FM radio is a well known and used technology. It is used all around the world. There are some minor differences in modulation parameters and frequency bands but the basic principle is the same. It is amazing how popular this radio has become. FM radio receivers are found everywhere, even in mobile phones. In the last decade broadcasting has made a big step toward digital technologies. We are now in a phase of transition from analog television broadcasting to various forms of digital broadcasting. And television is far more complex than radio–simple stereo sound service. Why is there no suitable technology for digital radio?
The answer is pretty simple. We have to look at key aspects of the transition of television broadcasting. Analog television uses one frequency channel (from 6 to 8 MHz bandwidth ) for one program. Digital television broadcasting is using the same radio-frequency channel to broadcast multiplex–a digital package of many TV programs and other services. The advantage is obvious–using the same radio-frequency spectrum we can now broadcast many TV channels and other services. Therefore, digital television broadcasting means more efficient use of frequency spectrum. There is another very important aspect of digital TV broadcasting. Since both technologies are using radio-frequency channels with the same bandwidth it is possible to switch from analog to digital step by step. Such change from one technology to another usually takes years and needs detailed preparations on a large scale.
To switch from analog FM to digital broadcasting we need a suitable technology that will offer comparable quality, mobile reception, capacity for more radio stations, efficient use of radio spectrum, step by step transition and cheap receivers. There are many digital technologies that are already available for sound broadcasting. Unfortunately, none of those technologies is suitable for a direct replacement of existing analog broadcasting.
Currently there are already many efficient audio codecs that can be used with any digital technology. There are also digital transmission technologies suitable for digital sound broadcasting like T-DAB, DRM and DRM+. DVB-T and DVB-T2 in particular can also be used for radio. All those technologies can provide excellent quality and mobile reception. But this is not enough.
FM radio uses about 250 kHz wide channels. Channel spacing is 100 kHz in most parts of the world and 200 kHz in USA and some other countries. This combination of channel bandwidth and spacing makes it very difficult to simultaneously use analog and digital broadcasting. Therefore, the transition with existing technologies will be difficult. Some partial solutions like HD radio are nothing more than additional data and audio transmitted along main analog carrier.
There are probably only two possible approaches for the digitalization of FM band. Either to find a suitable technology that will satisfy all the above mentioned requirements or to select one technology that is future proof enough and make a totally new frequency plan for fast transition. Currently, the digitalization of frequencies used for FM radio will have to wait for a while.
Lee Cusano asked:
Estimating house painting jobs is something that grows on you over time. I can go into a house and go from room to room and tell you by eye exactly how much paint you will need to do the ceilings, walls and woodwork. I can even tell you just about how long it will take to paint each room in general.
But estimating goes a lot deeper than just eyeballing a few simple rooms. So here are 6 points to consider when figuring your bids or estimates.
1.) When getting prepared to do painting estimates you first need to know your target market or markets. Are you going to be painting in middle-class neighborhoods or are you going for the high-end glitzy neighborhoods?
Or are you going after commercial accounts, industrial, etc.? Only then can you best gauge how high you are going to set your painting estimate rates. High-end, low-end or a middle-priced painting bid.
Personally, when it comes to painting for residential customers, I keep my rates the same. I do not care if it’s high-end or middle class. If they cannot afford my painting services, I am out of there. Once you have painted at a higher price, it’s hard to go low unless of course, you are hard up.
If you are estimating painting jobs for big business you can and should aim competitively high without worrying about much competition as you would in residential painting. Plus larger commercial customers have deep pockets. Also to consider, if you are tackling those types of accounts you will need extra painters anyways so you definitely need to aim high in your bidding to cover their wages and benefits.
2.) You need an accurate estimating method that works perfectly every time without fail. Whether inside or outside. You can stand and stare at a project all day and try to guesstimate exactly how long it will take you to paint something or you can use an accurate method for bidding paint jobs and walk away smiling and not wondering if you just bit the bullet.
3.) You need to allow for fuel, travel time and even giving Uncle Sam his cut. If your going to be driving long miles you definitely want to account for fuel and travel time, even overnight expenses if you get that radical in your painting business. Again, if you have employees you will need to account for their wages and benefits in your bids also.
4.) You need to be aware of hidden expenses or projects that add extra time and extra materials to a job. Things like hard to cover colors, excessive prep time, high-work, down time due to outside sources that are common in new construction, etc.
