All posts by Michael D. Rhodes

In Memoriam

Warren Happel

Warren Paul Happel, age 88, of Brecksville, Ohio passed on Sunday, March 1, 2020.

Warren was born on September 13, 1931 in Quincy, Illinois, to Ellen Tomamichel Happel and Karl Happel. He married Diane Gaudi Happel on March 1, 1969 at Grace Lutheran Church, Detroit, Michigan. Warren is survived by his wife Diane, three children and their spouses, Cara (Marcelo) Aller (Medina, OH), Paul (Melissa) Happel (Charlotte, NC), and Eric (Kelly Chang) Happel (Portland, OR). Warren’s grandchildren include: Justine, Abby, and Eva Happel (Paul/Melissa); Sarah, Audrey and Lauren Happel (Eric/Kelly); Mateo and Samantha Aller (Cara/Marcelo). Other family includes his sister, Rayleen Holzgraefe and her late husband Howard of Quincy, IL and their three children and families.

Warren served in the Navy during the Korean War, before attending Valparaiso University. He transferred to the University of Michigan while working full time where he earned a degree in electrical engineering. He worked at a number of television and radio stations in engineering throughout his early career; then he worked for John Brown Consultants in Michigan. In 1982, he and his family moved to Brecksville, Ohio where Warren worked for Scripps Howard Broadcasting in Cleveland and Cincinnati as the Vice President of Engineering, building the company’s television and radio enterprise. Warren was always proud that he played a major role in the completion of multiple radio and TV towers throughout the country. He was also instrumental in bringing HGTV to life.

Warren enjoyed his work and retired a few times as it did not seem to stick the first couple of tries. Warren loved two things more than others: his family and fishing. He was a dedicated husband, father and grandfather who could always be relied upon. Through all of Diane’s recent health challenges, Warren was always by her side helping her. He was a loving dad who supported his children’s activities, including coaching their baseball and softball teams. Warren was hardworking, loyal, kind, and had an amazing sense of humor. He was also a devoted grandfather: he watched proudly as his grandchildren have grown, and was always there to help family. He will be missed beyond words.

Warren loved to fish. He had more gear and more strategies than most for catching the next BIG fish! Whether riding his bike to the Mississippi River, catching walleye in Lake Erie, or fishing in local lakes in his green john boat. No fish was safe when Warren was near. His love of fishing was passed on to the next two generations.

In lieu of flowers PLEASE send contributions to your local Salvation Army or Christ the Redeemer Lutheran Church in Brecksville, OH.

Obituary from:  https://obits.cleveland.com/obituaries/cleveland/obituary.aspx?n=warren-happel&pid=195572647&fhid=15575

Meetings & Events

February 2020 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, February 21, 2020

Antenna Systems for AM Transmission – Economy, Performance, Efficiency in the Context of the Changing Market

Benjamin F. Dawson, III,  PE Consultant Engineer

While optimizing an AM antenna transmission system for performance is a worthwhile goal, the changing market circumstances require that some AM antenna systems be as economical as possible if the station using the system is to be kept on-air.

Ben Dawson is a senior engineer and former managing partner of Hatfield & Dawson Consulting Engineers, in Seattle, WA.  The firm is well known for its broadcast engineering work, but also performs communications and radio engineering work for industry, government, public safety, and the military.

Dawson was educated at Harvard College, Portland State University and the University of Washington, and is a Registered Professional Electrical Engineer in Washington State and California.  He is a senior member of the IEEE and is a former member of the Administrative Committee of the Broadcast Technology Society of the IEEE.  He is a member of the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers, and of the Society of American Military Engineers.  He has published numerous papers, many on medium wave antenna engineering matters.  He has designed and implemented dozens of new or rebuilt medium wave antennas throughout North America and worldwide, at power levels as high as 2 megawatts, as well as many other broadcasting and communications facilities at frequencies from VLF to microwave.  He was awarded the National Association of Broadcasters Radio Engineering Achievement Award in 2006.

