it. So, we take extra precautions in thisarea. I mentioned previously that one of therequirements of the automation system was tostream WAV files on the automation network.Backyard Broadcasting does not condone

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stationar3MODERNIZATION

WHDL's on -air studio WPIG/WHDL production room

the use of compressed audio formats, especially for themusic. A new music library was purchased for WPIGto use when the new automation system was installed.We have changed music libraries in many of our mar-kets and the difference between compressed and linearnon -compressed is dramatic. With hard drive space socheap, there is absolutely no reason to have a compressedlibrary, unless you are working with legacy equipmentand it would not support the larger files. WHDL did not

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have to go this route as it runs a 24 -hour satellite delivered

format cal ed Kool Gold from Dial -Global.

In -place progressRebuilding studios around the existing operation has

many challenges. Given its number of years, there wasexisting wiring. Not just a little. A lot. Actually more thana lot. Just like any other broadcast facility, the originalwiring wa.s added to, and added to, and added to over

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the years for modifications and new equipment. Thisleft the original wiring path to the studios looking like20 pounds of bologna in a 5 -pound bag. New wiringhad to run overhead in a new path and be kept to aminimum as space was limited. Also, rememberthat the current operation had to continue. In orderto accomplish this task, traditional audio consoleswith all the ins and outs in the actual console hadto be ruled out. The decision was made to gowith an audio router -based console system. Thisway we can keep most of the audio sources anddestinations wired in the rack room. Sources suchas microphones and CD players along with desti-nations like headphone and studio monitor ampswould be part of the new cabling to and fromthe studios thus minimizing the actual audio runsto and from the studios. Logitek Remora consolesand audio engine were chosen as they fit all therequirements and cost guidelines for the project, notto mention that this system will afford us the abilityto have virtually every source in the building availablefor selection on the three Remora consoles.

With the two main components ordered, it was timeto create room in the existing racks for the new MediaTouch automation and Logitek Audio Engine. The exist-ing racks housed many gems not being used anymoreincluding an old cart carousel once used for automation.Audio still being used in the existing operation was still

Equipment ListAcer LCD monitorsART Clean Boxes, SLA-2Avocent KVM extendersBehringer Power Play Pro XLBroadcast Tools 16.4DBX 286Furman power distribution panelsHP desktop workstation computersLogitel Audio Engine, Remora, X -Y

Select PanelMedia TouchOmnia 5EXHDPro -Racks Media Touch Audio

ServerStanton C501elos 1X6-ripp-Lite Smart Pro UPS

running through the old patch bays so care had to betaken in removing some of the items. In some instances,temporary wiring had to be put in place to bypass theserelics. Keep in mind that with this type of rebuild, andthe lack of available space, you wind up moving itemsin the racks two or three times before they find their finalphysical location. Does this add time to the project?You betchal

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stationarANDERNIZATION

Relics in the rack: WPIG'scarousel.

The good folks at Logitek pro-vide pre -wired cables to mostflavors of termination blocks atdifferent lengths. The option herewas to terminate all the analogaudio ins and outs into 66 blocksfrom the Logitek audio engine.The Logitek Audio Engine hasthe option for AES/EBU in andout. However, in this particularinstallation, the majority of oursources and destinations in themarket were analog and theneed for AES/EBU was small tonone. Thus the Audio Engine was

purchased without any AES/EBUcards in it. Though if need be, wecan add AES/EBU functionalityby the addition of an audio cardin the Audio Engine.

Also added were 66 block ter-minations to the newly run cables

to and from the three studios. While on the subject of thestudio cable runs, traditional multi -pair shielded cableswere used for the analog audio runs. Also included wereCAT -5e 25 -pair cables for computer network connectivityto the rooms and the RS -422 communication lines neces-sary for the Remora Consoles to communicate with the

audio engine. These 25 -pair cables were also terminatedin 66 blocks that are CAT -5e compliant. The only computer

network connectivity that did not take advantage of thecables was the automation network, which was set upfor gigabit speed. Most of the automation network con-nections to the switch were kept in the rack room sincemany of the automation workstations were physicallyinstalled there. So the CAT -6 cables were kept short. Forthe workstations located in the studios for production, acommercially made CAT -6 cable was purchased and runinto the rooms directly from the automation switch.

