Archive
What Apps Do You Use?
Happy Friday All!
Yeah, this is some filler stuff, but it crossed my mind and I wonder what apps you use for your work. There are some apps that I use daily, and others are available when I need them. All my apps are Android as I use a Samsung Galaxy Note 2 phone and an Asus tablet. If you have i-apps, I bet you have some good one there. So, here is my list:
DroidEdit Pro: This is on my tablet. I use this to edit web pages on the fly and as a text editor if necessary. The pro version has FTP support built into the app and if you use Dropbox (I don’t) it will connect with that.
ElectroDroid: I use this as a reference. Comes in very handy. If I see myself using it more I will purchase the full, pro, version.
Evernote: Daily use. I love this service. The app works well, though I think their interface can be a bit better. It syncs to all my devices, so I am a happy camper. Having notes that I take at the office available at a transmitter site has been invaluable. I’ve had calls while out and about and I have the information handy. Invaluable.
GPS Essentials: A new app I am playing with is handy. Compass and GPS information. Still in the eval stage.
HootSuite: Yup, this is where I post to my Twitter feed and catch up on those I follow. I do not use Facebook that much, so that part doesn’t help. Now if they added a Google+ feed that would be awesome.
OpenSignal: We do a lot of 4G LTE broadcasts. Yes, we do. We have one today. When out in the field checking on broadcast sites, I whip out the phone and use this app to tell me all the information about where the cell tower I’m connected with is, whether it’s 3G or 4G, data rate, voice quality, and mapping. This app has improved over the years and continues to serve as a useful tool.
RealCalc Plus: Paid version of RealCalc. This is a very handy scientific calculator. If I do not have my trusting HP with me, this fills in nicely.
Report-IT: Of course I had to add this. We are a Tieline shop for our remote codecs. This app we have on our Apples and Androids. It has saved us much time and effort on some multi-location, single venue events.
RF Terrain Profile: I just found this one and testing the free version. This looks useful for a quick evaluation of STL paths. It gives you the profile of the path and you can add a link budget. The paid version allows import and export to a KML file for use in Google maps/Earth. It shows the first Fresnel zone on the profile.
SatelliteAR: I had this about 4 devices ago. This is an awesome satellite tracker, finder, and then some. I use it to track the ISS, too! If you need a rough way to point a satellite dish, this will help tremendously.
Shush!: How many meetings do you go into and set your phone to vibrate or silence? How many times do you forget you did that? This app is awesome. You use your phone’s volume control and set either silence or vibrate. Then you set the time, e.g. 2 hours, and click Shush! After 2 hours, the phone will go back to normal volume settings.
Smith Chart Matching Calc: I have not had a real use for this, but it doesn’t hurt to have in the arsenal, especially if you work on AM arrays.
Splashtop2 Remote Desktop: A great find by our IT dude. Remotely access all your necessary computers via phone or tablet and operate them as if you were sitting right there in front of the machine. I can check up on our main remote control computer for an overall look, access my Importers, and of course my work desktop if I need something on that. Good stuff.
Ulysse Gizmo: Another GPS compass that I’ve use for years and it just gets better with upgraded devices as the GPS receivers in said devices get better. Compass, speedometer, GPS status, bubble level, clinometer, magnetometer, map viewer, etc. With this you don’t need to carrier that GPS device with you any longer.
Weatherbug: I keep bouncing between weather apps, but always come back to this one. I would settle on Weather Underground, but that one seems to really slow my device, so back to this. The upgraded interface is nice and covers all my weather needs.
WolframAlpha: Just becuse! Have you every used this? It is very cool and fun, in a geek way. Check it out.
I have the whole Google Suite thing going for me, too. All the obvious with GMail and Maps, but I also use Voice and Sky Map. I just started getting into the Google Now thing. So far it is pretty good, but very basic. Not the most useful stuff, yet. I know they will start tracking me more as I use it.