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  17, 2020. 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)

  • Zucchini-Provolone Stuffed Baked Chicken
  • Pan-Seared Peppered Salmon
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables

With:
Caesar Salad
Rice
Seasonal Vegetables
Pecan Pie

Meetings & Events

January 2020 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, January 24, 2020

ATSC 3.0: A Status Report

Lynn Claudy, National Association of Broadcasters

A progress report on the ATSC 3.0 suite of standards, implementation status, and evolutionary path for future services.

On January 2nd it was announced that the ITU adopted ATSC 3.0 as a recommended digital broadcast standard.  See the press release here which includes a quote from Mr. Claudy who also serves as the Chairman of the ATSC Board of Directors.

Lynn Claudy is Senior Vice President of Technology for the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), the trade association for commercial radio and television broadcast stations in the United States. He joined NAB in 1988 as a staff engineer and held positions of Director of Advanced Engineering & Technology and Vice President before assuming his present position in 1995. He earned a BA degree from Oberlin College, a BSEE from Washington University in St. Louis, and a MSEE degree from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is a member of AES, AFCCE, IEEE, SBE and SMPTE. He is also a member of the FCC Technological Advisory Council and was the 2016 recipient of the IEEE BTS Jules Cohen Outstanding Engineering Achievement Award. He currently serves as Chairman of the ATSC Board of Directors.

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, January 20, 2020. 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:
Tossed Salad
Potatoes
Cheesecake

In Memoriam

John Wang – FCC Engineer & 2010 E. Noel Luddy Award Recipient

Obituary from: https://www.borgwardtfuneralhome.com/notices/John-Wang

John passed away on December 11, 2019. He was the beloved husband of Rosa Jenny, father of Sophia, Maria (and her husband Ping), Nina (and her husband Jim), and Amy (and her husband John). He was also the proud grandfather of Jocelyn, Jeremy, Bella, Mei Mei, and Sebastian. His dear sister, Mary, resides in Connecticut.

John retired in 2010 after dedicating 40 years to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) as an electrical engineer. One of his daughters was sad to one day learn, this is not the same kind of engineer who drives a train. He published dozens of technical papers in various professional journals and developed a highly respected sky-wave propagation model. In November 2010, he was presented with the E. Noel Luddy Award by the Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers for his service and contributions to the communications community. He was also a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

He received his Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from the University of Maryland, College Park. He enrolled in graduate courses at The George Washington University before completing his Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Pittsburgh. He continued to take pride in his alma mater by avidly rooting for the Terps Men’s Basketball team every year. We would like to believe he was particularly proud that some of his daughters also graduated from UMCP.

His interests included astronomy, Chinese history, and contract bridge. He enjoyed playing this card game so much that he eventually achieved the coveted rank of Life Master with the American Contract Bridge League. Another of his daughters mistakenly assumed this important hobby was actually building bridges on Friday nights. John also had a love of travel. He would often find a way to build a family vacation around business trips, which fostered a love of traveling among the entire family. He managed to visit over 20 countries. He regularly visited Geneva, Switzerland where he acquired an appreciation of fine chocolate, cuckoo clocks, and cheese fondue.

John was a devoted parishioner of St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Beltsville for 50 years. During this time, he served as an usher, Euchuristic Minister, and a member of the Parish Council. He was proud to be a “Cradle Catholic” and attended daily Mass as often as he could

(including many of those countries mentioned above). He was also a believer in Catholic education. All four of his daughters and two of his grandchildren matriculated through St. Joseph’s School.

We are so grateful for the time we have been able to spend with our beloved husband and father. While these last few weeks have been difficult, we have also been blessed with so much. Our family gives God thanks everyday for these abundant blessings. We all believe that John has found his eternal peace. We would like to express our gratitude for your thoughts, prayers and kindness during this time.

