All posts by Michael D. Rhodes

Meetings & Events, News

2019 Annual Meeting in Atlanta

The 71st AFCCE Annual Meeting will take place in Atlanta, Thursday-Saturday, June 20 to June 22. Experience the sights of Mid-Town and Stone Mountain. Through the efforts of Jon Edwards, Mark Fehlig and Sterling Davis, we plan tours of the CNN Center, Turner Broadcasting, the Briarcliff Antenna Farm as well as tour Georgia Tech’s Amateur Radio Station, in addition to the business meetings.
Thursday afternoon is the optional tour of the CNN Center, so plan to arrive Wednesday evening or early Thursday morning if you wish to participate.  Friday afternoon is a planned tour of Turner Broadcasting, the Briarcliff Antenna Farm and Georgia Tech.  Saturday afternoon, following the business meeting and lunch is left free for an optional visit to Stone Mountain. Plan to stay late if you want to see the light show.
The venue for the meeting is the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center located in Midtown. Midtown Atlanta, known as Atlanta’s “Heart of the Arts,” is bustling with art and energy. Midtown is also home to Fox Theatre, High Museum of Art, and Georgia Tech’s campus and more.
The hotel is a half-mile walk from Georgia Tech, five blocks from the Shoppes at AT&T Center, and a 30-minute drive to Stone Mountain where golf, hiking and a laser light show await you. MARTA (Atlanta’s rapid transit) connects the Hartsfield Airport to midtown and a 4 block walk to the Hotel. Additional information and itinerary will be sent closer to the date.
Other nearby attractions are the World of Coca-Cola and the Georgia Aquarium, or shopping at Ponce City Market and Lenox Square.
The registration deadline for the Annual Meeting is May 1. Register online for the meeting using the form below. Please make your hotel reservations here.
A special hotel rate of $174 is available from the Georgia Tech Hotel.  Book your hotel stay online here. The Hotel Booking Deadline for this rate is May 21. Non-smoking king bed accommodations have been blocked for our group. Please note that all guestrooms are non-smoking. For any other requests or inquiries, please enter this information within the appropriate request boxes during the reservations process or call the hotel directly by calling (800) 706-2899 Monday through Friday 9am-6:30pm.  For any additional nights needed before or after the posted group dates, please contact the hotel directly to check availability.  The link to the hotel group reservation is here.
For those attendees driving to the hotel, overnight parking is $15 per night. (For unlimited in and out access to the garage, an $18 pass is available.)

News

March 2019 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, March 22, 2019

Electromagnetic Compatibility and
the Internet of Things

Mike Violette, Co-Founder & CEO Washington Laboratories

Electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems will continue to be an issue for consumers of the Internet of Things (IoT).  The spurious and immunity EMC measurement is a mandatory measurement for the IoT devices and system through regulatory bodies.  An understanding of the electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) aspects of the IoT and its measurement methods can help ensure the best user experience for ubiquitous wireless systems. 

Luncheon meetings are open only to AFCCE members and their guests. The cost of the luncheon is $55.00 per person or $65.00 for reservations not received prior to the deadline.

AFCCE Members may register to attend the luncheon meeting below.

Networking starts at 11:45 AM with Lunch beginning at 12:30 PM

Please RSVP online with the form below by 5 pm Monday, March 18, 2019. To RSVP directly to John Reiser by phone at (703) 780-4824, or email rsvp@afcce.org.

All reservations requests and online payments will be confirmed by an email message or phone call. If you do not receive a confirmation email please email rsvp@afcce.org to verify it was received.

Meeting Location
Holiday Inn at Key Bridge
1900 North Fort Myer Drive
Arlington, VA 22209

Driving Directions: The Holiday Inn provides free parking however, they have recently installed gates on the parking garage. You will need to take a ticket on the way into the garage and pick up a validation ticket at the meeting which you will use in lieu of payment on the way out.

Metro: The Holiday Inn is two blocks north of the Rosslyn Metro Station – Orange, Blue and Silver lines. Exit the station through the “back door” (up the stairs) and turn right onto North Fort Myer Drive.
Map & Directions

Lunch Menu

If you have special dietary requirements or allergies, please send a separate email to rsvp@afcce.org.