5.) You need to know how much paint and materials you will be using. (Note: A good estimating system will automatically include all your paints and materials.)
6.) Your estimating system should have several ways of figuring your bids. Just like a set of golf clubs, some times you need a different driver to make it on to the next green. Different jobs require different painting estimating techniques.
For example: painting ceilings, walls and woodwork estimating can change if you have excessive woodwork like walk-in closets with tons of shelving. Or rooms with high walls.
The same goes for exterior work in residential painting. Are the surfaces smooth and clean or is there stucco or shingles that require extra time and materials? When you have an easy system in place you can build up an estimate to meet the type of project you are facing.
Many times on larger estimates, I will cross-check my painting bid from different angles by using two different estimating techniques just to make sure I have it all together and did not leave anything out of the big picture.
If you’ve ever listened to a radio station, you might have wondered how they choose which songs to put on air. The answer is both simple and complex.
You may be surprised to learn that music choice in any show is very rarely down to the Air Personality. Today the scheduling of songs also involves sophisticated computer programs.
Here’s how it works
Most radio stations, or sometimes groups of stations employ a Music Director. It’s his or her job to listen to all of the new releases that are sent weekly by record companies. These are known as Promo Copies and are distributed free of charge. Stations get them long before we ever hear them on air. There may be 20 or 30 of these delivered by post or even online as sound files each week. Record companies do this because playing the song on radio stimulates sales. When you hear a song you like, you will try to buy or order it at a music store.
At the listening session the Music Director often joined by the Program Director, and a group of the Presenters (DJs) who make up a small committee. They listen and rate the suitability each particular song for the station sound and its’ potential to become a hit. Most offerings are rejected and only a tiny proportion will make it on air. This active group of songs is called the Current Playlist.
In smaller stations the Program Director may make all of the decisions. Sometimes record companies employ representatives to bring songs to the attention of radio station staff. They are called Pluggers. In most parts of the world it is illegal for them to offer any kind of financial incentive to get airplay. This is called Payola and there have been several scandals regarding this type of activity. However, the wheels are very often oiled with the supply of concert tickets for listener contest prizes or even artist interviews.
Once a song makes it onto the Playlist many radio stations use sophisticated Market Research techniques to ensure that they are playing them with the optimum Rotation. This is the frequency of repetition that satisfies the listener desire to hear their favourite song. The basic objective is to play songs not too often and not too infrequently.
Radio stations use a Sample of their audience to get a general opinion of this popularity. Usually, this involves playing short sections called Hooks (the bits you remember) of the songs and asking if the respondents wish to hear them more or less often. The results are then fed back into the scheduling computer, either elevating or lowering airplay. Because this type of testing is carried out by telephone, the phrase given to this is Call-Out Tracking. This method is usually applied to the Current song category. These are perhaps 20 fashionable hits of the moment.
When a song loses its appeal it is said to be Burnt. The very newest debut songs are called Breakers.
Radio stations will often evaluate larger groups of songs by using a different system, called Auditorium Music Testing.
To do this they once again use a Sample group who represent a robust cross section of the target market. Perhaps a hundred or so people are invited to a theatre, where the radio station will play a large number of Hooks. As the clips are played, the people taking part have to score the songs on a scale of one to five. This represents the level of appeal from love to ****. When these votes are tabulated, along with information on social class and age, it gives an accurate snapshot of which songs the station should play. In order to make sure that this information is valid, station with repeat this procedure a couple of times each year.
The central group of songs is called the Core. They are the most important songs that define the Station Sound. This creates a particular musical footprint that identifies the product and distinguishes one radio station from another.
Radio is a highly competitive business, and more importantly advertisers will only spend with the top ranking stations. Using and applying Music Research allows radio stations to compete for both audience and revenue.
About the author:
Gavin McCoy is a UK based Award Winning radio and marketing consultant.
Just as it has revolutionized the television industry, high definition technology is now changing the way we listen to the radio. High definition radio (HD-radio) makes tuning into your favorite station a whole new experience. Using high definition technology, any station in the country can deliver super, CD-like sound to its audience. High definition technology also makes it possible for listeners to receive information services such as traffic and weather alerts and stock information on their radios.
Pioneered by a company called iBiquity Digital, HD-radio was created in response to satellite radio, which, in the mid-90s, posed a real threat to traditional, or analog, radio. HD-radio mixes digital signals and analog signals, a combination that has made it possible for traditional stations to embark on the inevitable conversion to digital. In 2002, iBiquity made its HD-radio technology available to networks around the nation, and many of them jumped at it.
