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Impatient Futurist: Forget 3D Screens—We Need 3D Audio, Like in Real Life
Impatient Futurist: Forget 3D Screens—We Need 3D Audio, Like in Real Life – http://pulse.me/s/UJx1
I agree with this person. Audio quality has slipped since the advent of digital music everywhere. I am asked constantly why I care so much about my on-air quality while others don’t. My answer is because I care.
Do you care?
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When The Economy Attacks
This was a tough week. The economy strikes again. I witnessed the layoff of 13 full-time employees and a handful of part-time employees. All good people. It seems every radio group has now seen what the economy has done, and we all must take up the slack as we move forward. Even with this tragic event, there is work to be done. In my case a lot.
This week I went live with our new Sage ENDECs. I have the air chain switching setup within the SAS router and all the handheld RC-1 controllers work. I now need to implement automation control, but that is up in limbo as we wait to see if and when we get our new system. I will have a temporary solution within the next couple of weeks.
On that note I am not impressed by the input controls of the ENDEC. There are 5 inputs to use, but you can’t use them the way you want. Sage gives you schemes to use them the way they think they should be used. I have called and expressed my concerns, but they go unheard. The main headache is their required 1 second closure for the box to work properly. Anything less and it acts different and creates a gotcha. The SAS closures are roughly 300ms. Using Scheme 1 instead of a RWT it starts a 15 minute hold timer before running the test. Not very intuitive. Why we cannot program how the inputs work is beyond me, especially since the box is network accessible. And the answer is yes, I am looking for ways to “hack” in and control the box via something other than their web GUI.
I also cleaned up a Harris/PR&E Impulse console. I had to order a handful of new switches. I must stress if coffee is spilt into a console, just tell us. I was able to clean things up on the PC board and luckily the solder pads were intact. I was suspect of the ribbon cable connector. I used Deoxit and made sure all the contacts got burnished. I sparyed air through to get any extra residue and cleaner out of the connector. The console is up and running for morning show production. Now if I could drop a little SAS Rubicon in there….
Now that this stress week is over I can attack details and do some digging. Some days I wish I could program so hacking wasn’t such a chore. At least it is fun to dig!
Have a good weekend.
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Summary of Life
Oh there is so much to write about. I’ve been on vacation, and now back this week to much to do. Twitter has been good for updates. I sure would like to drill down and give you guys some substance, but here we are summarizing the fun we have had this week.
HVAC. Finally, after 6 or so years, we have air conditioning at our Class A transmitter site. The R2D2 type units just were not cutting it and when I had the vendor out to get the quote, one of the units would not stay on. Now that the new unit is in, the room is consistent and hopefully will be much cleaner as it is a closed system. We had a Fujitsu 2.5 ton split system installed. It is quiet; almost too quiet. The residence at the house will appreciate that. It is rated at 19 SEARS, so it is efficient. Let’s see how efficient over time. Check that off the list.
I received my RF load for a station that had one under-sized since the HD installation. That needs to go. The thing showed up the day before I left on vacation. I will squeeze that in shortly. Should be straight forward. Of course I plan on making the project a bit more complicated as the RF coax switch on that station needs to be rotated 90 degrees as the interlocks do not line up properly with the controller, position-wise. Now that will be fun. Drop switch, rotate it, and make plumb again.
New Avaya phone system was installed. Some minor adjustments are required, but we had the first phones up and running 1 hour after the old system was turned off. We’re good. I congratulate the IT dude on his planning and the folks at GSolutionz for providing a good installation experience. Can’t wait to play with the new features. I do have one thing we are attempting to solve: Connecting the system to the Telos 2101. I have Green, but I do not have the numbers and the two systems are not quite talking with each other. I’m waiting for a call from Telos now (been 2 hours already) on the error codes that are showing so I can get the techs to adjust the Avaya to provide what Telos needs. Anyone else connect a phones system to the Telos? Any luck, trouble, solutions?
I continue to find the time to run tests and evaluate the Orban 8600. Stay tuned for a user report somewhere. Hint: I like it. Now will Omnia step up and let me dig on that one?
I continue to rotate 6 year old Aphex 230 processors through as they fail. All the same vintage and all getting capacitors replaced. I am still not told which ones, but at least I know they get recalibrated when sent in for service. Believe it or not, one unit had a tube replaced. I need to dig up the type and get a couple replacements in house. My oldest is 7 years old.
Keeping busy is good. Makes the days fly by. If there is a subject you would like to hear about, let me know. I appreciate all comments, good and bad.
Have a great 4th of July weekend!
Why We Like Tieline
In a nutshell: Because they work. In the last week we had one day, last Sunday, three live broadcasts or some feed via Tieline. One was our weekly show utilizing a POTS connection, one was an extended broadcast utilizing IP through a resort, and one was feeds from a concert utilizing IP via Verizon 4G modem. Meanwhile a fourth unit was in Mexico ready for a week of morning show broadcasts utilizing IP. Needless to say everything worked just fine with minimal issues.
If that was not enough, we helped a fellow broadcaster stay on the air while tower work occurred at their site. We provided our Aux site for use and we used a Tieline to provide audio from their studios to ours via IP. Once again, all worked just fine.
If you have not noticed, and you have read the trades, audio delivery via IP is our number one choice. We prepared for and accepted the Internet as a viable option, even international. Latency has not been an issue. Quality is quite acceptable and actually superior. The one caveat is the occasional data hit. This is kept to a minimum with the right combination of data rate and error correction. Of the worst offenders was the resort hotel right in our backyard. Our experience is they have minimal bandwidth shared with many guests. The kicker is the broadcast from Cabo had less errors than the local resort!
