Copyright ©1996, RF Specialties Group.
If you've been wanting to run your radio station from, say, a bistro in St. Thomas, you won't get any complaints from the FCC. Or, will you? As of October 2, the Commission more or less left the operation of your station up to you, its overriding provision that the station stay legal.
And, therein lies the bureaucratic snare. RF Specialties contacted representatives from remote control manufacturers Gentner, Sine Systems, Burk Technology, and Moseley, and they all concurred that the FCC's new report and order on unattended operation is ambiguous, and therefore best left to the legal experts. The four did, however, suggest several points broadcasters should ponder before embarking on that trip to the Virgin Islands with cellphone in hand.
First and foremost is the authorized control point during unattended operation. "They require notification of where the control point is, but do not stipulate just what it is and in fact if you need a one," commented John Leonard with Gentner, adding that the FCC has done away with operator licensing and would probably view call forwarding from the transmitter as acceptable.
Not being able to shut off the transmitter in time, however, is probably not acceptable to the FCC, according to John Pate, president of Sine Systems. Although stations now have up to three hours to correct or shut down the transmitter in all but severe instances, in which case they have only three minutes, "the main requirement they're putting on stations is they need to be able to shut down. So if you can run to the transmitter and shut it off in three minutes, you don't need a remote control," Pate pondered.
Under the new order, positive control is an option but not a requirement, said Dave Chancey of Moseley. The order now authorizes the use of a dedicated dial-up line - cellular included - for remote control, he said. Since the FCC requires a three-minute response to critical power and pattern problems, some AM stations most likely will need an intelligent remote control system that can automatically call a station operator and enact a contingency plan, such as reduce power in the event readings exceed their preset tolerance, noted Chancey.
As to whether or not broadcasters should resort to the Draconian ATS method of automatic shutdown, this has been left up to the judgment of the broadcaster, he said. On tower lighting the FCC was more clear. "My understanding is they need to be checked once a day," either logged remotely or by an onsite operator, said Pate. Modulation monitoring was also indicated in the order. "There is now a requirement to know <D>about modulation," noted Peter Burk with Burk Technology. No such monitoring is required, however, of stations with an attendant onsite, he added. He suggests unattended stations interface a modulation monitor to the remote control. As of yet, none of the four remote control manufacturers make a modulation monitoring device.
What about emergency broadcast, now in a transitional state between EBS and EAS? "They were very explicit about permitting the automation of current EBS" in advance of EAS, providing stations comply with EBS requirements, said Burk. "A broadcaster that implemented EBS automatically using a two- minute time out would likely comply with that expectation."
All four summed up their comments with advice to broadcasters to track and report station parameters better. For many, unattended operation will mean having to replace unstable old equipment with newer, reliable gear and, in some cases, getting a more elaborate control system to automatically adjust parameters or take the station off the air when required. To find out which remote control system is best suited for your station operation, whether it be attended or unattended, call or fax your local RF Specialties office (see back page).