[SBE] Unattended operation

[Dan Rapak]

I'm recalling an incident where we had a power failure at the studio, but 
NOT at the transmitter. The remote control / metering system (a Mosley?) was 
unpowered at the studio, yet the transmitter remained on the air, albeit in 
proc amp generated black. One engineer went to the transmitter to take over 
manual control and the fail-safe clock was indeed running. We had no 
positive control. We had no metering. Yet the transmitter remained on the 
air.

Why bother keeping the transmitter on the air when the studio was dark? 
Therein lies a tale . . . !

Dan


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cowboy" <curt at spam-o-matic.net>
To: "sbe member discussion mail list" <sbe at sbe.org>
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 1:40 PM
Subject: Re: [SBE] Unattended operation



> On Thursday 16 June 2011 12:23:46 pm Dan Rapak wrote:

>> Was this time limit always 3 hours?

>

> No.   ;)

> That's a new thing based on a false assumption by an inept commission

> at the time of adoption.

> It could be argued ( and was ) that there was always a 3 hour implication

> in the rules, because you wouldn't know if control was lost until you 

> attempted

> to take readings, and readings carried a 3 hour limit.

> The rule quite clearly spelled out something different.

>

>> I'm trying to recall what the "fail-safe" timeout was on our

>> remote controlled transmitter was when I worked in local television in 

>> the late 1970's.

>

> Then, if there was reason to believe that meter readings were inaccurate,

> you had three hours to either restore the readings, or to cease operating

> by remote control. ( the basis for the current rule )

> You could remain on the air, but not by remote.

>

> If positive control was lost, there was no time limit at all.

> The fail-safe was to terminate the transmitter immediately.

> ( in reality, most inspectors allowed a few seconds )

>

> If, however, there was an independent means of positive control,

> such as an STL squelch or STL carrier detect, that WOULD terminate

> the transmitter no matter what, then "positive control" was interpreted

> to have not been lost. Not a rule, more a policy.

>

> -- 

> Cowboy

>

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