Vendor Technology Seminars and Events

Technology seminars and vendor events scheduled in our area this fall include:

Tektronix Videoinsight Events Tour

Tektronix presents a day of instructional sessions on video delivery and quality measurement. Topics include waveform monitors, plant synchronization, CALM Act and audio loudness, ancillary data/closed captions, interfaces, adaptive bit rate monitoring, HEVC compression and file-based workflows. Breakfast and lunch are included. There is a session in Grand Rapids on Tuesday, September 23, and in Farmington Hills on Thursday, September 25. See more information on the series of seminars and register online. (SBE Certified members: this seminar qualifies for recertification credit.)

Rohde & Schwarz Oscilloscope Seminars

Rohde & Schwarz will offer two seminars on troubleshooting using oscilloscopes on Thursday, October 9 at the Suburban Collection Showplace in Novi. The morning session covers getting the most out of oscilloscope measurements, and the afternoon session is on serial bus analysis. View the course descriptions and register for the seminar by contacting Jackie Mancini at Rohde & Schwarz via e-mail at Jackie(dot)Mancini (at-symbol) rsa.rohde-schwarz.com. Space is limited to the first 30 registrations.

AVI Systems Technology Showcase

AVI Systems presents its fall Technology Showcase Wednesday and Thursday, November 11 and 12 at the Sheraton Detroit Hotel in Novi. According to AVI, over 75 manufacturers will be represented, including Sony, Kramer, Barco, Panasonic and Polycom. Professional development seminars and complimentary breakfast and lunch are offered to attendees. Get more information on the event; you may register online.

Certification Amnesty

NOTE: The certification amnesty program ends April 30!

As part of the 50th anniversary Jubilee Project of the Society of Broadcast Engineers, the Certification Committee has declared amnesty on all whose certifications expired after January 1999 and are now lapsed. If this is you, you can apply to reinstate your certification without retaking the examination before April 30, 2014.

In order to apply for the Jubilee Project, you must fill out the application, include a resume or letter to the committee explaining what you have done in the field of broadcast engineering over the time period of your lapsed certification and include the professional credits form for the last five years (2008-2013). (Professional credits do not apply to CTO, CRO and CBT certifications.)

Here are the details of the certification amnesty program.

Passing of Larry Estlack, CPBE

leUpdated with funeral arrangements below.

It is with a heavy heart that we announce the passing of our friend, our colleague, our family – Larry Allen Estlack. Larry passed away peacefully after a courageous battle with cancer early this morning, Monday, December 16. He was 64.

Larry started at the Michigan Association of Broadcasters in 2002 and during his time here, he oversaw all technical programs including the Alternative Broadcast Inspection Program for radio and TV stations and the MAB Engineering Hotline where many Michigan stations, and his engineering colleagues, counted on Larry for his engineering expertise to help them through all sorts of technical issues.

Larry was appointed by the FCC as the chairman of the Emergency Alert System in Michigan, a position he held for 21 years, and served as Chairman of the South Central EAS area since 1977. Larry was also appointed by the Governor of Michigan to the Michigan Citizen-Community Emergency Response Coordinating Council (MCCERC) and served on the Broadcast Warning Working Group (BWWG) nationally. He was always passionate about building better alliances between the Emergency Management community and broadcasters to improve public warning.

From 2008 to 2011 Larry worked tirelessly on five federal NOAA grants in coordination with Michigan State Police and Department of Natural Resources, to bring emergency alert sirens to five remote Northern Michigan state parks in an effort to keep all Michigan citizens safe, even while on vacation. Those efforts proved vital as the sirens saved 83 people during a severe storm at Muskallonge Lake State Park in September 2010.

In addition to his time at MAB, Larry had been involved in both radio and television engineering for more than 30 years. He received the Michigan Association of Broadcasters’ first Carl E. Lee Engineering Excellence Award, and was inducted into the Michigan Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2008. His passion for broadcast engineering went far beyond the station walls as he spent many hours training and educating future broadcast engineers. In addition, Larry was an active member of the Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 91, was certified as a Professional Broadcast Engineer and served as a frequency coordinator for much of the State.

Larry was a very genuine and passionate person, always caring, always giving to others before himself. He will be greatly missed by his family, fans, friends, and his MAB family. Services for Larry will be Saturday, Jan. 4th, 2014 at Estes-Leadley in downtown Lansing. Visitation will be 2-4pm, service to follow at 4pm. Wake details to be announced at service. In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to Larry’s scholarship fund.

Finally, a few words from Larry himself recorded in December 2012 as part of the MAB holiday greeting: http://youtu.be/_ihhTlPjLxw

November SMPTE Meeting

SBE members and guests are invited to the November meeting of the Detroit Section of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers. The program will feature a demonstration of the NewTek TriCaster ™, its capabilities and the “under the hood” technology that makes it possible. The meeting is Tuesday, November 12 at Advanced Lighting and Sound in Troy.

View the meeting notice. Note that a RSVP is requested (see the bottom of the notice).