Radio World International 513 - September 2019 by Future PLC

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September 2019 issue of

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SEPTEMBER 2019

INSIDE IBC2019

The News Source for Radio Managers and Engineers

RADIOWORLD.COM

Spectrum Radio Network Unveils New London Studios BY WILL JACKSON

• Radio is well-represented at September’s giant media and technology show — Page 5

10 CODEC QUESTIONS • I mportant points to take into account when implementing codec technology — Page 8

BUYER’S GUIDE

• Codec and internet gear ensures seamless audio transport — Page 18

LONDON — The Spectrum Radio Network has completed a move to new studios in the center of the United Kingdom’s capital city. Launched in 1990 as a multiethnic radio station broadcasting to London on 558AM, Spectrum has recently relocated as part of a plan to transform its business. “We now see ourselves as a facilities provider to anyone who wants to broadcast to London, the U.K. or any other territories” says its network director, John Ogden. “We’re all broadcasters ourselves here, so we know what stations want — that’s economies of scale and a clear path to getting on air. It means you don’t have to worry about sourcing studios, internet connectivity or disaster recovery.” CENTRAL LOCATION Ogden explains the need for the move from its former location in Battersea, a southwest London suburb, to the new location on the South Bank, close to Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre and the

Tate Modern art gallery. “Being in central London now means we are more attractive to staff, clients and advertisers. We were becoming restricted in how we could expand — we needed to take our (continued on page 6)

Photos by Rebecca Turpin/Orange Media Co.

Offers hub for stations broadcasting to U.K. and world; new targets include podcasters and agencies

Paul Miller is head of broadcast operations at Spectrum Radio Network.

Graham Mack of Fix Radio broadcasts from Spectrum Radio’s studios.

To reach the goal, in addition to talent and training, you need the right equipment: accountable, resilient, able to consistently perform its required function. The challenge is to ﬁnd the solution that works best for you.

Reliability and High-quality Radio Transmission 201907_DB_RW_23,5x5,7cm.indd 1

Our FM solutions are built to guarantee continuity and high quality of your Radio Service always, anywhere and under any weather condition or possible failures. www.dbbroadcast.com

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CONTENT Managing Director, Content Paul J. McLane, paul.mclane@futurenet.com Content Director Marguerite Clark, marguerite.clark@futurenet.com Senior Content Producer — Technology Brett Moss, brett.moss@futurenet.com Content Manager Emily Reigart, emily.reigart@futurenet.com Technical Advisers Thomas R. McGinley, Doug Irwin Technical Editor, RWEE W.C. “Cris” Alexander Contributors: Africa: Gregory Lagat, Lameck Masina, John Masuku; Asia: Md. Azizul Alam Al-Amin, Martyn Green, Frederick Noronha, Mark Timpany; Australia: James Cridland; Europe: Andy Bantock, Kevin Branigan, Giuseppe Camonita, Nuno de Sousa, Charles Flores, Blazo Guzina, Lawrie Hallett, Will Jackson, Hans K. Kristjansson, Drew Leifheit, Raúl Llarull, Urmas Loit, Marc Maes, Davide Moro, Emmanuelle Pautler, Panos Polyzoidis, Bernd Trutenau, Andreas Tzanakos, Thomas Völkner; Latin America: Jorge J. Basilago, Carlos Eduardo Behrensdorf, Juan G. Buenaventura; Eduardo Curuchet, Arturo Valentino; New Zealand: Nick Gerritsen; North America: John Bisset, James Careless, Scott Fybush, Randy J. Stine Production Managers Nicole Schilling Managing Design Director Nicole Cobban Senior Design Director Karen Lee ADVERTISING SALES Publisher, Radio World International Raffaella Calabrese, raffaella.calabrese@futurenet.com, +39-320-891-1938 Senior Business Director & Publisher, Radio World John Casey, john.casey@futurenet.com, +1-845-678-3839 SUBSCRIBER CUSTOMER SERVICE To subscribe, change your address, or check on your current account status, go to www.radioworld.com and click on About Us, email futureplc@computerfulfillment.com, call +1-888-266-5828, or write P.O. Box 282, Lowell, MA 01853. LICENSING/REPRINTS/PERMISSIONS Radio World is available for licensing. Contact the Licensing team to discuss partnership opportunities. Head of Print Licensing Rachel Shaw licensing@futurenet.com MANAGEMENT Senior Vice President — B2B Content Chris Convey VP, Sales — B2B John Bubello Head of Production US & UK Mark Constance VP/Media Technology Group Carmel King FUTURE US, INC. 11 West 42nd Street,15th Floor, New York, NY 10036

All contents ©Future US, Inc. or published under licence. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be used, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any way without the prior written permission of the publisher. Future Publishing Limited (company number 02008885) is registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All information contained in this publication is for information only and is, as far as we are aware, correct at the time of going to press. Future cannot accept any responsibility for errors or inaccuracies in such information. You are advised to contact manufacturers and retailers directly with regard to the price of products/services referred to in this publication. Apps and websites mentioned in this publication are not under our control. We are not responsible for their contents or any other changes or updates to them. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. If you submit material to us, you warrant that you own the material and/or have the necessary rights/permissions to supply the material and you automatically grant Future and its licensees a licence to publish your submission in whole or in part in any/all issues and/or editions of publications, in any format published worldwide and on associated websites, social media channels and associated products. Any material you submit is sent at your own risk and, although every care is taken, neither Future nor its employees, agents, subcontractors or licensees shall be liable for loss or damage. We assume all unsolicited material is for publication unless otherwise stated, and reserve the right to edit, amend, adapt all submissions.

◗NEWSWATCH WORLDDAB INTRODUCES EXCELLENCE IN AUTOMOTIVE AWARD WorldDAB launched the WorldDAB Excellence in Automotive Award on Thursday, June 20, during the WorldDAB Automotive 2020 conference, held in Turin, Italy. According to the organization, the award “recognizes outstanding work carried out on the development, innovation and promotion of digital radio within the automotive industry.” It honors the “most significant contributions of individuals, groups or teams working toward optimizing the experience of digital radio in the car,” with particular focus on the “recognition of technical expertise and project collaboration.” The judging panel consists of a small Laurence Harrison, chair of the WorldDAB Automotive group from the senior team at WorldDAB, Group and market development director of Digital Radio UK, chaired by the WorldDAB president. announced the new award during the WorldDAB Automotive Areas of consideration include: 2019 conference, which took place in Turin, Italy, in June. • I mpact, individual contribution to a product, service or technical development which has helped or improved the current use and/or state of digital radio; •P ersonal — leadership, expertise, championing, commitment and success; •C ollaboration — collaborative effort and engagement with the wider industry. WorldDAB will announce the first-ever winner at the WorldDAB Automotive event in June 2020. The call for nominations for is now open. The deadline for submitting nominations is April 1, 2020. To nominate yourself or a colleague, send the following information to projectoffice@worlddab.org: •N ame, title, company, email, mobile number of nominator; •N ame, title, company, email, mobile number of nominee; • 300 words describing the reasons behind the nomination — including projects the nominees have worked on, specific examples of excellence and any other information that is relevant to the nomination.

THIS ISSUE SEPTEMBER 2019 NEWS

BUYER’S GUIDE

Spectrum Radio Network Unveils New London Studios. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

KILT Stays Connected With Comrex BRIC-Link II. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Newswatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3, 5, 30

MultiTech Installs Tieline Codecs for Steadfast STLs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Industry Professionals Head to Amsterdam for IBC2019. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Ten Codec Questions to Consider . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Summer of Products . . . . . . . . . . . . 14, 16–17 Getty Images/Dmitry Fisher

INTERNATIONAL EDITION

Wheatstone’s SwitchBlade Addresses ISDN Challenge. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22 Tech Updates. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22, 27, 28 iHeartMedia Builds Audio Transport Platform With Barix. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Insertel Canarias Trusts AEQ. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 GatesAir Keeps STL Transport Hopping for WJKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

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September 2019

Industry Professionals Head to Amsterdam for IBC2019 Radio well-represented at September’s giant media and technology show BY WILL JACKSON

