Radio World - November 19, 2008 - (Page 32)

Tech Updates Buyer’s Guide Radio World USER REPORT Inside HD & Signal Monitoring, Remote Control & Test November 19, 2008 puter or a LAN/WAN computer network. All display menus, metering and display pages are available in the computer application form and it is possible to monitor the market by using the computer for signal tuning and the display screen for monitoring. Using a computer does, however, disable the function wheel. The best feature is the audio blend delay detection screen. That page shows a reading in samples or milliseconds and a report of whether the analog is leading or lagging and by how much. I used the o-scope/oscillator method to align the analog and digital at KNWY (FM) a year ago when we built that station. The FMHD-1 reported that we were 378 samples out of alignment. I could not hear this error in the blend in my HD Radio receiver but it was nice to know that I could precisely set the delay and not worry about the drifting packet timing. With the monitor, it is easy to detect this parameter being out of adjustment. Also, having the error reported in samples was a very simple data entry in the Exporter delay menu. Problem was fixed with a couple of button clicks. At KFAE(FM) I did a quick by ear time-alignment and went on to other things. According to the FMHD-1, we were over 4,000 samples out with reversed phase. It was simple to bring it into alignment and once in alignment it was obviously correct. The jury is still out on the delay as to whether it is setand-forget or do you have to tweak every once and a while. This is a handy box for reassuring that. Also on the delay screen is a measurement of the audio power in the FM analog and the HD1 signal with a dB ratio of the difference. This is something that I set with my ear to good result … but we were out by about 1 dB … or the limit of human perception to level change. So, I welcomed the information to get it spot on. Now listening to the KFAE analog to HD1 station blend, we hear the wideopen highs of the HD1 signal rather than the high-frequency limiting distortion on the pre-emphasized analog side. Belar uses a unique dual indicator on the metering for delay error. One scale is the current value indicator, defining whatever is happening at that instant. The second is an average reading indicator, allowing an engineer to follow longer-term performance trends. Using these two you can get a sense of the overall alignment and any potential drift in your system. Meters matter Speaking of metering, in the HD Radio world, there is no such thing as an absolute standard, so some of the meters have scalability that allows users to find a reasonable match for the performance of the system in order to have a meaningful display that relates the relative quality of the audio. I suppose that using the composite FM signal loudness as your reference, all other See BELAR, page 35 Belar FMHD-1 Clears the Skies Monitor Helps Washington State University Clarify HD Radio Signals at Several Stations by Jer Hill Broadcast Chief Engineer KNWY(FM), KFAE(FM) and KWWS(FM) Washington State University RICHLAND, Wash. Washington State University operates several radio stations in affiliation with Northwest Public Radio. I am the chief broadcast engineer for those stations. Recently I had the opportunity to put the Belar FMHD-1 modulation monitor through its paces at several of our HD Radio stations. The first test for me with any new product is the ID-10-T … can you hook it up, turn it on and get useful work out of the device without reading the manual? Front and Back Views of the Belar FMHD-1 Monitor FM and HD1 and power measurements on the spectrum analyzer page that are useful for indicating FM to HD carrier ratio of 20 dB. It has a number of very good audio meters including HD, analog (de-emphasized) and composite preemphasized FM. Oh, and it decodes PAD. The FMHD-1 will work with a comand click function knob. A very good and compact design job by Belar. Easy start The manual was also compact in verbosity but clearly described each screen whether you are viewing the screens or not. It does not go to sleep, thus requiring a reboot. All functions are available via the screen and you don’t need to hook up a laptop to it to get into the finer details of adjusting your system but the laptop does enhance the usability of the FMHD-1. Useful features include measuring proper absolute audio polarity between The answer for the FMHD-1 was a conditional yes. Navigating the menus with the function wheel worked very well, but to enter data — that took a little playing around. Nothing strenuous. In fact, once I figured that out, it impressed me that so much is available with the simple turn and answered most of my questions. It did not take more than a few minutes and I was accessing all functions. A major positive is that the display stays on. There is no resetting of the device needed when you switch functions or screens. The information is updated Broadcast measurements in a light-weight package Designed to meet the full spectrum of broadcast signal analysis needs, the MS2721B Handheld Spectrum Analyzer meets all FCC 73.44 protocols and iBiquity requirements for AM and FM IBOC—making it ideal for AM NRSC proofs. And, with a front end dynamic range of >90 dB and a noise oor of -163 dBm at 1 Hz RBW, this lightweight handheld supports a full range of new wave wireless signals—from 3G and ultra wide-band to WiMAX. Call 1-800-ANRITSU to place an order or schedule a demo, or visit www.anritsu.us/Broadcast897 Sales Of ces: USA and Canada 1-800-ANRITSU, Europe 44 (0) 1582-433433, Japan 81 (46) 223-1111, Asia-Paci c (852) 2301-4980, South America 55 (21) 2527-6922, www.us.anritsu.com ©2008 Anritsu Company Spectrum Master MS2721B Call 1-800-ANRITSU to place an order or schedule a demo, or visit www.anritsu.us/Broadcast897 http://www.us.anritsu.com http://www.us.anritsu.com http://www.anritsu.us/Broadcast897

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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