There you have it. A bunch of apps that I have on my Android devices that help with my work. I know there are others, so feel free to suggest more. I’m always looking for improvements and upgrades.
Cheers!
NAB Show from the Field
I am back at work and recounting what my feelings are about the NAB show. Of course all of this is from the floor perspective as I do not have the money to attend all the fancy talks or events. I usually get all that stuff later, so maybe I can read something interesting and relay my thoughts on them later. As for the show, for me it was mediocre in a good way.
Let’s talk first of the show itself as this is the mediocre aspect. As I am in radio, yes I admit it, the much to do about nothing TV and video is not high on my list. Don’t get me wrong as there are really cool things going on in the video and TV, it is not my main focus. With that in mind all the hype is on video and TV with very little on radio, and all of it is the SAME propaganda. Does anyone ask if it is really relevant? Do I care about 4k TV and video? No. I wear glasses and much of it is wasted on me. I’m not even a 3D fan as it is far from realistic and plain lame. Personally I would rather see more pertinent, realistic things on both sides, radio and TV like IP technology (which was there) and transport. How to make it happen. The sessions cover the details of these things, but it would be nice to see and talk in a booth on how it works. I’m an hands on guy, so “feeling” it gives me a better idea of how well it may work in the real world. On that note, what did I find cool?
Let’s start with the Radio Magazine’s Pick Hits (in no particular order)
1. DEVA Broadcast DB4004. FM Radio Monitoring Receiver. Yup, that is exactly what it is. Too many features to write up, so visit the website. I like the measurements with history. WEB and FTP, so there is a NIC installed. Web browser is embedded as is the FTP server. Email alerts, SNMP. Almost everything is configurable. I talked with Todor Ivanov, GM, and he was very passionate about his products. It shows. Now if iBiquity will talk with him it will be HD ready. He is prepared and ready to roll with it as soon as the love comes.2. Nautel. I attended the Nautel Users Group on Sunday and was introduced to the new Omnia Direct for the NV transmitters. Yes, digital composite direct from the Omnia 11 to the NV. All NV’s shipped with version 4.0 firmware is capable, any upgraded to version 4.0 will be ready. Speaking of that, version 4.0 firmware will ship soon. I talked with Kevin, customer service manager, and I expect it soon to test on “older” rigs (my 4 year old NV20’s). I look forward to trying that out.
Did I mention they introduced a new TV transmitter?
3. Tieline. The latest from Tieline is the Merlin Plus IP Codec capable of doing 6 simultaneous remotes. Place one at your studio and have up to 6 simultaneous mono remotes. Did I mention just 1 box at the studio? Connect with Report-IT and/or your G3 Field Units or iMixes. Not a bad idea for facilities that do a lot of off site live stuff.
In addition to this product, Tieline is also incorporating Opus codec technology. The standard is open source, so no licensing fee. Great for the end user.
4. Audion Labs VoxPro 5. I put this here because I am a VoxPro plant. It works. Air talent likes it and low maintenance. Look for version 5 to be released this summer.
5. Arctic Palm Datacasting. I like this product. I want this product, but I can’t get it just yet. Send your data to RDS, HD, Facebook, Twitter, etc. Look for the Artist Experience if/when this gets going. It supports TagStation now. I think this is a great product for a centralized data distribution point. Stations that simulcast should take note.
6. Elenos. A new 3kW transmitter in 2RU with excellent efficiency. Anyone else? Though FM only, the digital modulator is ready for HD once the details with iBiquity is worked out. As a company, Elenos is another one that shows extreme passion for what they do. They are proud of their products and they will SHOW you. They will also talk with you and LISTEN.
Last, and least, is what is up with the new Harris Broadcast logo? I’ve asked this and I got many of the same response. I’m not sure what it represents (a TV?), but my first impression was a little more reactive. In any case, Harris does have a major presence and continues to build good product. One drawback is they are trying to do everything, and to me that doesn’t work. A certain “alliance” comes to mind.