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Ripping out legacy wires proved to be a heroic effort.

Yes, cross connecting was next on theagenda. Since most of the audio sourcesand destinations would remain in the rackroom, cross connecting was short and tothe point. On the automation side, thekeyboards, video for the monitors, and themice connections were remoted to the airstudios with Avocent KVM extenders. Con-nectivity from the local to the remote KVMwas accomplished through CAT -5e cables.In this instance, we utilized the 25 -pair runsinto the rooms. The only workstations that

Mediatouch workstationcomputers and Broadcast Toolsswitcher in the rack room.

did not have KVM extenders on them wereworkstations designated for production. Hereit was deemed better to have the workstationsin the rooms so access to CD/DVD driveswere available.

With everything in place, and all the crossconnections made, it was time to cut over to the

new systems. To accomplish this task withoutlosing any air time, we had to run the on-aifor each studio out of the production roomone at a time for an evening each. The oldequipment of each room was removed alongwith the old wiring. As I mentioned earlier, there

was a heroic amount of legacy cables in thestudios. They were all cut and pulled out tomake room under the counter tops. Once theroom was cleared, the new equipment wasbrought in and connected. Each room tookapproximately six to eight hours to strip downand then re -populate with the new equipment.Having everything pre -wired ahead of timealso helped in this venture. For those of youkeeping count, the production room was lastin the upgrade scheme.

With WPIG and WHDL comfortably usingthe new consoles and automation system, thedecision to go with an audio router -basedconsole system definitely made the job goeasier considering everything that had to bedanced around. It gave us the ability to pre -wire 80 percent of the connections withoutaffectirg the legacy operation as most werekept localized to the rack room. The hard partwos doing a dance with legacy equipmertthat had their dance cards all filled over the20 -plus years of operation.

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RadioNlagOnline.com February 2010 25

February 2010 Part of the Radio magazine DAB Answer Series

HD Radio's ElectronicProgram GuideWhat's on the radio?By Rick Ducey, with David Maxson, Skip Pizzi, Adrian Cross

With nearly 2,000 HD Radio broadcast ser-vices now operating in the United States,we're certainly approaching a critical mass

on the delivery side of digital radio. What will attractthe critical mass on the consumer side? Consumershave recently become accustomed to the availabilityof program service information (metadata) along withtheir digital media experiences. HD Radio offersprogram -associated data (PAD) for this purpose via the

EPG Aggregation

Content Creation

Figure 1. The Radio EPG ecosystem1110 Broadcast

stickiness of listenership by keeping audiences awareof what's next.

The NAB Fastroad EPG ProjectTo bring Radio EPG services closer to fruition, the NAB

Fastroad program funded an EPG development project.BIA/Kelsey and Broadcast Signal Lab combined forcesand won the original contract to explore the businessand technical requirements of EPG using the HD Radioplatform. Unique Interactive of London joined the project

team, bringing its vast experience as an EPGand digital services developer. The projectteam worked closely with Ibiquity Digital, the

inventor and licensor of HD Radio technol-Web EPG s.,i,, ogy, and with representatives of the radio

ctics industry and the broadcast equipmentbroadcast industry, the consumer electron -

HD Radio Program Service Data (PSD) service. PSDcan be used to label the artist and title of a song, orthe host and topic of a program. Or it can provide alink for more information about the current content. HDRadio broadcasting has been delivering PSD to HDRadio receivers since its inception.

