The Blare Blog

Wednesday July 1, 2020 8:38 AM CDT

Wednesday July 1, 2020 8:46 AM CDT -- On Further Thought

I rather think that some of those who call themselves 'conservative' picked the word because it sounds good to them without taking the trouble to Google it. In the same way I chose 'progressive' because it sounds less lazy and gives the sense that something's going to get done.

Wednesday July 1, 2020 8:52 AM CDT
The Story of KDX
- Non-Fiction

As a retirement pastime I decided to found a bird sanctuary and while constructing birdhouses I wanted something worthwhile to hear on the radio so I threw together a radio station and today birds have their song and I have mine. That's about it.

Wednesday July 1, 2020 9:28 AM CDT -- Reaching Into Fire

Another newsman has been pulled from service at a major news network (Fox) over alleged sexual misconduct from years ago. We all look over our shoulders when we hear about these career enders and wish that so many women in tv news would stop dressing like hookers, but they've got ratings to consider and for a fact they're hired to look sexy on camera. The main thing news men need to remember is that their female counterparts aren't hookers and their outfits are not meant personally. During our tv years there was sexual conduct at least rumored at the stations but most of it seemed to be consensual with only one mild complaint coming to memory... a female reporter complained that the male anchor eyed her "as if she was a piece of meat". This has always puzzled me because I myself have never eyed meat the way one might eye an attractive woman, so I never understood the comparison and have never asked her about it.

Thursday  June 2, 2020 8:12 AM CDT
Worth the Watch

Thursday July 2, 2020 8:42 AM CDT
Today's Radio Special

Thursday July 2, 2020 11:51 AM CDT -- What Spinrite Exactly Does

Thursday July 2, 2020 12:40 NOON -- Lots of Sitting Increases Cancer Chance

Sunday July 5, 2020 10:23 AM CDT -- You've Got to Be Crazy to Hear This Station

For about the 4th time we paid a visit to Boomer's Dog Blog and re-read the item about "hospital radio" then followed the link to discover a British TV series about a radio station inside a psychiatric hospital.

Sunday July 5, 2020 12:49 NOON CDT -- What a Night It Was

Now that we're hearing last night's three-hour recording of the illegal July 4th firework barrage filling the sky from surrounding city and county it's somewhat discomforting how little we're able to hear from inside the fortified sound-proofed security of the Internet Building, home of KDX Worldround Radio. We were in here watching movies while out there on the parade review stand our sensitive PZM microphone was hearing a veritable war or two of non-stop bomb-bursts echoing and ricocheting off of buildings and Gateway Arches. Probably we should place a full-time outdoor mic so we have some idea whether escaped zoo animals have come to reside in our forested bird sanctuary, they'd growl or howl so we'd know not to take out the trash at certain moments. In fact at one moment when I'd quietly stepped out to check on the red LED light that shows our machine is still digitizing, an opossum ambled by in front of me seemeingly uninterested by my presence, and I didn't notify the zoo because I recognized it as a regular neighbor. My many birds crouched nervously in their respective shadows wondering what the humans were up to with all the bombast. I know and a few others know that patriotism has become a perversion and the people that tend to get killed because of it have the temerity to complain about it (getting killed, that is).

Monday July 6, 2020 1:58 PM CDT -- 20-minutes from the Night of July 4th

Thursday July 9, 2020 5:16 PM CDT -- Activity On the Artisan Radio Blog

"Artisan Radio" is both a radio station and a person, and it/he publishes a blog in the same league as our own, speaking from the position of a low power radio station owner/operation. Here is a reprint of a recent posting:

During my years of participation the same conversations took place indefinitely and the same people never seemed to know what got said so many times. In his blog Boomer queries "Is the Sun Setting On Part 15?" To the stragglers that follow the subject on the deadened forums that probably asks "Do You Broadcast at Sunset?" A time known as "critical hours". Like a needle skipping on a vinyll record.

Friday July 10, 2020 2:09 PM CDT -- To Our Blogeez

Regular Blog readers are aware that a server meltdown temporarily took The Blare Blog out of service and we have been pursuing restorative efforts ever since. Today we've started re-establishing contact with a few past months and there's more work to be done, especially in reconnecting links and files which may still be broken in some cases. There's a large editing job ahead and we've decided to take this opportunity to start thinning and culling the Blog, removing out-of-date entries and materials that no longer serve a purpose. This work is made possible through the prayers and gifts of our many friends.

Friday July 10, 2020 3:21 PM CDT -- Standby for Boomer

I know you like to run the Jazz Festival from New Orleans, and it went on this year in virtual way, using archived performances.

Jazz-Festing-in-Place
 
As for Part-15 external ATUs, I think they could be good in some situations, having the tuner and antenna on a rooftop and transmitter safely inside. It's special for being the only approved product for range-extending the Talking House, but actually most every other transmitter that uses a 3 meter wire already has an ATU built in to its circuit, some kind of a coil and capacitor tuner that works the same way over the transmitter's frequency range.

The Talking House ATU uses permeability tuning (coil tuning) instead of a tapped coil and capacitor, with ferrite bars to tune twin coils, and a high-low frequency switch to cover the whole AM band, and a meter to peak for signal so you don't need a separate field strength meter.

Going by photos of the original ATU, the tuning mechanism looks like it's the same as what's inside of the Talking House transmitter itself. It looks like they just took the tuner sub-assembly used in the transmitter and put it into a weather tight box with the switch, meter and manual tuning knob. If it's so close to what's inside of the transmitter itself, could that be how they got the approval?

The photos of the old ATU are in a pdf breakdown that someone did, and may be in the documents section at ALPB's site. Talking House pictures are available on videos with the cover off, showing how its tuned. -- Boomer, a Crispian Conservative

We think you are very crispy and need to be turned over. Appreciate hearing about Jazz Fest's Virtual Endeavor. It was not carried this year by KDX nor the usual nationwide hookup of stations. WWOZ provided hourly IDs for as many as 20-stations, and under the circumstances that would have been impractical, plus there are no doubt licensing issues with airing certain past performances.

Saturday July 11, 2020 8:28 AM CDT -- Dream Fuel

It's been an interesting morning. I awoke out of a dream in which I was having a detailed disagreement with someone and was very close to reaching a resolution. Now awake, I wanted very strongly to complete the transaction but became very frustrated in being unable to recall who the disagreement was with and about what.

So I tried to boot the KDX website so all you readers could get into the Blog to see what was being said, but the machine kept trying to boot Windows XP and that was because the old XP boot drive was plugged into the USB Docking Device following work we were doing yesterday and once it was turned off the proper Windows 7 boot was enabled, but there was an anomaly I was yet to discover.

The daily log sheet from yesterday contained scribbles from banking information I'd been unable to resolve yesterday and when my eye caught that I spontaneously decided to aim my dream-generated frustration into action and called the bank, which according to the time shown on the Windows 7 screen, would now be open for banking hours. The time, close to noon, startled me because I usually arise much earlier. A muffled lady on a poor phone connection was able to quickly answer my main questions but surprised me when she said that for the final item I asked about I'd need to call when the bank officially opened at 10. At this juncture my mind raced through a realization that the computer was displaying the future and was somehow putting me several hours ahead of local time. I made an instant decision not to tell the muffled bank lady about my time warp.

Turning attention to the time mishap I found that mere rebooting did not bring the computer into the same time zone of my experience, so I reset the source of the clock's data, taking it away from Windows Time and preferring NIST Time (National Institute of Standards and Technology), which corresponded with where I was.

Saturday July 11, 2020 9:12 AM CDT -- KDX Invisible to Maps

You've noticed that many commercial, educational and governmental entities display an online map pinpointing their geo-location as a help in physically locating them, and those maps tend to show other nearby enterprises such as Walgreens and Buffalo Wild Wings being within easy reach of N.I.S.T, yet KDX never appears on such handy maps and you'd think we would being inside the Internet Building on the campus of Home School College, but you see, we're a private institution and have no interest in being found, although we have looked into the possibility of appearing on a map of the Ross Ice Shelf in Antarctica, anyone willing to traverse that far to find us being worthy of success, except that we're not there and it would be quite unfair to our followers to send them so far off course as a mere prank.

