Radio World - November 19, 2008 - (Page 2)

Radio World | radioworld.com NEWS November 19, 2008 N NEWSWATCHN DRM Alaska Test License Modified SILVER SPRING, Md. The experimental authorization for the Digital Radio Mondiale test in Alaska has been modified to avoid interference with amateur radio operators. The action came after the American Radio Relay League protested the test plans of Digital Aurora Radio Technologies, the company that has an experimental authorization to test Digital Radio Mondiale broadcasts at high latitudes. The ARRL said some of the frequencies on which DART planned to test would interfere with amateur broadcasts, and the ARRL asked the Federal Communications Commission to modify or cancel the experimental license. The FCC amended the license in October. In 2009, DART plans to test statewide transmission of DRM at high latitudes in the 5, 7 and 9 MHz shortwave bands; it hopes the tests, if successful, will lead to a terrestrial, high-frequency digital radio service for the state of Alaska. The ARRL took issue with testing on the 7.1 to 7.3 MHz portion of the band, according to its October petition: “There is a 100 percent certainty of severe, continuous, harmful interference from operation of the DART facilities as authorized by the commission to ongoing amateur radio operation at 7.1 to 7.3 MHz.” According to the grant for the CP and license, issued Oct. 7, operations are subject to prior frequency coordination with the SBE. On Oct. 24, the FCC issued an amended license that redefined one of the station’s frequency ranges to eliminate conflict with the Amateur Radio Service. The amended license narrows the range to 7.3 to 7.6 MHz. Company President Whit Hicks said that DART would not operate in 7.1 to 7.3 MHz, to avoid any interference with amateur operators. File Comments On IBOC Power Hike WASHINGTON The Federal Communications Commission is taking public comments on the proposed FM IBOC power increase. A coalition of mostly commercial broadcasters and four IBOC transmission manufacturers seeks commission approval of a voluntary FM IBOC power increase of up to 10 dB — from the current level of 1 percent of a station’s authorized analog power (–20 dB) to a maximum of 10 percent of a station’s authorized analog power (–10 dB). The intent is to boost digital power levels for better building penetration and mobile and (soon) portable reception. IBiquity Digital filed studies in support of the request. National Public Radio also submitted its recently completed, Corporation for Public Broadcasting-supported research into digital radio coverage and interference. In its studies investigating potential effects of increasing the digital power by up to 10 dB, NPR concluded that such an increase could result in interference to reception of first- and second-adjacent channel FMs, and that further testing is necessary. The FCC seeks comment on the original request for the power increase as well as the iBiquity and NPR studies. Comments to MM Docket 99-325 are due Nov. 28 and replies on Jan. 4, 2009. VORSIS: THE TECHNICAL STUFF The loudness wars are over. The winner? Nobody. Why? Because when everyone became as loud as possible, using the same limited tools, the personality of every station got lost. We call it “the sameness syndrome.” We hate the sameness syndrome and believe it’s a good part of the reason ears are turning to alternate sources. They are just plain tired. Fatigued. Imagine, then, scanning a radio dial and ﬁnding an aural oasis – sound that’s breathtaking in its natural quality, but loud and still retaining a sense of dynamic range. Impossible? If you think so, you haven’t heard Vorsis. Vorsis is the ﬁrst line of air-chain processors designed for today’s 21st century radio listener. It’s a complete ground-up rethinking of the tired and traditional approach that is inescapable with those well-known processors. Here we talk about a few of the innovations that make the ﬂagship AP-2000 Spectral Dynamics Processor the incredible tool that it is. Many of these advances are shared among the entire range of Vorsis solutions. Intuitive Interface and Operation No processor can meet its full potential if it’s not something that’s easy to use or if the full Think about having the full engineering control you’ve always dreamed of – being able to ﬁnd the whispers as well as the screams in your station’s sound, crafting an aural signature that’s so good, so transparent, you will have people calling to ﬁnd out how you do it. Vorsis Dynamics Control Vorsis completely rethought dynamics control – AGC and compression – and came up with a design that’s intelligent AND amazingly ﬂexible to control and shape your station’s “sound.” Five-band AGC (four-band in the VP-8) ensures a consistent spectral balance. Vorsis’ exclusive SST™ Sweet Spot Technology manages the behavior of the AGC in real-time so that what the incoming level or era of the music. Powerful Bass, Incredibly Clean Voice Vorsis Bass Management System extracts and reveals the nuances in the program that are simply not heard in any and use L+R to L-R signal ganging to prevent the image from wandering uncontrolled. It’s already ﬁeld-proven to manage wide discrepancies between the recording techniques of various eras (oldies to the over-mastered music of today) and even reduce multipath interference. Surgical Limiting and Clipping To some the idea of 31 bands is scary. Not to us. It’s simply amazing what can be done with it. Limiting and clipping’s primary purpose is peak control to increase loudness; the less audible in its action, the better. 