Milwaukee Chapter 28
The Society of Broadcast Engineers
The Broadcast Newsletter
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March 2010
Volume 26 Number 3

INFORMATION OF INTEREST TO THE 
MILWAUKEE AREA
BROADCAST ENGINEERING COMMUNITY 
PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY
CHAPTER 28, SOCIETY OF BROADCAST ENGINEERS 
THIS MONTH

Tuesday March 30th, 2010
Please Note Change in Meeting Date
7:30 PM

Joint Apprenticeship & Training Committee 
National Electrical Contractors Assn.
11001 W. Plank Court
Wauwatosa 53226
(map)

Topic: Electrical Codes for Broadcasters

John Cyr is an instructor at the Wauwatosa JATC NECA facility which offers programs for aspiring electricians and continuing education in
the field of electrical engineering. He actively teaches programs in electrical regulations, transformers, switchgear, and photovoltaic arrays. This month he is working with the SBE to provide our members with a primer on the changes within the 2008 National Electric Code as it may apply to Broadcast Engineers. The meeting will be an open forum discussion, however we plan to cover topics such as theatrical/studio lighting, unique grounding, AFCI's, and changes with circuit breaker disconnects that affect designs for mission critical equipment. This program should be of significant interest to all broadcast engineers who maintain and design studio facilities.

Tom May 
Chapter 28 SBE
Milwaukee


LAST MEETING
Minutes of the meeting for 
Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Location: Wisconsin State Traffic Operations Center, Milwaukee
Host: Department of Transportation
Program: Traffic Operations Monitoring System
Attendance: 10 Total - 7 members (3 certified) and 3 guests

The chapter meeting was called to order by Chairman Todd Boettcher at 7:38 PM. 

Minutes of the Holiday Banquet meeting were read and approved.

Treasurer Chuck Janzer reported five sustaining membership renewals had been received, and that the banquet bill had been paid. 

In frequency coordination, Ron Pellegrini reported that Sprint/Nextel had requested an extension for 2 GHz relocation until August 8.  There are about 40 markets yet to transition.  Delays have been caused by weather conditions, lack of crews and equipment delivery delays.  The amendment is posted on the FCC website.  No requests for local frequency coordination are pending.  The FCC also issued a notice that 700 MHz band wireless mic operations were to cease by June 12.  A discussion of wireless mic operation in general followed.

Tom May reported on intermittant interferance he had received on his 950 MHz STL.  It appears to be digitally modulated, with about 500 KHz bandwidth.  He requested that anyone else who may observe this try to identify the user.

Todd Boettcher talked about an article he received from CCCA, the Communications Cable Connectivity Association.  It reported that communications cables from offshore manufacturers may have fire safety concerns.  He also reported on an article from Radio World regarding a college radio station that was fined for a public file violation.  The North Carolina station was fined for denying a “competitor” from viewing the file, and having missing information.  The FCC said that non-commercial stations must comply with the public file laws.

A discussion of the recent push for a “Performance Tax” on broadcast stations also took place.

Phil Lonecker reported that SAGA was leasing tower space in Menomonee Falls to Clearwire to build a 2.6 GHz WiMAX wireless internet service.  The WMVS candelabra is apparently also leasing space for the service.

Tom May reported that he was trying to arrange a National Electrical Code training course perhaps for Thursday, March 18 in Wauwatosa.  He talked about code changes requiring common trip breakers or trip pins on all 208 3 phase circuits with common neutrals when feeding multiple 120 volt feeds from separate phases.  This could create a problem when non affected circuits needed to be turned off to reset a common breaker for a failure on a different phase.  The code change came about because of concerns for unbalanced loads causing excessive current flow in the neutral.