Saturday July 11, 2020 9:24 AM CDT -- Running On At the Mouth

If you'll notice, the previous blog entry is not actually a paragraph so much as it is one large run-on sentence, an interest of mine having admired R. Buckminster Fuller's habit of speaking and writing in unending run-on sentences that came to a rest only after he died, and across the years the only person of my acquaintance every referencing the subject of run-on sentencing was a professional friend who claimed that Charles Darwin wrote his "Descent of Man", the book laying out the blueprint for evolution, in run-ons but I've been unable to corroborate that claim, although possibly I need to look again.

Saturday July 11, 2020 9:35 AM CDT -- Now I have Proof

As one's fingers poke and dab at keyboards there is the sense from time to time that typographic mistakes are not what the keyboardest actually typed, as if some other force was at play being mischievous by misdirecting our fine effort for little other reason than to annoy or inconvenience but it's usually not possible to divide the mind between thought-filled expression and keen watch over where the fingers actually make contact, that is, until this morning when I experienced one of those lucid moments we have maybe three times during life, when I saw clearly that the "q" that got erroneously added to a word was no where near my fingers at the time!

Saturday July 11, 2020 9:47 AM CDT -- The Blog Takes Over

Saturday July 11, 2020 10:30 AM CDT -- Pecking the Day Away

One more business call made this morning talking to a woman named "Eve" and as the call concluded successfully and we said our "have a nice days" I had my usual sensation following such smooth exchanges, I felt certain that "Eve" and many women before her have had, from speaking with me on the phone, a deep and wistful sensation that their lives are unfulfilled for never having known a man such as I seemed to them on the phone, and I share somewhat in the feeling except that no one man could be everything to so many women. Pity about all other men.

Saturday July 11, 2020 11:22 AM CDT

Saturday July 11, 2020 11:51 AM CDT -- The Sound of Moving Air

A scientist once lectured that "you cannot pull air but you can push it." Using a fan to push air toward me I began contemplating and think that air can be pulled into a vacuum, as when lightning burns air away while striking toward the ground thus producing a vacuum into which air is pulled with a violent thunder. Therefore, pushing air is a relatively quieter way of moving it whereas the noise-level of thunder caused by pulling air would absolutely interfere with radio listening.

Saturday July 11, 2020 12:04 NOON CDT -- Types of Antennae

Why does no one discuss fractal antennas for AM / Medium Wave radio?

Saturday July 11, 2020 12:21 NOON CDT -- What Can Be Done from a Home Sitting Appliance: A Study

A chair-computer combination provides most of what's needed in the modern day to conduct almost all business, and we are putting this to earnest test cowed as we are by the pandemic and the need for social distancing, with the postman being an essential worker in some few cases as our proxy in the world connecting distances. Then you've got the stupid, ridiculous and damned DMV, the Department of Motor Vehicles, requiring physical presence to renew a license for driving. Well, cars need to be driven occasionally or they rust away in the garage, but still, time spent at the Driver's Bureau is one of those risks forced upon us exposing us to the potential of being dead in three weeks, but legally qualified to drive public streets. We have a way to go, people, before this mess can be considered a civilization. Lives Matter if Alive At the Time.

Saturday July 11, 2020 12:41 NOON CDT -- All the Podcasts

KDX is always in search of the best personalities for radio and with so many podcasts being produced we upturn every stone in the possibility of finding a radio natural. But so many podcasters think that using the word 'fuck' in every sentence makes a podcast and we can't use the word on FCC regulated broadcast (even though it still happens much to our consternation), so we need to set a fuck minimum, say perhaps three fucks, before rejecting a program, then we can show good faith by pressing a 'beep' button, but the pod people who lace everything with fucks also tend to splatter the 'shit' word all over their spiel and these tendencies have gone on for years, predating the podcast and reaching as far back as when the military was first formed and show no sign of waning despite so many large dictionaries having been distributed. On the one hand we don't need so many fucks and shits, but on the other the FCC could ease things by halting their pointless prissiness.

Saturday July 11, 2020 1:20 PM CDT -- Speaking At a Safe Distance

Part of the daily routine includes visiting the low power radio forums and I just spotted some recent looting at the hijacked forum of the former ALPB. The admin has replaced my name 'Carl Blare' with the word DELETED, in an act of intellectual property theft. What a small tiny inconsequential dangler is Bob.

Hey Punk! I command you to restore my name at once to work I authored while joined at the original ALPB! The other choice would be to remove all my contributions and cease using them as filler for the almost completely inactive stolen forum.

The guy's still begrudged from my having asked how KKK members manage to cut evenly spaced eye-holes in their sheets. What I've learned is that most of them are cross-eyed so it doesn't matter.

Saturday July 11, 2020 1:35 AM CDT
Boomer the Dog Dreams of AM Stereo

Saturday July 1, 2020 2:12 PM CDT -- Advertisers Should Learn Better How to Do What They Hope to Do

They're doing it all wrong. Advertisers flood computer screens with a shower of advertisements that serve only to annoy and never result in positive response. At most times we, the audience, are not online to shop and even when we are we're never apt to be shopping for whatever product is trespassing on our screen. During movies online commercials rip into the story at 900% higher volume level and are usually the same commercial 20 or 30 times and the products are never anything we'd select. Yet the advertising agencies are spending large amounts to obtain all that annoyance which is not a good way to invest. A better way would be to send us direct pocket money for which we would politely set aside time to view the commercials before concluding that we still don't want the products, but at least the audience would be happier for the time spent.

Saturday July 11, 2020 5:03 PM CDT -- We've Lost Ennio Morricone

Of many world class composers drawn into the movie industry Ennio Morricone ranks at the top of the profession for many scores that literally garner greater lasting fame than the movies attached to them. Moriccone died Monday July 6th.

Saturday July 1, 2020 6:07 PM CDT

The Buck Stops Here.

But not for long. It will be spent soon enough.

Saturday July 11, 2020 6:49 PM CDT -- Planning Dinner

On a day where I've had several mornings and two noon hours I cannot now recall whether I've had today's two veggie burgers. That's true, on a daily basis I pull two Morning Star Farms Veggie Grillers Originals from the freezer, toast a sourdough bread, slab it with Prego Tomato Sauce, not to be confused with preggo fetish category on porno sites, and watch some time-waste of a movie while savoring the convincing meat substitute. That's what life's all about: sitting it out in earth's waiting room with as many magazines and other media as possible. Anyway, wondering about the burgers doesn't worry me as to whether my faculties are failing because I enjoy the challenge of trying to figure out what actually happened. I even reached into the waste basket to retrieve the empty package in case that would trigger a memory and I do remember the package. I also recall thinking that eating during heatwaves is less desirable than cold weather eating because food generates heat as it passes through the body and is much more useful in winter. Well, we've thought about it long enough and might simply open a can of black beans.

Saturday July 11, 2020 7:33 PM CDT -- The Actor Bill Nighy Remembers Radio Caroline

Monday July 13, 2020 10:03 AM CDT

Monday July 13, 2020 2:05 PM CDT -- Sarah Cooper Isn't Alone

Monday July 13, 2020 2:12 PM CDT -- Tremendous Noise-Canceling Invention

Monday July 13, 2020 2:21 PM CDT -- Good Decision Solves Personal Problem

On July 6th the Artisan Radio Blog mentioned:
One long time broadcaster is "getting out of" Part 15 broadcasting for the umpteenth time, and selling off a bunch of his equipment.

By response that long time broadcaster has this explanation as to why he's signing off:
The man had many troubles on his mind and made the wise choice of closing shop. After all, a low power music station that only reaches one or two possible listeners isn't an essential service in a world where music is available from thousands of avenues, so there's no reason it should be a cause of worry.

Tuesday July 14, 2020 2:57 PM CDT -- The Body Electric

It happens with every touch-screen... I tap, poke, touch and push with no result. Again this morning at the DMV (Department of Motor Vehicles) I was unable to sign in on their touch screen. The prompt read FIRST NAME, so I typed "C". Nothing. Again I typed "C". Nope. "C". Nothing.

