Study Guide - Streetsboro City Schools

Alternation Staff
Qualifying Test
Study Guide
The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC)
•
Code of Federal Regulations Title 47
• Part 11 - Emergency Alert System
• Part 17 - Broadcast Towers
• Part 73 - AM, FM, and TV
• Part 74 - Broadcast Auxiliary Services
such as STLs and RPUs
Updated November, 2014
The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC)
•Assigns radio station frequencies for FM
•FM broadcasts between 87.9 and 107.9 MHz
[88 to 108 MHz]
• 87.9 - 91.9 MHz (Non-Commercial or
Reserved Band) [88 to 92 MHz]
• 92.1 - 107.9 MHz (Commercial Band)
[92 to 108 MHz]
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The Federal Communications
Commission (FCC)
• Assigns radio station frequencies for AM
• 540 kHz to 1700 kHz (kHz = kilohertz)
• CLASS A - 10 kW to 50 kW (clear channel)
• CLASS B - 250 W to 50 kW
• CLASS C - 250 W to 1 kW
• CLASS D - 250 W to 50 kW (nighttime)
(MHz = megahertz)
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Radio Station Licensing
FM Radio Stations
• CP - Construction Permit
•FM stations operate 24 hours
• STA - Special Temporary Authorizations
•FM line of sight
• National frequency allocation plan assures
non-interference
• 5 feet = 3 miles (your vision)
• Three Classes of FM: A, B, & C
• 373 feet = 25.5 miles (Kent antenna)
• 90 feet = 13 miles (S’boro antenna)
• Class C stations are the most powerful
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AM Daytimers
Directional and
Non-Directional
•Some AM stations are sunrise to sunset
•PSRA - Pre-sunrise authority
•PSSA - Post sunset authority
•AM bounces off the ionosphere
•68 miles during the day
•Farther out at night, thus signals travel
farther (DX-ing)
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Radio Station Licenses
•Stations can be purchased or built
•Licenses are generally renewed for 8 years
Radio Station Operator
•Responsibility for station operations falls on
the licensee
•License must be posted at the station
control point in a conspicuous location
•The Chief Operator is responsible for
station programming and technical
operations
•Operator must be serious and act
professionally
•Name of the Chief Operator must be posted
at the station control point
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NCE Stations
Technical Layout
•NCE stands for Non-Commercial
Educational
The air chain consists of all equipment
between the studio and transmitter
•High School, College, and Non-Profits
•Underwriting replaces commercials
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Microphones
Microphones
•Cardioid or unidirectional mics
•Dynamic mics are good for louder sounds
•Talk to the front
•Get close for better bass response
•Condenser mics have better reproduction
quality and frequency range
•Onmi-directional mics pick up voice from all
directions
•Condenser mics require voltage or phantom
power
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Microphones
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Microphones
•Foam windscreens or “pop filters” are often
used, especially outside in windy conditions
•A blast filter serves the same purpose, but is
usually used indoors. It consists of a thin
cloth filter stretched tightly across a ring
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Talk into the front of the
microphone
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Cardioid Pattern
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Omnidirectional Pattern
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AT4040 Studio Mic
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XLR “3-pin” Connectors
AT2020 Studio Mic
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(male and female)
ATH-M30 Headphones
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Audio Console
All audio sources go through the console (aka “the board”)
AXIA 8-FADER AUDIO CONSOLE
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Audio Console
•There are fader pots and rotary pots
•Sources can be “in” program channel or “out”
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Audio Console
Volume levels are controlled by
potentiometers (aka “pots”) or faders
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Audio Console
Most channels (pots) have “A/B” or on digital
consoles selectable input switches
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Audio Console
Audio Mixing Console
Level is observed by the VU meter
VU meter measure 0 to 100 decibels
AXIA 8-FADER AUDIO CONSOLE
•Operators should ride the meters
between 50% and 100% (90% on digital
boards like ours)
•“Slamming” the meter does not make it
louder...only distorted
•Rock music has a narrow dynamic range
while classical music has a wide range
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Audio Mixing Console
•Ducking is used to allow the announcer to
talk over music, or song to fade over song
•Audition Channel - listen to audio without
going on air; can set levels
•Cue Channel - similar to Audition Channel,
but you cannot set levels, only listen
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Compressors, Limiters, Audio
Processors
•Automatically controls the sound
•Also called automatic gain controllers or
AGC
•Compressors shape the station sound by
adjusting the frequency response
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Patch Bays and Routers
•These are used to get audio
from one studio to another
•Patch Bays are manual devices
•Electronic Audio Routers or
switchers are computer directed
•Digital consoles make switching
easy
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The STL
Remote Pick Up Systems
•Also called RPUs
•Used for field communications to the station
or studio
•Can be used for on-air broadcast
•WSTB’s RPU call-sign is KPE-566
•It is NOT a CB...talk normally!