Electronic Program Guide (EPG) services are the nextfrontier in program data for radio broadcasting. WhilePAD is about what's playing now, EPG is about what'scoming up -a metadata method of forward promo-tion for radio stations that can be displayed full timeon a user's screen. Besides making radio seem morehip and up to date, EPG can increase listenership (asall good forward promotion does) and add to the

manufacturing industry.Phase 1 of the EPG project produced a report(www. na bfa stroad org /NAB_FASTROAD_EPG_Final.pdf) in 2008 describing the businessand system requirements for an effective HD

Radio EPG service, and presenting an EPGecosystem as a model for the development

Radio Ustonorof sustainable EPG service delivery.

It also pointed out the challenges to ter-restrial radio EPG, since it had never been attemptedbefore. Unlike the well -established EPGs in DTV, thereis no print -media predecessor or existing databasefrom which to build an electronic guide for radio.Add to this the considerations that there are manymore radio stations than TV stations, radio coverageis less uniform than most local TV signals, and there'sno telling what the EPG display will actually look likeon the many radio form factors, and you get a senseof the magnitude of the effort.

To help sort these issues and test the feasibility ofa radio EPG ecosystem, lab testing of various EPGmodes and a subsequent field trial were proposedand subsequently received a second round of fundingby NAB Fastroad.

The culm nation of this second phase of the EPG projectwas a field trial of the HD Radio EPG service conducted


What's On NowSort By Frequencyi Name

Ali

889 889 WEIRS

88 9

H02 Music for the Independsn

897 WGBH 897

89 7

HD2 All Classical WGBH

89 7

HD3 Cap. and Islands NPR Sta

90 3 WZBC 90 3 FM

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89.7 WGBH 89.7

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12,00 AM Jazz with Bob Parlocha

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iical Performances

odd

ng s Considered

orld

BBC World Update

89.7

WGBH 89.1

13 Sep (Wed)5:00 AM 6:00 AM (60 Minutes)

Gs early rr iees prograr-

-. you up to dot, ' events each

iveekday morning Featunng kve interviews ae.:

"igorous reporting on politics culture and the

,rivironment the program draws on the BBC's

-. .srk of 260 correspondents and 42Broadcast daily from the Bush

- ' minute program is

MarketHace

nth Eric in the Evening)

Figure 2. Various views of Radio EPG datcin online presentation during field trials.

in the Boston/Providence/Worcester markets duringthe summer of 2009. A remote real-time demonstrationof the Boston -area EPG system was presented on theexhibit floor of the NAB Radio show in Philadelphia nSeptember 2009.

Enhancing localism via EPGThese three adjacent Arbitron markets were se-

lected as the field trial location for several reasons. Ananalysis done during the first phase of the EPG projectshowed that one of the challenges to the delivery ofEPG services was in the geographic diversity of radiobroadcast coverage areas. An effective EPG servicewould provide the listener with an accurate listing ofthe programs available to the listener at his location.EPG services should filter out false positives, which a -eprogram listings of stations that are not receivable atthe listener's location, and false negatives, which aemissing listings for stations that are receivable at thelistener's location. The triple -market area provided ageographically compact example of the overlappirg

WFMT ChicagoCommencesHD RadioBy Hal Kneller, CPBE CBNT

Afine-arts station since its debut, WFMT-FMChicago has always had a reputation for classical

music and utmost audio quality. Station engineers once

designed their own audio processors because nothingon the commercial market was acceptable to them, nor

did they air commercials on tape cartridges.Launched in 1951 by classical music lovers Bernard

and Rita Jacobs who guided the station its first 15 years,

Chicago Educational Television Association/WTTW has

operated WFMT since 1970. Over the years, the station

has grown to offer some of its programming nationally,such as Jazz with Bob Parlocha, The Beethoven Network,

and syndicates many other short -form products such as

symphony orchestras and operas.Today, WFMT is equally concerned with audio quality

and has chosen the Nautel NV -40 to upgrade and initiate

HD Radio transmission. Chief Engineer Gordon Carter,

who celebrated his 40th anniversary with the station this

98.Chicago s classical experience

) ear, has an industry -wide reputation as an expert onaudio and processing, and has made numerous industry

presentations on the subject.Why did WFMT choose a Nautel NV -40 transmitter?

