V-Soft Communications Newsletter: 12/6/07
In this Newsletter:
V-Soft Offers End of the Year Discount
Translators on File to be capped
NCE Window Closed but Not Forgotten
AM-Pro 2's Custom Border Clipping
RW Engineering Extra To Feature Vernier's HD Interference Analysis
V-Soft Offers End of the Year Discount
V-Soft is now offering a 7% discount on all software, terrain and census databases, Probe or FMCommander program options and additional features. Consider the advantage of adding internet mapping integration with FMCommander's Internet Mapping option that ties the program transparently to Topozone.com and Google Maps or acquire Probe's HD Radio or synchronous booster modules. Pick up the tower overlay module for FMCommander and the V-Towers program that together allow the user to click on a tower icon shown on the allocation maps and then see the computer bring up the complete listing for the tower, including email, phone number and addresses. This special discount ends December 31th. Call us to take advantage of the tax benefits before the end of year, and get the most bang for your buck! Email Adam or give us a call (1-800-743-3684) with any questions or orders.
Check out the links below for available program options and prices:
http://www.v-soft.com/probe/Probe3TierList.htm
http://www.v-soft.com/web/PriceList.htm
Build 18 of FMCommander features a new way of looking at contour overlap. Pervious versions could only tell the amount of contour overlap on the straight line between the stations or that off azimuth overlap occurred when the "Check all Azimuths" was used and the token "<" was added to the incoming or outgoing columns. Now with the "Detail contours by greatest overlap" you can get a reading of the greatest overlap or the least amount of clear space. When the program is in this mode, the "In" and "Out" columns will show the actual distance in kilometers between the point on the interfering contour that overlaps the protected contour the most. The program tells the user which mode is in use in the center text box on the screen header. When the program is in the "Detail" mode "<" overlap tokens will not be shown. The program no longer "automatically" checks for overlaps when you change power, ERP, HAAT, COR or make a change to the channel using the channel menu. However, this automatic checking feature will return if you select either "Check all azimuths..." or "Detail contours..." from the Views menu shown below. All contour-to-contour printouts now reflect which mode you are using.
We are now preparing for next year's training seminar scheduled to be immediately prior to the NAB Conference in April 2008. If you are interested in attending the training seminar, please email Kate or call 1-800-743-3684 and tell us what you would like to see covered. We have had many second time attendees and some have been at the training each year since the beginning. This is a time to learn the tricks and trades of V-Soft's broadcast allocation computer programs and to be brought up-to-date on current FCC activities affecting broadcast allocations work. Breakfast and lunch is served during these two day events. Costs will be similar to previous years and will be finalized once we know approximately how many attendees are interested and talk to the hotels to arrange for conference rooms.
Last year's trainees and trainers at the Las Vegas meeting. (Doug took the picture.)
Translator Cap - LPFM 3rd Report and Order
We have learned that in the LPFM 3rd Report and Order the Commission will announce its plans to cap the number translator applications already on file. The majority of these applications were filed during the "rush" several years ago when a few organizations filed for thousands of translators. Many of these applications ended up being MXed with local applicants. The Commission has sought a way to break the MXs. The cap, said to be at ten, is to be applied retroactively but it is not additive, in other words, every MX applicant currently on file, regardless of the number of translator CPs it has been granted, will be required to pick ten of its applications that it wants considered; the rest will be dismissed.
In its Report and Order the Commission will also give limited protection to LPFM stations when full service stations wish to use their frequencies. In such cases the full service station will have to identify another frequency for the LPFM station or be forced to change its plans. The Report also concludes that a contour-to-contour allocation method should be used for LPFM stations. If this happens, look for changes in FMCommander to accommodate the new rules.
The full Report and Order has yet to been released. Here's a link to the Public Notice:
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-278449A1.pdf
While the NCE application window is now closed and many consultants have time to breath again, this whole process is far from being over or even crystallized in the Commission's mind. Our consulting division has examined many of the MX chains that have resulted from the mass filing. Some of these chains are 25 to 30 stations longs, crossing several states. The Commission is hoping that applicants that have the ability to break the chains through technical amendments will come forward with minor change applications. Such minor change applications will require that at least one singleton is generated. The Commission has clarified that applications that break out as singletons during the current 60 day technical amendments period will be give priority consideration for grants. However, those technical amendments that come in after the 60 days have passed will still be allowed but they will have to wait until the Commission works its way through the list of MX groups. The Commission policy for MXed groups is that they will only announce one winner, so if they decide on a winner in the middle of a chain and there are MX applications at either end of the chain that can now become singletons those applications will be dismissed. What is unclear, at this time at the Commission, is how they will be treating applications which are tied to MX groups but which are patently deficient. The way they are leaning now is to announce the winners of the MX groups and then allow a 30 day period for Petitions to Deny. However, to be consistent with this policy it means that they may be awarding a CP to an applicant that accidentally typed 500 kW when they meant to type 50 kW. They also lack a procedure for vetting the 1st and 2nd NCE service and point count claims of the MX applicants and it looks as if they will accept the claims provided, allowing the Petition to Deny process to correct the claims.