HD-radio offers a host of enhancements to traditional stations, and iBiquity says the following improvements are possible:
-In terms of sound quality, AM radio will sound like FM radio.
- FM radio will have crystal clear, CD-like sound
- Reception will be free of static, free of white noise, and station loss will no longer be a problem.
- Special services like On-Demand radio will be possible for listeners with HD-Radio. Wireless services will deliver news and traffic updates.
These upgrades are available to networks for about $250,000. Now, about 300 broadcasters are utilizing HD-radio. Thousands more should follow in the next few years. When they do go high def, they’ll still be able to broadcast in traditional, analog fashion. The ability to transmit digital signals is a big step for networks, but one that seems inevitable, given the improvements that result. Thanks to HD technology, some stations are now providing different kinds of programming from a single spot on the radio dial.
Fans of traditional radio should embrace HD technology because it delivers better audio quality and more options for listening. HD-radio is also free. Listeners don’t have to go through a subscription service to get it, and they won’t have to worry about receiving upgrades from their providers. However, listeners will need to purchase special components for HD-radio and find stations that are broadcasting in HD.
Added bonuses with HD broadcasting include the display of weather, news and song info on the screen of the radio. Listeners can also buy music through their HD systems, and they’ll have access to special recording options for music. High definition radios are becoming more and more common. They’re currently priced at about $150. Automobile manufacturers have started to install them in new cars. Plans are even in the works to apply high definition technology to MP3 players and cell phones. What will they think of next?
Radios are one of the first types of communication to be invented that are still used in the modern age. The main reason for this is because of the ease of use and the low cost it takes to use it. They are a very important component of many businesses such as the construction industry.
In the construction industry the person operating the crane is very high up and most defiantly out of reach of and site manager giving the instructions below. Some people might suggest the use of mobile phone for communication but the cost per day would be too high for it to be a viable option. Instead you can use a radio for communication as it would be very cheap, in fact all it would cost is the initial price of the radio sets at the shop. If you do decide to buy a radio set then make sure that it is rechargeable as buying multiple batteries per week for the use of the radio is also very expensive.
When in pursuit of a criminal the police use radio communications in order to coordinate themselves around the suspect in order to increase their chances of catching him. It can also be use for calling for backup and is one of the first things that are used when a dangerous situation occurs. This just goes to show how important these devices are for this type of job, without them many different produces would have to be changed in order to get the job done to the same standard.
There are a lot of different kinds of antennas for the operator of ham radio. There are antennas like the quad and yagi and non directional antennas like the vertical. Each of these kinds of antennas have their own place. There are wired antennas of all sizes and types depending on the occurrence being utilized and how much space you have to put an antenna up.
The yagi antenna type is directional and has a few elements that are designed for 1 frequency. There are antennas that will tune to 2 or 3 frequency bands but drop some bandwidth and power in the design. These kinds of antennas are intended to be mounted on a pole or tower support type with a means of putting them in the place that you like the signals to go. They are so popular with the critical hams because of their capability to transmit and receive radio signals in the preferred direction.
The quad antenna, like the yagi antenna, is also a directional antenna. These directional antennas tend to be so large at some occurrences. They are so effective directional antennas if you’ve the place to put them up. Quad antennas are created of wire and some other kind of supporting formation such as fiberglass or bamboo poles. They’re mounted so they can be turned into the preferred direction as well.
Antennas that are wire, for the most part made with a particular frequency. They could be so simple in design like a dipole, which is 2 pieces of wire lined in the center and placed between 2 supports and comparatively flat or assisted by 1 pole and the sides inclined like an upturned “V” shape or assisted by 1 pole with the wire inclined in the position that you like the signal to go. These antennas are so simple to tune, design, and install and are so popular with starting operators of ham radio. Wire antennas could be so complex with a lot of pieces of wire, coils, signal traps, tuner and insulators components.
Such antennas are the commonly used Ham Radio Antennas types. Antenna tuning, design, and installation could use a lot of the operator’s time, but it is so rewarding when these signals come in and out where you like them to, with the utmost power transfer.