Carter says the reasons were reliability, sound quality and

a general preference for solid-state. He says, "With tubes,

pretty much if anything goes wrong, you're off the air.With solid-state a lot of things can go wrong and you'restill putting out some signal. You can lose a module orpower supply and still not be off the air." Reduced long-

term maintenance costs and the headroom to increaseHD Radio power to -10dBc, if approved, are additionalreasons for Carter's choice of Nautel.

Carter had been looking for some time but culminated

The DAB Answer Series is an ongoing series of articles thatcover :he technology of dig.tal audio broadcasting.

RadoMagOnlinecom February 2010 27

Drop -down boaoffers five choicesfor geo-filtering ofstations displayed

Figure 3. EPG withgeo-filtering

What's On NowSort By: Frequency I Name

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Boston MA 02215Medfield MA 02052Pawtucket R102861Shrewsbury MA 01545

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89 7 WGBH 89 7

89 7

HD2 All Classical WGBH

89 7

HD3 Cape and Islands NPR Station

90.3 WZBC 90 3 FM

90 9 90.9 wbur

91.9 WUMB Folk Radio

92.3 92 PRO FM

92.9 Radio 92 9

92.9

HD2 Radio You Boston

service areas of stations in adjacent markets. Thesemarkets also represent the scope of market sizesnation - large, medium and small. In addition, severalmajor radio groups that are supportive of the EPG trialown stations in these markets. Broadcast Signal Labwas able to leverage its long-standing relationshipswith commercial and non-commercial stations in thesemarkets to obtain participation in the field trial.

As Figure 1 indicates, a key component of the EPGecosystem (and thus the field trial, as well) was themultiplatform delivery of EPGto presenting the EPG as a1.7kb/s HD Radio datacast,the same data was providedon a Web service (optimizedfor handheld device browserdisplay), and viewed on a PCand an !phone at the NAB RadioShow demonstration (see Figure2). Because the Web serviceis available ubiquitously, itincluded the ability to manuallyfilter the display of availablestations by ZIP code, as shownin Figure 3. Ultimately this couldbe done automatically by a location -aware browser/device, on a national or even international scale.

service. So in addition

NAB Fastroad EPG booth during the 2009 NAB RadioShow (see Figure 4).

The EPG functions supported by Cydle's touch screenimplementation (shown in Figure 5) included:

1. Select station from list2. Load and display EPG of selected station3. Refresh EPG data4. Display previous day's schedule5. Display next day's schedule6. Close EPG

Project resultsSome preliminary conclusions from this field work

were drawn.1. EPG services, delivered over the air and (more

immediately) via networked devices, hold the promiseof engaging more listeners more often, in the face ofcompetitive media choices, by presenting the listener'slocal radio dial as a single service with many choices. Inaddition, EPG services provide an opportunity to supplycontinuous forward promotion to the current listener, inparallel to whatever is on the air at the moment.

2. The highest and best use of EPG is to present allstations' listings as if the local radio dial were a singleservice. The listener would see listings for all stationsavailable at the listener's location, similar to listings for

3. The service bureau has been shown to be an effectivemodel for generating and delivering EPG services. The ser-vice bureau is responsible for aggregating EPG data fromnumerous stations for presentation in a unified user interfaceand publishing it over multiple distribution platforms.

4. The classic chicken -and -egg problem is resolvedby immediately delivering EPG services via the Internet,while waiting for growth in the market adoption of EPG-capable radio receivers.

Chicken -and -egg problemThe chicken -and -egg problem is the situation where broadcasters

are reluctant to launch a new service if there are no receivers toreceive it, while CE manufacturers are reluctant to develop devicesto receive a service that broadcasters are not yet broadcasting. Theslow adoption of FM stereo, RBDS and color TV are examples ofthis challenge.