AMSTERDAM — Radio engineers

and managers from around the world will once again be making the annual autumn trip to Amsterdam for IBC2019, which bills itself as “the world’s most influential media, entertainment and technology show.” The statistics for the five-day event convey its scale — the exhibition covers 15 halls and hosts over 1,700 exhibitors spanning the broadcast industry. The accompanying conference features more than 400 speakers. In total, 2018’s event saw approximately 55,000 people from some 150 countries pass through the doors of Amsterdam’s RAI

digital distribution platforms, to make informed investment choices today and to safeguard broadcast radio for tomorrow. “Our focus at this year’s IBC is to help broadcasters understand the Convention Center. This year’s IBC Conference is themed “Consumers First: A New Era in Media,” with keynote speakers examining the current state of the industry and sharing their visions for the future. These include Max Amordeluso, EU lead evangelist for Amazon Alexa; Cécile Frot-Coutaz, head of EMEA at YouTube; and Arnaud de Puyfontaine, chairman of Vivendi, the parent company of Universal Music Group and Canal+ Group. Radio is well-represented. WorldDAB hosts a conference session on Monday morning, entitled “Radio distribution strategies for a connected world.” The panel will explore radio’s migration to digital and look at broadcast digital radio’s place in the distribution mix. It will offer recommendations and advice on how broadcasters can assess all

opportunities and challenges of digitizing radio — across all platforms,” explains Bernie O’Neill, project director for WorldDAB. “We’ll give them the facts and information needed to develop an informed radio distribution strategy that will balance the budget as well as safeguard their audience and business models.” Meanwhile, a Saturday morning “Tech Talk” at the Conference will explore voice interfaces that deliver interactive personalized radio, a cloud-based live production and playout system, controlled straight from a browser, as well as tools to help stations respond to an ever-demanding, interactive audience. The DRM Consortium also has two sessions, themed “DRM — Smart Radio For All,” looking at the practical implementation of DRM in various parts of the world. Friday’s event features the Gospell receiver, while on Saturday, Nautel hosts a session on the latest DRM implementation news on its booth. At the exhibition, as in previous years, radio suppliers are mainly centered in Hall 8, though there’s always plenty of interest across other halls. This year’s exhibitors include GatesAir, Inovonics, On-Hertz, The Telos Alliance, WaveArt, WorldCast Systems and Wheatstone Corp., plus other leaders such as DEVA, Digigram, 2wcom, WinMedia, Tieline RCS, Broadcast Bionics and transmission provider Arqiva. IBC 2019 runs from Sept. 13–17, at the RAI Convention Center in Amsterdam.

◗NEWSWATCH RADIO TECHCON READIES FOR 2019 EVENT Radio TechCon 2019 is set to take place at IET London: Savoy Place on Monday, Nov. 25. Designed for “broadcast engineers, technologists and anyone with an interest in radio, audio, technology and engineering,” organizers say the event will offer a “deep dive” into the technical challenges and opportunities facing the radio and audio industry. It’ll also celebrate technical achievements, ensuring that it remains as accessible as possible to all. The one-day conference will feature a mixture of speakers from across audio and technical disciplines as well as mini “how-to” master classes and case studies.

In addition, Radio TechCon organizers launched a Radio Technology Masterclass, an educational collaboration with broadcast equipment and software developer Broadcast Bionics and IET Multimedia Communications Network. The class took place Friday July 12 at IET London: Savoy Place, and targeted newcomers to broadcast engineering and those looking to learn more about career options involving radio technology and engineering. The Radio Technology Masterclass featured a mix of talks on the theory of broadcasting — covering how to build and kit out a studio, internal signal distribution, transmission and internet broadcasting and coding — combined with practical, hands-on activities.

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SPECTRUM (continued from page 1)

technology to the next level. The move gives us much more flexibility to create something that really ticks all the boxes.” Spectrum’s seven studios are currently home to 12 stations, including U.K. services Fix Radio, which targets tradespeople and those working in the construction sector in London and Manchester, and Love Sport Radio, alongside Middle Eastern broadcasters and the Russian pop station, Radio Baikal. Spectrum also has its own channel on the Switchdigital London 2 DAB digital radio multiplex, carrying a range of global broadcasters. The net-

John Ogden is network director for Spectrum Radio.

Studios at Spectrum Radio Network feature the Sonifex S2 mixer.

Photos by Rebecca Turpin/Orange Media Co.

work’s staff include Arabic, Mandarin, Cantonese and Spanish speakers. Moving these services to a new home meant the network needed a clear map of what was required. Security was a critical consideration, says Ogden: “I needed to be able to say to clients that we have gold-standard connectivity. We had to have a series of fail-over systems in place to keep stations on air and give peace of mind that nothing is going to compromise their broadcast.” Ogden praises the network Head of Broadcast Operations Paul Miller, for transforming the facility into what he calls a “world hub.” “What Paul’s created with this architecture is something that just works.” This included overcoming some unusual challenges — for Middle Eastern stations broadcast in the U.K., Miller had to devise a way of including the Azan call to prayer at the correct time for listeners in London. The answer was unique software, which looks at the phases of the moon to calculate the daily prayer times. It then automatically fades the broadcast at the Middle Eastern timings, covering it with other content, and inserts the Azan at the correct times for London. Ogden says: “it’s a highly sensitive maneuver for such an important part of the programming.” THE GEAR The new studios feature a range of equipment covering different client requirements. From Axia, this includes iQ mixers, Pathfinder software, and

September 2019

Meters in the Spectrum office show output from the stations.

Radio Baikal studio at Spectrum includes the Axel Oxygen 3000 console.

xNode IP audio interfaces. Sonifex products include S2 mixers, RB-DA6 distribution amplifiers, plus silence detectors and profanity delay units. The facility also uses Electro-Voice RE20

microphones and Broadcast Bionics PhoneBOX software. One studio features a custom system installed by the Italian broadcast company Axel Technology, including its Oxygen 3000 mixer. Spectrum also uses the ISDN replacement service ipDTL for simple, low-cost remote broadcasts. Miller reports one client station, Love Sport Radio, used the IP streaming service for recent broadcasts from Madrid: “The presenter had the ipDTL software on his phone with an IK Multimedia iRig interface — I have to say it was really reliable.” To support the move, Spectrum rebuilt its spectrumradio.net website, with a new look and logo, and is also branching into the fast-growing podcast world. “Our first new offer as a facilities provider is to make highly professional podcasts,” explains Ogden. “At any one time there’s now over 700,000 podcasts out there — so quality is really important. We can advise on editing and uploading to whichever channels clients prefer.” As for the future, Ogden says: “our ambition would be to develop more studios — to see more international stations using our facilities for broadcast across London and around the world. And we want to help podcasters and marketing companies with studio hire, outside broadcasts and radio promotion days. We’re really looking forward to the next stage of Spectrum’s development.”

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Ten Codec Questions to Consider Important points to take into account when implementing codec technology BY GARY KLINE

The large choice of codecs available on the market can be overwhelming. Gary Kline, a consultant and former corporate director of engineering and broadcast IT for several radio companies, highlights important points managers should take into consideration when defining their audio transport strategy and shopping for new gear.

Some requirements might include:

In today’s terms, does everyone on the team understand what a codec is and how it is used? This might seem like a basic question that anyone can answer; but often, depending on the person you ask, the definition will vary. Years ago, we thought of a codec as a simple singular compression and decompression scheme or device. But the term “codec” has taken on a more general definition, which can sometimes be interchanged with STL, microwave, transmission path, etc. So before you go down the path of integrating new codec technology into your facility, make sure everyone on the team is familiar with the current models and configurations of the codecs on the market. Codecs today comprise many technologies and come in various sizes, shapes and price tags.

Is this a simple codec replacement project or something bigger in scope? In my consulting practice, I meet many managers who start off by asking about a simple codec recommendation. By the time we finish talking, we both realize that there is a bigger picture to consider involving several codec brands and models. By asking the right questions and walking through the technical

This article is from Radio World’s ebook “Codec and STL Technology Advances.” We’ve now published more than 50 ebooks on a wide range of topics of interest to the broadcast technologist or manager including AoIP, next-gen codecs, cloud technology, digital radio, RDS, DRM, translators and more. All are free to read. Find recent issues by clicking the ebooks section under the Resource Center tab at radioworld.com.

Gary Kline

workflow of the building, we learn that there are pending, among other things, STL, remote broadcast and even on-air telephone system needs, all of which could involve codec purchases. So before the codec selection and quoting process begins, ask yourself whether this is a limited scope project or something broader. You may save money and increase efficiency on your capital spend by reviewing the larger picture up front.

If this is a broader physical plant codec review, have you defined your goals and requirements? Defining your requirements goes together with the above question. Without specific goals, how can you determine whether a codec makes sense for a particular situation? Obviously, a simple remote broadcast codec solution is easy to determine. But a larger, sophisticated codec upgrade and replacement project does require you to identify your goals and requirements.

