Here’s a sampling of the latest correspondence from Radio World readers. Radio World welcomes letters to the editor on this or any story. Email radioworld@futurenet.com.
A case in point
Andrew Gladding’s commentary in the June 19 issue about the value of college radio struck a strong chord with me.
There’s no doubt that I would not be who I am if not for my college radio experience at WRUW(FM), the student station of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. That relationship extended, in several different forms, more than a decade past graduation. And to this day, four decades later, I am in touch with station colleagues and employed in the broadcast field.
As Andrew reports, the presence of a robust college station was not at all part of my choosing to attend Case Western Reserve University. Yet it provided my most memorable experiences in my college years and was instrumental in my career. Prior to WRUW, I was a radio listener, and most of all an audio junkie. My experience there is what made me a radio person.
Thank you WRUW. And thank you Andrew for extending a helping hand to keep college radio alive.
— Rolf Taylor, Rocket Engineering and Consulting
Willing to share
Both my wife Cathy, who also used to work at Harris and Broadcast Electronics in Quincy, and I enjoyed Tom Vernon’s article about Larry Cervon in the July 17 issue of Radio World.
My time working for Larry is the most important part of my professional development. I would not know nearly as much about the history of broadcasting and the broadcast equipment business had it not been for my relationship with Larry.
He understood so much and, more importantly, was always willing to share what he knew.
— Bill Harland, Vice President of Marketing, Electronics Research Inc., Chandler, Ind.
Build, buy or fix
A recent thread of Radio World letters discussed the importance of being able to fix things yourself. It used to be that component-level repair skills were as valuable to your career as an SBE certification, but it is in the nature of software and hardware that basic foundational bones become buried and eventually invisible, lost inside advanced and modularly serviceable gadgets built upon them.
Probably for too long, I preferred to make things that I should have bought. After all, my first big station was built by hand out of op amps, step attenuators etc. — arguably because nothing available commercially was good enough.
Wayne Pecena recently sent me a publication notice of Forest Mims’ memoir, “Make: Maverick Scientist,” subtitled “My Adventures as an Amateur Scientist.” For some of us, Forest was a god of sorts who wrote books on designing with solder and silicon that you would buy at Radio Shack. In that primeval world, there are famous folks, too many for this note, and their lessons were as much about life and perspective as design approach. There is a Zen to design at any level.
I recently encountered street repair stands in Bangkok, where component-level life persists. They are kindred spirits. I came for Buddha, but this raised my consciousness. Solder and bread boards are now arts and crafts. We belong with the weavers, soap makers and chemical photographers. Still, I’m not tossing out my chip inventory quite yet. I fashion these one-offs just for myself these days.
It’s not fair to leave some young broadcast engineer a custom PLC-based system, or custom interfaces that only an old-school guy can maintain. If you must, it would be kind to leave lots of documentation and spares.
— Fred Baumgartner
Oops!
I really enjoyed the recent “Awesome RF Buildouts” eBook. However, I did notice one minor error in the caption at the bottom of page 12.
It states that “WVER(FM)’s antenna with red radomes is visible at lower left.” In fact, that Shively antenna belongs to WMUD. WVER(FM) has a single-bay Dielectric antenna further down the tower.
Thank you for an otherwise excellent publication.
— Joel Epley, Chief Technology Officer, Light of Life Ministries Inc. d/b/a Worship Radio Network, Augusta, Maine
[Check Out More Letters at Radio World’s Reader’s Forum Section]