In Memoriam, News

John Lyons

Leave a comment

From John George, AFCCE President:

John Lyons HeadshotIt is with much sadness that I inform you that our Treasurer and former President, John Lyons, passed away over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.  John was a friend and mentor to many of us and was always there when needed.  He led AFCCE for the past two years as President and served this year as Treasurer.  John always sought the best in every endeavor and his work on fund-raising set a new record in 2018 for our Scholarship Fund — only to beat that record this year.

Many of us saw John just over a week ago at AFCCE’s Annual FCC reception.  Little did we know that he would be leaving us so soon.  His energy and enthusiasm will leave a void on the Board that will be difficult to fill.

John loved his family and stayed in constant contact, even when his trips took him around the world.  He would take time out to call home each day to check in with his family.  He most recently traveled with his family to Greece to visit his ancestral home to ensure that his family knew and understood their heritage.  During this trip, he took time out to return emails and phone calls, taking care of AFCCE business.

He was responsible for the communications infrastructure of The Durst Organization.  Among his many accomplishments was leading the design and implementation of the master antenna at Four Times Square and the new broadcast transmission facility at One World Trade Center.

In 2006, he received the Radio World Excellence in Engineering Award and in 2017, he received the NAB Engineering Achievement Award for Television.

John is survived by his wife, Natasha and sons Matthew (26) and Constantine (7).  He was 71 years old.

Details of the serves for John can be found here.  You may also leave comments on that website or make comments on this page below.  (To avoid spam comments will not appear immediately.)

John George with John Lyons at the 2018 AFCCE Annual Meeting

John Lyons receiving recognition for his 2 terms as AFCCE President from Chris Horne at the 2018 AFCCE Annual Meeting

Meetings & Events

2019 AFCCE FCC Reception

AFCCE – FCC Reception

Wednesday, November 20, 2019
at The National Press Club
4:30 PM until 7:30 PM

AFCCE members will once again share time with FCC staffers and friends for this popular event, beginning at 4:30pm on Wednesday, November 20.

The location is the elegant National Press Club,

National Press Building
First Amendment Lounge
13th Floor
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 guest speaker Rosemary Harold, Chief, FCC Enforcement Bureau

Please register for the Luncheon event separately.

Continue reading →

Meetings & Events

November 2019 Luncheon Meeting

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

Speaker: Rosemary Harold of FCC Enforcement Bureau

Rosemary Harold, Chief, FCC Enforcement Bureau

Rosemary C. Harold is Chief of the Enforcement Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission, where she leads the Commission’s largest organizational unit, including its field offices around the country. Ms. Harold rejoins the agency from Wilkinson Barker Knauer LLP, where she was a partner. Prior to joining the firm in 2011, Ms. Harold was a legal advisor to then-FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell for media and broadband issues and deputy chief of the FCC’s Media Bureau. She began her career as a journalist, working as a reporter and bureau chief for the Miami Herald and an editor at C-SPAN. She earned her law degree magna cum laude from Georgetown University Law Center, her master’s degree from the University of Missouri, and her bachelor’s degree from the College of William and Mary.

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 Thursday, November  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)

  • Mushroom Duxelle Baked Chicken
  • Pan-Seared Peppered Salmon
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables

With:
Caesar Salad
Rice
Seasonal Vegetables
German Chocolate Cake

Register separately for the FCC Reception here

Register separately for the FCC Reception here

Meetings & Events

October, 2019 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, October 25, 2019

Rigid Coaxial Transmission Line Systems for the UHF Television Repack

Stephen J. Kolvek, Director of Engineering, MYAT, Inc.

This presentation will cover Critical Frequencies due to repetitive Line Lengths that must be avoided when used in a broadcasting system. The anchor insulator connector which is a building block of all flanged rigid coaxial transmission systems. Broadcast industry standard line lengths that are used for single channel applications. Multi-channel uses of standard line lengths where possible. Customized line lengths specific to broadcasting multi channel needs. Optimization of inner conductor support structures for specific on channel performance and multi channel performance. Myat Broad Band SpectraLine Technique scattering the response of flanged connections across a needed broad band operation specification / application with enhanced optimization method of inner conductor support structures. Some example broadband SpectraLine designs will also be included. All of these system types are currently being used for the current US UHF Broadcast Repack needs.