Philip Keon asked:
You’ll have to choose between the two available styles of metal roofing. One has a humped edge similar to the letter “R,” while the other, which is simpler to install, is crimped with V-shaped lines for additional strength so that it won’t “flap” while you are working with it. If at any point in the process you realize that you are having difficulty understanding how to install metal roofing, you should put your project on hold and talk to a professional roofing installer.
Beginning The Job
The first task any lesson in how to install metal roofing will mention is that of using a flat-bladed steel “roof shovel” or a pitchfork to remove any of the old roof material and nails or screws which remain on the roof. You would be very wise to have ordered a dumpster to contain the old roofing placed on your property before you begin. When you have removed all of it and given the roof a thorough sweeping, you can proceed by putting down your rolls of 30-pound roofing felt laid end to end and paralleling the roofline.
The rolls of roofing felt should overlap by at least three inches, and overhang the roof by two or three inches all the way around. After you have completed positioning the roofing felt, you will need to attach metal edging strips around your roof’s entire perimeter. The dual purposes of the edging strips are both to stop water from seeping beneath your new shingles, and to give you new roof a professionally finished appearance.
When you have finished adding your metal edging, you will have to snap a chalk line from the crown of your roof to its edges at two foot intervals, and you should take t he time to do this even if you think you already understand how to install metal roofing.
Putting Down You Metal Roofing Material
Measuring from top to bottom and allowing for an overhang of no less than two inches, you can cut your pieces of metal roofing to the appropriate length. The take the first piece of metal roofing an align it to the left side of the roof, using your electric drill and roofing screws to secure it. Place the screws two feet apart along the metal roofing’s inside edge, and on the opposite edge, ***** it down away from the edging. Repeat this process with more lengths of roofing until the entire surface is covered; this relatively simple procedure is how to install metal roofing.
When all your Roofing material has been laid and attached, you will need to use either rubber stripping or caulk to seal the overlaps of the separate pieces. Doing so will discourage birds and insects from getting under the metal roofing pieces. When you’ve finished that, you should use another piece of your roof edging material to seal any openings at the ends of the metal sheet. Finally, place a metal cap along the crown of your roof, and congratulate yourself! You are now an expert on how to install metal roofing!
Old time radio (OTR) is not dead. In fact, it’s alive and well on the Internet. The Internet has actually helped to revive old time radio. After the days of OTR were ended, the only way to get any of these shows was to find them on old reel to reel tape and listen to them in this format. Some kind folks converted these shows to phonograph records and later to cassette tapes.
There were small group of OTR fans that used to do this and trade the shows among themselves. Very few people that would have enjoyed these shows knew about these small clubs and therefore couldn’t get the shows.
When computers became available to more and more people, smart PC users learned how to convert these old shows to digital format. 70 minutes of shows could be put on one CD. With the appearance of the mp3 compressed audio format, distribution was now possible via the Internet.
So many people can now enjoy the fun and adventure of OTR due to the efforts of everyone who converted the shows and posted them on the Internet. With the high speed Internet connections we enjoy today, we can download as many shows as we want in a very short amount of time.
OK, so now that we know that these great old radio shows are available again, how do we go about locating them? There are several ways to acquire these shows.
The most expensive way is to buy the shows at a book store in audio format. Sure, these audio CD’s will play in any CD player, including the one in your car, but you can only fit 70 minutes of shows on each CD. Plus, these are rather expensive.
You can search the Internet and buy old time radio disk sets in mp3 format. These are compressed and many hours of shows can fit on one CD or DVD. They don’t play in most standard CD players, but you can listen to them on your mp3 player or on your computer.
Or, you could join an OTR download club and pay a monthly fee to be able to download any of the shows they have on their website. This is much cheaper and a good option for those with a home computer.
The very best way to get old time radio shows on mp3 is to find a website that offers them for free. These sites are few and far between, due to the fact that there are expenses involved in starting and maintaining a website. There is the cost of registering the domain name, paying a monthly fee for web hosting and paying for the old time radio disk sets. Because of this, many of these sites can only offer a few hundred shows in limited genres.
The best old time radio websites are those that are run as a hobby club. This is where the visitors donate ten or twenty dollars one time, to help pay for the website and to buy more shows.
From then on, everyone who made a donation gets full access to all the old radio shows on the website, plus all the new shows as they are added. A good club will also have an OTR discussion forum so the webmaster and the club members can talk about old time radio, ask and answer questions from other club members and request and share shows with each other. Also, a good news blog is helpful. The person who runs the club can post news to the site to let the members know when new shows are added.