The meeting was followed by a tour of the State Traffic Operation Center, conducted by Mike Stalter, with assistance from Robert Lingnofski.  They discussed monitoring operations and information made available to broadcast facilities and the general public.  Included was a behind the scenes tour of the equipment room and an explanation of the information gathering and display system.  The tour ended at 9:20 PM

Respectfully submitted,
Rick Ryan
SBE Chapter 28


SBE Short Circuits
by John Poray
(March 1, 2010)
Kick off of the 2010 SBE Membership Drive
The Annual SBE Membership Drive has begun and this year the theme is WE MAKE IT HAPPEN. Whether it is through Certification, Education, Government Relations and or at your Local Chapter, SBE continually strives to make your membership the best it can be.

Help SBE’s Membership grow and achieve more by recruiting a new member this year.

The SBE Membership Drive runs from March 1, 2010 through May 31, 2010. For every new Regular or Sustaining Member that you recruit, your name will go into a drawing for this years prizes.

This year the Grand Prize is a Flat Screen HDTV and a trip to the 2010 SBE National Meeting in Madison, Wis, October 26th-27th.

Here is a complete list of the other prizes and their donors.

In addition to being eligible for Membership Drive prizes, you will also receive a five-dollar discount on your 2011 membership renewal (up to five) for every Regular or Sustaining Member that you recruit. With so many rewarding reasons to recruit new members, it’s easy to make it happen!


SBE at the 2010 NAB Show and the NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference
 (February 12, 2010)
Since 1995 the Society of Broadcast Engineers has been NAB’s organizational partner for the presentation of the NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference (BEC). Like those previous, this year’s BEC will be the largest and most comprehensive broadcast technical conference in the world, beginning with the Ennes Workshop on Saturday, April 10 and ending on Thursday, April 15. SBE will have a full slate of meetings and events during the week and will have a busy exhibit booth that will open beginning Sunday afternoon with hours through Thursday.

SBE’s exhibit booth will be on the second floor concourse of the Las Vegas Convention Center South Hall, Lobby Booth 29. The location is just up the escalator from the South Hall main entrance and just outside the entry to the exhibits on the second floor. This is the same location as in recent years. The BEC technical sessions will be located near- by, in the South Hall second floor meeting rooms.

Be sure to stop by the SBE booth while at the convention. We’ll have the new SBE CertPreview and all of the SBE published handbooks as well as technical books from major publishers. There will also be an assortment of SBE logo items. Membership renewals and new memberships may also be transacted at the booth. SBE staff and national Board members will be at the booth to answer your questions about membership, certification, educational programs and regulatory issues.

Booth Hours
Sunday -  2:00 pm – 4:00 pm
Monday – Wednesday  9:00 am to 6:00 pm
Thursday  9:00 am – 2:00 pm


SBE SPRING MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Our annual spring SBE Membership Meeting will be held on Tuesday, April 13 from 5:00 pm to 6:00 pm in the South Hall at the Las Vegas Convention Center (room to be announced).  We will be recognizing a number of our local chapter certification chairs during the meeting. Some very nice prizes are planned to give away to those attending. The highlight of the meeting will be the presentation of the SBE Lifetime Achievement Award to an SBE member. The recipient will not be aware of the award until the announcement is made during the meeting.

SBE will hold several other meetings during the 2010 NAB Show that may be of interest to you. (Located at the Las Vegas Hilton Hotel unless otherwise indicated)

Saturday, April 10
Ennes Workshop, 8:00 am – 5:00 pm (Conference registration required) LVCC South Hall 2nd Floor
SBE Certification Committee Meeting, 6:30 pm – 11:00 pm, Conference Room 7

Sunday, April 11
SBE Board of Directors Meeting, 8:30 am - 12:00 pm; Conference Rooms 1 & 2
SBE Education Committee Meeting, 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm; Conference Room 1

Monday, April 12
Ennes Trust Annual Meeting, 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, Conference Room 7
SBE EAS Meeting, 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm, Conference Rooms 4 & 5

Tuesday, April 13
SBE Certification Exams, 9:00 am – 12:00 Noon, Conference Rooms 9 & 10
SBE Frequency Coordinators Meeting, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm, Conference Rooms 7 & 8
SBE Spring Membership Meeting, 5:00 pm – 6:00 pm, LVCC Room TBA


NAB Registration Discounts for SBE Members
Members of SBE can register for the NAB convention at a special “partner” rate, a savings of $100 off the NAB non-member rate. To get the discount, SBE members register using the regular NAB on-line registration form. When completing the form, check the “Partner” box at the bottom and select “Society of Broadcast Engineers” from the drop-down box.