• cost savings over telecom fees • audio quality • increased density so that multiple audio channels can be accommodated with lower cost • improved workflow • redundancy against existing legacy audio transport, metadata and control • integration into AES67/AoIP/Dante infrastructure • cost savings over non-codec/IP solutions • reduced maintenance requirements • interoperability/interconnectivity within the plant or third-party studios • portability in the field • integration (or replacement) of on-air phone systems • additional methods for listener interaction (using mobile apps, etc.) Those are just a few examples. Any of these requirements can be combined into a matrix to help determine if or when a codec purchase should be made.

I don’t trust my audio to the public internet for delivery. Is that a valid concern? Ten years ago, many engineers had their doubts about the reliability of using IP codecs for critical audio applications over the public internet. At the time, they might have considered using the public

internet as a backup path only. This was due to internet speed, reliability, cost and a lack of availability at rural locations, such as transmitter sites. One could have ordered dedicated point-to-point IP circuits, but 10 years ago those costs were much higher than they are today. Also, some codec models didn’t have a redundant second carrier or aggregation option which meant everything had to rely on a single internet provider. Today, however, public internet generally is reliable and can be ordered as a business class service with higher speeds. It is usually inexpensive and is available in more places including rural transmitter sites. Most codec units on the market now — including single remote broadcast units — have options for integrating and aggregating multiple carriers, which make using the public internet safe and reliable. Many codec installs using the public internet have been implemented with few problems. In some very high-profile mission-critical situations, I have ordered a point-to-point Ethernet circuit to be used as the primary carrier with a public internet line as the second carrier. Dedicated Ethernet circuits guaranteeing increased supervision by the carrier are a lot less expensive today. So if having a dedicated circuit is a mandate for you, like a traditional T1, this is absolutely possible. (continued on page 12)

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QUESTIONS (continued from page 8)

Broadcasters use a combination of public internet, point-to-point Ethernet, MPLS and RF to connect their codecs.

Can a codec operate using RF? Yes. Typically, a data radio is used at each end, which provides a private Ethernet path for the station between two points (typically between the studio and the transmitter site). This allows for audio transport, metadata, Ethernet and remote monitoring. The RF data radios are usually bidirectional, as are the codecs, so return audio can be passed back to the studio for confidence monitoring, etc. The RF path physical distance can be short or go for several miles. There are different radio models with different costs depending how much bandwidth is needed and how far the transmission path is. For shorter distances, these radios utilize smaller dishes. If a proper path is designed and the appropriate radio/antenna combination is selected, the RF system will be very reliable. Some systems can be installed without a license from the spectrum DAC_RW_Sept2019.pdf 1 19/07/19 regulatory body but other cases may require one.

CMY

The cost to implement an RF link for codec usage is very competitive compared to traditional analog microwave gear; in some cases much less expensive.

Are there any new practical codec technologies? Yes. Here are some of the features you’ll find in codecs today: AES67 and Dante compatibility, AoIP compatibility with console manufacturers, transport of FM MPX composite over IP, higher-density transport containing multiple audio channels using the same piece of hardware, smaller physical sizes, carrier aggregation for redundancy and improved connection reliability, improved usage of cellular including 4G LTE and easy-to-understand GUIs. In addition, most units now feature integration with on-air phone systems for improved caller audio; iOS and Android apps for remotes and news gathering as well as enhanced listener and VIP participation; reduction in cost per audio channel; and cloud-based switchboard servers to make connecting codecs even easier by eliminating certain firewall or router issues. The FM MPX over IP feature is very helpful to those who wish to move their audio processing back to the studio or 09:53 for those who want one audio processor to feed multiple locations. MPX over

September 2019

IP may also be interesting to those who employ SFNs. Apps for the smartphone or laptop make remotes, newsgathering and listener call-ins sound better and are easy to implement. Cellular bonding makes broadcasting from rural areas and large events (concerts, sports) more reliable because it helps mitigate network congestion.

Are there advantages to having an AoIP plant as it relates to codecs? Yes. There are several codec boxes today that are compatible with AoIP consoles and audio routing systems. This allows for high-density audio paths without all the extra wiring. A well-designed AoIP plant will incorporate seamless integration into the switching and control aspect of all installed codecs. For example, a large complex with many studios can use just a handful of codecs by utilizing dynamic allocation and switching available within an AoIP system. This saves on the expense of purchasing more codecs than otherwise might be needed. AoIP also allows for the automatic control and manipulation of codecs for linking remote studios together or to send programs from one city to another. The macros and automation available in a typical AoIP infrastructure can tie together the features of your automation playout system, console routing and codec allocation to facilitate very powerful audio transport within your plant or to the outside world. Modern radio distribution networks are being built around this concept. IP codecs are increasingly being used for program backhaul, satellite replacement, and regular program distribution at great cost savings and efficiencies.

Besides the purchase of the codec equipment, what other technical matters should be considered? There are a few key ones. One is your firewall. Codecs that talk to other devices in the outside world need a way to get through your firewall. Each codec has its own set of ports and special routing requirements so they can connect reliably to the far end. The requirements are not complicated, but someone with knowledge of firewalls and routers will need to manage this. The use of cloud-based switchboard/ transversal servers can eliminate some or all of this, so they are a good option. You should also consider redundancy for mission-critical paths. This is good practice whether you are using a codec or any other type of transport device. One method is adding additional carriers for what is known as “carrier redundancy.” The other is

physical hardware redundancy, which means you will have a second physical codec or legacy device in place to backup the primary codec. Another key consideration is your internet provider. You should allow for enough bandwidth inside your facility to handle all the requirements not related to codec usage plus your total possible codec utilization. Do not ignore your upload speeds; this is particularly important for codecs that are sending IFB audio to the field. Some facilities have installed a separate internet line solely for their codecs or to be used as a backup, although this is not absolutely required. Every situation is unique, so it’s impossible to cover them all here. These are just a few of the more common approaches. The bottom line: Redundancy is good engineering practice in addition to having a well-designed IT infrastructure.

Do I need to be a scientist (or hire one) to install and program codecs? No. The GUIs and setup screens in codecs today are easy enough to understand and navigate. In addition, because IP codecs have been around for several years, there is a lot of institutional knowledge out there. It is easy to find someone on staff or locally who can assist with the programming and setup of any popular codec device. There are also excellent online resources in the public user groups and on manufacturer websites. Most program directors and on-air talent regularly broadcast from the field using an IP codec without any technical assistance. Some codecs even allow for remote control so that someone back at the studio can diagnose minor issues in the field for an added measure of support.

I have a codec; which audio algorithm should I use? Use the highest quality (least compressed) algorithm that will reliably work given your particular speed, network congestion and program material. In other words, choose for the best audio quality without risking dropouts or glitches. Most codecs have settings to buffer and lock in a solid connection even under challenging situations, so don’t be afraid to start at the top and work your way down. Using more than one carrier simultaneously (aggregation) can improve robustness. Music programming usually requires higher quality while speech can get away with lower bandwidth in many cases. Your codec manufacturer can walk you through the steps necessary to activate carrier aggregation.

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Summer of Products Getty Images/Dmitry Fisher

September 2019

IK MULTIMEDIA IKLIP 3 SERIES DEVICE MOUNTS Ideal for organizing smart devices around the studio, IK Multimedia is the iKlip 3 series of tablet computer and smartphone mounts. The iKlip 3, iKlip 3 Video and iKlip 3 Deluxe provide mounting options for keeping smart devices within visual range and at visually useful angles rather than relying on laying the device on the table or trying to prop it up. The iKlip 3 is designed for microphone stand or boom mounting and includes a newly designed holding bracket with more durable rubber pads and a spring mechanism that allows users to rotate the device up to 360 degrees. The iKlip 3 Video is like the iKlip 3 but aimed at camera tripod mounting. The iKlip 3 Deluxe includes both the mic stand mounting bracket and the tripod mount attachment. According to IK Multimedia all three utilize materials superior to the previous iKlip series along with featuring a simplified mounting grip. Prices: iKlip 3 and iKip 3 Vide: $49.99 (€45); and iKlip 3 Deluxe: $69.99 (€62). Info: www.ikmultimedia.com

2WCOM DAB-4C CONVERTER DAB+ operation in expanded networks that use EDI and ETI multiplexers as sources can prove challenging. Implementing legacy ETI and EDI transmitters in parallel as well as operating DAB in already existing infrastructures not intended for DAB (e.g. DVB-S/S2 or ASI) may also cause obstacles. 2wcom says that its new DAB-4c converter addresses these issues and offers several features that are designed to help users easily navigate switchover phase. The DAB-4c converter allows operators to receive data signals from legacy ETI and EDI multiplexers simultaneously to converting the signals to the EDI/ETI transmitters in the field. As a high-density solution, the device offers four ETI outputs and four ETI bidirectional interfaces (I/O) to increase the number of ETI outputs if required. Moreover, the unit is equipped with two Ethernet I/O data interfaces and features an optional satellite tuner for the integration of already existing satellite distribution systems and coverage optimization in regions lacking broadband IP. For the synchronization of all sites, the DAB-4c uses PTPv2 or an external 10 MHz signal. In the case of failure, an internal recovery from the EDI stream by jitter removal ensures ongoing synchronized transmission. For monitoring purposes, the device measures the main DAB+ parameters and provides realtime statistics. Info: www.2wcom.com

