RF Shorts: Other Items of Interest - Dec. 22, 2009

  • • The Dec. 15 issue of NIST Tech Beat has a summary of a NIST Technical note that many readers will find interesting: NIST Technical Note 1654—Regarding Electric Energy Savings, Power Factors, and Carbon Footprints: A Primer The tech note was written to examine claims that power factor correction devices (usually capacitors) can reduce electric consumption and power bills. In summary, the analysis shows that these devices won't cut electric bills, but can reduce losses in transformers. Many transmitter sites have devices with a high power factor—pump motors and fans for example. In the note, the power factor and energy consumption of an air conditioner is analyzed mathematically.
  • • I've updated my spreadsheet listing all current TV licenses, applications and permits in the FCC's TV Engineering Database. The spreadsheet pulls data from multiple files in CDBS to create a single flat-file database including information on channel number, effective radiated power, transmitter location, height, antenna type and, where available, antenna make and model. A separate tab lists the information available on Mexican and Canadian stations, permits and allotments near the U.S. border. The spreadsheet can be downloaded from www.xmtr.com/fcc. Click on the file tvdb.zip. It's based on CDBS files dated Dec. 21, 2009. Use the "Data Filter" function in your spreadsheet program to search the spreadsheet for specific stations, channels and locations.
Doug Lung

Doug Lung is one of America's foremost authorities on broadcast RF technology. As vice president of Broadcast Technology for NBCUniversal Local, H. Douglas Lung leads NBC and Telemundo-owned stations’ RF and transmission affairs, including microwave, radars, satellite uplinks, and FCC technical filings. Beginning his career in 1976 at KSCI in Los Angeles, Lung has nearly 50 years of experience in broadcast television engineering. Beginning in 1985, he led the engineering department for what was to become the Telemundo network and station group, assisting in the design, construction and installation of the company’s broadcast and cable facilities. Other projects include work on the launch of Hawaii’s first UHF TV station, the rollout and testing of the ATSC mobile-handheld standard, and software development related to the incentive auction TV spectrum repack. A longtime columnist for TV Technology, Doug is also a regular contributor to IEEE Broadcast Technology. He is the recipient of the 2023 NAB Television Engineering Award. He also received a Tech Leadership Award from TV Tech publisher Future plc in 2021 and is a member of the IEEE Broadcast Technology Society and the Society of Broadcast Engineers.