We hope you’ll join many of your fellow SBE members April 10-15, in Las Vegas for the 2010 NAB Show and NAB Broadcast Engineering Conference!


SBE Announces 2-Part Event
Frequency Coordination Webinar
(February 5, 2010)
Local frequency coordination is recognized as an important tool allowing broadcasters to fulfill their regulatory obligation to avoid mutual interference in their use of shared Broadcast Auxiliary Service frequencies (for wireless microphones, cameras, cueing systems or the like). Many major sporting events, pre-planned news events or other public events attract media regionally and/or nationally who bring large amounts of wireless equipment. For these events to be successful, frequency coordination is a must.

The Society of Broadcast Engineers recognizes frequency coordination as an important, yet often misunderstood part of executing events such as sporting events, political conventions, and other pre-planned events. In addition, training on frequency coordination has become very necessary given continually changing FCC rules, technology and the needs of broadcasters. This two-part webinar series embarks on event frequency coordination from beginning to end, and includes the step-by-step technical process of coordination. Instructing this course is longtime SBE Member, broadcast consultant and frequency coordinator Ralph Beaver, CBT. The cost for SBE Members is $99 and is $139 for non-members.  The webinars take place March 11 and March 30 from 2:00-3:30 p.m. Eastern.  For more information and to register, click here. 


Senate Bill S. 2881 would add technical expertise to FCC Commissioners’ offices
(December 16, 2009)
 A bill introduced on Monday in the U.S. Senate would potentially add one electrical engineer or computer scientist within each of the offices of the five FCC Commissioners.

Introduced by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and co-sponsored by Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia), Senate Bill 2881 would authorize each FCC Commissioner to add one staff assistant position to the three that are currently authorized. The new position of “staff engineer” would require that the holder either have a degree in electrical engineering or be a computer scientist. If eventually passed, the new authorization would affectively undo a loosening of requirements for technical staff at the highest level of the FCC that began more than 25 years ago. 

Vinny Lopez, CEV, CBNT, president of the Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE), remarked, “Ensuring the technical integrity of the FCC decision-making is perhaps our most important legislative goal.  This legislation will go a long way toward returning technical expertise to the FCC Commissioner's offices."  Lopez added, “We encourage other members of the Senate to support this well-crafted legislation. SBE will seek the introduction of a companion bill in the House and we will urge rapid passage of both Bills in the House and the Senate.”

The proposed legislation, which would amend Section 4(f)(2) of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 154(f)(2)), explains that the “staff engineer” would provide each commissioner with technical consultation when appropriate and interface with the Office of Engineering and Technology, Commission Bureaus and other technical staff of the Commission for additional technical input and resources. The staff engineer would need to hold an undergraduate or graduate degree from an institution of higher education in their respective field of expertise.

The last serious attempt to increase the technical resources within the Commissioner’s offices was in October of 1991 when then Rep. Don Ritter introduced HR. 3501, which would have required that at least one member of the Commission be skilled in the engineering sciences. Senator Snowe’s bill would not seek to replace any of the existing staff assistants in each Commissioner’s office but rather authorize each Commissioner to add one assistant.              Text of S.2881


2010 SBE National Meeting
 to be held in Madison, Wi.
(December 9, 2009)
The Society of Broadcast Engineers Board of Directors has accepted an invitation from SBE Chapter 24 in Madison, Wi, to host the SBE2010 National Meeting. The decision was made during the SBE Board of Directors conference call on Dec. 1, 2009.