GATESAIR INTRAPLEX ASCENT CODEC MANAGER The Intraplex Ascent offers a cloud-based, redundant transport platform for multichannel contribution and distribution, while eliminating the need for many separate codecs and auxiliary hardware components. “GatesAir is taking the next logical step for our customers with direct integration into the IT infrastructure,” GatesAir Vice President and Intraplex Product Line General Manager Keyur Parikh said in a press release. According to an announcement, Ascent is the first Intraplex system to live on a commercial-off-the-shelf x86 server, and it’s available as either a 1RU server or a virtualized software solution. Both versions support up to 32 audio channels and are interoperable with most Intraplex AoIP codecs. This solution is also AES67 compliant and compatible with Ravenna, LiveWire+ and Dante AoIP networking solutions, GatesAir says. Ascent enables users to manage multiple Secure Reliable Transport streams on one platform; SRT is a low-latency, open source streaming protocol that provides packet encryption and retransmission capabilities, GatesAir explains. Also, the platform features Dynamic Stream Splicing, which is a proprietary technology used to diversify SRT data across redundant networks, eliminating some packet losses and network failures. Info: www.gatesair.com

DIGIGRAM IQOYA TALK CODEC The Digigram Iqoya Talk is a portable IP audio codec for remote live operation, featuring a smartphone-like user interface allowing remote reporters to perform key actions in just two clicks. Operators can manage live reporting or commentaries with studioquality interviews for up to four journalists and guests. The company adds that the user interface is designed for journalists not engineers. Digigram says that the Iqoya Talk comes as a part of a comprehensive package, including studio and OB van applications, a range of four rackmountable IP audio codecs, or the company’s flagship multichannel audio IP codec for a large number of streams. It also features a smartphone application and accessories for mobility; a web codec solution to connect a guest from anywhere, anytime; a suite of web applications to allow technicians to control and manage the entire fleet of codecs; and a secured infrastructure that enables interconnectivity between all the IP codecs. Info: www.digigram.com

MUSICMASTER PRO 7 SCHEDULING SOFTWARE MusicMaster says version 7 of its Pro music scheduling software has new workflow and performance enhancements which will make it more efficient. Included are deeper search functionality, new styles and customization options, easy database field creation, an enhanced Scheduling Calendar dashboard, a simplified Live365 connector, new library and clock tools, and more. MusicMaster’s Client-Server, the top-tier option for large broadcasters who wish to manage data and processing in a central location, has new options for setting user and station permissions, importing songs to a station from the Enterprise library, merging duplicate songs, printing reports to Word, PDF or rich text formats and more in the new version 2.2 release. Info: www.musicmaster.com

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Summer of Products

RadioWorldMagazine

September 2019

LAWO POWER CORE MIXING ENGINE The Power Core was initially introduced as a DSP mixing engine and modular I/O system for Lawo’s Ruby radio consoles, but, the company says, many broadcasters were using the system as a gateway between legacy audio formats and standards-based IP media networks. This was possible because “The ST2110-30 standard ensures seamless interoperability of audio and video equipment in combined radio/TV broadcast plants,” it said in a release. New features recently added to Power Core include: Dante card with dual-redundant ports and sample rate conversion; dual-redundant front-panel SFP ports for AoIP; choice of optical or copper network connections; ST2022-7 seamless protection switching; and twin active links to guard against audio loss. Expandable, Power Core lets clients add more capacity with eight rear-panel card slots, which allow “a la carte” addition of analog, AES3, MADI and Dante interfaces, and the Studio I/O card that provides mic inputs and headphone and monitor outputs, the company says. Info: www.lawo.com

SAMSON CL7A, CL8A CONDENSER MICROPHONES

DEVA BROADCAST DB4005 FM RADIO MODULATION MONITOR

The Samson CL7a is a large-diaphragm condenser mic with a capsule sporting a 1.1-inch 3-micron thick, gold-sputtered diaphragm. Samson says it is intended to provide a balanced sound built around a smooth midrange and slight high-frequency lift around 15 kHz, ideally imparting a sense of air around the sound source. The mic features a cardioid pickup pattern, along with a selectable two-pole highpass filter at 100 Hz to remove unwanted low-frequency content like stage rumble and wind noise. Additionally, the CL7a can handle SPLs of up to 147 dB, and includes a 10 dB attenuation pad, which is used to prevent overloading the onboard preamplifier by lowering the input sensitivity of the microphone preamp circuit. Inside the durable die-cast body, an internal shockmount provides protection for capsule and isolation from vibration noise. Meanwhile, the Samson CL8a multipattern large-diaphragm condenser mic has a custom-tuned capsule with a dual 1.1-inch goldsputtered, 4-micron thick diaphragm. This design provides a range of selectable pickup patterns (cardioid, omnidirectional and bidirectional). Similar to the CL7a, the CL8a has a selectable, two-pole high-pass filter at 100 Hz and a 10 dB attenuation pad, and it can handle SPLs up to 147 dB. Info: www.samsontech.com

DEVA Broadcast’s new DB4005 is a third-generation digital FM radio modulation analyzer and monitoring receiver. The company explains that the system features softwaredefined radio FM tuner-based signal processing, achieved through “sophisticated” DSP algorithms and that its digital filter precision enables the FM signal to be accurately and repeatedly analyzed with each device.

In addition, says DEVA, the MPX input allows users to monitor external baseband signals, regardless of whether they are from a composite STL receiver/stereo FM encoder, or from an off-air source. “With its incredible processing power, it provides detailed readings of all the multiplex FM signal components, while all measurements are refreshed simultaneously and synchronously,” the company says. What’s more, the DB4005’s loudness meter can display measurements as defined by both ITU BS.1770-4 and EBU R128 recommendations, thanks to the product’s support of both standards. This tool, which DEVA says allows operators to monitor up to 50 FM radio stations, supports USB and LAN communication interfaces for remote connection and control. It also provides features such as TCP/IP connectivity, audio streaming, and automatic alerts for operation outside of predefined ITU-R ranges. Info: www.devabroadcast.com

WHEATSTONE SWITCHBLADE INTERFACE The multifaceted SwitchBlade IP device “includes audio codecs, SIP messaging and ACI [WheatNet-IP Application Control Interface] control interface. It is the first product of its kind to combine the power of AoIP logic control with SIP connectivity and codec bandwidth optimization to transport both high-quality programming and the control logic critical for full studio operation between sites,” according to Wheatstone. The ACI allows for sending commands such as turning microphones on or adjusting EQ. SwitchBlade has two Ethernet connections, one for connecting to a SIP service provider or SIP-enabled PBX phone system and the other for connecting directly into the WheatNet-IP audio network. SwitchBlade also has codecs, such as including 256 kbps stereo Opus and G.711. The company says that uses for the SwitchBlade include consolidating program operations for several stations scattered across a region; live remote production, including high-quality programming and console/mic control between home studio and sports or concert venues; sharing program and operating control between sister studios over an IP link; one-to-many STL codecs between one stu-

dio and several transmitter sites; a SwitchBlade at the studio feeds two, four, six or more existing SIP-compliant codec units at each transmitter site; and transferring high-quality music between two facilities or from a cloud-based automation system over the common internet. Wheatstone Sales Director Jay Tyler explained, “SwitchBlade is the missing link for connecting WheatNet-IP facility to WheatNet-IP facility from city to city or across the world. Not only will it carry the audio, it carries the control, which means you can send and receive router commands, automation control, and even fader levels across the two locations.” He added, “Switchblade finally makes it possible to monitor each point of the audio chain and switch audio locally from network operation centers around the world.” Info: www.wheatstone.com

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September 2019

ENCO EVCAPTION CAPTIONING TOOL ENCO says that its enCaption captioning tool is finding a home at radio stations, “enabling hearing-impaired audiences to consume radio programming online or via over-the-top (OTT) services.” Furthermore it could be paired with visual radio programming.

