Monday Morning Coffee and Technical Notes

September 22, 2025 View as Webpage

ETRS Form One

The Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau has issued a reminder that Emergency Alert System (EAS) participants must submit their Form One identifying information into the EAS Test Reporting System (ETRS) no later than October 3, 2025.

Each year, the FCC requires EAS participants to provide information regarding their EAS equipment and monitoring assignments, facility location, contact information and other information.



The FCC reported that filers can access ETRS by visiting the ETRS page of the Commission’s website at https://www.fcc.gov/general/eas-test-reporting-system.

Quarterly Tower Light System Inspections

If your station owns a tower that is required by the FAA/FCC to have tower lighting, the complete lighting system must be inspected at the end of each quarter. By the complete system, this means the control system, any special sensors and alarms, interconnection to station remote control and the actual lights.

The results of the inspection must be either entered into the transmitter maintenance log or placed in a file that can be made available to an FCC or ABIP inspector  

ABA Engineering Webinars

Last week ABA Engineering Services hosted the September Engineering Webinar. Our guest speaker was Jeff Weldon, Nautel who talked about the proper use of copper strap for, including layout, connection to equipment and termination to the single point master grounding outside the facility.



If you missed the webinar or would like to watch it again it is available on the ABA Engineering Academy YouTube channel. Simply search for the academy on YouTube and all the previous webinars, plus other technical videos are posted there.

Television Audio

It appears that some television stations are having more than their share of audio issues, especially in local news programs. Issues include varying audio levels between segments, dropped audio and over driven audio.

Engineers must address audio problems because they distract viewers.   It has been said that viewers will be more likely to complain about poor audio than poor video.

Sometimes the issue is operational and not technical. Talent forgetting to turn their wireless on. There should always be a FAX (facility check) before each broadcast, which will ensure all sources and IFB’s are working properly. Policy should be “once everything is powered up, never turn it off until the program is over”.



Take pride in your station operation, listen intently to your station, make notes of issues and address them.

Pro Audio – Pro Audio

If you mix audio for live events, I am sure you have been asked to set up a system in a not so friendly venue. One of the most demanding is a gymnasium. A gymnasium has: 1) concrete walls, 2) hardwood floors, and 3) ceilings open to the rafters.

These types of rooms have two key issues: 1) lack of sound absorption materials, and 2) lack of clarity and definition with loud volumes. The lack of sound absorption means you’re working in a highly reflective room.

There’s no magical solution to getting a great mix in an acoustically challenging room where there isn’t the option of adding permanent and professional acoustic treatment.

Try to Optimize loudspeaker direction. When setting up the loudspeakers, how much of their sound field is pointed at the chairs and how much is pointed at the walls? You might be bouncing much of the sound off the walls before it ever gets to the people in the chairs. Therefore, turn those loudspeakers inward for a tighter focus of your sound.

You might also build modular panels that can be stood up across the back of the last row of seats. Cover these panels in a heavy dense cloth. They can be built with PVC pipes – they won’t stop all sound from reflecting but they can cut down a lot on the reflection.

Arrive early and plan your setup to minimize reflection issues.

Stand by camera one....Earl, we only have one camera