The SBE National Meeting will be held in conjunction with the Wisconsin Broadcasters Clinic and the Upper Midwest Regional Meeting, hosted by SBE Chapter 24 and the Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA) on Oct. 26-28, 2010.Chapter 24 Chairman Fred Sperry, CPBE, and Convention Chairman Leonard Charles, CPBE, are looking forward to hosting the SBE National Meeting again. This is the fourth time Chapter 24 has hosted the SBE National Meeting since 1997. The SBE National Meeting was last held in Madison in 2008.

The SBE National Meeting serves as an opportunity to spotlight SBE-sponsored regional conventions held in different areas of the country. SBE National Meeting events include the annual membership meeting and the SBE National Awards Dinner, honoring the 2008-09 chapter and individual award recipients.

SBE President Vinny Lopez, CEV CBNT, stated, "By holding the SBE National Meeting in conjunction with established, successful regional events, the SBE and the local host benefit. These partnerships allow the SBE to bring a national presence to these regional events." 


SBE Agreement with Department of Defense 
on Spectrum Sharing
(October 16, 2009)
The Society of Broadcast Engineers and the U.S. Department of Defense earlier this year signed an agreement regarding shared use of broadcast spectrum. The U.S. Air Force plans to construct new satellite tracking stations in a number of U.S. locations that would use spectrum in the 2025 -2110 MHz band. For details, see a copy of the agreement.


SBE CertPreview sample certification test software is now available. It’s Microsoft Windows-based and replaces the previous DOS-based software. New sample tests are available for Broadcast Technologist, Audio Engineer, Video Engineer, Broadcast Networking Technologist, Broadcast Engineer and Senior Broadcast Engineer in both radio and television. Sample tests include 50 to 100 questions and indicate when an incorrect answer has been given. It provides a list of resources from which to learn more about a subject. Cost for each SBE CERTpreview practice test is $27 plus $3 shipping. Contact the National Office to order a copy.

CERTIFICATION EXAMS
Certification exam session dates for 2009-2010 are listed below.  Check the list for the exam period that is best for you.  For more information about SBE Certification, contact Chapter Certification Chair Rick Ryan at 414-223-2600 ext. 5730 or RickRyan@wi.rr.com, or contact Megan Clappe, Certification Director at the SBE National Office at (317) 846-9000 or MClappe@sbe.org.
Exam Dates
Location
Application Deadline
Apr 13, 2010
NAB Convention
Mar 26, 2010
Jun 4-14, 2010
Local Chapters
April 16, 2010
Aug 6-16, 2010
Local Chapters
Jun 4, 2010
Nov 5-15, 2010
Local Chapters
Sep 17, 2010

Fees for 2010 are as follows:

Certification Level
Member
Non-Member
TV or Radio Operator
$45
*$45
Broadcast Technologist $45 $111
Broadcast Networking Technologist
$55
$121
Broadcast Engineer
$60
$126
Audio/Video Engineer
$60
$126
Senior Broadcast Engineer
$85
$151
Professional Broadcast Engineer
$110
$176
Specialist Certification
AM Directional Specialist
$55
$121
8VSB Specialist
$55
$121
Digital Radio Broadcast Specialist $55 $121

*Does not include first year membership

Please support our sustaining members

Chuck Janzer
David Janzer
Associated Technical Services
10010 W Schlinger Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53214-1129
414-476-4200
414-476-8417 fax
cjanzer@atswi.com
djanzer@atswi.com
http://www.atswi.com

Don Heinzen

Belden Americas
Networking Products
9001 Hawks Reserve Ln.
Unit # 103
Verona, WI  53593
Office: 608.848.2001
Fax:     608.848.2001
Cell:     608.235.7539
don.heinzen@belden.com
http://www.belden.com/

David Kerstin
Broadcasters General Store
3840 SW N Street
Richmond, IN 47374
765-935-6707
765-935-6158 fax
dave@bgs.cc
http://www.bgs.cc/

Clark Wire & Cable
408 Washington Blvd, Unit A, 
Mundelein  IL  60060
800-CABLE-IT (800-222-5348)
847-949-9944
847-949-9595 fax
sales@clarkwire.com
www.clarkwire.com