Washington-based noncommercial station WAMU(FM) is testing the concept. According to ENCO, WAMU Senior Director of Technology Rob Bertrand explained, “Our integration is still in the proof-of-concept stage, but we are happy with what we’ve been able to demonstrate so far. We look forward to being able to deliver our content to all members of our community, including those who have historically not been able to be reached by audio content.” ENCO points at formats such as talk radio as being especially in need of captioning for deaf and hard-of-hearing potential listeners. In addition, the company says, “Automated captioning also enables immediate creation of searchable transcripts that broadcasters can post alongside recorded audio clips, enhancing SEO for their websites while improving content discovery for site visitors.” enCaption is a softwarebased system. Captions created by enCaption can be output as files or streams in standard WebVTT format or as a raw text data stream for integration with the station’s website media player, mobile or OTT app. enCaption can also turn an audio-only source into a video stream with open captions overlaid on a plain background or graphic, or combined the audio with a separate video stream while embedding closed captions for display in a web-based video player. Info: www.enco.com

JBL ONE SERIES 104 MONITOR The JBL One Series 104 is a compact powered reference monitor. Created with an eye towards the needs of on-the-move content creators, One Series 104 monitors sport newly engineered JBL 4.5-inch coaxial drivers, 3/4-inch tweeter, reportedly contoured using the same research that led to the waveguide found in M2, 7-Series, and 3-Series monitors, providing users with a sizable sweet spot for the price point. JBL 104 Reference monitors include integrated 60 W Class D amplification that, according to JBL, can drive the speakers to 104 dB SPL (peak) without distortion. Features like a front-panel volume control allow level adjustments without straying from the sweet spot. A front-panel headphone jack automatically mutes the speakers, and dual 1/4-inch balanced and single 1/8-inch unbalanced TRS inputs can accommodate various sources. An optional, protective carrying case will also be available for production on the go. Info: www.jblpro.com

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Audio Transport/STL: Codecs, Internet & Satellite

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September 2019

KILT Stays Connected With Comrex BRIC-Link II Failure is not an option when it comes to live sports programming

◗USERREPORT BY ROBBIE GREEN Director of Technical Operations Entercom Houston

HOUSTON — SportsRadio 610 KILT(AM) has been the home of the Houston Texans Radio Network since the team’s inaugural year. From 2002 to 2017, ISDN lines were used for backhaul from each stadium to our network studios, and as the primary link to our satellite uplink in Dallas. In 2017, an unexpected 1,000% rate increase on all of our ISDN BRIs let us know the end was near for that technology. Though the price increase was jarring, it wasn’t totally surprising. For us, ISDN had already become problematic. We had discovered that we could no longer rely on it for most of our remote broadcasts, because installations of new ISDN service for normal remote broadcasts at sports bars, restaurants, etc., had already become pretty hit and miss. It would typically take the local phone company two or three tries to deliver a working circuit, and we were wasting an enormous amount of time repeating site checks. Because of repeated ISDN install failures, we had already migrated most of our local remote broadcasts to IP using Comrex Access 2USB codecs. Using CrossLock

VPN with two cellular modems from different carriers, our remotes had achieved ISDN quality while reducing costs dramatically and removing install headaches entirely. We decided it was time to leverage Comrex IP technology for the Texans Radio Network. UPLINK For the uplink to Dallas, we selected Comrex BRIC-Link II. Using the internal NIC and an optional USB NIC, we’re able to leverage CrossLock VPN for this critical connection. The BRIC-Link II delivers both audio and the contact closures for affiliate automation to our uplink at Texas State Networks. Game audio is fed to the studios using a first generation Comrex Access Portable via SRB2 from Sports Backhaul Network — a private IP network that connects all NFL stadiums with their radio broadcast partners. Though we haven’t ever needed it, we use an Access NX with one cellular modem and whatever internet connectivity the stadium provides for our backup connection to the studios. After two seasons, I’m happy to say our IP audio solutions have delivered reliably for the Texans Radio Network. In an environment where failure isn’t an option, I’m glad we have solid solutions from Comrex to power our Texans broadcasts on SportsRadio 610, the Spanish Texans broadcasts on Mega 101 KLOL, and our 37 network affiliates. For information, contact Chris Crump at Comrex in the United States at +1-978784-1776 or visit www.comrex.com.

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Audio Transport/STL: Codecs, Internet & Satellite

MultiTech Installs Tieline Codecs for Steadfast STLs Variety of codecs and features builds long-term relationship

◗USERREPORT BY TIM NEESE President, Founder and Senior Engineer MultiTech Consulting Inc.

SWANNANOA, North C arolina — I started in radio in an on-air capaci-

ty while pursuing an engineering degree and, while still in college, transitioned to a station engineering position. In the years following, I served at several facilities in roles from maintenance engineer to director of engineering. Since 2001, I have operated MultiTech Consulting, offering a full range of services tailored to the broadcast and information technology industries, including facility and system design, installation/integration and equipment performance verification/measurement. We have clients throughout the U.S., and some of the networks I have consulted with include Relevant Radio, VCY Networks, Salem Communications, and ABC television O&Os to name just a few.

I have followed the progression of Tieline ever since they advertised the original Commander in Radio World

15 or more years ago. Since that time, I have installed a range of Tieline codecs including Genie STL, Merlin, Merlin Plus, Bridge-IT, Bridge-IT XTRA, Commander G3 Studio and Field, and i-Mix G3. Primarily, the codecs have been used as STLs, but also for remote contribution. We recommend Genie STL codecs to customers because of the range of features and built-in redundancy options. Key features that are significant factors in our recommending the product include configurability, the IP distribution options, and backup features like SmartStream Plus, ISDN and POTS. That, coupled with the customer support Tieline has always provided, makes the selection easy. Our typical configuration is a singleIP stream, either unidirectional or bidirectional, as well as multiple peer-topeer IP streams, or several multi-unicast streams. We have also configured multicast connections for clients. REDUNDANCY STRATEGIES So long as properly engineered networks are implemented, we have found IP connections to be extremely reliable. Redundancy requirements vary from client to client, but are largely fulfilled by the built-in redundancy afforded in the Genie: redundant power supplies, SmartStream Plus redundant streaming, and failover to a backup connection, etc. Larger clients may implement an N+1 configuration to ensure complete redundancy and utilize the Genie’s built-in PSU failure, temperature and

connection loss alarms, or more elaborate external silence detection and network traffic monitoring. We have also started to utilize SNMP traps for SNMP monitoring. Our clients utilize everything from DSL to point-to-point fiber, or microwave IP transport. It is dependent upon location and availability. The most popular options are cable modem for general use and metropolitan area Ethernet networks for our “hardcore” clients. Noticeably, a growing number of studio and transmitter sites are unable to be linked via traditional RF point-to-point methods, or face the ongoing sunsetting of the ISDN and T1 infrastructure. As more and more “real-time” traffic is carried by IP networks, I believe QOS and dynamic bandwidth allocation will require more planning and attention. We frequently utilize MPEG 2 encoding for its transcode and cascade resilience. Where bandwidth allows, such as with metro Ethernet circuits, we use uncompressed audio. For field work/remote broadcasts, etc., we find AAC and Tieline Music/Music Plus algorithms work well. Contribution and STL encoding bitrates are usually at 256 kbps or greater, and remote broadcasts at 64, 96 or 128 kbps. With cellular connections we used to employ 32 or 48 kbps, but with the cost of bandwidth almost constantly decreasing and the reliability of mobile networks increasing, we rarely, if ever, still connect at those bitrates. As clients have transitioned to IP operations, most have adapted to the slight amount of latency that is inherent within the digital environment. Where latency is critical, such as with IFB or comms channels, choosing an appropriate low-delay algorithm like AAC-LD or G.722 is key. We use a mix of auto and fixed jitter buffering based upon the application; however, we find for most situations auto works quite well. FEC is also a valuable tool for mitigating packet loss. The Toolbox web GUI interface has always been straightforward and easy to work with and the transition to the HTML 5 interface has made remote configuration and control from virtually any browser even easier. We recommend clients take full advantage of the built-in security options, have a schedule for password changes and make use of a firewall. The ability to implement SSL security certificate connections is a great addition to the feature set and in many cases removes the need for a VPN connection to securely administrate the codec. (continued on page 22)

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September 2019

Audio Transport/STL: Codecs, Internet & Satellite

Wheatstone’s SwitchBlade Addresses ISDN Challenge iHeartMedia needed to settle on companywide codec/installed audio network solution

◗USERREPORT BY ANDY MIKA Assistant Director of Engineering, Cleveland and Steve George Senior VP of Engineering/ Upper Midwest iHeartMedia Engineering

CLEVELAND — ISDN is out, audio over IP is in.