Main Course (Select one choice for all attendees in the form below)

  • Thai Grilled Chicken
  • Pan Seared Peppered Salmon
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables

With:
Caesar Salad
Rice
Seasonal Vegetables
Pecan Pie

News

AFCCE Welcomes FCC Chairman Pai

The Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers welcomed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai as its monthly luncheon speaker today.  Chairman Pai spoke on a variety of topics affecting the broadcast engineering community including ATSC 3.0, the next-generation television standard; the post-incentive auction repacking process; and interference involving FM translators.  In addition, Chairman Pai took a variety of questions from the audience.


Chairman Pai is pictured here with AFCCE President John Lyons. Photo by Stephen Pumple

Chairman Pai’s prepared remarks are available here: Prepared Remarks to AFCCE on “Engineering the Future of Broadcasting”

Meetings & Events

February 2019 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, February 22, 2019

Engineering the Future of Broadcasting

Ajit Pai, FCC Chairman

Ajit Pai is the Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission. He was designated Chairman by President Trump in

January 2017. Prior to being appointed Chairman, he previously served as Commissioner at the FCC, appointed by President Barack Obama and unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate in May 2012.

Chairman Pai was the first member of the FCC in over two decades to call for revitalizing the AM radio band; the basic reforms he proposed were adopted in 2015.

Luncheon meetings are open only to AFCCE members and their guests. The cost of the luncheon is $55.00 per person or $65.00 for reservations not received prior to the deadline.

AFCCE Members may register to attend the luncheon meeting below.

Networking starts at 11:45 AM with Lunch beginning at 12:30 PM

Please RSVP online with the form below by 5 pm Monday, February 18, 2019. To RSVP directly to John Reiser by phone at (703) 780-4824, or email rsvp@afcce.org.

All reservations requests and online payments will be confirmed by an email message or phone call. If you do not receive a confirmation email please email rsvp@afcce.org to verify it was received.

Meeting Location
Holiday Inn at Key Bridge
1900 North Fort Myer Drive
Arlington, VA 22209

Driving Directions: The Holiday Inn provides free parking however, they have recently installed gates on the parking garage. You will need to take a ticket on the way into the garage and pick up a validation ticket at the meeting which you will use in lieu of payment on the way out.

Metro: The Holiday Inn is two blocks north of the Rosslyn Metro Station – Orange, Blue and Silver lines. Exit the station through the “back door” (up the stairs) and turn right onto North Fort Myer Drive.
Map & Directions

Lunch Menu

If you have special dietary requirements or allergies, please send a separate email to rsvp@afcce.org.

Main Course (Select one choice for all attendees in the form below)

  • Baked Cordon Bleu Chicken Breast
  • Pan Seared Peppered Salmon
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables

With:
Tossed Salad
Pasta
Seasonal Vegetables
Apple Pie

Meetings & Events

January 2019 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, January 18, 2019

5G from a wireless carrier’s perspective

Chris Wieczorek
Director, Spectrum Policy, T-Mobile USA, Inc.

This discussion will focus on how 5G technology expands the scope of today’s mobile technologies to new services and use cases.  It will also discuss how 5G needs spectrum across all bands, including the 600 MHz band being vacated by the broadcasters.  Finally, we’ll review how 5G is not just about gigabit speeds, and it’s still a young technology and developing an ecosystem.

Mr. Wieczorek is Director, Spectrum Policy, with T-Mobile USA, Inc.  He assists in developing competition, spectrum, and technology policy and advising on legal matters pertaining the regulatory policy and procedures.   Prior to joining T-Mobile he practiced patent law in Alexandria, Virginia.  He also worked as an electrical engineer at Motorola in Atlanta, Georgia and Plantation, Florida.

 

You can register for the meeting below.

 

Networking starts at 11:45 AM with Lunch beginning at 12:30 PM

Holiday Inn Parking :

The Holiday Inn has recently installed gates on the parking garages. Parking for the meeting is still free. Please take a ticket on your way in. You will need this ticket along with a validation ticket you will get at the meeting that will be used as the payment on your way out of the garage.

Luncheon meetings are open only to AFCCE members and their guests. The cost of the luncheon is $55.00 per person or $65.00 for reservations not received prior to the deadline.