Many of the products out there are good. So, from that aspect the show was good. I still wonder about HD radio. As any who reads my blog or follows me on Twitter or Google+, I’m not a huge fan. I do have 4 signals in HD and we started our HD2 with more to come. What bothers me is I know of 3 instances where I was told point blank that they (manufacturers) are waiting for iBiquity. Either to give approval or help to find the proper solution. If the company that owns the standard is dragging, do you want or need to wait?
I also felt that on the floor there was a lack of passion. I know of a few companies that are very passionate, as mentioned above, but many that are there because they need to show their wares. I also felt as if the cold shoulder was being given out freely this year. One booth, well know name, dismissed my presence. No one made an effort to talk. Come to think of it, there were a couple of booths like this. This is so wrong for many reasons, so beware expecting business or repeat business. Radio is so into themselves I feel that if you are the outspoken or outcast, there is not place for you. Could this be part of the radio industry problem?
On a cool note, if you wandered back and saw the DJI booth, you saw a very cool product. Drones! The small Phantom is ready to fly and ready to hold your GoPro Hero camera. The S800 is an 8-rotor job that accommodates a camera gimbal with 3-axis stability. One may ask why so cool? I mentioned to two engineers what I think this would be great for an engineer: basic tower inspection. If you need a quick look at a tower or antenna, fly one of these things up (need to check on range) and take pictures. Analyze on the ground and then determine if you need to hire a crew to get more details or repair an issue. I want to test to see if one of these can fly within the RF environment or at reduced power. In any case, cool product, and potential good use.
I do look forward to next year. I also made notes on what I think I should or will study up on as it becomes some prevalent to the industry. Most of the technology is IP. I have much more to learn on that. I’ll continue to update all I learn as I gather information. Till next year’s NAB show, see you in the social media space and the blog!
Cheers.
An Importer Upgrade: Lesson’s Learned
A couple of weeks ago I decided to pursue an upgrade to our Nautel Export+ and Importers. For those not in the U.S., this is the equipment that makes our HD Radio channels work, or digital radio. The old Exporter and the Exporter+ units upgraded just fine. It really isn’t that difficult. The Importers were a bit different.
My upgrade worked out well. First I had to update from Windows XP SP2 to SP3. Well, the boxes are so old I had to find an executable upgrade package on the TechNet site. I found it and it worked. Why did Windows Update not work? As mentioned the boxes were so old and all automatic updates are disabled due to the fact that the software used for HD Radio does not get the continuing testing required to keep up with OS changes. The Nautel version 4.4.7 update specifies Win XP SP3. The most time consuming part was using Windows Update to get all the current, laugh here, patches. Done.
Importer update: This was straight forward too. I skipped a version, 4.2.1, past 4.3.1, to 4.4.7. All installed well and even my BTC (Broadcast Traffic Consortium) station came up just fine. As we were pursuing an HD2 channel, I looked closely at the Capture Client for the secondary service and discovered that the second audio card was not there! My brain started to wonder what happened. The OS saw it and the Orban PC Remote software saw the two audio cards. Now what?
After a reinstall of the 4.4.7 software, the reinstall of the Orban audio card drivers, and more checks to see what I may have missed, I did not get anywhere. I contacted Nautel and this stumped them. I decided to contact iBiquity. They heard of some issue with the Orban PC1100 cards, but did not have an answer. I contacted Orban and they did not have an immediate answer. More suggestions of removing and reinstalling drivers and software. I decided to dig a bit more.
At no time did anyone mention the PC1100 version. I visited the Orban website and checked the download section. I discovered at some point the software and drivers for the PC1100 audio cards was updated. I usually keep up on updates, but, again, with HD stuff you do not touch it unless instructed to or forced to. I figured I had nothing to lose, so I downloaded the software and installed in on a machine where the Importer services have not been required. It worked! I notified all parties involved. Everyone assumed that this update was applied. Well, again, I do not apply any updates unless there is a confirmed reason when it comes to the iBiquity equipment. It is mentioned in all their documentation that automated updates and any other updates be cleared first. Well, a bulletin or something could have been issued with the latest requirements and no one would have had to worry about this update.