The same thing has happened in years past and at the touch screens at grocery stores and anywhere else.

A kindly stranger stepped forward to easily enter data on my behalf and had no trouble whatsoever.

It is my understanding that computer touch screens react to electrolytic-capacitance and apparently I don't have any.

Would it help to eat more pickles?

Tuesday July 14, 2020 3:17 PM CDT -- Socially Distanced Blogs

A couple of significant subjects are raised on the Artisan Radio Blog, dated yesterday and today, and I have input for the discussion which also points to several forum sites. The topics are "Political Correctness & Old Time Radio" and "Forum Terms of Service".

Artisan has already made the point that old time radio comedies and dramas reflect the standards of the years in which they were produced and programmers today take the opportunity to pass judgment on how such programs are utilized, however 'political correctness' is usually pushed by listener complaint which de-claws programmers from having the last say. Radio programming today ends up sunk to a simplistic child's level and there's very little on the dial for persons of intellect.

Movies, as have been compared to OTR, contain sometimes unpleasant examples of discourteous treatment of peoples, races and nationalities which was socially normal in years past... but motion pictures are given wider birth because today's cinema standards are not aligned with radio ethics and tend to be permissive of trashy, sleazy, morbid, ugly, ridiculous, and lowly human depictions.

Speaking of the lowly, we turn our attention to the nominal 'terms of service' hacked together by moderators of low power radio forums with no legal schooling. The claim, for example, that member postings become the property of the forum administration is plain bullshit. But they can say it, just the same as owners of parking garages can post a sign declaring "We Are Not Responsible for Items Left in Vehicles". They can say that. But it's untrue. By providing parking space the property owner assumes responsibility for the safety of those who park and forum owners become merely conveyors of material typed voluntarily by members... the member retains copyright authorship of his own contribution and must be consulted as to any extraneous use of his published work by forum administers.

I wouldn't go so far as to say aloud that all three forum moderator/administers are crooked,  but I can think so.  And each of them would be inclined to scream 'defamation!' if I called them 'vindictive'. But the thought crosses the mind.

Wednesday July 15, 2020 6:32 PM CDT -- Violent Weather

The Blare Blog was closed along with this website and KDX-OGG Radio SuperStream during the passage of violent weather from 3 PM to 6 PM CDT this afternoon. The metropolitan area of several hundred square miles experienced various damage to power lines, trees, auto travel and buildings, and fortunately the KDX campus is wet but otherwise unharmed. More rough weather is expected overnight while KDX again disconnects from the grid to reduce risk of damage to sensitive electronic equipment.

The Lightning Map is a real-time view of lightning & thunder anywhere in the world which enables viewing to remain alert as to proximity of storm movement.

Thursday July 16, 2020 9:14 AM CDT -- Bold Idea of the Morning

Sitting here in the KDX Control Booth with 10-minutes before a required manual switch from Sputnik Radio to the Public News Service Daily Newscast, I suddenly knew the future of The Low Power Hour.

That's the way a creative mind works sometimes - while drifting through idle thoughts all at once a solution to a puzzle forms in the head and a pathway is opened. Some people call it inspiration, others call for a coffee break.

The Low Power Hour was conceived over ten years ago as a radio program all about legal low power broadcasting under Part 15 of the FCC Rules in the U.S., and per similar regulations elsewhere in the world, featuring visits with station operators and equipment suppliers, resulting in 112 episodes which today occupy archive space in a cloud.

Mention has been given to restarting the program in a revised form but there was no provision for reissuing the original shows until my big idea of this morning...

Here's the picture: We would produce a fresh introduction leading into an original show in its entirety, followed by an update regarding any changes pertaining to the contents of that original show, followed in turn by new low power news, features and guests for a finished program length of 90-minutes.

Probably as many as three stations would carry the new shows as the vast majority of small broadcasters are exclusive to high school music and make no provision for other content. That's right, I remember now, part of the reason the original series dwindled and a good reason to pass on this morning's "inspiration." Free's up a lot of time for the summer.

Thursday July 16, 2020 1:03 PM CDT -- Why So Many Empty Heads?

To find an answer, we look at one of the main ingredients quietly removed from school curriculum.

Thursday July 16, 2020 1:15 PM -- Metered Altruism

As a born and practicing radio programmer it befalls me to always reconsider how much crucial programming to stream and broadcast within every given day, using two counter-measures for guidance.

As a primary mission KDX exists to provide enlightening and informative radio programs to its sole listener, none other than the same person in charge of programming; I broadcast to myself as a form of continuing education but have public exposure in that KDX-OGG, the Radio SuperStream, can be received on any computer or mobile device anywhere on earth made available by me as a social courtesy. These primary radio hours are there as the mood demands but the tone changes when I'm away from the radio receiver.

As a secondary function of existence KDX Worldround Radio awaits much less definite instructions for those hours when I'm personally tuned out and ignoring the station's content, dependent largely on how altruistic I'm inclined to be for an audience of strangers who might conceivably benefit for what gets aired. It takes a certain amount of imagination to care about strangers and perhaps the best role model for this are those times when I was a stranger and lucky enough to hear something special coming from a tower far away.

In practice we've been consistently mercurial about how we do or don't operate, leaving strangers to fend as best they can.

Thursday July 16, 2020 3:12 AM CDT -- Professional Dress Codes

Without getting all officious about it I guess I've tended to have a dress code which varied depending on the work at hand. For a shift at the FM station dressing like a homeless dumpster outcast was sensible because the studios were never cleaned and the job was mostly solitary. Things were different at the television station where executives, talent and engineering each had their own codes, I being "talent" showed up in suit and tie as did my colleagues, and the station had excellent janitorial support and strong air conditioning. For sessions at the home recording studio I went dapper-casual and clients would show up anyway they chose, which varied from outdoor summer casual to button-down double-breasted.

A few anecdotes about reactions to wardrobe...

One week when I delivered the latest episode of a weekly radio show I recorded for a free-form station I was wearing pin-stripe suit and several of the live-in hippy staff at the station went scurrying because they feared I might be a narc, but someone who knew me let them know "He's cool."

At a home recording project where a talented folk singer arrived to record a commercial she, being a conventional hippy with long hair and a guitar, was so taken by my suit that she didn't leave for a week.

Only yesterday there was plenty of time to observe the public while I waited my turn for driver's license renewal, and saw mostly the same dumpy mismatched uncoordinated look of most Americans of this era, but in came a polished, squeaky-clean, well presented young woman in a fresh unwrinkled summer dress half-way down her thighs and I was impressed that anyone would dress so well for a license photo and began to suspect that she wasn't wearing underwear.

Friday July 17, 2020 7:22 AM CDT -- Morning Agenda Setting

This was a week of storms and duties, but everything's caught up and calm for a pleasant morning on the campus of Home School College, location for the Internet Building and KDX Worldround Radio. It'll get hot in a few hours but it was fine standing on the driveway 10-feet from the rabbit which chawed grass while I thought about everything, including all the programs we have to catch up on hearing because we were too busy earlier in the week, such as Security Now, the computer show with Steve Gibson, No Agenda with Adam Curry and John C. Dvorak, Freethought Radio with Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker, the Al Franken Program and Michael Moore's Rumble. Probably Saturday will be catchup day around here and maybe we can do some transmitter work.

As a matter of fact that's a good plan... we've got AM 1680 ready to restart as soon as the audio feed is arranged, AM 1550 in need of some antenna repair, shortwave 13.560 in need of cabinet install and a few refinements to our group of FMs. That'll be Saturday's itinerary while catching up on all the listening.

One word of caution to anyone seeking success and contentment... don't be too successful. I've found that there isn't time for all of it and one needs to enlist staff and volunteers to carry out some of the unbridled happiness we'd hoped to have for ourselves.

