All posts by Michael D. Rhodes

News

Assistance Needed for Puerto Rican Broadcasters

Message from President John Lyons:

I have received a request from fellow AFCCE member David Layer who has been in contact with Jose Ribas, Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Broadcasters Association. They are desperately seeking assistance in getting Puerto Rican radio stations back on the air. With virtually all of Puerto Rico’s radio stations off the air, the population, those with electric power, are not able to get vital information at this time.  For an example, click on the link: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/weather/hurricane/article174409151.html to see what WKAQ 580 has been through.

David asks that if there are any members able to help to please contact him and he will put the member in touch with Jose Ribas.  David’s contact information is:

David H. Layer
Vice President, Advanced Engineering
National Association of Broadcasters
1771 N Street NW
Washington DC 20036
Phone 202 429 5339
www.nab.org

Broadcasters as a community have always pulled together in trying times.  If you are able to help in Puerto Rico or in any of the other affected broadcast communities hit hard by Harvey, Irma, Jose or Maria, please reach out to your local broadcasting stations. They are all trying to either stay on the air or get back on the air and they provide the vital day to day information necessary to help the affected communities.

I vividly remember the help that poured into New York City from the broadcasters nationwide after 9/11 for which I personally will be forever thankful.

I thank you in advance for any help that you may be able to offer.

Sincerely,
John M Lyons
President
AFCCE

Meetings & Events

2017 AFCCE Fall Social

Thursday evening, October 12, 2017

AFCCE invites all members and their families and guests to the
Annual Fall Social which follows the IEEE BTS Symposium.

The AFCCE Scholarship program has always been a very impactful activity of AFCCE, but its continued success relies on being able to sustain and bolster the scholarship fund. The Fall Social is the major fund-raising event for the benefit of the 501(c)(3) Fund. Each year, the Scholarship Fund supports students enrolled in accredited engineering programs at universities throughout the country. Your support, both by your attendance and your corporate sponsorship, will strengthen this important mission of the AFCCE.

Both corporate and individual sponsorships are solicited for the AFCCE Fall Social to benefit the AFCCE Scholarship Fund. This year we are again accepting sponsorship levels of:

$250 – Silver Level
$500 – Gold Level
$1000 or more – Platinum Level

Please consider being a sponsor this year. Sponsors will be acknowledged below, in our promotions of the Fall Social and at the event itself.

The AFCCE Fall Social will be held at:

The Vantage Point Restaurant

atop the Holiday Inn Rosslyn
(across the street from the Key Bridge Marriott)

Thursday, October 12, 2017

Cocktails at 5:30 pm and Dinner at 6:30.

Please RSVP by October 5.

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Meetings & Events

September 2017 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, September 15, 2017

Overview of the FCC’s new
Experimental Program License system

Anthony Serafini
Chief, Experimental Licensing Branch

Mr. Serafini will present an overview of the FCC’s new Experimental Program License system.  In April 2017 the FCC adopted a new authorization type to add an additional option for communication equipment and system testing, research, and development.  The “Program License” is intended to offer greater flexibility and faster response for Universities, manufactures, and researches when testing in controlled geographic locations.

** Please note the new luncheon price below **

Reception 11:45 AM with Lunch beginning at 12:30 PM

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, September 11th. 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
If you are driving, the Holiday Inn provides free parking.
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

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

Meetings & Events

May 2017 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, May 19, 2017

Extended two-part session!

Designing and Building an Advanced Customizable RF Transmission System at One World Trade Center
by John Lyons

and

TV Repacking Reimbursement Q&A
by FCC Staff

 

John Lyons will be presenting Designing and Building an Advanced Customizable RF Transmission System at One World Trade Center as well as a sneak preview of the AFCCE Annual Meeting at his new facility.  His presentation will begin immediately after lunch.

The second presentation will be a Q&A from FCC Staff on Incentive Auction reimbursement. which will begin about 2 PM and end about 3:00 PM

Also – Don’t forget to Vote for AFCCE Board of Directors
and Register for the Annual Meeting in NYC

 

** Please note the new luncheon price below **

Reception 11:45 AM with Lunch beginning at 12:30 PM

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, May  15th. RSVP directly to John Reiser by phone at (703) 780-4824, or email rsvp@afcce.org.

Lunch menu:

  • Main Course (Select one )
    • Sautéed Beef Tips with Vegetables
    • Salmon
    • Stir-Fry Vegetables (Vegan)
  • Caesar Salad
  • Potatoes
  • Strawberry Mousse

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
If you are driving, the Holiday Inn provides free parking.
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

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

Meetings & Events

March 2017 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, March 17, 2017

SFN Network Applications of
Wideband UHF Slot Antennas

Ben Crease, Regional Sales Manager
Jampro Antennas / AlanDick Broadcast

The Jampro/AlanDick experience with DVB-T2 and SFN installations such as Singapore’s hundreds of SFN transmitters will be explored.  The presentation will highlight a new wideband UHF slot antenna designed to handle aux/repack antenna assignments with minimal tower loading impact.  Also discussed will be ATSC3 OFDM signal considerations for the new “OFDM Crest factor” vs 8-VSB peak voltage requirements,  ATSC3 non-compatibility with ATSC1 8VSB based signals as well as ATSC3 Single Frequency Network (SFN) advantages in added mobile coverage.