Please RSVP online with the form below by 5 pm Monday, January 14, 2019. To RSVP directly to John Reiser by phone at (703) 780-4824, or email rsvp@afcce.org.

All reservations requests and online payments will be confirmed by an email message or phone call. If you do not receive a confirmation email please email rsvp@afcce.org to verify it was received.

Meeting Location
Holiday Inn at Key Bridge
1900 North Fort Myer Drive
Arlington, VA 22209

Driving Directions: The Holiday Inn provides free parking however, they have recently installed gates on the parking garage. You will need to take a ticket on the way into the garage and pick up a validation ticket at the meeting which you will use in lieu of payment on the way out.

Metro: The Holiday Inn is two blocks north of the Rosslyn Metro Station – Orange, Blue and Silver lines. Exit the station through the “back door” (up the stairs) and turn right onto North Fort Myer Drive.
Map & Directions

Lunch Menu

If you have special dietary requirements or allergies, please send a separate email to rsvp@afcce.org.

Main Course (Select one choice for all attendees in the form below)

  • Pork with Champignons
  • Pan Seared Peppered Salmon
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables

With:
Caesar Salad
Potatoes
Seasonal Vegetables
Mixed Seasonal Berries

News

E. Noel Luddy Award

Hossein Hashemzadah was presented with the E. Noel Luddy Award for years of meritorious service to the telecommunications industry. Hashemzadeh is Deputy Division Chief, in the Video Division of the FCC’s Media Bureau. The award was presented November 28 at the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers’ annual FCC Reception, held at the National Press Club by AFCCE President John Lyons.

In his introduction of this year’s honoree, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, recalled the time from when Hossein joined the FCC thirty-six years ago to the present day and told anecdotes on Hossein’s career and spoke of his prestige within the FCC.

Addressing the crowd of AFCCE members and guests, and FCC colleagues, Hashemzadah thanked the AFCCE for bestowing the award and expressed admiration for his colleagues and briefly spoke about his time at the FCC.

Hossein Hashemzadah joins a distinguished list of previous Luddy award winners that includes John Reiser, the first E. Noel Luddy awardee, and 2017 honoree Rudy Bonacci, both pictured here with Chairman Pai and AFCCE President Lyons.

The E. Noel Luddy Award (since 2000) is presented annually by the AFCCE Board of Directors. Its winner is frequently, but not always, an FCC employee who has provided notable and exemplary service to the telecommunications industry. Noel Luddy was a lifelong radio enthusiast who was in charge of all communications throughout the South Pacific during World War II. He served for many years in several engineering capacities with RCA. With Dielectric’s acquisition of the RCA broadcast antenna business, he joined Dielectric as a consultant, serving as a liaison to broadcast station engineers, consulting engineers and the FCC. He is well known for his years of service on the AFCCE Board of Directors and was recognized numerous times for his contributions to the association and the broadcast industry. Dielectric continues to fund the E. Noel Luddy Scholarship in Noel’s honor.

This year AFCCE through it’s scholarship funds gave out $42,500 in scholarships, including the E. Noel Luddy Scholarship, to Juniors, Seniors and Graduate students studying in the field of Telecommunications.

The Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers is a membership organization comprised of engineers and other professionals engaged in telecommunications engineering. Its website notes that its main objective is to aid and promote the proper federal administration and regulation of those engineering and technical phases of communications which are regulated by the Federal Communications Commission.

News

AFCCE Scholarship Recipient visits WTC

Tram Le was the recipient of AFCCE Scholarships over multiple semesters while at the University of Washington.  She recently graduated with a degree in Electrical Engineering and has also been an intern with Hatfield and Dawson Consulting Engineers in Seattle, Washington.

Ms. Le recently visited One World Trade Center in New York City and was given a tour of the WTC broadcast facilities by AFCCE President John Lyons.