I updated the other two Importers and all audio cards are seen and work. Lesson learned. Update that audio card and drivers if you have not done so. This applies to anyone with a box that is at least 3 years old or older. I see that Orban now has the PC1101 audio card out. This is 2 audio cards in one. Anyone have experience with this one?
Lessons are learned, and we keep learning everyday. Keep your stuff updated within reason! Hopefully my little exercise will help others not fall into this little trap. Have a great weekend!
Cheers!
Playing with HD 2
Well, I will start by saying I am not a huge fan of the HD technology for digital radio here in the U.S. I see all this progress on all digital DRM and DRM+, but I do not, and have not follow it that much. I do believe the future is an all digital solution, but what type and when is not clear. In any case, as an engineer we are at the whim of either programming or some corporate mandate. This week it is at the whim of programming wanting to utilize an HD2 channel.
First, as I know some other mandates are coming down the pike, I decided to update all my Exporters and Importers to the latest software/firmware. Believe it or not it was not that difficult. Over the years it seems to have gotten a bit more stream-lined. The thing that makes me laugh is that, just now, the Importer software supports Windows XP SP3, so I had to update the machines from SP2 to SP3. Since SP2 is no longer really supported, I had to download from Microsoft a update executable to SP3. Once installed all the Windows Update stuff started working again. My question is will any of this stuff work on Windows 7 or 8, or will it go to a Linux based OS like the Exporters? I guess I will know and learn about that some day!
To add to the complexity, the HD 2 will be run on our simulcast stations, so I first attacked the main and got that running. I then performed the configurations for the simulcast station. All works pretty well I might add, but I did discover an oddity. When configuring the Capture client for the second station, I noticed that I had one, and only one choice of sound card. This made me wondered how I would know if I have my audio feeding the “right” one. I did a bit of digging and everyone says that if there are two sound cards, they should show up in the list to be selected. That is definitely not the case on ANY of the Importers I have with that software and version. All have 2 sound cards. No where can I find in any configuration where the capture client gets its information on sound cards. The Windows OS shows both, the Orban software shows both, but not the iBiquity stuff. When I receive a definitive answer I will follow up with a note.
So, I had to determine which is the “right” sound card. Yes, the station is “out of range” to monitor HD at the studios, so the only test would be to feed audio to both cards, get to a receive location, and then disconnect one to determine which is correct. Logic prevailed as I chose the proper one initially. Now if this programmer goes nuts and wants an HD3, well, then we have a new issue: How to get the second sound card to feed that stream. I guess I will cross that bridge when we get there. For now, things are ready to roll when the programmer decides to pull the trigger.
My conclusion is nothing is easy or intuitive with HD and the iBiquity hoops we jump through to make this work. Some day I will gather my thoughts and post what my future of radio will look like in the fully digital world.
Cheers!
Break-Through, Breaking, Broke, Fixed
That sums up this week. Break a few things, get good news on an old issue, and fixing stuff. That’s my life.
Cleaning up is my number one To-Do this week and I can walk into my office now. Hall cleared, office cleaned up, and Station Logs files for 2013 are made. (year, really.) As we progress I got to cleaning up my remote control situation even more and creating automated tasks with macros. This turned into a 2 day exercise as I had a chat with my pals at Burk Technology with some questions when I find out they posted updates for the ARC Plus firmware, now at 3.0.0.37, and AutoPilot 2010, officially 2.8.4. Not resisting something “new” I had to update. All went well except for 2 ARC Plus units. The configurations I saved prior to the update messed them up when loaded back in! Doh! To quote Homer. I figured that out and loaded configurations I had saved last week when I made a couple of macro changes. Lesson learned: Save that configuration as soon as you make a change! Now I can proceed with some more macro building and some JET flowchart learning. Yeah, I’m lagging on that.
