Monday Morning Coffee and Technical Notes

June 30,, 2025 View as Webpage

2025 ABA Annual Conference

The Alabama Broadcasters Association (ABA) will host the 2025 ABA Annual Conference Thursday and Friday August 7^th & 8^th. In addition to the normal sales, news, and legal presentations, the ABA Engineering Services will present a day long Engineering Seminar with various presentations. The topics include:

1.   Modern Solid State Liquid Cooled Transmitter Technology, Greg Martin, Rohde & Schwartz

2.   Sizing, installation and Maintenance of diesel Generators, Byran Martin, Thompson Power

3.   It’s what comes out of the speaker that counts, Larry Wilkins, ABA Engineering Services

4.   ATSC 3.0 Datacasting, Peter Gogas, Gray Media

5.   Optimal use of wireless microphones, Clayton Young, RF Venue 

The seminar will be held at the Ross Bridge Resort in Birmingham, AL. Cost is only $40.00 which includes a great lunch. A exhibit hall will feature a number of vendors of equipment and services. Registration is now open on the ABA web site. Mark your calendars for this great event.

2025 Engineer of the Year

The Alabama Broadcasters Association 2025 “Engineer of the Year” will be recognized on Thursday, August 7^th, during the ABA’s annual conference.

This award recognizes excellence and innovation in broadcast engineering for an Alabama radio and/or television station. Criteria include development of new technology, leadership in education and contributions to broadcast engineering technical standards.

We invite you to send your nominations to Sharon Tinsley at stinsley@al-ba.com by July 15. Please include a short letter or email citing why you feel this person should receive the award, including ways in which the nominee has met the criteria listed above.

Understanding NMOS

NMOS (Networked Media Open Specifications) is the open-source "special sauce" that enables connection, management, and control of your IP video and audio devices from different manufacturers – in a common eco-system and in an interoperable way.

NMOS works whether you're using ST 2110 or IPMX, locally or in the cloud.

Simply put, it lets equipment from different companies all work together.

Since AMWA's NMOS is an open set of specifications, it gives you a significant advantage by preventing vendor lock-in. It means you can choose the equipment you prefer, and build the system that best meets your needs, without being tied to any specific manufacturer.

Whether you work in Broadcast or Pro-AV, the ability to quickly and reliably set up a working system is vital to business efficiency. This may be building permanent or temporary facilities - or changing operational set-ups between TV shows or professional AV activities.

If you work in traditional media or a professional communications environment, NMOS, Networked Media Open Specifications, exists to provide an effective open control layer to get you working as easily as possible.

ABIP Seminar

Registration is now open for the ABA Engineering Academy special two-day seminar covering the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program (ABIP).



This live training seminar is designed for current ABIP inspectors and those that are interested in becoming an inspector. We have also opened the seminar up to any engineer that is interested in learning more about the inspection program.

We have scheduled the seminar covering ABIP for August 18^th & 19^th, 2025. On the first day we will be in the classroom, going over the inspection details (Online public files, EAS, Transmitter site and basic operational items). The second day will feature on-site mock inspections at area broadcast transmitters (AM, FM and Television).

The class will be held at the ABA Training Center, 2180 Parkway Lake Drive in Hoover, AL (Birmingham). It will start at 8:30 AM central both days. Instructors are John George, ABIP inspector for South Carolina and Larry Wilkins ABIP inspector for Alabama.

There is no cost for attending the seminar. You can register online here. We encourage you to register early since seating is limited. On the registration page is a list of hotels that have special reduced prices for attendees.

End of Life

In case you are not aware, Microsoft is pulling the plug for Windows 10 support on Oct. 14, 2025, which is only four months away. After that, you’ll either need to upgrade to Windows 11 or buy into Microsoft’s “Extended Security Updates” plan.

FCC Notes

 The ABA routinely issues reminders of various FCC filing dates. One important document is the Quarterly Issues and Programs lists.  This list must be uploaded to the station’s online public file each quarter.

The FCC can and does review these files and issues “Notices of Apparent Liability for Forfeiture” to stations that fail to upload on time. These fines can be costly, sometimes reaching $10,000 or more.

These Quarterly Issues Programs lists are taken seriously by the FCC, as they are the only official station records of how broadcasters served the public in their local service area. They take on added importance to demonstrate local service by stations that decide to no longer maintain a manned main studio.



The deadline for filing is the 10^th day of the following month of each quarter. The next report covering the second quarter of 2025 must be filed by July 10^th, 2025. Engineers are encouraged to remind management about this required filing.

Fall schedule of the ABA Engineering Academy’s Technical classes

The ABA Engineering Academy has released the schedule for our Radio and Television Engineering class for this coming fall. The radio class will be held the week of September 21 – 26 and the television class will be held the week of November 3 – 7.

The Academy began offering these classes in 2012. Over the years it has attracted students from all across the country and Canada. While they are designed for those just starting in broadcast engineering, we have had many “seasoned” engineers attend both for a refresher course and the latest technology (including HD Radio, ATSC 3.0 and SMPTE 2110).

The classes cover basic electronics, history of broadcasting, analog and digital audio, radio/ television generation and transmission, plus overview of station operations including EAS and FCC Rules. On Fridays we offer the opportunity for students to take the SBE Certified Broadcast Technologist exam. You do not have to take the exam to attend the class.

Classes are held at the ABA Training Center, 2180 Parkway Lake Drive Hoover, AL (Birmingham)



We encourage you to register for these classes soon, as we have limited seating. Don’t forget the classes are offered at no cost by the Alabama Broadcasters Association. Click here to register. There is a list of hotels that offer special rates for students on the web site.



Contact the Academy Director for more information.

Pro Audio - Church FOH

Searching the web, you will find tons of procedures and techniques to improve your mixing skills as a church FOH (Front of House).

I came across some non-technical tips from Worshipartistry that are important.

Time is Valuable

We all have the same amount of time every day. No matter what goes on in our lives: our jobs, school, we all have the same amount of time. Being considerate of each other’s time is one of the best ways you can be a team player. Do this by being on time!

Communication is Key

We have some of the best communication tools at our finger tips. Between email, text, and app notifications, there’s really no reason why we can’t communicate effectively. It just takes consistency and effort.

Rehearsal vs Run-through

Every worship ministry’s rehearsal patterns are different. Some churches don't meet mid-week to rehearse they just show up on Sunday morning and make it happen. Others can have a midweek rehearsal that will last two-four hours.

Pay Attention

They are a lot of moving parts and instruction happening during rehearsals and run-throughs. Stay attentive to everything that’s happening!

One of the best ways to show that you are a team player is to be personable. Always remember that we can do more together than we can do apart.

Furnished by Worship Artistry

Earl, we need to talk about that junction box you installed!