Major telecom companies have announced plans for the sunset of ISDN and the service has been terminated by several providers in the U.S. in the past 18 months. In place of ISDN is a wide variety of audio over IP solutions. Even though AoIP has moved studios into the IP realm, converting that IP audio into a routable codec solution has been a clunky bolt-on solution. In many cases, broadcasters have had to resort to running separate codecs or software on computers in the studio with sound cards wired directly into the console. By 2016, VoIP was making an enormous difference in corporate telecommunications, both in terms of speech quality and in the range of services available. SIP was already being implemented across different codec manufacturers for interoperability, so a solution of SIP-enabled codecs combined with the Opus open source codec seemed to hold the promise of being a reasonable replacement for ISDN distribution. We were looking for a way to take WheatNet-IP audio in our studio facilities and seamlessly integrate bidirectional codec functionality into the architecture. The ideal solution would operate natively in both environments — presenting fully-connected AoIP

channels on the studio audio side and functioning as fully-featured AoIP SIP/Opus (VoIP) codec for audio connectivity outside the studio facility. Nothing like this had been developed before, so we enlisted the help of Wheatstone and its partner Radiomation, an Irish company that had already been doing pioneering work linking Wheatstone equipment to existing ISDN and POTS telecommunications equipment. SOLVED The result was SwitchBlade, an AoIP appliance that seamlessly integrates 24 remote AoIP connections directly into the WheatNet-IP audio network at the studio. SwitchBlade is a single 1RU unit chassis with a 24 software codecs routed to any source and destination on the WheatNet IP-Audio system.

By the end of October 2017, SwitchBlade had been demonstrated as a proof-of-concept at the iHeartMedia Engineering facility in Cincinnati. After NAB in 2018, SwitchBlade’s next stop was the iHeartMedia studios in Cleveland, where we performed beta testing and drove further development, resulting in a widespread deployment across iHeartMedia in 2019. SwitchBlade has allowed iHeartMedia to proactively migrate away from ISDN to audio over IP for remote audio connectivity. Standardizing on the open

◗TECHUPDATE AETA INTRODUCES REMOTE ACCESS LE PLESSIS ROBINSON, France — AETA has launched a service called Remote Access, which allows station staff to control any unit, wherever it may be, from any location (master control room or home, for example). The feature allows operators to control their codec remotely and in real time via IP, including 4G mobile networks, through an HTML web server. The technology simplifies the training of journalists, courtesy of simplified operation, requiring only the ability to turn the device on and connect to the internet. AETA says that it will cut costs since technicians won’t necessarily need to be onsite. It adds that the benefits of Remote Access are vast without eliminating any of the control features that are available when operators are sitting next to a device. In addition, for global and immediate control over a fleet of AETA units, the “Remote Access portal” provides a list of all units together with their status. By double-clicking on an item operators will gain full control of the unit. For information, contact AETA Audio Systems in France at +33-1-41-36-12-00 or visit www.aetaaudio.com.

standard of SIP for initiating the connection, and the wide adoption of the open source Opus codec, has resulted in interoperability with many different existing codecs in the field. SwitchBlade has the intelligence to be controlled using all the WheatNet-IP programmability. All 24 internal modules can be individually controlled by custom console interfaces; the Wheatstone ACI; ScreenBuilder, Wheatstone’s widely-used programming environment; and integration into RCS NexGen and other automation systems for automating the various remote AoIP connections for each show. Among the many unique qualities of this appliance is its ability to dynamically assign and pass any of 78 GPIO closures, and have serial network cues associated with satellite-delivered program travel with the program audio, arriving at the remote end still perfectly synchronized with the content. This was achieved by embedding the signals directly into the audio stream so that signals and content are always perfectly synchronized regardless of any delays to the signal path. Being driven by the iHeartMedia Engineering team for the past two years has made SwitchBlade into a

world-class solution — a fact recognized by the National Association of Broadcasters, which gave it the “Product of the Year Award” in the Audio Production, Processing and Networking category at NAB Show 2019. SwitchBlade has not only met and exceeded the “ISDN-Replacement” challenge, it has changed our thinking on everything from satellite program distribution and telephone contributions to inter-facility content distribution. For information, contact Jay Tyler at Wheatstone in the United States at +1-252-638-7000 or www.wheatstone.com.

TIELINE CODECS (continued from page 20)

For point-to-point connections, we recommend limiting, via a firewall, the IP addresses that can connect to the codecs. In all situations, we advise they open only the necessary ports, maintain and review logs of connections and connection attempts, and implement firewall monitoring that generates alarms for excessive traffic on administrative addresses/ports. Clients who use the Genie for STLs often compare it to their former RF-based systems. We most often hear: “Just like the old system — we set it up and forgot about it. It just works.” That level of reliability allows them to focus on other day-to-day tasks without worrying about the STL. For information, contact Charlie Gawley at Tieline in Australia at +61-8-9413-2000 or visit www.tieline.com.

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Audio Transport/STL: Codecs, Internet & Satellite

iHeartMedia Builds Audio Transport Platform With Barix SIP Opus codecs cover all the bases in transition from ISDN

◗USERREPORT BY STEVE GEORGE Senior VP of Engineering, Upper Midwest iHeartMedia

MILWAUKEE — iHeartMedia is

America’s number one audio company, and with over a quarter of a billion monthly listeners, has a greater reach than any other media company in the U.S. For over 20 years, iHeartMedia has relied on ISDN circuits for moving audio between our studios, transmitters and other remote field locations. In recent years, however, telephone companies across the country have warned us they will discontinue their ISDN services. As such, it looks likely that ISDN will go away for everybody in the near future, so we have embarked on a company-wide project to transition our legacy audio connections to IP. TRANSPORT While IP audio transport is well-

established, a key hurdle we needed to overcome was ensuring that all of the codecs we have in the field would be able to talk to each other seamlessly. We wanted to avoid being locked into any particular codec manufacturer, so multivendor interoperability was critical. We decided to use the open, royaltyfree Opus audio codec combined with the SIP protocol as a common “handshake.” Many manufacturers have been moving towards Opus as the preferred codec for interoperability, and we liked that it can combine low latency and

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excellent audio quality, with built-in error and jitter correction, all at reasonable bitrates. SIP similarly facilitates interoperability while enabling us to get away from needing public, static IP addresses at each end. Endpoints don’t need to know each other’s IP addresses; they just “dial” a registered SIP address to start the connection process. By eliminating the public IP address, we can keep everything behind the firewall, significantly increasing security. We developed the back end of our new architecture first, spinning up a software-defined codec with 24 SIP Opus modules that we have been rolling out in our studio locations. We then turned our attention to choosing a field codec that we could standardize on for communicating with the Wheatstone Switchblade — and other manufacturers’ codecs — to bidirectionally transport high-quality audio. We brought our requirements to Barix, whose Instreamer and Exstreamer products we have used for over 15 years. We like Barix because their boxes have been fairly bulletproof; they’re simple devices that generally perform one defined task, but do it very well. We had confidence that Barix devices would reliably do what they are supposed to do, and do it cost-efficiently.

your codecs remotely and in real time via Internet.

HARDWARE Barix recently launched its next-generation hardware platform, and quickly tailored devices to meet our specifications. We approached Barix in Decem-

ber 2018, and they delivered beta code running on the new hardware in just six weeks. The studio side took us roughly 24 months to develop, but with Barix we went from concept to having hardware live in the field in just over three months — an incredible turnaround time. We currently use two Barix SIP Opus codec models — the MA400 mono encoder/decoder, and the M400based stereo decoder — for a variety of applications. We have installed them at TV station partners for contributing live

news and traffic reports; at transmitter sites for backup STL; in on-air talent’s houses for doing shows remotely and more. Since we started rolling the Barix units out in March, we are constantly finding new ways we can use them, and their affordability has made them our first “go-to” box. When completed, this project will span multiple sites interconnecting our 850+ radio stations. We started in locations with the most ISDN circuits, and so far have deployed in 50 markets. We already had many Barix Exstreamer units in the field for disaster recovery, backup STL and other IP audio applications, and the new Barix SIP Opus codecs can also be configured to be backwards-compatible with these setups. This makes it easy for us to phase in our next-generation platform. We can change the Exstreamers out immediately, and switch the new models into SIP Opus mode when the headend in that market is ready. While our move from ISDN to IP was forward-looking and technology-motivated, we are also already realizing immediate cost savings. The Barix units pay for themselves in less than two months with what we save on ISDN circuits. We see Opus and SIP as the future of interoperability in our industry. Barix’s flexible new hardware and phenomenal responsiveness are enabling us to reach that future faster. For information, contact Reto Brader at Barix Technology in Switzerland at +41-43-43322-11 or visit www. barix.com.

