A longtime consulting engineer who now works for the federal government saw our discussion of mnemonics for remembering the resistor color code. He shares one he learned in college. It goes “Budweiser Beer Rots Our Young Gut, But Vodka Goes Well.” Hey, whatever works!
Barcode lookup
I was chatting with some colleagues recently and we all agreed that the smartphone may well be the best invention for engineers of modern times. These apps do pretty much everything.
Paul Sagi just told me about an app called Barcode Lookup that turns your phone into a barcode scanner. It contains 1.6 billion codes.
Let’s say you spot a product at the hardware store but want to know more about it or compare prices from other sources. Open this app on your phone to scan or plug in the UPC number. You will see descriptions, images, online stores, reviews and other useful information. You can also store the results.
The platform contains five barcode types known as Global Trade Item Numbers. They include UPC, EAN, ISBN, JAN and ITF-14.
The app is available on the Apple and Google app stores. Learn more about this simple but fascinating tool.
Broadcast manuals
How about a stroll down memory lane? Frank Hertel, principal engineer with Hertel Engineering, told us about a great page that has many old equipment manuals and catalogs.
The page is part of the invaluable WorldRadioHistory site run by David Gleason. It’s under Technical & Electronics, listed as “Catalogs of Equipment Manufacturers.”
It’s fun to peruse, say, a catalog of equipment from Bradley Broadcast from the 1990s (several of which were edited and co-designed by our editor Paul McLane in a previous job), or to read a manual for AEL transmitters, or look over documentation about a Tapecaster cart machine.
Do you miss names like McMartin, Allied Broadcast, PR&E or Schaefer? Get ready to go down the rabbit hole.
Priceless data sheet
We’ve mentioned in the past that the audio performance of old Western Electric transformers, many of which were used for equalized remote service, makes them a keeper.
San Francisco projects engineer Bill Weeks shares a data sheet from 1958. It identifies the transformer type (first column) and the operating specs in subsequent columns.
This is too small to read here, so we’ve posted it and you can download it as a PDF.
Archie’s site tips
In a recent Workbench, Dale Lamm shared a list of things to do before leaving a transmitter site, the kind of reminders you might want to post by the door.
We asked for more ideas. Archie Simpson responded with these:
- Are AM ATUs at each tower base closed and locked?
- Are the tower fences closed and locked?
- Is the generator fenced in and locked?
- Is the satellite dish fenced in and locked?
- Have the computer monitors been turned off?
- Have all non-security lights been shut off?
And finally, one that can easily forgotten easily at 3:20 a.m.: Is the alarm turned on and the remote control not left in “local” mode?
Air conditioning caution
With warmer weather coming for most of our readers, Florida-based engineer Don Browne reminds us also to keep an eye on the air conditioning at the transmitter site.
Check the air outlet and intake, and determine the difference in temperatures. Depending on outside conditions, the difference should be around 15 to 20 degrees F.
Air conditioning systems generally can be expected to only cool to about 20 degrees below the outside air temperature. But if the system isn’t cooling efficiently, act before you have a problem.
Lights, camera … no, LIGHTS!
My former Telos colleague Kirk Harnack has joined the technical staff of Josh Bohn’s company MaxxKonnect.
Kirk also is a broadcaster and installed color WiFi cameras at his transmitter sites. He intentionally leaves on the LED overhead lights for best visibility. But sometimes people turn a light switch off, impairing the use of the cameras.
To prevent that, he installs cable clamps. When someone really wants to turn the switch off they can do it with a screwdriver.
Kirk is always ready with a good tip. He learned this one from broadcast engineer Ray Vaughn.
Workbench submissions are encouraged and qualify for SBE recertification credit. Email [email protected].
