[BC] Remote Control Access via Internet

[Gary Glaenzer]

a licensee is required to establish procedures that ensure compliance with
operating power, modulation levels, and, where applicable, tower lighting
and AM DA parameters

how you do it is up to you

BUT..............if there is a complaint or inspection that shows you to be
out of compliance, you must be able to show that your procedures showed a
'diligent effort' to detect such out-of-compliance conditions

I recently discussed the so-called '3-minute rule' on out-of-tolerance DA
operation with the KC Field Office

this refers to the provision where you must be able to shut down or reduce
power within 3 minutes if you detect out of tolerance DA operation; my
question was 'so does that mean you must have an automatic monitoring system
in place that checks DA operation at least every three minutes?'

the answer is 'NO', you simply must be able to reduce radiation to get back
within tolerance within 3 minutes of finding out that it is out of
tolerance, how you find that out is up to you

I have r/c's at the two FM's and the AM ND set up to call for
out-of-tolerance, plus the AM DA-2 is running Auto-Pilot 2 with a monitoring
script that checks DA performance every 15 minutes and sets a status alarm
if it detects out-of-tolerance

as far as a 'dedicated' phone line, it would be cheaper to use a
minimum-service cell-phone and adapter to the r/c, at least around here





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bailey, Scott" <sbailey at nespower.com>
To: "Broadcasters' Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Sent: Wednesday, February 21, 2007 11:41 AM
Subject: [BC] Remote Control Access via Internet


Question to the brain trust:



I've read over the rules of unattended operation, and I have a question.
Does a station have to have a dial up phone line installed at the
transmitter for remote control or can a station control it transmitter
by internet access only, and do away with the dial up phone line?



My thoughts were, and a discussion with another engineer was, the last
update of the remote control rules was around 1995, almost 12 years ago,
before we had wide open internet access.  My studio is with the
transmitter, and I can access my studio automation with my pocket pc,
via Verizon Broadband Wireless, or even Wi-fi. My studio automation can
lower and raise power on my transmitter, and turn it off. I can access
my automation system via logmein.com at home and control the transmitter
as well.



What are the thoughts you guys have on this subject?  Do we really have
to have a "dedicated" phone line at the transmitter, if I'm using that
line for DSL service and my pc controls the transmitter, and I have
constant access to it?



Scott

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