As the LBA Antenna Turns

LBA Technology President, Jerry Brown participated in a seminar at the 2008 Broadcast Asia Show in Singapore during June. His presentation was to a select group of engineers and representatives of LBA products in the Asian-Pacific Rim area. Jerry brought the participants up to date on current medium wave broadcast antenna technology and LBA products.  

Jerry reminds our Asian customers that LBA has built a knowledgable sales support network in the area. For a local contact and immediate assistance, please email Jerry.

LBA Technology sponsored, in conjunction with Radio Guide Magazine and others, an AM Directional Seminar at the Texas Association of Broadcasters convention in Austin Texas.  Over 30 senior broadcast engineers from across the United States participated in the event from August 5 - 8.  This hands-on teaching event, is staged by Radio Guide and its sponsors twice a year at different locations in the United States. The seminar facilitates engineers to learn about directional AM antenna systems, from the basic design, layout and engineering, up to and including NEC modeling of arrays.

During the seminar, LBA Technology President Jerry Brown discussed various facets of LBA directional antenna equipment and services. He also introduced the LBA’s new Schomandl test equipment line.  The FIT-70 antenna test unit and SafeOne™ personal RF monitor were on displayed and demonstrated.

According to Jerry, “Radio Guide has done a great service to the broadcast industry with these seminars. As an eminent worldwide supplier of AM antenna and RF equipment, we recognize and support these educational efforts”. 

A  Notable Group of Broadcast Engineers Participated, Including:

Wayne Pecena, Texas A&M; Roger Taylor, Gap Broadcasting; Jeff Zimmer, Family Stations; James Henkel & Duncan Black, Emmis Austin Radio; Jose Chaparro, Radiorama Tampico; Bud Williamson, Digital Radio Engineering; Chester Leediker; Ray Bagby, Wright Broadcasting; Steve White, KDJW Radio; Jim Burt, BTA Inc.; Rodney Norris & Norman Philips, Gap Broadcasting; George Corso, WQAM Radio; Thomas Saylor, Washington State University; Robert Kowalchuk & Wojceich Kobylinski, D.E.M. Allen & Assoc.; Britt Lockhart, Clear Channel; Martin Stabbert, Citadel Communications; Ronald Baker, Desert Radio Group; Jordan Tomlinson, Broadcast Works; Peter Block, Encino Broadcasting

The elite of broadcast engineering will gather at the Westin Hotel in Alexandria, Virginia from 15 – 17 October to celebrate the 2008 Symposium.

Typical topic areas include:
• Technical issues associated with the termination of analog television broadcasting
• Repurposing of analog television broadcast transmitters
• Digital radio and television systems: terrestrial, cable, satellite, Internet, wireless
• Streaming, IPTV, VoIP, VoD, Mobile TV, Wireless Multimedia
• Wireless Broadband Networks; e.g., IEEE 802.22 Wireless Regional Area Networks
• Transmission, propagation, reception, re-distribution of broadcast signals

LBA Technology is proud to be a Patron level sponsor. Come see us to view information about LBA medium wave transmission systems and our RF test equipment. LBA is now the exclusive Western Hemisphere distributor for Kathrein/Schomandl test equipment! We will be featuring their MSK200 Digital Signal Analyser, the revolutionary SafeOne™ Personal RF Exposure Monitor, and other instruments.

Contact Jerry Brown or John George to discuss your requirements.

Sometimes we forget that the RF running around in your ATU can be a really good welder!

Someone forgot to fully insert the J-Plug bar in this ATU input - perhaps after making an impedance measurement. The high resistance contact led to arcing, melting, and finally removal of enough metal to stop the arc! Meanwhile, enough power flowed that the transmitter VSWR overload didn’t see a thing.   

This antenna tuning unit had 50,000 watts on it, but even 1,000 watts can make a mess under the right circumstances.  Regular inspection of all RF systems is important. Coil clips, J-plugs, and other contacts should be checked for fit, discoloration and temperature (power off, please!). Take a walk around the antenna array more often. It will surprise you what you see!

At LBA, we design most of our ground systems in 40% Copperweld(TM) #10 wire. This stuff has virtually no scrap value, and there is insignificant AM loss due to the copper cladding being several skin depths thick at AM frequencies. It is stiff enough that anyone trying to pull it up should think twice about it being copper. It is also more resistant to breaking from earth movement and vehicular traffic, as well.  More on copper and RF components here!

As a radio technician, roof worker, or tower climber, it can be a bit scary working around antennas! What’s hot and what’s not? Is there too much RF energy about to work safely? How do I stay safe?

Well, along with good site documentation and proper RF worker training, a good personal RF monitor can be your best friend!

LBA Technology has introduced the SafeOne™ as a remarkably cost effective personal alert system for all workers in RF exposed area. The SafeOne™ is a compact, wearable, precision monitor that provides visual and audible alerts if you venture into potentially hazardous areas. It is so affordable that your team doesn’t need to share an expensive monitor – every member can have their own!

The SafeOne™ is made with German craftsmanship by Schomandl, part of the renowned Kathrein Group – the largest antenna manufacturer in the world – they really know RF! It is exclusively distributed and supported in North and South America by LBA.  More on SafeOne™ here!

John George, VP of Sales, has taken LBA Technology on the road to Columbia, South Carolina this week. John has a major role in supporting the annual conference, as well as representing LBA products to engineers from South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia attending the event. The LBA booth is shown here.  One of the more popular items displayed at the show is the LBA CAMI isolation coil.  This unit will allow easy installation of an FM translator on a “hot” AM tower.

LBA Technology goes on the road again to exhibit at the Tennessee Broadcasters’ Show on January 25 at the Maxwell House Hotel in Nashville, TN.  More on AM broadcast products here!

For the fourth consecutive year, LBA Group has received recognition from DiversityBusiness.com as one of the top 50 diversity-owned businesses in the state of North Carolina. LBA was also cited as advancing in ranking over last year.

The NC Div50 is the 8th annual listing of the State’s top diversity-owned businesses. The companies listed on the Div50 represent the State’s top multicultural earners and challenge the long-held notion that a small or diversity-owned business is insignificant.

Watch this video from Oregon Public Television for heart-stopping views of work on a radio tower at 1000 feet! Rugged tower workers brave winter weather to repair FM broadcast antennas. A rare view of work above the ground. Click here to view.

The main LBA facilities consist of about 20,000 square feet (1860 square meters) in two modern production and office buildings. They are situated on a beautifully landscaped large campus, with adequate parking, storage, and shipping accommodations. We are about three miles (five kilometers) from Greenville, NC.

LBA maintains a large antenna test site in a quiet, rural area several miles from the main campus. With its quiet RF noise and spaciousness, it is ideal for antenna performance tests. LBA maintains FCC licenses allowing test transmissions. In the view above, a TUP-3 mobile antenna undergoes tests, as well as a 100 kW open wire transmission line in the background.