The First EPG-capable receiverThe EPG team was especially pleased by the support

of Ibiquity and Korean consumer electronics manufacturerCydle who collaborated to provide a functional prototypeHD Radio EPG receiver on hand for demonstration at the

Reaction to the research gathered from these RadioEPG trials has been cautiously positive. Broadcastershave confirmed by the manner in which they participatedin the trial that radio station programming, operations,engineering and IT time is precious. The trial worked outthe kinks on how to set up EPG on an HD Radio trans-mission system so it can be executed efficiently. OnceEPG transmission is established, stations would be well


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served by their software vendors (e.g. automation and/or traffic) if the vendors develop easy -to -use interfaces th,:incorporate EPG activity into the existing workflow.

What's next?What remains is more research and development to

define and test the business and operational models thatmake sense for U.S. radio broadcasters. We see the radiobroadcast industry making strong moves toward servingits audiences not only over the air using its traditionalbroadcast infrastructure but also to devices connectedto the wired and wireless Internet. Connected devicestypically offer a rich user experience, including a lot ofprogram information. It may pose a competitive risk Toradio broadcasters if a similar user experience is notprovided over the air. 41

Rick Ducey is the chief strategy officer for BIA Advisory Services,BIA/Kelsey; David Maxson is the owner of Broadcast Signal Lab;Skip Rizzi is a media technology consultant; Adrian Cross is thesoftware development team leader at Unique Interactive.

his transmitter search at the 2008 NAB Show. He and hisboss, Window to the World Communications' Presidentand CEO Dan Schmidt, went to the show to take a finallook and move forward with the purchase. Appointmentswere made with the major HD Radio transmittermanufacturers. Schmidt told Carter that the major focusshould be on redundancy, reliability and solid-state, andafter seeing Nautel's NV -40, he told Gordon to make itwork within the budget.

WFMT had some other important criteria. The SearsTower is a busy and expensive location - rent is by thesquare foot, so transmitter size is important. The compact

design of the NV -40 along with its relatively light weight

compared to some other models fit the profile for floorloading requirements. Additional space is saved due to the

NV -40's built-in redundancy - WFMT presently operates

with no auxiliary transmitter since installing the NV -40in April 2009.

As an early adopter of the NV -40, Carter suggestedsome engineering improvements that have now beenincorporated into the NV Series. One is an option toplace the circuits powering the controller and excitersunder a UPS for both stability and more rapid re -startsafter power bumps. Carter says, "We have serial number

4, this is a new product; it was a lot less troublesome than

it could have been, and has fully met my expectations for

both quality manufacturing and sonic excellence." He says

he's been complimented by both listeners and competingmarket engineers on the HD Radio sound quality. Withthe Nautel NV -40, WFMT's reputation for excellenceremains at an industry pinnacle. A

Kneller is market devElopment manager for Nautel.

The NV40 in operation at WFMT


Tips, tricks, hints and moreCover the gap

Robert Dominguez, general manager of the Guadalupe Radio Networkof West Texas, shared his solution for some weather protection. He

explains that some work had been done to a station's AM transmission lines,including new spark gaps. Just as the finishing touches were put on the gaps,he noticed that storm clouds were moving in. The station engineer suggestedcovering the spark gap in some way to protect it from being shorted by theheavy rain.

Time was short, and ideas were few, but Dominguez visited a few hardwarestores for ideas. He wanted something inexpensive,but it had to stand up to the rain without presentingany electronic influence to the transmission system.He looked in several places but found nothing untilhe was about to leave the store. That's when henoticed some small accessory bins on sale for 99cents. Dominguez bought two and returned to thetransmitter site.

He cut holes for the wires to pass through andmounted the bin to the wall. Dominguez notesthat even during the recent highest wind day onrecord the cover stayed in place. Seems like agood investment for 99

We need your tips!Ideas submitted to Tech Tipsmay be suitable to earn SBErecettlication credits.

Do you have a tech tip?Send it to us at

[email protected]

By Chriss Scherer, editor

Online resourcesWe have compiled quite a collection of tipsand ideas as well as resource lists. These

are all posted at RadioMagOnline.com in the TechTips and Engineer's Notebook sections. Whilewe add to and update ours all the time, there aresome online references that are quite complete ontheir own and are worth bookmarking.

