[BC] Modulation Monitor - a necessity?...

[Burt I. Weiner]

I also believe in having properly operating modulation monitors at 
all stations I have ever been responsible for.  I no longer allow 
myself to be in the position of being the responsible person.  Now 
they can either take my advice or leave it.  Most take it seriously.

Using a scope is good - if you know what you're doing.  You can't 
simple turn it on every once in a while to see if you're legal other 
than for negative peaks for AM and depending on some scopes I've seen 
pressed into that service, that's even questionable.  However, I 
still stand by my earlier comment about (not) being able to resolve 
within a dB or so of positive peaks or FM deviation.  I've been there 
and fought that battle.  As you know, at the top end a single dB is 
about 10 percent.  Not so many years ago we didn't have a cap at +125 
percent and since there was no limit on positive peaks the only 
concern were the negative peaks.

When the FCC relaxed many of the rules that move was misread by many 
that certain, old aspects of compliance were no longer an 
issue.  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  Almost all 
technical operating tolerances are still in place and we are as 
responsible to operate within tolerance as we ever were.  How we 
achieve that is now left up to the licensee.

As far as no one being concerned about positive peaks on AM, that 
reminds me of the conversation a few weeks ago about breaking the 
rules.  I like to play by the rules - in all aspects of life.  I'm 
certainly not saying that by not having a modulation monitor you are 
not in compliance it's just that those who choose not to have one 
have chosen to go a different route for monitoring than I would.

Yes, Belar has indeed come up with some interesting tools but what 
good are they if you don't use them.

Burt

At 10:00 PM 7/22/2006, you wrote:
>From: Robert Meuser <Robertm at broadcast.net>
>Subject: Re: [BC] Modulation Monitors...
>To: "Broadcasters' Mailing List" <broadcast at radiolists.net>
>Message-ID: <44C2CA57.6070806 at broadcast.net>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed
>
>Burt:
>
>First I will plead guilty of having a mod monitor in every North American
>station where I have been - often two or three. Outside North 
>America, there are
>many places (most of Europe as an example) where mod monitors were never used.
>
>That being said, I never except as a matter of last resort used it 
>to determine
>compliance or as a detector for measurements. I will admit to using 
>them on FM
>for pilot injection. The flashing lights do enhance transmitter tours.
>
>I have never seen any government entity anywhere use anything other 
>than a scope
>and/or spectrum analyzer for compliance measurements.
>
>I do think that Belar has come up with some interesting tools that 
>go way past
>the average mod monitor.
>
>R
>
>Burt I. Weiner wrote:
> > Not only that but if it's working properly it gives you a quick way to
> > see if you are in compliance.
> >
> > Burt

Burt I. Weiner Associates
Broadcast Technical Services
Glendale, California  U.S.A.
biwa at earthlink.net
K6OQK