The ease of use and the flexibility of the Tielines keep us on top of our live broadcasts. We are sticklers on quality. We like to tinker with the latest (4G). We are successful because of it. Our oldest Tieline iMix-3G is coming up to at least 5 or 6 years old now. We work them hard, and we will be working them harder.
Busy Is Good, Too Good?
I realized I did not update last week. The highlight was an AT&T pole that came down removing Telco service for 3 site users. We faired well as our T1 stayed active, but dial-tone, audio for client, and other data went down. On top of that we had a root-kit invade a VoxPro machine (thanks guys), and a file corruption on an Audition machine. Between Jeremy and myself we cleaned that right up. We were one hand short, too.
We continue our busy schedule with a failed R2D2 air conditioner and much to-do planning our big NexGen migration. I also have orders in for the EAS-CAPS upgrade. The ball is rolling and soon won’t be able to stop. I have been working with Burk Technologies to upgrade our 20 year old ARC-16 units. I am redesigning the system.
Speaking of redesign I have been working up options for a new server room to house the RCS system. It is changing constantly, but finally coming to light. I like the Vision blocks from Middle Atlantic as that is making things easier. I discovered I do not like their RackTools application. It seems lacking. I was hoping for something that smoothly let’s me change between front and side views, but nothing ever lines up nor can I rotate an accessory like a power strip.
Work is scheduled for this weekend as I engineer one of our live broadcasts. This sure is turning into a busy year!
Cheers!
Thorn of the Week
Why not mention that I love the Aphex 230 Voice Processor. I find it an awesome device. Yet, this week it has been a thorn in my side. I am having a rash of failures among some of my older units. It is not the tube. When sent in for repair it comes back with a packing list stating 2 capacitors and 1 IC replaced. It does not tell me which ones and why.
The symptoms of the failure: 1. Power LEDs behind the Aphex logo do not light; 2. Audio does not pass; 3. Clip/mute LED either flickers or is on solid; 4. The De-ess LED is lit with flicker. I suspect a power supply issue, but no definitive answer to that question. I await a phone call to find out more details and if I can do field repairs to the units. As a “precision” voice processor I do not want to make repairs and have not way to calibrate the unit, so part of the phone call is to determine feasibility.
If you have one of these units I am curious at what the age it is, and if you had/have any other issues with it. I will begin a routine replacement of tubes on the oldest units as they are pushing at least 7 years if my calculations are right. I figure that is a good amount of time plus I want to find out if there is an audible difference between before and after.
Many minor items are burning in the background. I am making progress on the Orban 8600. I am still in the poking around stages. Plan on some review in a trade near you soon. Have a great weekend!
USB to Serial Crash
Have you run into this fine crash on a Windows XP computer using an USB-to-Serial converter: DRIVER_IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL?
Not a nice thing as it restarts the computer. Had it happen on our SAS RCS computer thus causing a slight panic when timed automation events stopped running. The error refers to the ser2pl.sys driver as the cause.
So far I have not found any solutions to this and it is a random occurrence (3 times in 9+ months). My next attempt will most likely be a different manufacturer of said USB to Serial device.
The other interesting point is how much broadcast related equipment and processes still require the tried and true serial port and how many, like all, computers do not come with one; thus, forcing us to use these converters as manufacturers catch up and make IP based control and monitoring the norm.
Another one of those “all in a days work” thing. A simple reboot to make sure all is restored and running is all it takes.
Social Media Returns and In the Works
We seem to have some response to social media. The bad news is that the old dragonbill twitter account was slashed and dashed. The new twitter is Eisenhamer_Eng, so look for that.
Facebook seems to be OK. That account did not have any issues.
So if you wish to follow on twitter, look for the new account.
Some stuff in the works:
Preparing for EAS-CAPS, Continued. Yes, the plans and orders are about to begin.
Installation of RCS NexGen. The true story as we begin our installation of this beast.
Troubleshooting Part 1 Zillion. Yes, most of you know how to, but why not reiterate, right?
Hope to see you on Twitter and Facebook again!
Social Media
I am posting here as I have no other outlet at this time. My Twitter and Facebook have been terminated. If you find either of these helpful I will create a new twitter and reactivate Facebook.
For some these means work well, for me I see no movement and not worth the up-keep. That said, maybe I can spend more time writing in-depth posts more frequently here.
My NAB Round-up
If you were looking for something new and cool, you may have been dissapointed. For me it was refreshing to not be bombarded with” it’s new and fresh” sales pitches. I saw more to my liking the” we have improved this or made this” better in our product. When you purchase products that are meaant to last several years you cannot purchase the latest and greatest, so you look for the improvements.
Sierra Automated Systems showed me the improvements to their routers. IP audio and redundant MCU capability. Nautel previewed a bit of the AUI and I was unable to return for some in-depth insight to a couple of NV questions I have, so a phone call is going to be made. Harris will be providing me another software/firmware update to the Flexstar as I continue to have issues. At least theyare responsive to my needs.
There was one item that I thought was cooland innovative. It belongs to Pelican, the road case guys. It was an LED light that packs within a case. Bright, battery operated, it was exactly what I need for them dark morning show remotes outside. Shoot even in dark venues pop one of them out. The batteries last 8-10hrs. I saw two and four light versions. Switches file each light. Very handy and in its own case. Nice job. That gets my cool stuff vote!
These are the 9400 series remote area lighting systems. I really liked the 9470 package, but may be overkill.
I made my customary stops and expressed my opinions, be that what it may. Some vendors are quite receptive and others think I’m a freak. In either case it was a good show for me this year. Till next time!
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Tech Notes from the Field 