** Please note the new luncheon price below **

Reception 11:45 AM with Lunch beginning at 12:30 PM

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, March 13th. RSVP directly to John Reiser by phone at (703) 780-4824, or email rsvp@afcce.org.

Lunch menu:

  • Main Course (Select one )
    • Thai Grilled Chicken
    • Salmon
    • Stir-Fry Vegetables
  • Tossed Salad
  • Rice
  • Mixed Seasonal Berries

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
If you are driving, the Holiday Inn provides free parking.
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

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

Comment Filings

AFCCE Supports AM Synchronous Boosters (RM-11779)

In a recent Petition for Rulemaking, the petitioner asked the Commission to routinely authorize AM Synchronous Booster stations as a part of FCC rules and specified certain rules that would be necessary to achieve that result. AFCCE generally supports the proposals set forth in the Petition with regard to authorization of such systems on a permanent basis and believes that based on known technical data the application to such systems of certain of the Part 73 interference protection requirements will be adequate to prevent interference with other stations.

Read the complete AFCCE filing here:  AFCCE Comments FCC RM-11779 AM Synchronous Boosters

Meetings & Events, News

January 2017 Luncheon Meeting

Friday, January 13, 2017

TV Study v2.1 – An Update

Speaker: Mark Colombo, FCC OET

Mark Colombo will speak on the latest TVStudy Software Version 2.1.  He will demonstrate the FCC’s TVStudy software, starting with a brief review of its existing features and how those have changed since the release of 2.0 demonstrated last April, followed by a demonstration of these and other additional features implemented in the software for improved functionality in the post-auction environment.  When it is publicly available, TVStudy Version 2.1 will be available for download at http://www.fcc.gov/oet/tvstudy.

Mark Colombo earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering (with a Minor‎ in Engineering Business) from the University of Virginia (UVA) in 2011. Mr. Colombo worked for the broadcasting company Luken Communications prior to joining the FCC in 2013, where he now supports TVStudy and assists with the TV incentive auction.

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News

AFCCE and IEEE BTS Announce Spring 2017 Scholarship Recipients

Ten Students at Nine U.S. Universities Receive Awards Totaling Over $32,000

December 1, 2016 — The Association of Federal Communications Consulting Engineers (AFCCE) and the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society (BTS) announced the award of ten scholarships to students
interested in telecommunications. Scholarship amounts ranged from $750 to $10,000. The Spring 2017 scholarship recipients were:

Shane Cyr, University of Maine
Martin Doczkat, The George Washington University
Dhantha Gunarathna, Drexel University
Mohammad Islam University of Missouri
Elaine Khuu, Virginia Tech
Abdullah Njie, Georgia Tech
Prosanta Paul, Old Dominion University
William Shifflett, Oklahoma State University
Tyler Turcotte, University of Massachusetts
Rafida Zaman, University of Missouri

Martin Doczkat and William Shifflett were the first recipients of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society/AFCCE Jules Cohen Memorial Scholarships, a new program that awards scholarships of up to $10,000 to promising undergraduate or graduate students studying  at accredited U.S. universities, who are planning to pursue a career in broadcast engineering.

Shane Cyr was the recipient of the E. Noel Luddy Scholarship, sponsored by Dielectric Communications (Raymond, Maine).  “The Broadcast Technology Society it thrilled that the inaugural Jules Cohen scholarships are being awarded to two such deserving students. We look forward to honoring the memory and work of Jules Cohen by helping develop the students that will lead the evolution of broadcasting into the future.” said Bill Hayes, president, IEEE BTS.

“AFCCE is committed to helping develop engineering talent in radio frequency technologies, including antennas, propagation, transmission, and spectrum management. These scholarships represent our largest ever award to promising students whom we hope will help shape the future of telecommunications,” said Bob Weller, president of AFCCE.

AFCCE has awarded scholarships for over 30 years to both undergraduate and graduate students, based on qualifications, financial need, and number of qualified applicants. Applicants must be enrolled in an engineering or related technical curriculum at an accredited U.S. university and demonstrate a good academic record, and undergraduates must have junior or senior standing.

Evaluated by an AFCCE scholarship committee including IEEE BTS members, Jules Cohen Memorial Scholarship applicants are ranked based on their explicit interest in broadcast engineering as expressed in a personal statement, their academic record, financial need, and relevant extracurricular activities.  Applicants for other AFCCE scholarships have slightly different requirements. Applications for Fall 2017 semester will be accepted beginning March 1, 2017 until April. 30, 2017.

More information about the AFCCE Scholarships (including the Jules Cohen Memorial Scholarship) is available at afcce.org/scholarships .  Additional information about the IEEE BTS is available at bts.ieee.org/awards.

A PDF version of this Press Release is available here:
AFCCE and IEEE BTS Spring 2017 Scholarship Recipients