Saturday July 18, 2020 9:26 AM CDT -- Getting Ready to Start

Today will be the hottest day of the year (thus far) here in the midwaste, and we're ready. Oh, it's already been somewhat hot, low 90s almost daily, but this canister fan here by the work chair cools a nudist quite effectively but today we're going industrial. Back here is the smallest window air conditioner acquired free of charge in 2002 when a relative was disposing of overstock while moving to a smaller house, and has continued every year providing 5,000 British Thermal Units (BTU) which of course are the best such units in the world, splendid cooling with not too much demand on the power grid. Last night we cleaned the filter, cranked it up and within hours the air was chilly so we declared the test positive and shut it down pending the expected solar furnace later today.

As every morning the first several hours have been spent setting up the good programming for the KDX day, and with the temperature so far at 79^o we'll do some yard chores as soon as I get this typing out of the way, then indoors to accomplish antenna work on several transmitters.

Oh, and unless I forget, I've thought of a book I want to write which will require quite a bit of research and experimentation, and it has to do with our own field of specialization: communication. There's a serious breakdown during our times of effective communication between the right and the left. The right is absolutely determined to clutch their stupidity against all attempts to speak reason or logic to them, and the intellectual person finds it necessary to pretend ignorance if he hopes to socialize with the Christian right which, in neighborhood and office politics is often necessary. My book hopes to develop methods and tactics to speak across the divide without lying, pretending or obfuscating so as to attain some level of raport with the dedicated stupid. As of the moment there are no sentences on paper and nothing in mind toward this objective.

Saturday July 18, 2020 11:57 AM CDT -- The Morning Already

We'd be right on schedule if there was a schedule but these are COVID Days and everyday is everyday it not mattering what day it is, unless of course it does matter, which is true for essential workers and people watching eviction day drawing close. Narrowing things down a little, here's where we are... As planned we targeted particular improvements in the landscaping department, trimming up the overall profile of our forested campus as seen from the perspective of judgemental people spying from their porches and groping for gossip to spread around in lieu of maintaining informed interests hobbywise, workwise, or journalistic-wise to speak about. It was 79^o when we started and 86^o when we headed inward for a cool afternoon, even though the 5,000 BTU's aren't powered up quite yet.

Which doesn't remind me of what someone did last evening probably as a prank... we received a dozen emails inviting us to look for a partner on a Christian dating site. The idea isn't open for discussion, quick deletion put the matter behind.

Saturday July 18, 2020 4:40 PM CDT -- Sarah Cooper Issues a Smart Tricks Book & Calendar

It was Artisan Radio who put us onto Sarah Cooper so now her name stands out.

Saturday July 18, 2020 CDT -- Play That Again

Thursday evening the SymphonyCast brought Brahms Symphony No. 1 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and we were so stirred by the masterpiece that it was aired again this afternoon on KDX. Every note in the entire symphony is in exactly the right place.

Sunday July 19, 2020 7:30 AM CDT -- American Neck

The expression "Red State" is an abreviation for "redneck state".

Sunday July 19, 2020 10:32 AM CDT -- Going from Shallow to Deep

The temperature right now in FEMA Region 7 is 88^o and I love this temperature because I love "8" which becomes the symbol of infinity when tipped on its side. By tipping both "8s" in "88" it signifies two infinites and we wonder, can there be more than one infinity? You would be hard put to find reference to such a bold idea in any of the books. Well yes, I've again been out working in direct sun trying to tame the overgrowth so stimulated by global warming and have now happened upon the serious question of how many infinites possibly exist. We are aware of being present, albeit temporarily, in this infinity, but aren't sure whether access to other infinities would be available to us, even with Elon Musk's Rocket X. Pursuing the thought further we happen upon the question of dimensions, of which there may be any number according to physicists, and ponder the relationship between infinity and dimension. Have you given it much thought?

Sunday July 19, 2020 4:10 PM CDT  -- The Hypocritic Bigots We Are

So much lip service and sky gazing is given to the idea of "visitors from space" yet we are anything but friendly to all life encountered on our own planet including ourselves! Consider the recent appearance of a new (to us) life form COVID-19 which very well may be visiting from mars! Are we having band concerts and welcoming celebrations? No! We're trying to close earth just long enough to discourage COVID then return to our old ways of pretending to be curious about alien life. All this while Trump and his demolition crew are trying to set human civilization back to the pre-scientific ages of mythos and magic. And to the blacks who ask that the whites stop the murder and the response is "now is not a convenient time have some pepper spray". This mess has already driven one of our own constituents to leave humanity altogether and become a dog, another one has left the realm of normal size and is running a miniature cardboard gas station set in the nostalgic 1950s, and the radio guy who's selling off all his equipment because he thinks his landlord is conspiring with the FCC. People are standing barefoot on their lawns with assault rifles aimed at pedestrians and word comes from on high that none of this figures into God's plans.

Monday July 20, 2020 8:43 AM CDT -- Make Way for Weather

The Ralph Nader Radio Hour was interrupted yesterday when a storm alert sent KDX into offline security status to make way for a succession of violent storms which assaulted some nearby locations with roof & tree damage, power outage and flooding but left our home campus unruffled if slightly wet. The station is back up this morning but the possibility of more storming is with us all week.

Tuesday July 21, 2020 7:54 AM CDT -- Are You Still Alive?

Because of gross mismanagement and criminal negligence on the part of Trump and various GOP governors, mayors and belligerent sycophants the pandemic death toll is burning through the U.S. population like fire through a dry forest. If we haven't already witnessed the death of someone we know then count on it any day now. As the numbers continue to rise it's like a morbid recruitment as more and more are called to populate the death rolls. Showing signs of life helps those around you remain aware of your continuing presence and can be done by posting on the forums or contacting the blogs as kind of a public notice to say "I am not dead yet." Lines are open; operators are standing by.

Tuesday July 21, 2020 8:42 AM CDT -- Talent Found

The talent find of the year is Sarah Cooper and the talent finder we have locally to thank is Artisan Radio who linked her first.

Tuesday July 21, 2020 2:24 PM CDT -- Flags Flapping in Air

Up the street and down there are those facades bedecked by flags draped from poles, as if there'd be some doubt that these households are located in the United States of America. Right after the 9-11 attack on the World Trade Center a woman was heard to say, "We'd better get a flag so people don't think we're on the wrong side." The "American" flag is the automatic "Heil Hitler" of our place and time, requiring no body language except for some wind energy. The flag is actually a federal symbol and when taken on by individual citizens requires significant responsibility. The "Flag Code" for properly handling and displaying flags is more complicated than pet care and not everyone has time in their schedule to manage such undertakings. The flag might also be linked to zealous patriotism and fanatical right-wing fascism of the "love it or leave it" variety.

As a moment's contemplation we wondered how one might go about a more meaningful display of loyalty toward the underlying values of the Nation, and the United States Constitution comes to mind. The intelligent and well composed government detailed in the Constitution is the only artifact of national incorporation having any real meaning, the flag being merely a prop for display in warfare. The difficulty comes when we try to concoct a sensible method of displaying the Constitution on the front of the house.

Wednesday July 22, 2020 -- Maybe Today

KDX is a busy place 7-days a week but many things are avoided, re-scheduled, postponed, or delayed. I'm talking about procrastination, the greatest nation in the world. Today being wet with more storms likely might be a good time to catch up on some lingering projects, such as antenna maintenance and purchase of needed supplies.

Three antennas require attention, two AMs and one FM. By talking about it now we can further avoid actually doing anything about it. We'll start with the FM, the 11" stub of an antenna on the CCrane FM2 Transmitter which isn't giving us our full 200' coverage per the FCC's own guideline for Part 15 FM. At the very outset we'll switch on the spectrum analyzer and allow it to warm up so it stops drifting, make note of the present signal level, move the transmitter slightly so it's directly below a plant bracket that will nicely hold the vertical wire antenna, limiting our added length to 1/4-wave, and check to see how much improvement is gained. Another way of stretching the effort will be dBu and S/N readings taken within a 200' radius by TECSUN PL-310. If that doesn't do it we'll try a counter-poise so as to achieve a dipole. Whatever we come up with will need to suffice because there's no more physical room to expand to a half-wave antenna. The rule-thumpers will be bursting over this plan because "That voids the certification!", but no it doesn't... the FCC certification was legally obtained by C.Crane Company to give them proper authority to manufacture & sell the transmitter making possible legal purchase by ourselves all of which has been achieved. All further responsibility for operation befalls the end-user (KDX) to comply with (either) Rule 15.239 or the 200' estimation allowed by way of an FCC Publication. Anyone who feels all Michael O'Reilly about it is free to join Trump's Federal Schutz Staffel (the SS) and drop by here between Portland and Chicago to intimidate anyone who happens to be around. Mmm, that spoils the mood. I'm not doing it.

