December 2015 Newsletter
Presidents Report Christmas 2015 already!! Where has the Year gone? It's been a fantastic 12 months, thanks to all you wonderful people at 101FM. You know, there's a really good Vibe about the place! The 101FM Christmas Party went off with a Bang, and the feedback we've received about the event has been nothing but positive. Some have suggested that next Year's Function will have to be pretty amazing to top it. We welcomed some new talented Presenters on board. Your Old Mate Bluey, and our Monday morning Host, Mike Bennett. But sadly, we lost the long time All that Jazz Presenter, with the passing of Barry Ralph during this year. Jazz Junction now fills that time slot, and continues to keep up the standard with Stu Robertson, Charles Costello (and back-up from Alister Robertson), doing a great job! Next year looks like being a GREAT year, with various fundraising activities like our annual Radiothon, and other fun events like our seasonal raffles etc. taking place. I hope that you and your families enjoy a Great Festive Season, and we look forward to a Bright 2016. Merry Christmas!!! Alan Casonati 2
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101! fhsh This year has been both busy and very exciting for me. Technically, behind the scenes there's been many changes & improvements. All the electrical mains supply wiring, plus the telephone and data wiring at the Station have been bought up to current standards. We have a new PABX which will see us into the future. Our On-Air presence has been improved with a new audio processor and transmitter courtesy of the Community Broadcasting Foundation. We have also had a record number of outside broadcasts that has taken the station out into the community. Peter Schoutens, who was doing some of the outside broadcasts, has moved down south and his presence has been very much missed. Terry Lindsay, a long term supporter of 101FM has come on board to provide technical support and do the weekend outside broadcasts. This has allowed me to concentrate on other technical areas at the Station. Much of the work over the 2015 has concentrated on making 101FM more robust from a technical point of view. We now have spare units for most of the critical pieces of equipment. Much of the equipment that was no longer supported by the manufacturer has been replaced. The work the Logan City Council performed in upgrading the power and data cabling greatly assisted in the installation of the new PABX. The LCC has been very helpful and quick to respond when we have had maintenance problems. So I am looking forward to 2016 when, with the help of the members, we can introduce the Radio Data System (RDS) onto our transmission; to have a new improved website, and look at providing podcasts of our Speciality Programs. I m very grateful for the support I have received from the other members of the Management Team, as nothing could be done without their support and those of Volunteers who put in the extra effort to make our Station a great community organisation. In the meantime, I would like to wish EVERYONE a happy and safe Christmas and look forward to a great New Year! 4
Terry's Last Minute Christmas ideas * as modelled by Bluey 5
Hasn t this year gone so quickly? Sure has! We ve seen the implementation of some really important changes that ll be in the best interest for all here at Logan City's 101FM. Once again, I would like to thank those Presenters who have undertaken the Training & Development program with Music Director Gray Tienan, which is designed to help improve and strengthen our On-Air skills. Sponsorship revenue has certainly increased over the year together with many Client sales also being renewed. A simple fact is that because of our active Volunteers, we are able to run our Station successfully. Your contribution and participation is invaluable...and I sincerely thank you for all of your support over 2015. Let s all work together in 2016 for the betterment of the Station. May this Christmas end the present year on a cheerful note, and make way for a fresh and bright New Year. 'Christmas is not a time nor a season, But a state of mind. To cherish peace and goodwill, To be plenteous in mercy, Is to have the real spirit of Christmas'. Here's wishing you all a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! TJ 6
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ARE WE BALANCED? These days we tend to listen to audio which is reproduced from some Digital format. The audio is stored and transmitted in digital form as a string of ones and zeros. As long as we can know what is a 1 and what is a zero in amongst the noise, then the original audio can be reproduced. Hence, audio can be sent across the world and still sound like you are in the next room. Before sound was digitised, it was recorded and transmitted in analogue form. That meant the sound was changed into variations in voltage, magnetic field or impressions on a record that corresponded to the original sound. This also meant that any noise that was added along with the sound was transmitted and amplified as well. So therefore we needed to keep noise and interference to a minimum, as it couldn t be readily removed once it was introduced. Noise is introduced by the invisible electromagnetic waves that are present all around us. Amazing! The most prevalent is hum from the mains electricity supply. We need to keep this hum out of any analogue signal we send over wires. There are 2 ways to send low level analogue audio over wires, one is in a Balanced format and the other is Unbalanced. Unbalanced is when one side is earthed and the other side carries the signal. Hum and noise can easily be induced into this wire and so be heard if the signal is very low, the distances are long or the earth voltages are not the same. Even with these limitations, unbalanced works quite well as long as the levels are high and the distances are short. This is used for domestic audio systems using the RCA connectors. The other way is to use a Balanced feed, where 2 wires are used to send the audio signal. Any noise will be equal in each wire but the original audio will be the difference between the wires. Therefore as long as we can recover the difference between the wires we can recover the original signal without the noise. That s why professional systems such as what we have at 101FM, use balanced audio feeds. There's more to it than the above, but that s the reason why we use balanced audio lines to distribute the analogue audio around the station. At some point in the future we may be doing it all digitally right from the desk - but in the meantime we will be using balanced audio feeds. Got any questions? Feel free to contact Sefton or one of the Technical Team 8
Ask me about my vow of silence. The funnies 9 You know you're getting old when your bank sends your calendar one month at a time.
LETTERS 10 Dear Editor, I believe each and every Member (particularly if you are also a Presenter) should take a tour of the Transmission site up at Springwood. This should be arranged via Sefton Madsen our Technical Manager and Senior VP. I was fortunate to simply be interested in where our recent Grant funds, kindly received via the Community Broadcasting Federation (CBF), was spent. What I discovered when visiting the Springwood Tower site and being shown the facility by Sefton, is what this man has done for 101FM in recent years. I ve been with 101FM since the very early 2000 s and am aware of the history of our development from a Caravan studio on the site, to what we are today a leading Community Radio Broadcaster. Not only a leading communicator but also a Community Radio Station with a leading edge in technical capabilities and performance. This is due in no small part by one Sefton Madsen. I d encourage all Presenters take interest in the facility at Springwood. 101FM is not just about sitting behind the microphone and presenting our programs. We would not have our programs if were not for the Springwood facility and it is a most fascinating journey to go and see how its all put together.amazing, yet quite simple to peruse. So, my recommendation is to organise ourselves into small groups of 6-10 and allow Sefton to provide a guided tour of the Springwood facilities and what has been done for our Station. I guarantee you will not be disappointed. In fact, I believe this should even be an integral part of a Presenters approval and education process. Sincerely, Alister. 101FM Legal Disclaimer Newsletter Art & Concept Editor No Presenters were harmed in the making of this Newsletter. Errors and Mistakes Just in case you find any mistakes in this Newsletter, please remember they were put there for a purpose. At 101FM we try to offer something for everyone. Some people are always looking for mistakes and we didn't want to disappoint them.