The break-through is from RCS and our on-going NexGen v. Sage Endec IP control issue. WE CAPTURED AN EVENT! I received and email and RCS is working on code to install within NexGen to more closely evaluate why NexGen did not respond to the incoming alert. We await this little update to the A-serves. I ask again, anyone else out there doing IP control between NexGen and Sage? I wish I knew a bit more of the inner workings of this system. On the other hand I would not want to see that internal road map as the software in its basic form has been around for years!
Broke: AT&T. Nuff said? We’ve had a series of T1 failures. Some responded to quickly, others just lie in wait to annoy us. I would suspect our Moseley equipment, but history proofs otherwise. I do wish Moseley had a better self monitoring system, but the equipment is older and we are looking at upgrading to newer systems. Bottom line is it sucks to not have line-of-site to transmitter sites so I can use a reliable microwave STL, I want a new 11GHz system so bad with a large bandwidth! I can dream, can’t I?
As things settle down, other than AT&T, I am now going to sweep the studios and clean up some dust bunnies. I think I have a battery replacement on an UPS due, too. Love the holidays!
Cheers!
PS: Glossary for those new to this stuff:
STL = Studio Transmitter Link. Conversely TSL = Transmitter Studio Link, the opposite path. In radio we are mostly concerned with getting audio to the transmitter site. In this modern world with data, along with monitoring/metering, the return path is for this information.
11GHz = 11 Giga Hertz microwave systems, is the band that carries audio, data. “Classic” STLs are in the 950MHz band with limited bandwidth. For comparison, 802.11 WiFi routers run in the 2.4GHz band with wireless N also in the 5GHz band. Wireless mice and keyboards are also in the 2.4GHz band.
NexGen and Sage Endec Control
We installed the RCS NexGen a year ago. As of today we still have issues with the NexGen – Sage Endec communications.
Our NexGen system is installed with no GPIO, or opto-relay, equipment. We are 100% IP control with the system at this time. We run EAS Required Weekly Tests, generated from the NexGen, without any issues. It is pretty simple once set up. NexGen is configured to look at the IP address and Port of the Sage Endec, monitoring for any Sage originated activity. If an alert or Required Monthly Test (RMT) comes in, NexGen is supposed to “see” it and act accordingly. It works sporadically at best. Today we had 2 of 3 stations run properly.
What could be the problem? No one seems to know or ask the proper questions. We have tested time and again the Sage Endec for the information it sends out. It exists. It’s there. It just needs to be acted upon. The NexGen will not “see” the information. It does not acknowledge that an alert or test has come in. If it does, it works just fine. If it doesn’t, then manual intervention is required or the Sage takes over and runs the alert or test on the air, interrupting programming.
I ask the question: Why does the NexGen machines not see the information consistently? It is there to be acted upon, so why does it not see it? NexGen is installed on Windows 7 server class computers. NexGen runs on layers of older code. I conclude one of two things: 1) the older IP stack on which NexGen is build stops responding, or 2) the Windows 7 computer “shuts down” something such that the information is ignored. Anyone have experience with Windows 7 boxes acting odd like this? Could there be a miscue between the application and the physical NIC?
We continue to send logs to RCS for evaluation. No one seems to have answer. One year later. Any Windows 7 insight is greatly appreciated, and if you have an RCS NexGen running IP control, let me know what experiences you have.
Cheers!
Remote Controls: Burk Technologies ARC Plus
As you have seen tweeted over the last few months, I have installed and now tweaking our new remote control system. I decided to go with the Burk Technologies ARC Plus as it was a logical move from the existing ARC-16 system plus I was able to integrate components from the ARC-16. Moving over to an IP based system was not too bad, though I do have to wonder what others do for data at their transmitter sites. Well, here are some things that I thing you should be aware of if you are considering the Burk ARC Plus.