If this doesn't seem right to you there is something you can do. Send your thoughts on this matter to Doug Vernier and he will be happy to pass them along to the right people at the FCC, or use your own contacts to get the message to the staff involved in this process. Top
AM-Pro 2's Custom Border Clipping
In many instances, proper protection at country borders involves clipping a contour that extends beyond the border to the point where it crosses the border. AM-Pro has always been able to clip contours using generic border clipping data that has been built into the program. However, in AM-Pro 2, we introduced the ability for the user to specify border clipping data to be used in place of the data built into the program. This allows the user to accommodate for special situations, generate more accurate clipping points when needed, and apply border clipping for locations that are not specifically included in the generic clipping data (many island countries and individual countries in central/south America are not included).
To demonstrate how contours can be clipped and how a user can supply custom clipping data, we use a day coverage study for KBRC (however border clipping can be used in both daytime and nighttime studies). On the sample shown, Region 2 conductivity data and 360 points for contour calculations was used.
First, let's look at the unclipped 0.5 mV/m KBRC contour:
Now, let's see what it looks like when we tell the program to clip the contour at international boundaries. To do this, we edit the contour properties and in the "Contour Settings" section, check the box for "Clip contour at International Boundary" as shown here:
Since we haven't specified any user data, the contour is clipped using the generic border clipping data built into the program, and looks like this:
As you can see, azimuths where the contour has crossed the border and not returned to the US side have been clipped to the border line. This image also demonstrates that when working with 'contours' in a geographic sense, there can still be places where the 'contour' is drawn in areas outside of the border. Note how the line just south of the 270 degree azimuth cuts through part of Canada. This happens because at one calculated point the data was clipped (because it never re-entered the US), and the next point it was not because the contour point was located in the US. The significance of this is that when working with 'clipped' contours the realization must be made that the data is only valid at the exact points on the contour where the actual data was calculated and not the 'lines' that connect them. Because of this, concepts like "contour overlap area" may not be valid when working with clipped contours.
Now, for an example of where you would use custom border clipping data. To protect KBRC from interference from a proposed Canadian station the contour should be clipped at the last point where it exists on US soil and not necessarily the international border that is located in the water. To accommodate for this situation, you can generate your own "clipping" data using the polygon tool and tell the program to use that data instead of the generic boundary data. When you do this, the clipped contour can look something like this:
Note how the points are clipped to the island/land borders instead the generic CA/US border.
How do you tell the program where the border is, and to use the custom data? The Answer:
1. Use the polygon tool to trace out the "boundary" that you wish to use for clipping. The boundary can consist of several polygons in the case where islands exist. Note that it is important that the clipping polygon encompasses the entire area of the contour that you wish to remain unclipped. Shown in pink is all of the polygon data that was defined using the polygon tool, that was used in the custom clipping data (shown with the 'unclipped' contour):
2. Generate a new "Polygon Set" ("Map"->"Add To Map"->"Polygon Set" on the menu) and add all of the polygons that you have defined on the map, using the "Get From Map" button:
Then use the "Save" button on this window to save the polygon set to a file.
3. Load the saved polygon set file into the transmitter editor for the station being protected as custom border data. To do this, use the "Edit Border Data" button on the "Info" TAB of the transmitter editor:
After clicking the "Edit Border Data" button use the "Load" button to load the file that had previously been saved:
Once custom border data has been specified for given transmitter, it will be used instead of the generic international border data when performing clipping on contours associated with that transmitter. Remember that the contour properties must be setup to "Clip contour at International Boundary" for any clipping to occur.
Contour clipping can be used in both day and night allocation studies. For night studies, contour protected stations (class A protections) are clipped at the international border by default. For daytime allocation studies, the "Cont Props" button can be used to instruct the program to use border clipping data for selected protection situations. Further, the new radiation limit report labeled "Detailed Report (Point Protection)" will supply radiation limits for protections on a contour point-by-point basis that adjusts the protected field strength of clipped contours, and applies the protection ratio to determine permissible radiation. Top
V-Soft President and senior engineer, Doug Vernier was recently tapped by Radio World's Engineering Extra to write a feature story on FM HD interference analysis. The article, to be featured in the December edition, shows a number of HD interference scenarios and uses V-Soft software to illustrate them. If you do not get Engineering Extra the following link can be used to sign up to the electronic version of the bi-monthly issues. -0-