There are several online glossaries available,and we'll start with our own. The Radio magazineGlossary primarily covers terms specific to radiobroadcasting. Like any resource, this is an ongoingwork in progress and is updated regularly. If there'sa term you think we should add, let us know.

One that you could access quite often is theRadio Pro Audio Reference. This dictionary is up-dated regularly and contains an enormous rangeof terms and ideas. The online resource can alsobe purchased in hard copy from Rane.

Equipment dealer Sweetwater also has a glos-sary of terms. Its focus leans on music productionand performance, but it's still a broad referenceof terms and ideas.

If mics fit your fancy, you will probably likeStan Coutant's Microphone Site. It's loaded withimages, specifications and literature of manymics, from vintage to modern. It's a good way to

kill some time, but it's also a good reference forthe inquisitive.

If you just want to see vintage broadcast mics,turn to James Steele's mic page. There are lots ofphotos of mics organized by manufacturer. It's agallery rather than a resource, but who doesn't liketo look back and reminisce once in a while?

Do you have some favorite online references?Tell us about them.

Radio magazine Glossaryradiornagonline.com/mag/glossary

Rane Pro Audio Referencerane.com/digi-dic.html

Sweetwater Glossarywww.sweetwafercom/expert-center/glossary

Stan Coutant's Microphone Sitewww.coutant.org

James Steele Mic Pagewww.k-bay106.com/photos.htm


Modular Operation in Op -X allowsfor a tiered system at a fraction ofthe cost of it's competitors.Each studio client is capableof accessing all Audio Servermodules on the network.Remote voice -tracking allows forcreation of content for remotestudios also running Op -X.The revolutionary design ofOp -X's clock builder turns theprevious task of schedulingsatellite programming into afew simple clicks.Share serial devices from anymachine using the Op -X SerialServer.Importing logs now gets its ownmodule that takes confusion outof the process.Engineers will enjoy Op -Xbecause it's easy to install,maintain, and has automaticbackup features.

ovIA1,7109

7r, 14154 / BnAlso Lams S54111404.24 0 100os C0401011

, WOW 0 r* T, CM Km4144410.040

0,-3-X is very functional and easy to use.One of the nest features is the log merge.On our old system it took minutes and withOP -X it takes seconds.'

-John O'Dea. Ups MgrWNNK-FM. Harrisburg. PA

VT 112 14 4/4 al14.11

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AUTOMATIONSIMPLE POWERFUL REDUNDANT

Not since Axia audio-over-IP was introducedto the broadcast industry have we at BGS been so excited! It is

with great enthusiasm we'd like to invite you to take a look at the

new Op -X Radio Automation delivery system for any single or multi -

station cluster. Op -X's versatility allows it to operate seamlessly with

either Axia IP-Audio networks or legacy audio consoles.

BroadcastersGeneral Store

352-622-7700www.bgs.cc

FIELD REPORT wwvv.RaclioN/aOnline.com

Samson Q2UNick is a sports reporter on the run. He faces stiff deadlines. Typically,he is required to upload one -minute sports roundups to several sta-tions that use his reports on the next day's morning show. Nick only

carries a laptop with Wi-fi connectivity and his favorite recording software.Luckily for Nick, it's all he needs. He no longer carries an extra sound mixercase, audio cables and power supplies. Nick uses the Q2U USB microphone

package from Samson. Complete with a dynamichandheld microphone and headphones, he'll havehis reports completed and uploaded long beforethe lights go out at the arena.