1. It works. That’s nice. Make sure you get the latest firmware if you do not have it yet. Right now that is version 2.3.0.5. It is up on their website: Burk>Downloads>ARC Plus. This takes care of a flash memory corruption, that if attacks, you end up having to send the unit back to the factory. I did not need a loaner, but be prepared. Since the update my boxes have been running well.
2. Tech support has been very good, though response can be somewhat slow. Based on severity response is quick, but for some of the fun I’ve had email and screenshots have helped resolve some stuff.
3. Networking and having sites see/talk with each other. Talking with Burk, about half of the installs request or require sites to communicate with each other. I do it for convenience. If I’m on one site I like to be able to see the others. Keep your network simple, and since the data rate is not a huge demand, not too many issues with busy networks. We even have an older Moseley LanLink to one site and it works 90% of the time. Also, configure the ARC Pluses correctly the first time. I actually got confused and did not bother worry about the configuration of the Public IP Address field in the units. I though, hey, I’m not using a public network, I”m on extended LAN, why bother. I learned quickly that the sites will not talk unless everything is configured properly. In our situation, the Public IP Address and the Private IP Address must be the same. Research your installation and configure accordingly.
4. Build that site list right the first time. As tech support told me, think bees and a behive. Build the first site to start the hive. From there add new sites (bees) to the hive. Do not connect to other sites and start the process over again. Start with one and you will be safe. I have four sites (ARC Pluses) along with a couple of ARC-16s attached. Everything talks well, thus my delving into automatic switching of STLs and eventually switching to our auxiliary site. See point #3 above about configuring them private and public IP addresses. It is very important to make these sites talk.
5. When using AutoLoad 2010 and all the Plus-X devices, make sure the latest definitions are downloaded for the devices. Again, those are available on their web site (see link above).
That is what you need to make these things work. Since my installation, Burk has introduced the Plus-X IP-8 adapter which takes the actual cable used between the IP-8 and ARC-16, eliminates the ARC-16 and now talks with the ARC Plus via IP. Confused? Simplified: Keep existing IP-8, remove ARC-16, add IP-8 Adapter. Ethernet cable on network, configure ARC Plus. No rewiring of the IP-8. I wish I had that as I still have 3 ARC-16s on my system. I’m looking forward to updating that portion over the next year, money pending.
Note that all channel assignments when using the ESI (Enhanced Speech Interface) are 3 digits. Since you can have up to 256 channels monitored on the ARC Plus, 3 digits are necessary. Alarm reports are 300 now versus using 30. Status is 350. Logging off is 999, not 99. As you can tell, if you can get connected via VPN and a computer, that is the way to go versus using the phone, but that functionality is there. I am just starting to use the hidden channel feature so will update this post when complete.
Logging with the AutoPilot 2010 is similar to the older AutoPilot. I am still not happy that I cannot print to a file a daily log for each site as a dialog box continues to pop up to confirm the print to PDF. This may be a function of the PDF printer I am using, but still an annoyance. I’m open to suggestions and thoughts. If and when I figure out what I’m doing I will update this post. Overall the reports are definitely in-depth and you can pick and choose what you want in the report. I’ve used this to change a log for a week to track down a potential issue. Didn’t find one, so back to my normal reports.
Overall I like what we have. Not sure how others compare to this, but I would say the complexity level is about the same among them. I like the fact that I can access each ARC Plus directly via ESI, web interface, AutoPilot, and as a backup via modem. I also like that I can have AutoPilot on my computer for quick access from home while the application running in the shop continues doing it’s business. I will follow up as I create more macros and delve into the Jet Flowcharts which is next on my list of to-dos. BTW, there is new firmware update coming out, but no date yet that will make macro and flowchart processes run based on status and limit changes. At the moment you need to configure a monitoring loop to notice these changes.
Hope this information is helpful. I will update accordingly as mentioned. I plan to write more about other network devices and SNMP. Stay tuned for a short post on how I configured my silence detection using the feature in the SAS 32KD.