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WSTB’s STL to Kent
•STL stands for “Studio to Transmitter Link”
•Is usually microwave link from the studio to
the transmitter
•Requires an FCC license
•The STL could also be a wired circuit or
internet connection
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The FM Exciter
•A radio frequency (RF)
signal is a carrier
•A carrier is generated by a
transmitter
•The exciter is the first stage
of FM
•The exciter sends a lowpower (1-250 watts) signal
to the transmitter which
boosts it
TPO and ERP
•TPO is Transmitter Power Output
•TPO = Plate Current x Plate Voltage x
transmitter efficiency factor
•ERP is Effective Radiated Power
•ERP = TPO (watts) x line efficiency x antenna
gain
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Transmitter Power
Output
FM Stations
•
Must be between 90% and 105% of FCC
authorized power *
•
A combination of ERP and HAAT (height
above average terrain) determine coverage
area
•
WSTB is 680 watts and 373 feet
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•Some FM stations use directional antennas
•These protect co-channel or adjacent
frequency stations •WSTB/88.9 and WRDL/88.9 are co-channel
stations
•WSTB/88.9 and WJCU/88.7 are next
adjacent channel stations
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FM Stations and
Tropospheric Ducting
Remote Control and
Monitoring
•Caused by temperature inversions
•Stations keep a log of transmitter readings
•The inversion causes radio signals to bend
•These are used to prove compliance to the
FCC if there should be a concern
•Affects all radio frequencies
•Signals can “drop” in up to 800 miles away
•Also affects TV signals causing a “snowy”
screen
•If reading are outside legal parameters, notify
station management immediately
•Logs must be kept for two years
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Frequency & Modulation
Frequency & Modulation
•
Frequency is the number of times a
wavelength repeats itself
•
The unit of measure is hertz (Hz)
•
AM is measured in kilohertz (kHz)
(thousands of cycles per second)
•
FM is measured in megahertz (MHz)
(millions of cycles per second)
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•FM stands for frequency modulation
•FM audio frequency range = 50Hz to 15kHz
•This is why FM has better sound quality
•A carrier modulates the FM frequency by +/75kHz
•Unlike AM, there is no limit to FM modulation
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Frequency & Modulation
•Over modulation can cause interference with
adjacent stations as well as distortion
•FM stations can also broadcast subcarriers
•Subcarriers are called SCAs
•SCAs require a special receiver and are often
used to paging services, back-ground music,
and other special programming
Tower Lights &
Monitoring
•Any tower over 200’ must be lighted
•Towers are painted alternating orange and
white only need to be lighted at night
•Non-painted towers must have lights on 24
hours a day
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Tower Lights &
Monitoring
Tower Lights &
Monitoring
•The highest light is called a top beacon and
must be flashing when on
•Other lights on the tower are called markers
and do not need to flash
•Lights are either red flashing or white strobe
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•Tower lights must be checked at least once
every 24 hours. •Outages should be reported to the Chief
Operator or Chief Engineer immediately
•Outages must be reported to the FAA within
30-minutes if not corrected
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Emergency Alert System
•EAS is the Emergency Alert System
Emergency Alter System
•
WSTB’s EAS Monitoring Sources are...
