I was evaluating the same thing about 6 months ago. I was trying to decide between the Circuit Werks and WVRC-8. Found a used WVRC-8 on ebay that I sent back to Broadcast Tools to convert to the plus model. The on-site upgrade kit is $100 and they will upgrade it at the factory for $150. I've been v...

The usual C-band radar band is 5.4-5.9 GHz. Many use up to 1.5 MW peak power. You might could do a quick site RF survey with a SA and a standard gain horn (with a LNA). If it is in-band, you may have to even install a diffraction fence. We had to do this last month for a new uplink station we own. I...

I've used a few of these with good results. Never had a failure. I didn't know about the software (thanks for the info) , but the RS232 interface is easy to program. They had a model 44.22 version that was discontinued recently. This version has four AES digital inputs and four analog inputs that yo...

There is a product called Snoop that is similar to the Bubble soap that works well. I think Snoop is more sensitive than bubble soap. I've used both; I use the Snoop if I have it, otherwise it is a trip to the toy store for bubbles. We also have an electronic air leak detector that works OK (some fo...

I spent lots of time looking at Automation software a couple of years ago. Many folks really like the Rivendell and think it is stable. The price is also really good (free). I'm not an IT expert and was worried about the setup and support however. If you have the time/experience, it might be a good ...

I was wondering why predicted (50/50) interference contours do not correlate almost exactly with predicted signal strength predictions. For interference calculations, power seems to be more important than height. It seems to me that if the flux density for the 60 dB contour is the same with the FCC ...

I needed some 7/8 diam and 1 1/4 diam Heliax type cables a couple of weeks ago. I was having trouble with Commscope having obsoleted several of the connectors we needed like 7/8 EIA and 7/16 DIN for the new AVA5 and AVA6. The folks at RF Parts recommended a Heliax type cable from a company called Eu...

I've been listening to a new translator that just signed on. It appears that the licensee on the CP must have sold the CP to another local station. The translator is repeating another local AM station different than that on the CP. The owners of two stations are also different. It seems to me that a...

I know one engineer that has not been so fortunate in marriage. He has been married about five times now. Being a real engineer , he says he is currently married to wife 3.2 (third wife, revision two). I suppose we got off-topic on this one. I hope everyone has a great Christmas and maybe Santa will...

The phase kit is home-made. Several good articles about how to use a double balanced mixer with a 2-way power divider to provide a output voltage proportional to the relative phase between the two signals at the LO and RF ports of the mixer. I have several lengths of RF cable cut and calibrated on m...

Here are some random ideas. I know you have lots of experience with this type of problem. It looks like the Heliax is bent very close to the connectors in a couple of cases. I've seen the shield fracture many times when this happens causing intermittent VSWR problems. I've had to travel half-way aro...

Your right as usual. I heard they were using a Chinese transmitter (no FCC certification at all) and had a spur in the aviation band. Why anyone would try this for any period of time is beyond me. I have heard of folks using them in an emergency for less that 24 hours. Nothing gets action faster fro...

The older Crowns have a reputation for being very robust. The Crown story is very interesting and they are very good folks. I assume that this unit is LPFM certified by the FCC? I don't see this specifically listed on the brochure. LPFM transmitters have to be sent into the FCC to be certified unlik...

I've always thought Nautel really goes the extra mile for customer service. They were one of the few vendors that came down for our state broadcasting convention last month. Jeff has always answered my emails in a matter of hours (at most). They have webinars several times a year that are really hel...

I also vote for the VS300. You can get the VS300 with the Orban 5500 audio processor built in. The remote control software is excellent along with the factory support. Three areas that I don't recommend going cheap are (1) main transmitter, (2)automation software, and (3) EAS. Most everything else I...