Archive
Another Week, Another Update
I thought this week was going to be routine, maybe even slow. Not the case when you walk in and find the IT guy at the HD rack restarting all the devices due to a UPS failure! Luckily that is all it was. The only odd thing is the UPS was an Eaton-Powerware UPS. I have had good luck with these. The lesser models, the acquired MGE UPSs, are not worth the effort, but the Powerware models usually hold up well. At this point you are thinking batteries, but not the case. Darn thing bellied up and will not pass AC or even attempt to go into bypass. It took a power hit and protected the equipment by committing suicide. Oh well. I had a spare.
Finished Monday off well with the second NV20 field modification. Like last week, the modifications went well with only one hitch. Some excessive RF was getting into the monitoring and control of one PA module and affected the fans; shutting down said module. I was short ferrite beads, so we took a shot and added one, and only one, to a fan lead. All errors cleared and we were in business. This NV also received the cooling modification. Both modifications were completed in 3 hours. After doing the NV modifications I asked Nautel if the same modification to their V series would work and improve performance. The answer is a yes, but I figure I will wait and see if it is really necessary.
I got to meet with a Studer rep. Remember Studer? Yeah, they still exist. By the way if you have their old reel-to-reel machines, they have someone who will service them. Our meet was to discuss consoles. I cannot elaborate, but it was a good discussion. Ask yourself how many Studer consoles are there in radio stations in America? Europe? You see where this is headed. Anyways, I have some thoughts to make on how I will proceed in future console installs, but I will remain adamant that a console be simple and intuitive for the air talent, but flexible enough to perform technically without too many bells and whistles.
The last technical headache of the week involves Windows and USB to Serial adapters. Timed SAS automation events will not run if your computer running the Router Control Software is not functioning. We found out the hard way. Though many are convinced that something occurred with the SAS 32KD system, the logs and dump file show that an error with the device driver for the USB to Serial device caused a kernel crash. What a pain. Be aware of this if it has not happened to you before. We are researching other manufacturers of these devices, but since they seem to be made on the cheap the potential for issues remains at a moderate level.
It looks as though I am able to spend a couple of days at the NAB Show this spring. Automation or audio deliver systems will be high on the list of products for me. I look forward to attending my first Nautel Users Group meeting. Should be interesting. I hope to meet some readers out there. On to next week and beyond!
Week of Fun
So you all saw the updates of the week via Tweets. Some also have seen the latest post regarding the STL. Here is a summary of stuff that will help those troubleshooting (STL) and planning (software updates) in the coming weeks.
1. The STL. The symptoms were quite surprising on the Moseley aural STL. We noticed the failure via audio drop outs. It was somewhat periodic, too, which was quite interesting. As we had planned to drop the system to 32 quam from 64 quam to make it more robust in the first place, we began to do that from the far end (receivers at transmitter sites) back to the near end (studios). No bit errors were being received at the transmitter site, so there was no real need to worry, yet the problem was there. When we got to the transmitter at the studio, and after visiting the mid-point, we noticed the issue after making our Quam adjustment.
As we are running 32 Quam now, an issue like this will not show itself unless you are diligent on routine maintenance. Now we are going to schedule monthly tests of the backup STL system by placing it on air for at least 1 hour. We will also make sure we check the units themselves for any parameters out of range.
2. Harris HTHD+: Amazingly this thing will drop when you least expect it. After spending a better part of the day Friday with tech support we are experimenting with the Exgine buffer. The premise is the buffer is overflowing or having some issue causing a system restart. During the restart RF is muted. I will know more tomorrow when I hit the site and see how are buffer is doing after doing recommended adjustments to buffer timing. If we remain unlocked, then we are looking at some issue. If it is a data stream issue, then we may have something up with our Intraplex STL. It would be odd if this was our issue and I would conclude that the Flexstar processing system and Exgine would need some sort of overhaul. On a side note it also shows how critical a good network path to the transmitter site is for iBiquity HD radio. Nuts considering many transmitter sites have little or no network access.
3. UPSs (Uninterruptible Power Supplies): Never purchase a consumer grade UPS even if it is a “true” UPS. If possible purchase an online UPS large enough to handle the plant or a section thereof. I have 15 more batteries to replace in the next day or two. They are running my budget up and it is killing me. It is worth the money to protect your systems, but a maintenance nightmare. Try to keep it simple.
4. Remote Controls: More monitoring is a definite requirement for major markets. Reliable, too. I need something reliable, versatile, and flexible. Will it be Davicom, Audemat, Burk, or Statmon? I am tending towards Statmon, but the cost may be too steep. I’ll keep you posted on my progress on this one.
Enough rambling, back to more fun!
Battery Backup
What does battery backup mean to you? As we go through this slow economy we are finding things that are on the list for maintenance which, if not dealt with soon, may jeopardize our operations. One of these items is our UPS (Uninterruptible Power Supply) system. I have two which are indicating battery replacement and these happen to be the ones in a control room that required cost cutting measures when built, so these are your off-the-shelf APC boxes. I cannot change the batteries while they are online, nor do I want to by-pass them and not protect my systems. Now I need to walk through and justify the cost of a decent UPS. In the “good” times I would be able to purchase these first and justify their existence when the bill arrived. This should be an easy walk-through as I think it is worth protecting $50k worth of equipment. It also protects our on-air product. We hate to be off the air, you know.
Of the routine maintenance you do this year, I suggest putting your money where it is necessary. Power protection should not be taken lightly. Though inconvenient to swap out the UPS, I know that in the future I will be able to change batteries without taking our studio off-line. With summer coming and our fine California weather which will require “rolling blackouts”, I want to be prepared. Even with a generator on the system, there is still transfer times and there will be brown-outs and spikes that do not trigger the system.
As it turns out, I found a way to change out one UPS without taking down the console or critical items. When the next UPS arrives I will take down the computers in the room. This is only a minor inconvenience as opposed to taking down the whole room. Invest in what you have, it may save you a bit of money down the road.
Tech Notes from the Field 