We also mentioned "supplies" and we're only talking ordinary staples: light-bulbs, gardening tools, what-not. No large purchases at this time although we can't stop thinking about the Range Extender setup from The Radio Source but if we're all going to die maybe we could wait for the next incarnation (not to be confused with incarceration). We don't know, but radio may have been invented in the next life. If it hasn't we might try to be the first.

Wednesday July 22, 2020 10:15 AM -- Radio Forest

Our readers may recall that KDX broadcasts from a forested campus populated by song birds, butterflies and friendly rabbits. As an international radio voice KDX morning programs usually concentrate on disturbances worldwide but these days news is flowing at the pace of a pandemic shutdown in disorder stirred by an insane orange clown and it's gotten redundant. So, as station owner, I've commanded our news department to shut up long enough to reflect the natural beauty of our grounds at Home School College. What better way than Symphony No. 4 by Anton Bruckner, a work variously subtitled "Romantic" and "Pastoral", said to echo a peaceful medieval village with the sounds of birds and distant hunting horns. While the baby-man president pretends to be a bad imitation of Adolph we have escaped in time to a setting that could be interrupted at any moment by the rise of the Christians. Well, you just can't get away from humanities lowest trouble-makers.

Wednesday July 22, 2020 2:16 PM CDT -- A Randy Matinee

Wednesday July 22, 2020 6:41 PM CDT -- Ask a Pastor

Have you ever wondered why religious church organizations are allowed to be tax free but their membership is not?

Wednesday July 22, 2020 7:38 PM CDT -- New Part 15 AM Transmitter Almost Ready

Thursday July 23, 2020 6:17 AM CDT -- Where Do You Think?

I sometimes think outside the box. I don't know why there's a box here in the middle of the room.

Thursday July 23, 2020 8:06 AM CDT -- The Nuking of Education

President Trump is busy sending Gestapo into American cities, but Betsy DeVos is on the job deconstructing the education system in willful ignorance of a surging pandemic, according to reports in the New York Times which describe a sudden widespread interest in home schooling and the invention of new education pods being tailored to replace conventional school. In anticipation of this KDX founded Home School College in 1990 and this Blog is the required text.

Thursday July 23, 2020 8:50 AM CDT -- Knowing the Lingo

During a private conversation a woman I was talking to admitted she didn't know what everyone meant by "the Confederacy", and I was honored to inform her that the term commonly refers to the southern states in the Civil War against the north fighting to retain slavery.

Recently I've been seeking a definition for "conservative" from the point of view of associates who declare their own "conservatism" but to date none have been able to explain it.

In the previous blog item I happened to mention "the Gestapo" and while spell-checking I spotted the interesting origin of the term used for Hitler's storm troopers... the raincoats worn by the German troops resembled Finnish military raincoats known as gestapos.

Properly referring to Latin Americans has been explained by a guest on today's Thom Hartmann Show... Latinas is the feminine form and Latinos the masculine. The recent term LatinX is not officially recognized within the language itself, but is a North American fabrication intended to address gender neutrality or gender unknown. Anyway, that's what I got out of today's discussion.

The sawed-off contraction ANTIFA has a clear cut meaning: Anti-Facist - being opposed to fascism, but is used in reverse by the always deceitful President who threatens to crack down on ANTIFA, which would literally be an attack on those AGAINST fascism, if only there was an actual organization by the name "ANTIFA", which there is not. By this intentional or sub-literate threat Trump in effect DEFENDS fascism and TAKES A STAND for fascism, which in truth he wholly represents, except one would expect him to falsely condemn fascism and feign loyalty to his oath to uphold the Constitution, leaving us when all is said and done with a mixed message out of which the PROFA (the Pro Fascists) can pick the message they want.

Thursday July 23, 2020 3:01 PM CDT -- Flexing Another Radio SuperStream

Today, for no particular reason, KDX-MP3 is fired up along with our flagship KDX-OGG streaming worldly with the most intelligent and informative programs on the air anywhere penetrating the muck and swill regurgitated from the right. We know that it no longer matters what audio format is employed because browsers and players have become omni-codecsical, to coin a word, but we fascinate ourselves by showing the virtual machinery all lubricated and radiant.

Thursday July 23, 2020 3:13 PM CDT -- Barking a Lot Radio
Boomer hounds in
You got the update about Parking Lot Radio before I did, my letter came this morning. I think it's great, the first new AM transmitter design in years, and it looks as space age as Ramsey's later kits did. I hope it turns out to be good and sells well. Equally important I think is that the firm has a good PR department, not one guy who will melt under pounding criticism by radio people, if that's something that still happens. -- Boom ME

Boomer, my guess about "melt(ing) under pounding criticism by radio people, if that's something that still happens" IS something that is set to happen at the first moment one of the "radio people" sniffs the opportunity to pounce. They lurk in the silence of inactive forums waiting for the scent of hobby hopefuls.

Friday July 24, 2020 6:27 AM CDT -- Damming the Stream

Research engineers continually experiment and observe the operation of the KDX Radio SuperStream emanating from the Internet Building. In fact I myself provide "research engineering" services on top of many other duties at the radio station. Let me share with you one of the great as-yet unsolved mysteries we've encountered during our search for things to observe.

The main radio server operates under the call letters KDX-OGG and can be accessed from this website at kdxradio.com and also from two stream directories, dir.xiph.org (Icecast) and steamcast.com. As a test we periodically select PLAY at one of the directories and this links us to the Firefox Browser Player which instantly brings the program currently streaming from KDX-OGG. The browser player has one control, a pause button. Our mystery begins when we select the pause button.

When we press the browser pause button the program audio goes silent for as long as we keep the player window open and at any time we return to listening by pressing the PLAY button the program will pick up from the time it was paused, we have waited as long as 45-minutes to rejoin a program.

Meanwhile the KDX-OGG server itself plays on continually even when we're in pause mode, so when we leave pause and rejoin a program then what we are hearing is 45-minutes behind what other listeners are hearing, and the mystery comes down to this: where is the program accruing, amassing, accumulating, such that it is fully intact and entirely present when we resume listening? What we are witnessing is that 45 or more minutes of the past is preserved and available but where is it during the interim? A huge buffer? Virtual memory?

We are fully conscious of the possibility this attempt to describe a scientific phenomena may be confusing and baffling stumper, and that's a classic problem between scientists and the lay world. Many would say we intentionally muddle physics so as to remain irreplaceable specialists jealously guarding our essentiality, but you've got to believe me when I say that it's just not easy to be make the language work any better than it does to achieve easy clarity when discussing technical things. I've tried to do the best job I can but cannot seem to get through to the class, so I'll have my resignation on your desk by mid-morning, if I can write it in a way that makes clear that I am resigning.

Friday July 24, 2020 9:31 AM CDT -- Three Way Communication

In addition to remarks made here in response to Boomer's "Barka a Lot Radio", we dispatched this email to his attention:

- Boomer - Don't Be Stray:

- When you go off for long periods of time we worry "Where's Boomer? Is he rummaging again down by the rail tracks? Is he caught on the center median of the super highway? Did he sniff too close to the dog food factory?"

- AGREED! This new entry in the transmitter field deserves more than two curious followers.

- I think lack of response has broken the hopes of the Range Extender iAM Combo which has stopped promoting itself.

- This hobby needs a stimulus from Trump's war effort.

- If I weren't such a hard-sell I'd start buying transmitters... I do think about it. There's so much dial to fill.