Joseph A. Zuba
Communications
23 Rainbow Drive
Sewell, NJ 08080
609-256-8190
609-256-8195 fax
joe.zuba@dielectric.spx.com
http://www.dielectric.com

Rick Thompson
GEPCO International
a General Cable company
1700 Birchwood Avenue
Des Plaines, IL 60018
847-942-7990 (cell)
rick_thompson@GEPCO.com
http://www.GEPCO.com/

Dennis Klas
Heartland Video Systems
1311 Pilgrim Road 
Plymouth, WI  53073
800-332-7088
920-893-4204
920-893-3106 fax
dklas@hvs-inc.com
http://www.hvs-inc.com

Christopher J. Albrecht
IBEW Local 715 
Wisconsin Broadcast Engineers
633 S Hawley Road, Suite 107
Milwaukee, WI 53214-1948
414-479-0580
414-479-0582 fax
chrisalbrecht@ibew715.com

Randy Ross
Industrial Electronics
by Ross 
3256 S 92nd St, 
West Allis, WI 53227
414-327-1555
414-327-0577 fax
indelect@execpc.com
http://www.industrialelectronics.biz/

Phil Longenecker
Milwaukee Radio Group
WHQG-WKLH-WJMR-WJZX-WJYI
5407 W McKinley Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53208
414- 978-9000
414- 978-9009 fax

Steve Johnson
Panasonic Broadcast 
& Television Systems
3910 Orleans Lane North
Plymouth, MN 55441
763-545-0157
763-542-6011 fax
johnsons@us.panasonic.com
http://www.panasonic.com

David R. Pritchard
Pritchard Consulting
7583 Dada Drive 
Gurnee, IL 60031 
847- 207-6111
W9QL@att.net

Steve Olson
Roscor Wisconsin
600 W Virginia Street
Milwaukee, WI 53204
414-223-2600
414-223-3434 fax
SOlson@roscor.com
www.roscor.com

Sean O'Reilly
Sony Broadcast and Business Solutions Company
1200 N. Arlington Heights Road
Itasca, IL 60143
630-773-7640
630-697-7530 fax
630-697-5458 cellular
Sean.OReilly@am.sony.com
http://bssc.sel.sony.com/

Dan Dyer
Weigel Broadcasting
WDJT-TV
809 S 60th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53214
414-607-8162
414-607-8103 fax
www.cbs58.com

Christopher Tarr
Entercom Communications
WSSP/WMYX/WXSS
11800 W Grange Avenue
Hales Corners, WI 53130
414-529-1250
414-529-2122 fax
ctarr@entercom.com
http://www.99wmyx.com
http://www.1037kissfm.com

Tony Coleman
Hearst-Argyle Television
WISN-TV
759 N 19th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53233
414-937-3375
414-342-2657 fax
tcoleman@hearst.com
http://www.wisn.com

Andy Laird
Journal Broadcast Group
WTMJ-TV, WTMJ, WLWK
720 E Capitol Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53212-1371
414-967-5204
414-967-5540 fax
alaird@journalbrodcastgroup.com
http://www.journalbroadcastgroup.com

Dennis Brechlin
Sinclair Communications
WVTV/WCGV
4041 N 35th Street
Milwaukee, WI 53216
414-874-1856
414-874-1899 fax
dbrechli@sbgnet.com


Society of Broadcast Engineers, Inc.
9102 North Meridian Street, Suite 150
Indianapolis, IN 46260
Phone: (317) 846-9000
Fax: (317) 846-9120
http://www.sbe.org

Edited by volunteer members of SBE Chapter 28, Milwaukee, WI.  Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the SBE or Chapter 28.  Material for publication may be submitted electronically to Newsletter@sbe28.org.  Reprint permission granted to other SBE Chapters.  Please credit this newsletter and original source if indicated.
copyright © 2002-2010 SBE Chapter 28-Milwaukee, WI
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