[SkyHub] FW: [BDR] Spring Cleaning for IT / The Guys in the Sky

Jack Roland ke0vh at outlook.com
Fri May 9 14:16:47 EDT 2025 


Jack E. Roland, KEØVH
www.skyhublink.com<http://www.skyhublink.com/> Repeater Linking System
[cid:image001.png at 01DBC0DC.3A5E7A90]
https://www.youtube.com/@CapnJackFltSimChannel/streams
Wheat Ridge CO
303-704-3290

From: BDR <bdr-bounces at theBDR.net> On Behalf Of The BDR via BDR
Sent: Wednesday, May 7, 2025 10:08 AM
To: bdr at thebdr.net
Subject: [BDR] Spring Cleaning for IT / The Guys in the Sky

Trouble viewing? Try your browser: www.thebdr.net/this-week<https://www.thebdr.net/this-week/>
[Emacs!]
Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert...
This is BDR Newsletter 820, Volume 16, #40 for May 7, 2025

SPRING CLEANING TIME FOR IT
We often talk about getting around the site once the weather warms up, to check on how things have survived the winter. But, what about inside? And especially inside those wmachines that keep us going? Some thoughts are here.<https://thebdr.net/category/it-administration/>

NRSC TIME!
Again, as the weather opens up, it is time for most AM stations to accomplish their NRSC measurements. A good way to get it done and save money is to get on the circuit of one of these folks<https://www.thebdr.net/nrsc-measurements/>, who are scheduling their trips now.

TOWER SAFETY WEEK
This week the Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association (formerly National Association of Tower Erectors or NATE) is following a theme of Safety in Construction during OSHA's 2025 Safety Stand-Down Week - an annual initiative dedicated to raising awareness and reinforcing the importance of workplace safety. This week NATE is focusing on discussions of Continuous Fall Protection, Site Safety, Tower Technician Appreciation Day, and more.

LET'S TALK ABOUT THE GUYS IN THE SKY
There is a lot involved in site safety. Kathy Stieler and Brian Bicknese of NATE are our guests this week on the Virtual Lunch Gathering. They will not only talk about ways to be sure everyone on site is safe but how to find a good tower crew, why the NATE promotes the A10.48 standards and other things that benefit the industry - preventing accidents, mitigating hazards, and fostering a culture of safety - and what that means for you.

Join us on Thursday at 2PM EDT ...11 AM Pacific ... Join us and learn things. Do you know someone who would benefit from the information? Do invite your colleagues to benefit as well. Link request is at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ <http://www.thebdr.net/TLG/%A0> We are also on the www.youtube.com/thebdrnet<http://www.youtube.com/thebdrnet> channel. We encourage you to subscribe there!


May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR - and you!
[[]]<https://www.7bd.com/>   <https://www.7bd.com/>
https://www.7bd.com
<https://www.7bd.com/>

CLEANING UP THE FCC DOCKETS
The FCC issued a Public Notice and list of some 2,057 inactive proceedings someone of them dating back nearly 35 years. Not all involve broadcasters, but there are plenty of those<https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-25-376A2.pdf>, including the AM Revitalization Proceeding. As soon as it is published in the Federal Register, the Commission will see comments, under CG Docket 25-165<https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DA-25-376A1.pdf>, as to whether these - or even more proceedings - should be terminated.

MOVEMENT ON RULES UPDATES
A current Docket 24-626 - to Update Rules Applicable to Broadcast Stations - reaches the deadline for Reply Comments tomorrow.
Not too many filings (11) have gone in so far with some relating to AM issues, including one permitting power increases of less than 20%. Also, STA will now be issued for 180 days, instead of the 90 that has been normal for new STA requests. Several items relating to LPFMs is another item where the FCC is inviting comments on changes. There are a dozen more rules included. The FCC will accept formal or express Reply Comments until tomorrow, May 8th.

Meanwhile, the Delete, Delete, Delete inquiry 25-133 has been terminated with 1132 filings. A rather long list of ideas, suggestions, and comments have been made, and certainly should spark a number of NPRM's (Proposed Rulemakings). If you would like to see a decent summary of those related to broadcast, check this page.<https://recnet.net/fcc/Delete_Delete_Delete-broadcasting_comments.pdf> Expect to hear more as soon as Staff gets through reading them all. Then the "fun" begins!

SOLIDIFYING EAS NETWORKS
Although many stations wish EAS would just go away and die, the Michigan Association of Broadcasters (MAB) has arranged funding from the State of Michigan to install a satellite-based EAS communications network. During this year, all 36 of the state's Local Primary (LP) stations will get the necessary gear and installation at no charge, building a redundant path for alert distribution.

ALPHA MEDIA BECOMES PART OF CONNOISSEUR MEDIA
This week Connoisseur Media announced that it will be purchasing the 207 stations in the Alpha Media group, and will total 218 stations in over 45 markets, placing the group among the larger group owners.

SKYPE TO END SHORTLY
An announcement by Microsoft reminds us that Skype will be shut down this month. The company will be offering users a free version of MS Teams as a way of transition.