Stephen has worked for MYAT, Inc. since Sept 1990, as an Electrical Engineer for Transmission Line products. His knowledge of transmission line theory, RF combiners, and feed systems have aided MYAT in developing numerous products and operations. Stephen’s educational background includes a BSEET Degree in 1987 from DeVry Institute of Technology, Chicago Illinois and an Advanced Electronics Engineering Diploma From DeVry Technical Institute, Woodbridge, NJ. He is co-author of a patent for the Myat EStar power combiner and co-author of a few non-broadcast industry RF design patents.

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, October  21, 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 Champignon
  • Roast Top Round Sirloin
  • Stir-Fry Vegetables

With:
Tossed Salad
Pasta
Seasonal Vegetables
Carrot Cake

Register separately for the AFCCE Fall Social here

 

Register separately for the AFCCE Fall Social here

Meetings & Events, News

2019 AFCCE Fall Social and Celebration of Life

Friday evening, October 25, 2019

This year in addition to our annual fundraiser for the AFCCE Scholarship Fund, we are having a Celebration of Life for our friend, mentor, and former AFCCE President Ronald D. Rackley.

Ron touched so many lives during his time with us and all who had a chance to meet or work with Ron truly benefited. Many members of the Rackley family will be joining us for this celebration and we hope that you will as well. Continue reading →

Meetings & Events, News

September 2019 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, September 20, 2019

Repack from the Manufacturer’s and Tower Owner’s Perspective

Jay Martin, Dielectric and Jim Stenberg, American Tower

AFCCE Members Jay and Jim will discus the current status of the Television Repack. How has the weather effected the progress, deliveries from the manufacturers, installation at the tower site and what lies ahead.

Jay Martin has been working in the broadcast industry for 39 years starting with Shively Laboratories in 1980. In 1985, Jay went to work for Dielectric as an Electrical Engineer with emphasis on the FM product line.  He assumed roles at Dielectric as FM Product Line Manager, TV Antenna Product Line Manager, Senior Director of Marketing and VP of Sales and Marketing.  In 2008 Jay transitioned to RFS as Director of Broadcast Sales and Business Development and went on to become CEO RFS Australia and Global Broadcast Sales Manager. He returned to Dielectric in December of 2015 as VP of Sales.

Jay has presented at IEEE Broadcast Symposium, IBC (Amsterdam), SET (Sao Paulo), IWPC (Barcelona) USTTI (Washington, DC) and several regional shows. Have authored articles for Broadcast Engineering, TV Technology, Digital TV and Radio World and is a member of AFCCE, SBE, IEEE Broadcast Technology Society.

Jim Stenberg is a principal broadcast RF engineer for American Tower Corporation. He is a technical resource for the broadcast sales and operations departments within the company regarding single and multichannel RF system installations at their sites throughout the country.  Immediately prior to his current position, Jim was a broadcast account manager responsible for leasing tower space to TV and FM clients. Prior to joining ATC he ran his own broadcast consulting and RF field service business, JS Engineering, from 2005 to 2013 where his primary customer was Qualcomm FLO-TV.

Previously Mr Stenberg worked at several RF system manufacturers including Dielectric Communications, Jampro RF Systems, Passive Power Products and MicroCommunications from 1987 to 2005 performing sales, research, and development functions for high power broadcast antennas, combiners and filter products. He is responsible for numerous; RF system product designs, multi-tenant RFR studies, technology reports and is the holder of eight patents. Jim earned his bachelor of science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Massachusetts, Lowell and lives in Portland, Maine.

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, September 16, 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)

  • Chicken Marsala
  • Pan Seared Peppered Salmon
  • Tricolor Cheese Tortellini

With:
Tossed Salad
Cheesecake