- Carl

The foregoing email brought a response, followed by my comments thereon:

The DBS Broadcast System, Don't Be Stray. I can see what you mean, if someone has been gone for a while these days, you could wonder if they have contracted COVID, the alien life form. The virus isn't even alive as we know it, is it? I heard a talk with a professed scientist that it's a molecule that interacts with cells in a human host, which then photocopies the virus and faxes it to others through breathed particles.

You must know the story of Here's Boomer being the stray Dog, wondering from town to town, he's a vagabond! I wanted to have the tramp's life like that too.

I thought of writing on different days as I read stirring things on the Blare Blog, and thought to wait and have more to add, like the argument about music. What if someone listened to classical in high school and they play it on their weenie stations now, that's their high school music, not 'Louie Louie'.

I originally heard about the Parking Lot transmitter through Radio World's site, when the company made an announcement there that they were designing something. I visited PLR's site and wrote to encourage them, thinking it was a good idea, being that there's a hole in the small AM transmitter market, and not a lot of choice. The transmitters that are out there seem to be using tech that's 20-30 years old, not the latest.

More things could be done to make transmitters interesting now.

What about network connectivity through a network jack to router or wi-fi, and the transmitter could pick up a stream address and play it.

It could also have Bluetooth, so you could play your nearby phone over the air, same as with Bluetooth speakers.

The transmitter could have jacks to play from USB sticks, MicroSD cards. This I've seen, but in higher power FM transmitters for other countries.

How about both regulation Part-15 AM and FM transmitters in the same case, for people who want one box for their small apartment or condo, or anyone who wants to save wiring? We've had AM/FM receivers for years. Use the AM, or FM, or both.

Always have the option for audio processing on board, pre-emphasis and limiting at least, with a bypass switch for those who use their own compressors and limiters, like you have Stereotool, which might give the sound you like already. That would be a nice value-added feature, and many stations need it. With most transmitters it's like companies worked to give users RF power and range, but stopped there and didn't consider much of the audio system.

True, the I-AM Range Extender isn't promoting on the groups now. The groups are kind of slow right now, but the companies may be sidetracked if many parking lots are looking for radio systems, that's what I was thinking.

It takes me a while to work up to buying a new transmitter too, I already have so many it seems, so let the new bees in the scene feel the excitement. Wasn't there a rich guy on the forums who bought 10 Whole House FM transmitters just to test them? Not Rich, but rich as in moneybags, loaded, and maybe a retired engineer from the glorious days of radio. I can't remember why he bought them now.

We need a transmitter review website, no bias, just well engineered opinions. No jab, just fact.

I have a number of usable frequencies on my AM dial, some of them are even excellent, with no strong signals around them.

Boom

Responding... Good point about classical high school music. Reminds me of army basic training where we had an excellent drummer who tapped out very excellent drill rhythms that would make good radio.

The gentleman who purchased 10 Wholehouse 3.0 FM Transmitters was Tim in Bovey, by far the best example of a part 15er we've ever known. Tim has evaluated virtually every certified FM transmitter and published results well worth saving permanently. I think his reviews are linked on one of my many web pages. Having ten transmitters allowed comparison to see whether each one was adjusted to FCC standards, as it had already been found that most manufacturers did not adhere to the specifics of 15.239, some set too high others too low.

Having a transmitter review website would be valuable to the cause and perhaps it could be done on The Boomer Blog which is somewhat idle lately and waiting for a greater purpose. You do it, we'll link it!

Friday July 24, 2020 10:06 AM CDT -- Pleasant Moment

Drove yesterday to the post office and noticed on the return trip a very nice Black Lives Matter sign mounted on a neighbor's lawn to which I smiled. On my left a dog-walking woman smiled at me, no doubt having noticed me smile at the sign, so I extended my smile to include her. The dog was nonplussed.

Friday July 24, 2020 10:19 AM CDT -- Asked and Answered


Friday July 24, 2020 10:27 AM CDT -- Gentrification Has a Creep Factor in Both Senses of the Word

The gentry are those busy-bodies never content to confine their lives to their own homes and yards. Looking out as they do from windows and verandas it is everyone else's property they behold outward to the extent of their eyesight with specific notions of how they want to restructure and modify the landscape to suite their particular vision of perfection. Unschooled gentry idled perhaps through inheritance have simpler ambitions such as flower rearrangement and flat-topping lawns to golf-course standards, re-painting homes to smarter color palettes and possibly upgrading the auto-fleet to something more tasteful. Being seen walking a designer dog speaks of wealth which signals an ability to afford legal backup against small incursions. More ambitious gentry might seek to blight what's yours and redevelop the ground to standards well above your class while you scramble to downsize to the limit of your means in some other place. A mantra for the gentry-set might be "We'll Snoop Into Your Business, You'll Never Mind Ours".

Friday July 24, 2020 1:01 PM CDT -- Find Out If You're Cognitively There


Friday July 24, 2020 1:30 PM CDT -- My Own Cognition Test

The President aced the "Person, Woman, Man, Camera, TV" cognition test, and as chance would have it I happened upon a test I can use to give someone a checkup from the neck up. It came about when a female friend asked what was meant by "pre-existing condition" in her health insurance. She thought it might refer to a health condition that existed prior to making a claim but didn't think that made sense which it wouldn't. I tried to give the right explanation, which I think is that you cannot be sick or injured before taking a health policy and are only insured against conditions that start after the insurance is issued. As I think back I'm not sure she understood my way of telling it, but I was eager to tell my joke regarding a little realized true definition...

A preexisting condition is a condition that exists before it exists.

Matter of fact I'm confidant that's an ultra-literal definition and could probably be used when suing the insurance company for not covering a claim based on pre-existence. But the woman went silent after my proud humor, so I circled around and tried to translate the hilarious line, but her cognitive inputs became clogged and our conversation stalled.

What I believe is that my joke can be employed as a test for special intelligence matching my own.

Friday July 24, 2020 3:21 PM CDT -- Sayings

Friday July 24, 2020 4:06 PM CDT -- Right In the Middle of Something Strange

At 4 PM CDT, 7-minutes ago, the 2nd hour of the daily news program "Loud & Clear" with John Kiriaku was expected to start but instead Sputnik Radio began sending European shopping mall music. Now, as I type this, "Loud & Clear" is starting but has not made an explanation of the delay. Tensions are at a high point as we anticipate anything given the program's home base in downtown Washington D.C. where crazed right-wing fundamentalist Christians are pressing hard to trigger the Rapture, expected to start with a great nuclear fireworks display that will permanently end shopping malls everywhere. Remain with The Blare Blog through the night while we follow unfolding events. Please report any events even if they are still folded.

Friday July 24, 2020 5:25 PM CDT -- AAC Streaming Test
In addition to our conventional KDX-OGG SuperStream we are presently testing a new AAC Formatted stream, the same programming from both sources.
To participate use either dir.xiph.org or steamcast.com

Saturday July 25, 2020 7:07 AM CDT -- Parts to the Robot Puzzle
I'm the guy who has appeared to belittle radio stations for broadcasting the music loved from high school, which comes across more like a comment about the station owners than the stations themselves. This morning we'll separate the conversation into two parts: the person behind the station and the station itself, because in fact my reference attempts to say something about both all rolled into the usual one criticism.

People who age into their 60s loving music remembered from the high school years may have a development problem. Their musical growth is perhaps stunted. They might not have matured beyond the top 40. That's all right. It's legal to be childish and there's plenty of it judging from how things are run throughout society. The U.S. Constitution protects empty-headedness with such declared rights as freedom of speech. It doesn't say that persons have the right to say smart things or intelligent things... the freedom is wide open. Speech can be anything. It can be moronic, idiotic, foolish, mean-spirited, wrong, false, anything. All speech is covered. This applies to radio because, as a communications tool, a radio station is a megaphone or a public address system for the voice of its owner and the owner himself may not know enough vocabulary words to say anything more than call letters and weather numbers so the high school music speaks for him by amplifying the emotions and memories from the days when youth held so much promise. But promise of what? Promise of being perpetually ruminative, repeating over and over, an eternity of hope that can never be disappointed because it never proceeds beyond itself.