At a glance, the 02U looks like a regular

Performance at a glanceDynamic cardioid

pickup pattern

16-bit/48kHzA/D converter

Works with anyediting software

USB connectivity

3.5mmheadphone jack

No software ordrivers to install

XLR output and USBI/O can be used

simultaneously

Sturdy diecaststeel construction

HP -20 headphonesoffer quality monitoring

handheld dynamic microphone. It has an on/offswitch, dual -stage silver grille, cardioid pickuppattern, an XLR output and a gray body. What'sunique though, is the USB I/O jack, the 3.5mmheadphone jack, the green USB LED indicatorand the headphone volume control. Inside themicrophone is a 1 6 -bit/ 48kHz A/D converterthat allows the unit to become an external I/Oaudio device for a PC or Mac. The XLR and USBcan be used simultaneously for connection to alive sound console and computer for recording.The no -latency 3.5mm headphone jack makesmonitoring during recording a snap. The Q2Upackage ships with Samson HP20 studio head-phones, which deliver accurate audio and are verycomfortable. Also in the package are a standardmicrophone stand clip, tripod -style desk stand,USB cable, 10' XLR to '/4" cable and Cakewalkaudio editing software.

By Chris Wygal, CBRE

Real useThe story about Nick is true. He's a colleague

who took great interest in the Q2U, soI let him

take it for a week to try. Upon connecting the USBcable to his laptop and the HP20 headphonesto the bottom of the actual microphone, he wasable to instantly record his voice-over material.In addition, he could monitor himself using theheadphone output on the microphone, plus hecould hear the multitrack editing playback on hissoftware. The unit effectively becomes a handheldexternal soundcard. I too gave the Q2U a whirlin the radio studio, on a laptop in the field and atmy personal studio. Each computer recognized thedevice and loaded the drivers immediately withouthaving to load any software or firmware. The onlyadjustments we had to make involved telling theediting software to use the Q2U as the primaryI/O device. This did not require a reboot. TheQ2U is the epitome of plug and play.

In addition to its ease -of -use, the Q2U boasts astrikingly noticeable dynamic cardioid microphoneelement that is noise free and capable of handlinghigh SpLs. Voice-over reproduction during ourtesting was stellar. With a frequency responsebetween 50Hz and 1 5kHz, the Q2U performedsuperbly. Samson also specifies the unit for usein mikirg drums, guitar and piano. Based on thetrue reproduction during our voice tests, puttingthe Q2J in front of most instruments or any voicetype would be well warranted. Of course as is thecase w th many dynamic handheld microphones,P -popping can be considerable. In the Q2U usersmanual, Samson prescribes the PS -01 pop filterto help eliminate plosives.


The only variable concerning the Q2U was its us-age with the audio editing software. Every softwarebrand is different and may require some trickery when

assigning I/O devices. The user's manual takes great

care to help the user understand the many possiblesettings when installing on a PC or Mac. However,in less than a minute the Q2U was working perfectly

FIELD REPORTwith no hiccups. All in all, connectivity i5 a breezeand quality is excellent. The Q2U greatly simplifiesthe non-linear audic recording process.

Vlygal is the programmer, engineer and Web designerfor Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA.

Editor's note: Field Repors are an exclusive Radio magazine featuretor radio broadcasters. Each report is prepared by well -qualified staff ata radio station. production facility a consulting company.

These reports are performed by the industry, 'or the industry. Manu-facturer support is Imited to providing loan equipment an.I to aiding theauthor if requested.

It is the responsibility of Radio magazine to publish the results of anydevice tested, positive or negative. No report shaAd be considered anendorsement or disapproval by Radio mar ja7Ine.

The Q2U package comes with a handheld micand headphones.

SamsonP 631-784-2200

W NWW.samsontech .com

E [email protected]

Find the mic on this issue's coverand be part a draw'ng to win aSamson Q2U recording pack.