Why is a hobby club better than a download site? Some people, not all, who ask for a monthly fee are more of a business than an old time radio lover. A hobby club is usually run by someone who loves old time radio and just wants to share it with as many people as possible. This is the reason for the small donation fee instead of asking ten or more dollars per month as some sites charge. By combining their resources, all of the club members can listen to many more shows then they could afford on their own.
An old time radio club can be lot’s of fun. It’s a way to enjoy and share this wonderful hobby with others and it also helps to keep old time radio alive for future generations to enjoy.
They are more commonly know as radio mics or wireless mics, where the original audio cable is replaced by frequency transmitting technology. Radio mics can now transmit audio through radio waves in FM, AM, UHF, VHF and various digital formats.
More advanced models will allow you to select various frequencies to transmit over, helping avoid interference with other electrical transmitters that might be using the same frequency, and also enabling the use of multiple microphones at the same time.
It is thought that the primary radio microphones derived from the original compander microphone developed in 1976 by Nady Systems, who was honoured in 1996 with an Emmy award for his technical contribution to the technology field.
Radio Microphones - Plus Points
Using radio mics is very advantageous for the user. A starting advantage is that radio mics eliminate the health and safety risk of trailing microphone cables. Secondly, and as a result of this, you give the freedom of movement to the wearer of the microphone as they are not joined via a cable. Another plus point is that you no longer stress any cables by flexing them, which can frequently result in damage.
Disadvantages of Radio Microphones
Despite having such advantages, wireless microphones also have some select disadvantages. Firstly the two way radio batteries used do not always last very long as the radio microphones are very thirsty when it comes to power consumption. Radio mics are also hampered by range, with the furthest signals normally only achieved by the larger, more expensive models. Interference from another electrical appliance is also a possibility which would lead to a disruption of the signal. Finally, to avoid being on the same frequency and clashing, you are limited to the number of radio microphones you can use.
A gently used, well taken care of ham radio can often be a real bargain, and can give you years of reliable service, if you buy it right and take good care of it. Similar to buying most anything else that has been owned previously, there are some things you really need to be aware of before you spend your hard-earned cash. Buy, I’ve bought plenty of used electronics equipment in years past and I have been mostly delighted with my purchases because I have done a few simple things before laying down my cash.
Before I go into specifics about buying a used ham radio, I want to mention the fact that I only buy high-quality used items only - no bottom-end equipment, or off-brands for me. I always seek out the top brands and models from just a few years back, especially the ones that have stellar service records. You can find out the specifics on a product by going to Google and searching for the name of the item with the word “review” in the search bar. If the item you’re looking up is popular enough, there will be plenty of reviews and opinions available for you to look at to help with your purchasing decision.
First, you should go over the basic operation of the ham radio with the seller - even if that seller is online, and you can’t actually touch the machine. Cover in detail each function, making sure that he or she satisfies each of your questions in appropriate detail, in either an email or over the telephone, which is always much better in my humble opinion. I always ask plenty of questions, so I won’t be disappointed when my ham radio is delivered to my doorstep in a few weeks.
I won’t go into a lot of detail here about the individual used ham radios that you may find online,but I will tell you that I prefer the simpler, less expensive models like a Radio Shack HTX-212 2 Meter Ham Mobile. I’ve seen some radios like this sell for well under $100 in good shape, and I believe that the ratings on this particular machine are good (better check the ratings out for yourself just to be sure). I’ll admit that it’s a mobile unit and is probably not a high-powered, but it is a wide band receiver (136-174) and it can be fun to scan the local public service frequencies, in addition to its main function as a ham radio.
A Kenwood TR-7950 2 meter Transceiver Ham Radio might be a good choice as decent base unit, and might work out fine for someone just starting out in the hobby, but is probably more expensive than a run-of-the mill transceiver. But, you do get what you pay for, and I always seek out the higher-quality units, even if I have to pay a little extra. I’m rarely disappointed, though. With a maximum of 45 watts power,the Kenwood has 21 memory channels, a scan feature, and an auto repeater offset.This one I noticed was a bargain at under $150, and it was refurbished by a detail-oriented hobbyist. This is a unit that probably would have satisfied me.
Don’t be fearful of buying a used ham radio. Just be sure you are well-informed, ask lots of questions and definitely make sure you always purchase from a reputable seller.