[BC] FCC Modulation measurements

[Dana Puopolo]

The FCC now uses special, calibrated, wide band ICOM receivers with Windows
computers connected to them. Their special software has all sorts of data
available including spectrum displays. Their standard car is a Ford Explorer
with a fiberglass radome roof. It looks identical to the stock Explorer roof
but inside it are all kinds of specially calibrated antennas. I got to play
with the one they use in Boston late last year when an old acquaintence of
mine, Victor Taglifaro came to inspect a client's station. Victor is one of
those FCC guys that understands how things are. He's uses the rules as a
guide, realizing that some times things can't explicitly follow the rules. If
you can make your case, he will listen-as opposed to being a traffic cop
writing FCC tickets. We sat and talked a bit about the 'good old days' of
broadcasting (He told me how bad it is out there and how he sees things thses
days that no TRUE engineer would let happen).  Alas, Victor is retiring this
year. Another one of the good guys gone.

-D

------ Original Message ------
Received: Wed, 03 Oct 2007 06:34:30 PM EDT
From: R A Meuser <rameuser at ieee.org>
To: "Broadcasters' Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
Subject: Re: [BC] FCC Modulation measurements


Willie:

I seriously doubt that is the case. If it were you would see similar 
gear in the commercial market. The FCC needs a traceable standard and I 
doubt there is anything around that exceeds their tried and true method.






WFIFeng at aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 10/03/2007 4:24:43 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
> pchristensen at ieee.org writes:
> 
> 
>>Today, I would be surprised if the FCC still had regional enforcement staff
>> with the wherewithal, resources and time to make such detailed 
> 
> measurements.
> 
> Now, it's probably all done digitally. The signal is downconverted to some 
> useful IF, then fed directly into a fast A/D converter, where a fast DSP/CPU

> computes everything you ever wanted to know about the chosen signal.
Synchronous 
> AM, deviation, spectral purity, bandwidth, pilot injection, subcarriers 
> injection & deviation, RBDS, IBUZ, etc.
> 
> A PC probably even controls the whole thing. Park the van, push a button, 10

> seconds later, you have a readout of every signal the unit could detect.
Drive 
> to the next market, repeat...
> 
> Right?
> 
> Willie...
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