NAB reports (Jan-Dec 1937)

CHAIRMAN HEDGES: Is Mr. Elmer here? (Mr. Elmer was not present at the time.) Announcements CHAIRMAN HEDGES: Except for the meeting of the En¬ gineering Committee as referred to before, there will be no other meeting until tomorrow morning at 9:30 in this room. MR. DE WITT: The only thing scheduled for the Engineering Committee is the reading of the formal report which can be sub¬ mitted without being read. CHAIRMAN HEDGES: Then there will be no meeting and the report will be submitted without being read. Announcements CHAIRMAN HEDGES: Before we disband, I would like to appoint Don Searle, Bill Way and Dale Robertson as the official committee to notify the newly-elected officers of the great honor bestowed upon them. The meeting is now adjourned until tomorrow morning at 9:30. (The meeting adjourned at 1:50 o’clock.) JUNE 22, 1937 (Tuesday Afternoon) The meeting scheduled for this time to receive the report of the Engineering Committee was canceled because the report was sub¬ mitted in writing. Report of the Engineering Committee During the last several years the Engineering Committee has devoted much time to the study of transmission fidelity and each yearly report has stressed the advantages to be had by following improved engineering practice. Much groundwork had to be done in 1934 in order to discover the proper path to follow and recommend to the Association. Joint meetings were held with the IRE and RMA committees and out of these there was de¬ veloped a rather clear picture of the recommendations to be made. Conferences were held on the proposed high fidelity stand¬ ards of the FCC and numerous critical comments were formu¬ lated and may be found in the committee report for 1935. Last year’s report was unusual in that it did not deal directly with technical problems but pointed out the advantages to be gained by simple engineering improvements. At the risk of being accused of pursuing a single path, we will remind you that there is still much room for improvement in trans¬ mission fidelity and coverage. Some few very progressive stations are delivering a signal that in general conforms to really high standards and these stations are reaping their reward in listener interest and wide coverage. A goodly number of stations have improved their equipment during the past few years and are giving a much better service thereby. A large number of stations are still in somewhat of a primitive stage in engineering matters, their improvements being largely a matter of just complying with FCC requirements. Last year we mentioned the fact that antennas may vary widely in efficiency and that installation of a modern antenna might easily more than double the station’s effective power. We again urge you to give this point due consideration. The mechanical design of antennas has been so improved during the last few years that it is now possible to purchase a good antenna at a very reasonable price, which makes it a good investment, for the coverage gained. The fundamental transmission requirements of low distortion and noise level and good frequency characteristics should receive more serious consideration in most stations. The need of this is revealed and stressed by modern receivers which cover a much wider frequency band than formerly. This has been pointed out many times before and we have tried to show that money spent in this direction is usually a good investment. It is not enough, however, to purchase equipment capable of high fidelity perfor¬ mance. It is also necessary to equip your station with the proper testing apparatus before you can expect your engineer to keep the equipment at its peak of performance. Good testing apparatus will also indicate the least expensive improvements that can be made in old apparatus to make it conform to modern standards. The finest possible transmitter will deliver large amounts of dis¬ tortion and adjacent channel interference when overmodulated and, unfortunately, many stations are guilty of this error. The advantages of full modulation are well recognized. The apparent increase in power with increased modulation has led many stations to continue raising their modulation level until serious distortion and interference results. Each station is now equipped with a modulation monitor. This instrument is used to show that the program level is being kept up at all times so that the station will render a maximum service. Unfortunately, its indications of over¬ modulation are not alarming enough to attract the proper atten¬ tion and its use has led to many misconceptions on the part of non-technical men. By employing a volume limiter, it is possible to gain the signal strength normally acquired through what might be termed reason¬ able overmodulation and at the same time prevent its ill effects. The use of this device must not be overdone, otherwise serious volume compression and consequent lack of expression will result. In closing this section of the report, we wish to recommend again that your engineer study your station’s transmission fidelity from microphone to antenna and make the changes dictated by good engineering practice, and that a regular checking routine be followed thereafter. This last winter radio had to meet an unprecedented emergency during the great flood in the Ohio and Mississippi Valleys. Most stations acting in this emergency were badly handicapped by lack of short wave relay equipment. Since this and similar disasters offer such an opportunity for radio in public service, we of your Engineering Committee wish to recommend that each station owner give this matter his best thought and be prepared with the proper equipment for such occurrences in the future. During the early years of broadcasting it was a comparatively simple matter to obtain the use of a broadcast frequency channel due to the small number of applications and the smaller num¬ ber of assignments. As our industry grew, it became increasingly difficult for the government to find spaces in the frequency spec¬ trum to fit in all the stations required for a national service. This problem became so acute by last year that it was necessary for the FCC to call a special informal conference on October 5 in which the entire allocation problem was reviewed. The outcome of this conference was a general agreement that the American allocation plan is sound in principle but that there are certain factors which bear on it that must be given more consideration. An important factor is the absence of any satisfactory working agreement between the United States and certain other North American countries. It has become apparent that allocation in this country is complicated by the needs of other North American nations, principally Canada, Mexico and Cuba. In view of the approaching Pan American Conference, at which a satisfactory agreement may be reached, we of your Engineering Committee feel that the Association should earnestly request the FCC to be guided in the following course between now and the time of the Conference: First, consider those frequency bands which have been suggested on numerous occasions, notably 160-265 kilocycles and 550 down to 520 kilocycles as a possible reservoir for additional facilities available when the problem of meeting demands by our neighboring countries is considered. Second, that the FCC consider the unassigned frequencies in the band of 1510-1600 kilocycles in a similar manner. With further reference to allocation problems, this committee urges that the NAB be properly represented at the International Telecommunications Conference scheduled for February 1, 1938, at Cairo. This conference will determine what changes, if any, should be made in the frequencies and bands internationally allo¬ cated to broadcasting; consequently it is of the utmost impor¬ tance that the interests of this Association be protected by proper representation. The loose-leaf Engineering Handbook issued two years ago has proved of real benefit to station engineers. However, a number of changes and additions have become necessary in order to bring it up to date. This work is being done at the present time and when completed, the new leaves will be sent to all stations. JUNE 23, 1937 (Wednesday Morning) The meeting, held in the Hotel Sherman, Chicago, convened at 10:15 o’clock, President Myers presiding. CHAIRMAN MYERS: If you will be seated, we will call the meeting together and go to work. This morning I have the pleasure of turning our meeting over to the Chairman of our Commercial Committee, Mr. H. K. Carpenter. (H. K. Carpenter, Chairman, Commercial Committee, WHK, Radio Air Service Corporation, Cleveland, took the air.) 2457