- • 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.