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Audio Transport/STL: Codecs, Internet & Satellite

Insertel Canarias Trusts AEQ As network and client list expand company continues to choose AEQ codecs

◗USERREPORT BY HENRY REYES Technical Director Insertel Canarias

SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE, Spain — Insertel is a telecommunications

company located and operating in the archipelago of Spain’s Canary Islands, off the coast of Africa. The company provides broadcast telecommunication services for radio and TV stations, including the hosting of communications and IT systems for third-party transmission centers. Both Carlos Medina as our project engineer and myself, Henry Reyes, representing the company’s technical direction and operations, bet heavily on AEQ technology as part of our services for radio broadcasters. These services consist in transporting their program and contribution audio over IP Networks and especially over the internet. From the start of the project we relied on AEQ Phoenix audio codecs. We have recently expanded our network with eight Phoenix Venus 3, seven Phoenix Mercury and three Phoenix Alio codecs. The units installed are dependent on our customers’ needs, the type of connection that they require and

Carlos Medina (left), project manager, and Henry Reyes, technical director working with AEQ Phoenix audio codecs and Phoenix Control software.

also the type of link available. The Phoenix Alio has allowed us to expand our services while providing greater flexibility for our users, since it includes a mixer with five inputs (four mono and stereo line), headphone outputs and line output, all in the same unit, allowing us to provide services of outside broadcasts to our clients. Phoenix Alio is a portable audio codec with physical interface that can also be controlled remotely, with a help request button and the smart RTP com-

munication establishment protocol. These characteristics make it easier for us to monitor and control the services we provide. We currently have point-to-point connections, multipoint connections and outdoor services. Given the large number of codecs connected in our network, and its wide geographical distribution throughout the islands of the archipelago, from the company’s perspective we considered it very important to have a centralized manage-

ment system. The AEQ PhoenixControl IT platform has all the necessary tools for the network management. From AEQ PhoenixControl we can monitor the status of all audio codecs connected, see alarms and events, even check the audio levels of input and output of each piece of equipment thanks to real-time precise data on screen, as well as having the ability to initiate and modify of any connection between remote teams in a fast and intuitive way. On our Insertel network we normally use RTP communications for our pointto-point connections; however, the AEQ Phoenix codecs allow us to use any other common protocols to establish the connections. That can include SIP, either with or without a proxy server. For connections requiring a SIP server, AEQ provides free of charge the use of their dedicated SIP server. This service is included with all of the codecs that AEQ sells and allows us to connect two codecs without the need for fixed IP addresses. Also, the AEQ audio codecs allow us to configure and modify the buffer to enable the correction of communication errors. At Insertel we have trusted the technology from AEQ because it is a manufacturer of recognized reputation and its products offer superior performance in the real world. We can testify that it is up to our standards and very reliable.

For information, contact Gustavo Robles at AEQ in Spain at +34-916861300 or visit www.aeq.eu.

GatesAir Keeps STL Transport Hopping for WJKS Three redundant feeds are automatically juggled to keep signal on air

◗USERREPORT BY CHRIS VERDI CTO Great Eastern Radio

BURLINGTON, Vermont — Head-

quartered in West Lebanon, N.H., Great Eastern Radio owns 15 radio station in three states, including several in Vermont. WJKS(FM), known to listeners as KISS 104.3, serves the Burlington/ Plattsburgh, N.Y. market with a classic hip-hop format. The WJKS transmitter site, as we

like to say, is on the “wrong side” of Lake Champlain. The rural site is distant and challenging to reach both by vehicle and STL transport. For the latter, Frontier Communications provides a long-distance fiber connection to the transmitter with very reliable service. However, a fiber connection doesn’t work when the wire is cut — an unwelcome event we experience several times a year when a snowplow or vacationer comes in contact. Traditionally, these events silence our signal for up to 48 hours. When this happened recently month, we had an ace up our sleeve: A GatesAir Intraplex IP Link solution

that can now seamlessly switch between three network feeds. We have long used Intraplex T1 STL systems, several of which remain on the air with recent IP module upgrades. As T1s fade and broadcasters adopt IP transport with confidence, systems such as IP Link have become the primary transport system. We selected the cost-efficient base model — the IP Link 100 codec — with a standard configuration that places the encoder at our studio and the decoder at the transmitter site. Each device integrates dual power supplies for maximum redundancy, along with support for numerous compression algorithms.

Our IP Links manage three streams: an uncompressed stream over fiber; an AAC stream over a Cradlepoint 4G network; and an Icecast streaming service. When the fiber connection went south last month, the full uncompressed stream automatically switched to the Cradlepoint AAC stream. With the fiber connection down for 28 hours, the AAC stream kept us on the air with no noticeable difference in audio quality. In the future, if the Cradlepoint 4G feed temporarily fails, the IP Links will grab the Icecast feed from our streaming server. GatesAir’s Dynamic Stream Splicing (DSS) software provides the secret sauce for reliable transport delivery. We have two streams operating over the fiber service that are offset by several hundred milliseconds. If packets are missing in the primary stream, the DSS software grabs those packets from the secondary stream to repair the missing audio. While it is not live on the other (continued on page 27)

BUYER’S GUIDE

September 2019

radioworld.com | RADIOWORLD

Audio Transport/STL: Codecs, Internet & Satellite

◗TECHUPDATE ORBAN ADDS SECURITY FEATURES TO OPTICODEC 7600 LUDWIGSBURG, Germany — Orban has added several security features in the latest update to its Opticodec 7600 IP/ISDN audio codec. A new HTTP server now supports authentication, which users can activate for the setup or for web pages. The configuration settings as well as the connect and disconnect commands are protected by session IDs to prevent CSRF attacks. In addition, it’s possible to disable direct calls to the audio codec in the system setup menu by using its IP address. Also, the settings related to the remote

control of the unit are now located in a separate submenu and it is possible to disable the web interface. Furthermore, the FTP server now only starts for a software update and the internal FTP server does not support any commands that modify the current directory or access any other one. A nonsecurity-related enhancement includes the ability for operators to restart SIP registration function by pressing the “help” button if SIP registration failed with an error message. The latest software can be downloaded from the Orban webpage www. orban.com for free. For information, contact Orban in Germany at +49-7141-2266-0 or visit www.orban.com.

(continued from page 26)

networks, the DSS software could be applied to take audio from backup transport networks — an option we are looking at for future rollouts on other Great Eastern Radio stations. Configuration of the IP Link codecs is simple, with an intuitive process that requires little more than logging into the web interface and managing some basic settings. The two codecs were passing audio within a half hour. We folded the IP Link codecs’ SNMP monitoring capability into our VPN network infrastructure. The two codecs monitor SNMP traps and will dispatch alarms in the event of any immediate or impending failure. To date, we have had no such issues. Otherwise, the devices interoperate cleanly with other systems in the air chain: A Wheatstone Blade feeds the encoder at the studio, and the decoder at the transmitter site feeds AES and analog audio to Wheatstone X3 and FM55 audio processors, respectively. The fact that the IP Link integrates AES and analog outputs is an important benefit, as we can switch between the two processors during firmware upgrades and other maintenance procedures. The IP Links have been so reliable that we are already planning a single-format, three-transmitter Intraplex system that will cover sites in Keene, N.H., and two sites in Vermont (Stratton Mountain and Mount Snow). These sites have also been affected by fiber line damage in the recent past, especially during winter months. We will use the same exact network configuration — fiber with Cradlepoint and Icecast redundancy — with IP Link codecs managing transport over all three networks. For information, contact Keith Adams at GatesAir in the United States at +1-523-459-3447 or visit www.gatesair.com.

Meet us at

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www.2wcom.com · +49 461 662830-0

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September 2019

Audio Transport/STL: Codecs, Internet & Satellite

◗TECHUPDATES TELOS ALLIANCE INTRODUCES OMNIA MPX NODE CLEVELAND — New to the Omnia product line, the Omnia MPX Node from the Telos Alliance provides new options for STL applications. Like its namesake — the classic Axia xNode — Omnia MPX Node is a building-block technology that helps stations leverage the growing power and capability of data networking. The Omnia MPX Node is the first purpose-built hardware codec capable of sending or receiving full FM signals at data rates as low as 320 kbps, utilizing the Omnia µMPX algorithm, ideal for networks with limited capacity (including IP radios). MPX Node makes peak-controlled L/R baseband, stereo pilot, and RDS data routable from a studio to one or many FM transmitters. By transporting an FM composite signal rather than left/right audio, broadcasters can keep their on-air processing and RDS encoding at the studio, then deliver a transmission-ready, peak controlled FM multiplex signal directly to an FM transmitter without the need for transmitter-side peak limiting or stereo generation. The MPX Node is available as either an encoder or decoder, and a pair of units creates a complete system. Alternatively, the Omnia.9 audio processor running MKII software with an Omnia MPX Encoder License can be used with a single Omnia MPX Node Decoder to create an end-to-end system. For information, contact the Telos Alliance in the United States at +1-216-241-7225 or visit www.telosalliance.com.