• WHBC, Canton LP-1
•It was created for use by the President of the
United States in a national emergency
• WQMX, Akron LP-2
•It is most often used, however, for severe
weather warning and AMBER alerts
• NOAA Weather Radio
•EAS Tests must be conducted once per week at
any time
•
RWT (Require Weekly Test) and RMT (Required
Monthly Test) must be aired
•Failure to conduct a test could result in a
$10,000 fine from the FCC
•
EAN (Emergency Action Notifications) must be
aired immediately
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Emergency Alert System
Ohio EAS
Monitoring
Assignments
•If you receive or conduct a test, it is recorded in
the digital file.You do not need to do anything.
•You do not need to conduct a test unless it is
scheduled
•Each station is required to keep a copy of the
FCC EAS Handbook in the studios
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Station Identification
•The FCC assigns call letters
•Stations east of the Mississippi River begin
with “W” while stations west begin with “K”
•Station IDs must be aired at the top of each
hour, at a natural break in programming, and
at sign-on and sign-off
Station Identification
•A legal ID is the call letters followed by the
city of license, such as WSTB, Streetsboro
•You can say other things around the ID, but
someplace in there you must have the call
letters followed by the city of license
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Station Identification
Bringing It All Together
•Legal IDs:
• WSTB, Streetsboro
•The FCC can inspect a station any time, but
usually during normal business hours
• This is 88.9 WSTB, Streetsboro the
Alternation
•EAS and Public File violations are most
common and result in fines of thousands of
dollars
• This is Northeast Ohio’s Best Modern
Rock WSTB, Streetsboro
•The station owner/licensee is responsible for
a safe working environment
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Bringing It All Together
•If the station goes off the air
• Check your monitor switch on the
console
Staff Policies and
Procedures
• Is the audio source in channel?
• Is the VU meter moving?
• Determine if the transmitter is off or if
there is just a loss of audio
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Staff Policies and
Procedures
Staff Policies and
Procedures
• Do not wander around the school
• If you leave, take a pass
• Follow all school policies
• Non-staff members are not permitted in
the station during the school day
• After school hours non-staffers can wait in
the break area for a ride home
• Non-staffers can work with a staff member
on a project in the office after school hours
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Staff Policies and
Procedures
• If an office phone rings, let it roll to voice
mail unless you recognize it as an inside
extension
• Outside calls have a faster ring. Do not
answer those calls
Staff Policies and
Procedures
• Per FCC rules we are not permitted to
endorse political candidates or issues
• By choice, we do not make editorial
comments
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Staff Policies and
Procedures
Staff Policies and
Procedures
• Per FCC rules we cannot make personal
• When you accept an air shift you accept
• An example might be a missing person
• Missing persons can only be announced at
• If you cannot cover it or voice track it,
announcements over the air
the request of law enforcement
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the responsibility for that time slot
notify the Operations Manager as soon as
possible
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Staff Policies and
Procedures
Staff Policies and
Procedures
• If you are ill and cannot make it to school,
• A missed shift results in a 5 point drop in
your quarter grade each time you miss
• Consider being on staff as a job
notify the Operations Manager (as well as
the school)
• Text or call the the Ops Manager
• The station phone number is
330-626-4906; Press Extension 2 for the
Operations desk
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Staff Policies and
Procedures
Staff Policies and
Procedures
• When doing a live shift or voice tracking, if
• You must take transmitter readings and sign
a song or other event “red lines”, write
down the track number and/or title
• Place the message on the Music Director’s
desk
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the log book during every live shift
• If readings are outside of legal parameters,
contact the General Manager, Operations
Manager or other staff director
immediately
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Staff Policies and
Procedures
Staff Policies and
Procedures
• If an EAS Test is scheduled during your shift,
• The Public File must be available during
• Failure to conduct the test could result in a
• It is located in the file between the
• Laminated instructions are located in the
• You cannot ask why the person wants to
you must do it
$10,000 fine
studio
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Staff Policies and
Procedures
• During an FCC inspection you may be
asked to show the Public File
regular business hours
Operations and Music desks
see the file, only their name and address
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Alternation Staff
Qualifying Test
Study Guide
• You might need to conduct an EAS Test
• The inspector may ask you who the Chief
Operator is (Bob Long)
A qualifying practice test is available online at the “Intro to Radio” class page on the Rockets website
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