RF Shorts - July 1, 2010

By
published
  • •In a a letter to FCC Chairman Genachowski addressing the Broadcast Engineering Forum, the NAB told the chairman that "We appreciate your assurances that any reclamation of broadcast television spectrum will be undertaken on a completely voluntary basis. We also fervently support the principle that any spectrum reclamation must not force a reduction in the number or quality of services potentially offered by broadcasters or a reduction in number of television homes served by broadcasters." The letter outlines the benefits, like mobile DTV, the DTV transition is just now beginning to deliver to consumers.
  • •RF engineers have to be amused by the iPhone 4 antenna troubles. MSNBC ran a piece Best semi-solutions for iPhone 4 reception problems...so far. It also looks like Apple is looking for a few good antenna engineers – a Google search will reveal thousands of articles like the L.A. Times' Apple puts out feelers for antenna wizards.
  • •President Obama's support of FCC proposals to reallocate broadcast spectrum to wireless carriers is discussed on in the www.dtvusaforum.com posting President Obama endorses FCC plan for spectrum grab from broadcasters. The posting asks how voluntary is "voluntary".
  • •One of the more interesting articles is in the Financial Times. Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Kenneth Li's article Obama pledges to increase internet capacity notes companies are skeptical about the plan. Broadcasters, obviously, but the article also quotes Stifel Nicolaus analyst Rebecca Arbogast saying that, at the moment, "AT&T and Verizon had enough spectrum to increase their networks and could be alarmed at being shut out of a future auction for more spectrum."
  • •Businessreviewusa.com reports One World Trade Cener Rises – The memorial and office space hit its 260 foot mark this week. The article says the building will house broadcast and antenna masts, although with today's uncertainty about broadcast spectrum it's unlikely broadcasters will be rushing to sign long term leases on the mast.
  • •London's Olympic sculpture may disrupt reception for thousands of people in east London according to www.thisislondon.co.uk. The article Olympic tower sculpture will break up TV signal by Matthew Beard says, "A report to the Olympic Development Authority reveals that the 'hubble bubble' tower – it resembles a shisha pipe – will have 'a slight adverse impact' on the signals received from transmitters in Crystal Palace and Croydon."
Doug Lung
Doug Lung
Contributor

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.