2WCOM’S MOIN OFFERS INTEROPERABILITY FLENSBURG, Germany — 2wcom says the recently launched Linux-based MoIN multimedia over IP network server eases the day-to-day work of network operators. The server is available as hardware or virtualized software. Its new and advanced technological concept assures outstanding flexibility in application by supporting studio-to-studio and studio-to-transmitter links as well as broadcasters increasing cross-media tasks, the company says. In addition, according to the company, MoIN’s high-level compatibility is especially important in mixed networks and expanded infrastructures. For this purpose, the server supports all major protocols for internet interoperability like Ravenna, Livewire+, Dante and SRT. Harmonization of data exchange between the protocols is carried out by standards such as EBU N/ACIP Tech 3326, AES67, SMPTE ST 2110, SMPTE 2022-7 and Ember+. To easily exchange data in mixed networks MoIN can transform protocols, e.g. from Livewire+ to Ravenna, when transmitting from a studio site to the headend. Eying future crossmedia tasks, customers benefit from MoIN’s transcoding feature, which supports all main codec algorithms. For high-quality, low-latency real-time applications, that might mean PCM to Opus. For economical needs, like dealing with low bandwidth or uploading files to a station website transcoding, for example, AAC profiles (even AAC xHE), Enhanced aptX or Ogg Vorbis is possible. For live events the server efficiently supports the on-site team thanks to features such as the SIP phone book, temporary channel activation, combining individual audio streams into multichannel streams, as well as precise synchronization (PTPv2). For information, contact 2wcom in Germany at +49-461-662830-0 or visit www.2wcom.com.

APT MOBILE SURESTREAMER IMPROVES QUALITY OF LIVE REMOTE BROADCASTING DIGIGRAM IQOYA X/LINK RANGE EASES LIVE REMOTES MONTBONNOT, France — Digigram’s Iqoya X/Link Range (AES, DUAL, ST and LE) is a stereo- to multi-stereo IP audio line of codecs. It is possible to use them in both legacy audio facilities and in full-IP AES67, Ravenna, or Livewire audio infrastructures. Based on low energy consumption and a fan-less hardware platform, the company recommends the Iqoya X/Link range for mission-critical and 24/7/365 use. The processing power of Iqoya X/Link promises low-latency audio connections for live remote needs. In addition, multiple levels of redundancy ensure audio service continuity. The solution features two internal power supply units, four network ports for traffic separation (WAN, LAN, management), stream redundancy, audio failovers, audio hardware bypass, and 1+1 hot-device redundancy. Iqoya X/Link is EBU/ACIP-compliant for interoperability with third-party codecs and any SIP infrastructure. For easy integration with codecs and network management/monitoring systems, it comes with SNMP, and web services. Iqoya Serv/Link is a high-density 1U rack that supports four to 64 stereo (eight to 128 mono) input and output channels with the possibility to simultaneously encode, decode and transcode IP audio streams. It supports various audio I/O formats, such as AES/EBU, MADI, AES67 and Dante. For information, contact Digigram in France at +33-4-76-52-47-47 or visit www.digigram.com.

MERIGNAC, France — The APT Mobile SureStreamer (MSSr), a WorldCast Systems technology, is a new mobile network access solution designed for live remotes and OBs. It works with most portable codec types and brands to deliver clear, uninterrupted radio and video directly from the field. APT says that the Mobile SureStreamer is a user-friendly solution, in a lightweight shoulder bag, with zero-field configuration, so users can rely on immediate and simple connection between the field and the station. It works with any codec type and brand to improve the quality of remote broadcasting and adds no additional latency according to WorldCast. The company says it provides a link so reliable that the codec’s automatic buffering is redundant and latencies can be trimmed to a minimum. It adds that courtesy of the core technology, SureStream ensures flawless audio and it reduces operating costs by distributing content over affordable 3G/4G public internet links rather than ISDN, MPLS or satellite. APT says Mobile Surestreamer has proven reliable in field tests of applications for sports broadcasters, remote desktops and journalists at major events. It quoted Conor Ewings, broadcast engineer at Bauer Media in Northern Ireland, as saying latency was “beyond expectations … rock-solid at 60 ms and not a single packet has been dropped.” The company says that overall, the product improves the quality and reliability of IP remotes to deliver audio and video for live and local remotes and OBs. For information, contact WorldCast Systems in France at +33-557-928-928 or visit www.worldcastsystems.com.

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◗NEWSWATCH NOVA FM BOOSTS FM TRANSMISSION NETWORK WITH GATESAIR GatesAir has won a contract with NOVA Entertainment in Australia to upgrade six FM radio transmission sites across the country. As per the agreement, the company will supply 16 Flexiva FAX air-cooled FM transmitters with in-country partner RaeAir conducting all site evaluations, installation, commissioning and post-sales services. Specifically, GatesAir will deliver 12 10 kW and four 20 kW models with redundant transmitter configurations

and integrated IP-based control and monitoring across the network. NOVA Entertainment’s national FM footprint first took shape in 2001 with the launch of Nova 96.9 in Sydney, followed by stations in Adelaide, South Australia, Brisbane, Queensland, Melbourne, Victoria and Perth, Western Australia. GatesAir explains that the broadcaster will first upgrade these five metropolitan sites, beginning with the Melbourne and Perth locations. It will then upgrade the remaining three metropolitan sites, followed by a regional location on the NSW Central Coast. “The remarkable compact footprint of

GatesAir transmitters will take up substantially less space than our existing transmitters, lowering our monthly expenditures and our long-term total cost of ownership,” said Matt Steadman, head of technology, NOVA Entertainment. “We are also confident that GatesAir’s Australian presence, both through direct personnel and their partners at RaeAir, will efficiently guide us through the installation process and ensure excellent post-sales service and support.” NOVA Entertainment’s FM radio transmission project is part of a broader strategic initiative that follows a recent upgrade of its studio systems.

BROADCAST EQUIPMENT EXCHANGE

RADIOWORLD

September 2019

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ADVERTISER INDEX page

advertiser

This listing is provided for the convenience of our readers. Radio World assumes no liability for inaccuracy.

website /url

27 2wcom

www.2wcom.com

AETA Audio Systems

www.aeta-audio.com

Used AM Transmitters 5 KW 2007 BE AM 5E, solid-state 25 KW 2009 Nautel XR25, solid-state

Aldena (Telecomunicazioni) SRL

www.aldena.it

4 Calrec

www.calrec.com

Exciters & Miscellaneous Equipment Harris DIGIT CD Exciters Bird Model 8932, 10 kW air-cooled RF Load

Comrex Corporation

www.comrex.com

DAC System

www.dacsystem.ch

Used TV Transmitters DTV & ATV **Rohde & Schwarz** **Harris Platinum**

DB Elettronica Telecom.

www.dbbroadcast.com

Deva Broadcast Ltd

www.devabroadcast.com

Please visit our website, www.fmamtv.com, for additional listings.

HARRIS Email: transcom@fmamtv.com • Phone: 215-938-7304 P.O. Box 26744, Elkins Park, PA 19027 RETUNING & TESTING AVAILABLE • CALL US FOR A QUOTE!

ADVERTISING CONTACTS EUROPE, MIDDLE EAST & AFRICA: RAFFAELLA CALABRESE +39-320-891-1938 Fax: +39-02-700-436-999 raffaella.calabrese@futurenet.com SEND MATERIALS TO: NICOLE SCHILLING nicole.schilling@futurenet.com

THE AMERICAS: JOHN CASEY +1-845-678-3839 john.casey@futurenet.com

17 Digispot

www.digispot.eu

1 Elenos

www.elenos.com

29 Enco

www.enco.com

9 GatesAir

www.gatesair.com

Inovonics Broadcast

www.inovonicsbroadcast.com

10–11

Lawo AG

www.lawo.com

19 Nautel

www.nautel.com

32 Orban

www.orban.com

Telos - The Telos Alliance

www.telos-systems.com

Tieline Technology

www.tieline.com

2, 13, 15

Wheatstone

www.wheatstone.com

8 Winmedia

www.winmedia.org

www.xperi.com

Xperi

9000