News

Passing of Jack Carr – August 12, 2018

AFCCE Life Member, William Bernard “Jack” Carr passed away unexpectedly on, Tuesday Aug. 14, 2018. Jack was born in Huntsville, TX on May 31, 1932 to William Bernard Carr and Agusta “Gussie” Mildred Hankamer. Jack graduated UT Austin with a degree in engineering. He was also a reserve officer for Erath County Sheriff Department for over 20 years and spent a number of years as a reserve officer in Tarrant County. Jack was a Mason and attended Edna Hill Baptist. He had a passion for his ranch and his horses.

He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Anna Mildred Chesney.

He was remembered by his daughter, Anne Catherine Carr, of Austin TX, his nephew and wife Devin C. and Diane Lindsey, of Granbury TX, niece Anna Kathryn Manger of Pasadena TX, as well as many other great nieces and nephews. Jack will be missed by many. Graveside service were held at Barbee Cemetery, in Dublin TX Sunday Aug. 19 2018.

Meetings & Events

2018 AFCCE FCC Reception

AFCCE – FCC Reception

Wednesday, November 28, 2018
at The National Press Club
4:00 PM until 7:00 PM

AFCCE members will once again share time with FCC staffers and friends for this popular event, beginning at 4pm on Wednesday, November 28.

The location is the elegant National Press Club,

13th Floor, National Press Building
Holeman Lounge
529 14th Street, NW
Washington, DC 20045
(Metro: Metro Center, OR/BL/SV)
Map & Directions

In addition to the excellent company and professional fellowship afforded by this traditional event, those attending will enjoy choice food and beverages.

Another exciting reason to attend is to congratulate the winner of the E. Noel Luddy Award, presented at this reception to a professional in broadcast communications whose work and service have made a dramatic contribution to our professional field.

And don’t forget, the AFCCE Luncheon precedes the reception beginning at 11:45 am at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn, with the topic, “Spectrum Sharing: Why Troposcatter Matters” presented by Andrew Clegg, Spectrum Engineering Lead at Google.

Please register for the Luncheon event separately.

Note this is the same evening as the National Tree lighting ceremony in DC.  Additional time should be allotted for travel and we suggest attendees use the Metro instead of driving.

Continue reading →

Meetings & Events

November 2018 Luncheon Meeting

Wednesday, November 28, 2018

Spectrum Sharing:
Why Troposcatter Matters

Andrew Clegg,
Spectrum Engineering Lead at Google

Shared spectrum is the new mantra, but aggregate interference is the common refrain.  We’ll explore at a high level why long distance propagation prediction is becoming a critical, yet poorly-constrained, limit on spectrum sharing.

You can register for the meeting below. Please register and pay separately for the AFCCE-FCC Reception here:

https://afcce.org/2018-afcce-fcc-reception/

Networking starts at 11:45 AM with Lunch beginning at 12:30 PM

Holiday Inn Parking :

The Holiday Inn has recently installed gates on the parking garages. Parking for the meeting is still free. Please take a ticket on your way in. You will need this ticket along with a validation ticket you will get at the meeting that will be used as the payment on your way out of the garage.

Luncheon meetings are open only to AFCCE members and their guests. The cost of the luncheon is $55.00 per person or $65.00 for reservations not received prior to the deadline.

Please RSVP online with the form below by 5 pm Friday, November 23rd. To RSVP directly to John Reiser by phone at (703) 780-4824, or email rsvp@afcce.org.

All reservations requests and online payments will be confirmed by an email message or phone call. If you do not receive a confirmation email please email rsvp@afcce.org to verify it was received.

Meeting Location
Holiday Inn at Key Bridge
1900 North Fort Myer Drive
Arlington, VA 22209

Driving Directions: The Holiday Inn provides free parking however, they have recently installed gates on the parking garage. You will need to take a ticket on the way into the garage and pick up a validation ticket at the meeting which you will use in lieu of payment on the way out.

Metro: The Holiday Inn is two blocks north of the Rosslyn Metro Station – Orange, Blue and Silver lines. Exit the station through the “back door” (up the stairs) and turn right onto North Fort Myer Drive.
Map & Directions

Lunch Menu

If you have special dietary requirements or allergies, please send a separate email to rsvp@afcce.org.

Main Course (Select one choice for all attendees in the form below)

  • Breast of Chicken
  • Pan Seared Peppered Salmon
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables

With:
Tossed Salad
Rice
Seasonal Vegetables
German Chocolate Cake