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NEW PRODUCTSby Erin Shipps, associate editor

www.RadloMagOnlinacorn

Linear PCM recorderSony

PCM-M10: I he PCM-M10/B is a96kHz/24-bit capable recorderwith electret condenser stereo micro-phones, 4GB of internal flash memoryand a microSD/Memory Stick Micro(M2) slot for expanded memory. Keyfeatures include a built-in speaker,cross -memory recording, digitalpitch and key control, digital limiter,

low-cut filter, track mark functions, a5 -second pre -recording buffer andA -B repeat capability. The recorderincludes a USB high-speed port forsimple uploading and downloading ofnative WAV or MP3 format recordedfiles to and from Windows PC or Maccomputers. The M10 offers durableconstruction and long battery life using

c,nyr,ntinnol AA alkaline batteries.800 -686 -SONY; www.sony.com/proaudio

Solid-state recorderTascam

SS-ROS: Like Tascam's SS -R1 and SS-CDR1, the SS -R05 rackmount recordercaptures to compact flash media with no moving parts. The entry-level recorderremoves features from the SS -R1, like balanced audio and RS -232C control,to create a new low -price model.

323-726-0303; www.tascom.com; [email protected]

Audio plug-inIzotope

Acoustics analyzerAuralex AcousticsRoom Analysis Kit: Auralex Acoustics isnow offering a kit that complements the com-pany's Room Analysis Plus program for off -siteanalysis. The Room Analysis Kitprovides all the tools needed toacoustically analyze any room.It includes an omni-directionalmeasurement microphone,a USB drive featuring sweptsine signals and a completeinstructional guide. Userscan record a sweep with theomni-directional measurementmicrophone in the locationof the room in question. Allfiles can be sent via e-mail,along with the included RoomAnalysis Plus Form, directly toAuralex for examination by itsacoustical engineering staff. Fre-quency response, impulse response, waterfallplots and reverberation time values can begenerated from this service. A written reportwi I be presented back to the user within fiveto seven business days outlining the acousticalissues and how to solve them.

317-842-2600; [email protected]

Alloy: Alloy is anaudio plug-in thatcombines six essentialsound shaping toolsinto one integratedinterface. It is de-signed for any audiomixing applicationfrom professional re-

cording and post -production studios to thehome studio, and its uniquely configurableinterface helps pros work faster while givingless -experienced users simple starting pointsfor mixing. Alloy includes six modules: equal-izer, exciter, transient, dynamics, de-esser,exciter and limiter

www.izotope.com; [email protected]

Interactive contentStratos AudioStratos Media: Stratos Media is a nation-wide irteractive radio service covering all majorradio stations and markets, operable on (phone,Blackberry and Stratos-compliant devices withresident FM radios. It utilizes Mediaguide's real-time airplay and monitoring network, coveringmore than 2,500 stations in 150 markets andStratos' interactive ad creation, distribution andtargeting tools. Mediaguide's data currently fuelsnumerous "now playing" applications on popularsmartphones, and Stratos has similar applicationsfor mobile phones including those with FM receiv-ing capabilities. Stratos Media features includethe immediate ability for listeners to obtain moreinformation about advertisements and songs, down-load bar coded coupons to their handsets, vote,purchase content, watch live video and more.



NEW PRODUCTS

Audio converterNTP TechnologyDAD AX24: The DAD AX24 eight -channel audio converteris intended for use with high -end digital audio workstationswhere the highest possible recording quality is required. Itsupports 44.1 up to 192kHz sampling rates as well as the352.8kHz DXD sampling rate used for recording and editing Super Audio CDs. An optional high -qualitymicrophone preamplifier makes the AX24 a transr A 'D converter microphone preamplifier.

+45 4453 1188; www.ntp.dk; [email protected]

Routing/processing controlNetia Digital AudioNodal Masten As part of the Open NetRange, Netia's Nodal Master is softwarefor controlling all the routing and processingequipment in a nodal suite, from audio andvideo program schedules to audio and videotuning equipment, monitoring devices, etc.Nodal Master provides users with a singleinterface for controlling all this equipment while

enabling them to make links or switching fromany source to any target


Find the minwinner

December issueCongratulations to

David Cairesof WSIE-FM, Edwordsvill, IL.

His name wos drawn from the correctentries for the December issue. He won-a H

rad · impilk , ifa:arairrs no one else builds single -cabinet, solid-state transmitters with pcwer...

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