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Hi Everyone,
We just got clearance to broadcast a network at least until they have a local licensed affiliate. It’s going to be great to have live programs when we don’t have local programs. We have all of the equipment we need except tone detectors. Anyone know of an inexpensive tone detector so our local content is played during breaks in the network programming? I don’t mind building them if anyone has plans. We’re looking at a detector for 25 hz and another for 35 hz. Ideally the detectors would have a switched output for use with a relay.
Hi Everyone,
We just got clearance to broadcast a network at least until they have a local licensed affiliate. It’s going to be great to have live programs when we don’t have local programs. We have all of the equipment we need except tone detectors. Anyone know of an inexpensive tone detector so our local content is played during breaks in the network programming? I don’t mind building them if anyone has plans. We’re looking at a detector for 25 hz and another for 35 hz. Ideally the detectors would have a switched output for use with a relay.
The alternative is software that could switch at exact times as the breaks are at the same time each hour. I haven’t had much experience with automation software. Are there any that can switch to a live external audio feed at designated times?
Total posts : 45366The DRS2006 software can, with the appropriate plug-in, do exactly what you want. Other automation software packages will do the same thing (e.g. Spacial Audio’s SAM3 with the right PAL script). The most intuitiuve user-friendly package available, to my knowledge, is DRS2006. Check ’em out.
Marshall Johnson, Sr.
Senior Pastor, President
Rhema Christian Fellowship, Inc.Rhema Radio – The Word In Worship
AM 1660 – FM 93.5
http://www.rhemaradio.org
Total posts : 45366I was looking into a similar device for a local radio station in the area and found the TD1 kit from Ramsey Electronics. It can detect tones down to 10 Hz and costs 10 bucks!
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=TD1
Hook up a relay and you’re all set!
–Chris
Total posts : 45366[quote=DarkStar]I was looking into a similar device for a local radio station in the area and found the TD1 kit from Ramsey Electronics. It can detect tones down to 10 Hz and costs 10 bucks!
http://www.ramseyelectronics.com/cgi-bin/commerce.exe?preadd=action&key=TD1
Hook up a relay and you’re all set!
–Chris[/quote]
I like the Ramsey idea!!! This culd be used to switch in NOAA weather radio as well. I understand swithching in the sat feed, but how does one relay control the computer?
Total posts : 45366[quote=wdcx]I like the Ramsey idea!!! This culd be used to switch in NOAA weather radio as well. I understand swithching in the sat feed, but how does one relay control the computer?[/quote]
Interesting. I was just looking at EAS stuff the other day.
How would you cut studio audio and the switch back after an alert?
Total posts : 45366[quote=wdcx]
I like the Ramsey idea!!! This culd be used to switch in NOAA weather radio as well. I understand swithching in the sat feed, but how does one relay control the computer?[/quote]
Hmm… Maybe using some type of Parallel port device or maybe using a modified keyboard or something might work.For something like EAS, they transmit a tone at the start and end of the alert, so you could use the tone decoder to interrupt the programming and then switch back at the second tone…
–Chris
Total posts : 45366I think the original post was to dump the sat feed and run local content. How would the local conetent be keyed?
WDCX AM1610 Part 15
John
Owner-Operator-Chief Engineer-Program Manager
Total posts : 45366[quote=wdcx]I think the original post was to dump the sat feed and run local content. How would the local conetent be keyed?[/quote]
At the radio station I work at, satellite programming will come through the automation hardware and when a relay is tripped (from a tone) the automation hardware kills the satellite audio and plays its own audio for a previously planned length (2 minutes 10 seconds for example) and then will play through the satellite audio again.We use AudioVault and costs waaay too much for Part 15 use… But works great!
–Chris
Total posts : 45366Hi Everyone. Thanks for the information. I don’t know why I didn’t think of Ramsey’s stuff. The rest will be easy in comparison. The relay can switch audio sources. As far as triggering the local content we’ve got a few ideas. Some of them a little strange. Easiest would be two cart machines. One for local content, one for ID’s. We would simply record the local breaks, news, weather, etc in order on a cart. Each trigger would play the next segment and stop. One person suggested using a recorded DVD that would simply repeat every hour. The relay would simply switch between satellite and dvd as required. The most bizarre was a system we actually used in 1986 at a full power AM/FM combo. Every on-air person recorded a 3 hour Christmas program on VHS tape. Using an Adam computer white blocks were generated on the video. For instance when it was time for the weather you pressed “2” That would create a white block on a part of the screen. Photoresistors were taped to the TV screen which tripped relays. This worked for network news, weather, sports, commercials, etc. It allowed the station to have a live sound for the Christmas holiday with only a change of tapes every 6 hours.
As far as weather goes, there is a Midland weather radio that has built in alarm (relay) contacts for weather alerts. It costs about $40. Better still this radio has the capability of selecting for what county you want to receive alerts.
By the way we are receiving the network via KU band satellite. If any of you are looking for some extra live programming there are several networks. You can get the receivers used for less than $50 usually. And you can use a dish of around 30″ or larger. Our total cost was only about $70. Network policies vary. The one we are going to use will allow us to pick and choose programs so we can maintain as much local content as we want.
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