Cheers!
Hell Week or Just Plain Busy
As promised a recap of a busy week. If you follow my tweets, your sure already know we had a busy week. Harris, RCS, AT&T, and the regular stuff just piled on.
My Harris Flexstar RF mute issues sprung up on me this week. It has been on hiatus for a couple of months and then an outage on Monday and two within 15 minutes on Tuesday. So, in answer to a phone call today, no there is nothing really to do but make sure the latest and greatest in software/firmware release is installed. If you do not have that, you will not get much in return from tech support. I updated the Flexstar to Exgine 4.40 and DSP to 8.33. Since this had to be done, I had to upgrade the Exporter to 4.3.1 and the Importer to 4.3.2. This now sets the clock on if I continue to have issues, and knock on wood I have not had an issue since the update. On that note I still need a good answer to why HD data should be able to knock me off the air? So if you have issues with your Flexstar, update it. Then document exactly what the issue is. Once you have all that ammunition, give tech support a shot and see what answers you get. Do not be surprised if you feel a bit helpless. The HTHD+ as an RF amplifier is great, they just need to fix the most critical piece, the exciter.
While transmitter issues were occurring we were hit with an RCS NexGen crash. All 3 station decided to play the game. Console control stopped, database communications became sketchy, and the whole system was just sluggish. No apparent reason. We noted it had to do with network traffic, so some box is flooding the network or we have a physical device that has an issue. On that assumption we changed out the brand new Cisco switch purchased from RCS with an old 1GB Dell switch used on the old DAD network. Everything began to run much more smoothly. IT and RCS check the switch and all seems good. We still have yet to switch back.
If this was not enough, concurrent failure of a T1 to a transmitter site happened. I was on the phone with AT&T when the Flexstar decided to drop off. It must have been a funny picture having me on the phone with AT&T while I was poking the remote control switching us to our Aux transmitter. Multitasking at its best. AT&T replaced a repeater and a snap-jack in the CO. No dispatch to the site. This particular CO seems to be having many issue of late. We seem to cycle through which T1 goes down. Annoying, but they were on it and problem is solved for now.
In addition to running around dealing with this, I still am working details on the Burk remote control system. I have the sites up and in theory they should all see each other. Reality is a different story. I can see one site from the shop, but not another. While at the “offending” transmitter site, I was unable to see the other sites from the ARC Plus. Here is the odd part. With AutoPilot I can see all the sites. I get readings and all the good stuff. With AutoLoad I can see all the sites. Even at the transmitter site I had to visit I was able to see all the sites. Why the ARC Plus does not see the others, and the site list is in it, is beyond me. I have an inquiry to Burk on that one. I am also going to contact Moseley to delve into a potential issue with the LanLink. I need something a bit more robust. A 6 mile shot should not be that difficult.
I can say at least I was busy and not bored. Mix this with home life and it was quite a week. I’m glad to be able to sit down and spew this out. If you have experience with any of the items discussed or have any items you wish to see a discussion, please drop a line, leave a comment, or give a call. Now let’s see what next week brings!
Cheers!
One Busy Year and a Happy New Year!
Sitting here on the last working day of the year for me and reflecting on the busy year that just occurred and the upcoming year. I hope the economy improves a bit for the radio industry. Though we did good by corporate in terms of being able to clear some much needed projects, the operating side needs a bit of economic help as I suspect many of my peers may agree. Anyways, let’s see what we did this year.