As listeners we don't need to hear such stations but the owners have a right to put it on the dial without apologies and it's none of Carl Blare's business and he should keep his whole diatribe off the internet because no one wants to be told that their growth is retarded. The President of the United States is a perfect example of this.

But another psychology presents itself as part of the picture and that's the mind of Carl himself who is disappointed about all these robotic school music stations because of the very fact that the music isn't hosted in the old way with glib DJs spinning character voices and talking every ramp right to the edge of the vocal and breathing life into the package which made high school an experience worth remembering and he'd hang around that playground again.

Point is these music playlist staions are non-human. The small-talk voice breaks don't count as a useful human presence. There needs to be somebody stuck there between two turntables for an eight-hour shift at least acting like it's fun to be there with the records. That was good radio and what we have today is no imitation and should be set out on the curb for the Wednesday trash.

Boomer made the point that some rare student who fondly remembers classical music education might be the unique exception and that's possible although most such persons become eunuchs and work for NPR.

Saturday July 25, 2020 10:28 AM VDT -- Audio Signal Processing

Recently, in talking about bells and whistles for new transmitter designs, Boomer wrote:
Always have the option for audio processing on board, pre-emphasis and limiting at least, with a bypass switch for those who use their own compressors and limiters, like you have Stereotool, which might give the sound you like already. That would be a nice value-added feature, and many stations need it. With most transmitters it's like companies worked to give users RF power and range, but stopped there and didn't consider much of the audio system.

Indeed the former SSTran Series of transmitters included both NTSC pre-emphasis and limiter/compressor, the Procaster has limiter/compressor, but in the main the hobby series have been plain vanilla without these frills.

Things become very tricky when sending one audio feed to various kinds of transmitters and servers. As Boomer noted we at KDX use StereoTool for superior audio however the settings must apply with equal result to our stream servers, and AM FM transmitters, therefore disabling the StereoTool's ability to provide NTSC AM pre-emphasis and 75-ms FM pre-emphasis. We do utilize the AM pre-emphasis in our AMT5000 but if we change to another AM transmitter this advantage is lost.

Many low power broadcasters use Zara Automation Software which contains an automatic gain control (AGC), but few have been satisfied with it.

Now there's something new! The recently released B.U.T.T. Version 0.1.22 Audio Encoder contains full compressor/limiter, but of course this only benefits streamers, but no doubt there's curiosity in mixing and matching all available softwares and hardwares to come up with novel combinations.

Saturday July 25, 2020 11:33 AM CDT

Saturday July 25, 2020 11:56 AM CDT -- Finally! A Use for Power Lawn Equipment That's Worth All the Noise!

Saturday Jlyy 25, 2020 1:30 PM CDT -- A Clever Sign Seen in Portland, Oregon

Saturday July 25, 2020 1:34 PM CDT -- A Memo to President Trump

The Constitution to which you made your oath requires that you uphold the right of U.S. citizens to protest grievances.
Some of us think maybe you've got it backwords since you are ordering attacks against citizens for protesting being murdered at the hands and knees of police.
Anyway, good job with person, man, woman, camera, TV.
Your example has made me better at those five words.

Saturday July 25, 2020 3:19 PM CDT -- Instructive Summary of Legal Unlicensed Radio

The force behind REC Networks is Ms. Michelle Bradley who provides the most detailed website extant on the various low power radio services, licensed and unlicensed. My own interpretation of some of the Part 15 rules differs from hers, but this isn't the time to match opinions. Except to say that in stating that FCC certification is required of transmitters utilized, she overlooks a section of the rules by which the FCC permits home building of transmitters wherein no certification would exist. It may also be mentioned that several allowances exist for legal operation on select shortwave frequencies with, again, no certified equipment available thus leaving the matter to individual hobbyists.

Saturday July 25, 2020 6:15 PM CDT -- Wherefore Art WMOX?

We first heard mention of WMOX in Meridian, Mississippi, AM 1010, on this morning's "World of Radio" hosted by Glenn Hauser who said WMOX has been heard but no license exists according to multiple reports. So we checked with Radio Locator's Database and not only is no WMOX listed but nothing in Mississippi uses 1010 kHz. Next stop... the internet:

More About WMOX. This is a very well written station history.

Sunday July 26, 2020 9:37 AM CDT -- Which Will It Be?

A radio pundit this morning warned that the upcoming election will either bring us the rule of law and order or mob rule.
What I know is this: under Trump law and order and mob rule are one and the same thing.

Sunday July 26, 2020 10:39 AM CDT -- Mystery of Life

In an earlier blog moment Boomer wrote:  "The virus isn't even alive as we know it, is it? I heard a talk with a professed scientist that it's a molecule that interacts with cells in a human host, which then photocopies the virus and faxes it to others through breathed particles."

Not knowing whether COVID-19 Corona virus is "alive" we scrolled around finding no specific mention on the subject, but have two reasons to assume it's a living "molecule"... it apparently has a "will" and strives to achieve certain outcomes which seems like the kind of purpose indicative of life-force, and we hear about methods of "killing" the virus. Isn't "life" a prerequisite for killing?

Monday July 27, 2020 5:58 AM CDT -- Turning It All On

Most websites are present on the web around the clock but kdxradio.com plays the game differently. Somewhere near midnight we close the servers and leave a "parking page" that tells seekers we aren't here but will return. And return we do usually during the 5 AM hour. The same holds true for stream server KDX-OGG which signs off overnight and back on around dawn.

Turning it all back on is not a simple affair, probably involving over 100 distinct steps anyone of which can leave the website unreachable or the stream un-hearable if bypassed. Yesterday for example the morning programs could not be heard anywhere in the world because we forgot to open the "port" used to release the KDX-OGG signal to the WAN (Wide Area Network), although we could be heard clearly from the FM transmitter over a range of hundreds of square inches.

We also recently learned that everytime we turn it all off our stream server defaults to monaural sound while we proceed on the belief we are streaming in stereo. Thus one more step is added to the startup sequence... reset the stereo.

Monday July 27, 2020 6:43 AM CDT -- Bruce World

Monday July 27, 2020 10:10 AM CDT -- The Inner and the Outer

As rain began tinkling against the window we took relief in what seemed like precipitation without electricy but were immediately contradicted by a nearby bang of thunder as if the weather was answering my thoughts. The morning programs have been going so smoothly but now we face again the decision of shutting down for the safety of our radio transmitting equipment. It seems like the wear and tear of so often powering down and up again could stress the facility about as much as atmospheric voltage discharge so maybe this time we'll be defiant and keep the ship at full sail. Stop by again in an hour to see if we're still here.

Tuesday July 28, 2020 6:59 AM CDT -- Is There Anybody In the Air?

Tuesday July 28, 2020 7:15 AM CDT -- The Stream Formats and Metadata
Streaming in real time is already as arcane as AM radio... it is no longer where the public spends its time. The latest, greatest, most modern and up-to-date way is podcasting... little chunks of program produced by anyone, everyone, friends, neighbors, even the homeless... everyman and every woman is a star, producer, programmer, manager, and listener. The old time DJ and energy-glut transmitter plants are landfillers being bulldozed into plastic gardens.

That doesn't stop fossils from reliving the year when radio came so close to being a career and we've figured out how to hack together a batch of softwares that stream continuously somewhat like speaking through a string to a tin can on the other end.

Just like there are various modes of RF modulation, e.g., amplitude, frequency, phase, side-band, sub-carrier... there are several means of modulating digital streams such as MP3, AAC, AAC+, OGG-VORBIS, OPUS and FLAC. Books are written about each method, but at this moment most audio players adapt to any of them so the choice is a donkey's tail pinned blindfolded. Except for the matter of Meta Data.

The stream servers are generally capable of generating Metadata, additional information on top of program audio, usually amounting to song titles of whatever is "playing now", a text stream which potentially could be any information achievable with words.  From time to time we (here at KDX Worldround Radio in the Center of North America) explore the possibilities of having a text stream on top of our audio stream... presently ours says one thing: "Radio SuperStream", although we have tried the labeling of each individual audio file. It can be typed into and updated manually, but most stations aren't going to assign personnel to this function.