31 bands allow surgical limiting – its dynamic operation is nearly inaudible to the ear so the resulting sound is louder AND cleaner. It also provides unprecedented opportunity to further ﬁne-tune the sound. FM and HD/DAB have entirely different transmission characteristics, so Vorsis processors have completely separate limiting and ﬁnal peak control sections for analog and digital broadcast. Welcome to the 21st Century Vorsis is the ﬁrst processor designed for the needs of a modern radio station and its listeners. Visit the web to learn more and read our application notes and white papers. Call us to set up a demo today. It’ll make a HUGE difference in your station’s sound AND your bottom line. The Vorsis Lineup AP-2000 Digital Spectral Processor for FM analog and HD/DAB · 5-band dynamics controller · 31-band limiter/clipper FM-2000 AP-2000 without HD/DAB section Index NEWS IBOC+Satellite? Subscribers Not Impressed The New World of AM DA MoM Newswatch Buterbaugh Legendary in Upper Midwest From the Editor Buterbaugh: His Colleagues Look Back FEATURES Workbench: What’s Wrong With This Picture? KFI Back at Full Power With New Tower 3G or Not 3G? That Is the Question GEP For That Bird Without a Wire A Chat With Bay Country Radiolicious Brings Radio to iPhones People News HD RADIO NEWS Exploring HD Radio Availability in Philadelphia HD Radio Scoreboard Digital News BUYER’S GUIDE Belar FMHD-1 Clears the Skies OPINION Reader’s Forum Radio Thrives in Digital Age A Vote for Change 1 1 2 3 4 6 AM-10HD Digital Audio Processor for AM analog and HD · 5-band dynamics controller · 10-band limiter/clipper FM-10HD Digital Audio Processor for FM analog and HD/DAB · 5-band dynamics controller · 10-band limiter/clipper other radio processor. It puts deep pristine bass on the air without the distortions of common bass clipper technologies. VoiceMaster is a special Vorsis clipper management tool that has its own automatic processing chain dedicated to detecting and specially processing live speech signals, giving you the loudest and cleanest on-air voices ever. Superior Stereo Enhancement In rethinking Vorsis, it became clear that stereo enhancement HAS to be integral to the processing. It is, after all, a manipulation of the amplitude of the L/R difference signal that creates the perception of a wider sound ﬁeld. With Vorsis, you’ll get smear-free enhancement of the stereo image that can be as wide as you desire. But that’s only the beginning – you can also control the stereo image width on a frequency-conscious basis VP-8 Multi-Mode Processor for FM, AM, FM-HD/DAB, AM HD, MP3/AAC · 4-band dynamics controller · 8-band limiter/clipper 10 14 16 26 29 30 30 HD-P3 Production, HD, STL Processor · 3-band AGC M-1 Digital Mic Processor palette of controls are not accessible. The Vorsis GUI is designed for intuitive operation, from the front panel or remotely on your PC. No control is more than two clicks of the mouse away. The screens offer a logical layout with a virtual control surface above and monitoring graphs and meters below. You can see and hear the results instantly. Nothing is easier. it always operates in its “sweet spot.” The multi-band compressor, operating in concert with the AGC, provides unprecedented dynamics control. All operate in sum and difference – the highest signal controls the amount of processing. This is a completely new way to manage multiband dynamics to maximize the consistency of your station’s on-air presentation – no matter 18 19 22 W H T S T O N Radio has evolved. Your sound should too.™ phone 1.252.638-7000 | www.vorsis.com | sales@wheatstone.com 44–46 45 46 http://www.radioworld.com http://www.vorsis.com http://www.vorsis.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Radio World - November 19, 2008

Radio World - November 19, 2008 IBOC+Satellite? Subscribers Not Impressed The New World of AM DA MoM Contents Newswatch Buterbaugh Legendary in Upper Midwest From the Editor Buterbaugh: His Colleagues Look Back Workbench: What’s Wrong With This Picture? KFI Back at Full Power With New Tower 3G or Not 3G? That Is the Question Exploring HD Radio Availability in Philadelphia HD Radio Scoreboard Digital News GEP For That Bird Without a Wire A Chat With Bay Country Radiolicious Brings Radio to iPhones People News Belar FMHD-1 Clears the Skies Reader’s Forum Radio Thrives in Digital Age A Vote for Change

Radio World - November 19, 2008

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