Recently Tweeted events was the RCS NexGen installation. Not a huge installation, nor a small one. Let’s say moderate in size at 18 computers and all the fun that goes with installing them. We met our deadlines having all our stations on the system before the end of the year. We will continue to work out the little bugs as they pop up. The most recent bug, as that is the only term I can reference at this moment, is the Export data can only be assigned to a single network. Our audio servers have 2 NICs (Network Interface Card) to keep NexGen traffic separate from other data and external sources. Exported data such as RDS, HD PSD, and streaming must be sent out. We happen to keep our transmitter network separate from house and streaming, and we keep streaming off the house and transmitter networks. While configuring Export data for a station we are lead to believe you fill in the appropriate information and if TCP/IP one types in the port and IP address of the receive machines. Well, this works pretty good for the data we send to the transmitter network (RDS and HD PSD), but not so good with the streaming network. We find that the export data can only feed one NIC. Ouch! Next week we decide if we install a basic router or we press the issue with RCS. Other than little things like this the system appears to be working as advertised. Now if Programming and Traffic departments can play nice. The last accomplishment of the RCS install is we are connected for console control and EAS (Sage ENDEC) control via IP. No GPIO devices are used (for the time being). Now that is cool.
We installed a new remote control system. We decided on the Burk ARC Plus system along with various peripherals they provide. I will say the overall project was a success. I will also have to say I may want to rethink some of the work I did. I also must say that 2 ARC Plus units had to be returned for factory repair due to memory corruption of which I updated 3 units to a new firmware version that should take care of this. I am also going to help Nautel and Burk troubleshoot a SNMP error that is occurring with, between, or something the PlusConnect-NV and the Nautel AUI. The PlusConnect-NV talks with the AUI (Advanced User Interface) via IP, so I have no more physical relay closures to the remote control, it is all done via IP. These errors are not causing trouble, but it fills my Burk Event Logs, so it is annoying. Also, no occasion I will receive a false alarm of an NV output power is below lower limit which is most likely due to the error and time-out of the SNMP request. This will be interesting to troubleshoot because it is an area I do not normally get to play: SNMP, Agents and Traps. Another fun time is the network between studio and transmitter sites. All are slow connections in some way or another. Part of two sites depend on the Moseley LanLink which I have noticed is not the most reliable, but works.
On the line of Burk and the remote controls, the series of devices help connect many items. One site has the IIU (Integrated Input Unit) and ICRU (Integrated Command Relay Unit), all sites have at least one Plus-X 300 which is an input/metering/relay box, and a site with 2 PlusConnect-NVs and 2 PlusConnect-HZs. The PlusConnect-HZ box connects to the Harris Z10 controller board via a serial connection and then talks to the ARC Plus via IP. Pretty cool on both accounts. In a way you may say that we are nearly all IP connected in some way or another.
We ran a firmware update of our SAS 32KD and RioLinks before the RCS installation. We updated all the RioLinks to work via IP. We also added the capability to change show configuration on the Rubicon consoles. If that was not enough, the firmware allows us to add silence sense to outputs. With this I plan to wire some alarm statuses to the remote control for various silence events. Another micro-management and troubleshooting tool.
Early in the year we upgraded our old Nortel PBX phone system to a new Avaya. This phone system is capable of using digital phones (which made our transition easier) and VOIP. We will be testing and implementing a bit of this here in the future. We also took advantage of the Avaya and integrated it with our Telos 2101 Hub. Now we have in-house extensions in the studios.
We continued to study and test various ways of doing live remote broadcasts. Verizon 4G LTE has been a live saver in some cases and has been a defacto go-to for other broadcasts. In all cases we had at least, if not better, a 98% success rate using this method. We use Tieline Technology codecs and an external 4G router and 4G LTE USB modem. I won’t mention that Tieline has developed an USB module which we plan on testing for them in the near future. Speaking of Tieline we decided to purchase the Report-IT application for iPhones and iPads. We have done a couple of successful long form broadcasts using just an iPad on WiFi. We plan on future testing of the Mic Adapter and Genie. Speaking of iPhones, we are using the iPush to get surf reports to our NexGen system. No more calling in and recording. Audio quality is much better and the reports are seamlessly inserted in the logs along with beds.
Lastly I want to mention that my Nautel NV20’s were delivered 12/24/2008. They are 3 years old!
As we wrap up this year, I wish my readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
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.
Tech Notes from the Field 