May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR - and you!
[[]]<https://www.nautel.com/products/fm-transmitters/lpfm/>  <https://www.nautel.com/products/fm-transmitters/lpfm/>   <https://www.nautel.com/products/fm-transmitters/lpfm/>
https://www.nautel.com/


Some recent articles of interest:

  *   Spring Cleaning - the Broadcast IT Edition<https://thebdr.net/category/it-administration/>
  *   Join the Lunch Gathering - Thursday 2 PM Eastern<https://thebdr.net/the-lunch-gathering/>
  *   Enforcement Watch<https://www.thebdr.net/nal-watch-fcc-enforcement/> - LPFMs running some pretty high power - like 811% high<https://www.thebdr.net/nal-watch-fcc-enforcement/>!
  *   Radio In The Good Old Days<https://www.thebdr.net/category/in-the-trenches/> - Ron Schacht
  *   A Look at the NAB's 2025 Spring Show<https://thebdr.net/category/trade-show-reports/>
  *   The <https://www.thebdr.net/category/audio-processing/> Orban 8000 at 50 years<https://www.thebdr.net/category/audio-processing/> - Barry Mishkind
  *   Join the Lunch Gathering - Thursday 2 PM Eastern<https://thebdr.net/the-lunch-gathering/>
  *   Measuring <https://thebdr.net/category/maintenance-shift/> RF Power - Getting It Right<https://thebdr.net/category/maintenance-shift/> - Bob Tarsio
  *   Registered Plug? No, It's A Jack<https://thebdr.net/category/maintenance-shift/> - Rolf Taylor
  *   Dana's<https://thebdr.net/danas-deals/> Daily Deals <https://thebdr.net/danas-deals/>
More newsy items here<https://thebdr.net/current-news-items/>


May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR - and you!
[[]]<https://angryaudio.com/rave/>
https://angryaudio.com/rave/


MAUFACTURERS' NEWS

LAWO consoles were instrumental for the recent Saturday Night Live 50th anniversary special "SNL50: The Homecoming Concert." The M3 team deployed its two mobile units, Phoenix and its flagship truck Eclipse, each equipped with a Lawo mc²56 console. These mixing systems provided the necessary capacity to manage the 448 microphone preamps needed for the production - 224 on each desk. Lawo's interfacing system pulled it all together, using fiber exclusively, no copper at all, which ensured the highest audio quality but also avoided any grounding issues.

= = =

If you are looking for a high power tube rebuild, you will not find it under Econco. The company is now Microwave Power Products, or MPP. (Note: recent quote for a 4CX12000A rebuild was $5175). Check www.mppinc.com

<http://www.mppinc.com/>= = =

More?  See it here<https://www.thebdr.net/manufacturers-news/>.


May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR - and you!
[[]]
https://worldwideantennasystems.com/


Do You Remember? This week in history:
Broadcast related items:

  *   24 years ago (5/8/01) XM got their satellite system in place. (The official launch of the service was on September 25, 2001.)
  *   48 years ago (5/7/77) the Eagles hit #1 with a 6:08 song "Hotel California."
  *   49 years ago (5/8/76) The theme from "Welcome Back, Kotter" was the #1 song.
  *   55 years ago (5/9/70) The Guess Who hit #1 with "American Woman" - actually a tribute to Canadian Women!
  *   60 years ago (5/6/65) Keith Richards woke up in the middle of the night to write "Satisfaction."
  *   61 years ago (5/9/64) the Beatles were toppled from being #1 after three and a half solid months. Who did it? *
  *   64 years ago (5/9/61) Newton Minnow gave his famous speech to the NAB calling TV a "Vast Wasteland." **
  *   66 years ago (5/4/59) the first Grammy Awards were held. ***
  *   69 years ago (5/4/56) Gene Vincent recorded "Be-Bop-A-Lula."
  *   88 years ago (5/6/37) the Hindenberg crashed at Naval Air Station Lakehurst in New Jersey with Herbert Morrison's famous coverage on WLS.
  *   93 years ago (5/9/32) WFLA-WSUN in Tampa, FL began operations with the first directional antenna on AM<https://www.thebdr.net/radio-history-by-the-bay/>.
  *   99 years ago (5/8/1926) WGY became the first station to broadcast at 50 kW.
... and 201 years ago (5/7/1824) Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 debuted

Here are some other "Headlines of the Past."

  *   23 years ago (5/5/02) "Spider-Man" became the first movie to top $100 million in its opening weekend.
  *   25 years ago (5/5/00) the "ILOVEYOU" cyberworm went global in 24 hours, infecting hundreds of millions.
  *   31 years ago (5/7/94) Norway's most famous painting, "The Scream" by Edvard Munch, is recovered almost three months after it was stolen from a museum in Oslo. The fragile painting was recovered undamaged at a hotel in Asgardstrand, about 40
  *   31 years ago (5/6/94) the Chunnel Tunnel between England and France was opened. (1/3 the time as a ferry - and much smoother!)
  *   31 years ago (5/10/94) Nelson Mandela was inaugurated as President of South Africa.
  *   31 years ago (5/4/94) was the first National Star Wars Day ... MTFBWY ... (Lucasfilm, Disney, and others.)
  *   31 years ago (5/4/94) Yitzak Rabin and Yassir Arafat signed an accord for Palestinian home rule.
  *   46 years ago (5/4/79) Margaret Thatcher became the first female Prime Minister in England.
  *   51 years ago (5/9/74) Richard Nixon's Impeachment Hearings started.
  *   55 years ago (5/4/70) the National Guard killed four students at Kent State.
  *   62 years ago (5/8/63) In the US, Sean Connery starred in his first Bond movie, "Dr. No." (UK release: 10/10/62)
  *   64 years ago (5/5/61) Alan Shepherd, Jr became the first American in space, in the Freedom 7 space capsule, one month after Russia's Gagarin.  **** Mission length???
  *   73 years ago (5/9/52) Joseph Fletcher landed the first aircraft on the North Pole.
  *   80 years ago (5/8/45) V-E Day is celebrated in America and Britain.
  *   110 years ago (5/7/1915) the German submarine sunk the RMS Lusitania, killing 1,198
  *   156 years ago (5/10/1869, the presidents of the Union Pacific and Central Pacific railroads met in Promontory, Utah, and drove a ceremonial last spike into a rail line that connecteds their railroads. This made transcontinental railroad travel possible for the first time in U.S. history.
... and 158 years ago (5/8/1867) Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel patented dynamite in England. Yes, he later started the Nobel Prizes.


May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR - and you!
[[]]<https://henryeng.com/>  <https://henryeng.com/>
https://henryeng.com/


* The Beatles were finally knocked off the #1 slot - a place they held longer than any other artist before or since - by Louis Armstrong .... and his top of the charts "Hello Dolly"  on May 9, 1964.

**.. and yes, in a recent interview, he still feels that way.

*** Song of the Year AND Record of the Year: "Nel Blu Dipinto di Blu (Volare)" by Domenico Modugno

**** Shepherd was in space for 15 minutes. But it was a start! And, now, civilian space trips of 11-15 minutes are happening!

MIDWEEK BONUS

You Just Cannot See Them All!
An estimated 117 million videos are uploaded to TikTok every 24 hours. So, no matter how fast you try to scan the videos, you cannot see them all. Several studies conclude the way the algorithms are set, watching can become an addiction very rapidly.

Do you speak Gen Alpha?

<https://apnews.com/projects/tween-slang-skibidi-sigma-mogging-quiz/>= = =

PLEASE INVITE A FRIEND TO JOIN US
We sure hope you are finding the BDR and the Newsletter to be of value to you. If so, there are two things that you can do to ensure the BDR keeps pulsing along:
        1. Invite a colleague or a friend to sign up for the Newsletter. Since it is only one-time-a-week, you will not be accused of flooding their in-boxes!
        2. Anytime you deal with one of our sponsors, letting them know the BDR is important to you will make them happy - and ready to keep on supporting the BDR.

PLEASE TELL US WHAT'S WHAT
There are so many areas into which we would like to expand, but it is feedback from you that helps us decided where to go first. Are you interested in a certain piece of gear or technology? Let us know. Even better, would you be willing to do a user report and share your experience?

- - -

We sure do appreciate you spending time with our Newsletter. And even more so when you recommend us to your colleagues and friends.

barry

- - -

Now ... some extra stuff .. some important ... some just interesting.

MORE DETAIL HERE - YOU HAVE PROBABLY READ THIS BEFORE...
Those you who read the Newsletter might notice that more detail is provided on some timely issues than on the BDR site, itself. That is one reason we encourage you to invite your friends to subscribe<www.theBDR.htm>. We are Opt-In only... and we give you two promises (OK, four!):
(1) no inbox flooding - it is one-time-a-week, and
(2) we do not give out anyone's address.. ever.
(3) no cookies are placed on your computer.
(4) no Google ads are grafted onto your computer screen.

(Need to change your address? No problem. Or, what can we do to make the BDR more useful to you? Just reply and send us a note about what you like, or what you think is missing.)

unsubscribe from this Newsletter<https://www.thebdr.net/contact/>

The Broadcasters' Desktop Resource · 1440 W. Canada Verde Drive · Tucson, AZ 85704 · USA
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0001.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b042.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 48954 bytes
Desc: 4d2b042.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0008.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b0b0.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 56136 bytes
Desc: 4d2b0b0.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0009.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b10e.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 41196 bytes
Desc: 4d2b10e.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0010.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b16b.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 24625 bytes
Desc: 4d2b16b.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0011.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b18b.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 5342 bytes
Desc: 4d2b18b.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0012.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b1c9.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 50659 bytes
Desc: 4d2b1c9.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0013.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b236.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 51269 bytes
Desc: 4d2b236.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0014.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: 4d2b265.jpg
Type: image/jpeg
Size: 5181 bytes
Desc: 4d2b265.jpg
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0015.jpg>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: image001.png
Type: image/png
Size: 185710 bytes
Desc: image001.png
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0001.png>
-------------- next part --------------
An embedded and charset-unspecified text was scrubbed...
Name: ATT00001.txt
URL: <http://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/skyhub/attachments/20250509/c1b1c224/attachment-0001.txt>

More information about the SkyHub mailing list