In legal terms MP3 and AAC are not open source nor public domain formats as their patents are owned by existing corporations, but for reasons we wonder about they are popularly used absent license agreements. OGG-VORBIS, the format provided by Icecast as part of their overall open source system, has been our choice, but we wonder about OPUS. According to what we know OPUS is a refinement of OGG-VORBIS but for unexplained reasons does not support carrying metadata. We re-check from time to time to see if this has changed. This subject comes up now because today KDX is test streaming in the OPUS format.

Tuesday July 28, 2020 9:42 AM CDT

Tuesday July 28, 2020 9:50 AM CDT -- Stream Format Comparisons

In evaluating differences between stream formats comparisons can be made between quality and efficiency. MP3 is the a priori format because it was first on the scene and established rapidly as the container of compressed audio requiring less bandwidth and storage space. But MP3 suffers from artifacts compromising the resulting audio making way for the more efficient AAC method which brought better sound in an even smaller package. But because MP3 and AAC belonged to rights holders it became desirable to have free open source formats bringing us FLAC, OGG and finally OPUS. In the present moment with all of them available for use the contest comes down to determining which format brings the best sound quality at the least overhead in bandwidth.

From the OPUS FAQ - General Questions: 

Tuesday July 28, 2020 1:33 PM CDT -- What Has Been Achieved

By a process of recounting what we know about radio streaming and taking a survey of what's been published on the subject we have reached a decision to stream KDX in the OPUS format but this means no way remains for generating textual metadata. Based on the observation that no streaming radio stations utilizing OPUS possess metadata capability, we understand that, at least for now, that's the way things stand. Indeed we've taken a scroll through the OPUS station listings in the Xiph Directory and none publish metadata. Every other audio codec includes metadata generated by the B.U.T.T. Audio Encoder and carried by the Icecast Server, so everytime B.U.T.T. issues an update we hope a cure has been found, but not yet. Another question we ask is whether a separate self-standing metadata generator is a realistic possibility and perhaps can be found somewhere in the galaxy of free software, let's go exploring.

Tuesday July 28, 2020 2:23 PM CDT -- It Doesn't End There

We've been concentrating on the streaming system and reached useful conclusions about how to set things up. Now we look upstream to where the audio comes from before it gets streamed. Most radio programs are released by their producers in the MP3 format, and there's no benefit to converting them to another format. Producers use a wide range of sample rates and bitrates resulting ultimately in a maze of upconversions and downconversions as a program wends its way through the audio chain to be ultimately transformed to the OPUS format for streaming on the web. It's all kind of amazing actually when the programs heard by the audience sound smooth and clear despite having gone through chainsaws and mulching machines. Shall we keep things the way they are? Or, maybe there are other refinements to consider.

Wednesday July 29, 2020 6:11 AM CDT -- A Place for Noise

This morning I enjoyed a reflection on "Technology and Obsolescence" on the Artisan Radio Blog. During the course of the piece he said, "I like the sound of vinyl, and surface noise is just part of the experience." And I very much share in an actual pleasure at the sound of a stylus riding a groove. The sensation is truly visceral and I've actually found a use for vinyl groove noise in setting up Stereo Tool, our audio processing software. What I do is play a "silent" groove in between two musical cuts and set the AGC (Automatic Gain Control) in Stereo Tool to raise the volume level so the groove noise can just be detected in a normal listening environment. That same setting later serves to nicely bring up studio sound or outdoor ambiance to just the right level to add to a generally well shaped audio compression. Heck, I've even considered ADDING groove sound to digital performances to recover the old pleasure of playing disks. Some film makers intentionally add artifacts to otherwise pure digital video to achieve that old film projector look of seeing dust and other blotches flickering through the lense, which is rather the same idea. Some smart pants once said, "Noise is unwanted sound", but to that I say that some noise is still wanted.

Wednesday July 29 2020 6:39 AM CDT -- Pre-Thought-Crime

Emblematic of our self-contradictory human species is the effort put into manicuring lawns with the terrible spit-blasting racket of power mowers, hedge trimmers and leaf-blowers for the rare 7-minutes of quiet across the barren mini-golf courses up and down the street. Here at the campus of Home School College, home of KDX Worldround Radio, we preserve the stillness of the day by employing manual lawn equipment but we are offended, irritated and annoyed by the amount of roaring raging puking motor noise all day everyday by every other resident of the surrounding neighborhood. Now my secret thoughts of retaliation.

What I think of doing is choosing a time when they are in their yards for a grilled meat picnic-like gathering with drinks and chatter and what I'd do is playback a recording of their very own lawn arsenal from a hidden 10,000 Watt loudspeaker. It's my turn!

Wednesday July 29, 2020 8:17 AM CDT -- The Contrarian Nature of Man

Without being 100% certain I suspect that most people have a self-contradicting streak because of religious schooling before the age of reason. A simple example of this training exists in the instruction: "religion is not superstition." From that point on the child is conditioned for having a dual mind... an ability to believe and profess two contradictory things. "Thou shalt not kill" resides side-by-side with the sense that killing enemies and criminals is not murder. Or maybe religious con artists only play upon a deeper biological trait by which humans are fooled by their own pareidolias.

Wednesday July 29, 2020 8:48 AM CDT -- When No One is Listening
Middle of the night radio programming is heard by night people but not by the general person deep asleep. Some nights I hear brief moments from the RT programs carried on KDX and find some humor in the way the Russian network fills the time. There is a program series called a "Special" and two particular episodes air somewhat frequently. One is a probe of "paranormal activity" and another tackles "alternative medicine" giving both subjects wide consideration without reaching any conclusions, the interviewer and guest make it through without once giggling over the fact that they are delivering pure BS.

Wednesday July 29, 2020 9:53 AM CDT -- Out of School Introduction to the Civil War

As a very young person I came to notice that cowboy hats had gone out of fashion in favor of Civil War soldier hats, both the officer's full rimmed style and the grunt style with laminated beak frontward protruded. In those days the gray officer's hat appealed to my taste and I was soon wearing one at the playground. Almost immediately I was attacked by a mob wearing their navy blue "northern" hats and accused of being a reb. In my innocence I failed to know that being in the north, near Canada, the proper color was predetermined and the Banner Store had misled me by making the southern color available.

Wednesday July 29, 2020 10:11 AM CDT -- Numbering Everything I Don't Know

The brain sifts and sorts through the fragments of knowledge gathered hour by hour and audio coding continues to hold our interest as the day streams by. Consider this... alright, you're playing an MP3 audio file but the stream encoder converts it to OPUS. Um, I remember reading that sound does not improve by converting MP3 to another format, yet OPUS is said to be "superior". Well then maybe the originating files need also to be encoded by OPUS but unless we record the original program file, they arrive, I've already mentioned, as MP3 files, but to repeat myself, MP3 files cannot be improved by conversion to another form. Let me sit here and think about it.

Looking under the hood of the Audacity recording/editing program we note that recordings can be made or converted to a number of formats including 3-types of WAV, MP3, MP2, OGG-Vorbis, AAC, FLAC, but not OPUS. We think that's because OPUS is a streaming format and not  used for another purpose.  Do we have any cheese or other snacks?

Wednesday July 29, 2020 10:49 AM CDT

Wednesday July 29, 2020 12:09 NOON CDT -- Emergency Alert System

Licensed radio and television stations in the U.S. are required by the FCC to install and maintain EAS (Emergency Alert System) equipment able to instantly override regular programming with official alert announcements in the event of serious events ranging from warfare to incoming asteroids. The small power radio stations authorized under Part 15 of the rules are not subject to the same requirement, but Tha Dood, a Blare Blog correspondent in West Virgina kept us informed while he experimented in building a poor man's EAS setup using inexpensive parts. Upon successful achievement of the project Tha Dood posted the details on another website and we wonder how he managed to get it done. If we are lucky Tha Dood will happen by this way and realize we have yet to enjoy the report and are watching the email for response.

Before knowing how Tha Dood's system works, here's what we'd like to do at KDX. If any kind of warning is issued to the general public we would like to be made aware of the situation, for which reason having access to alerts would be useful. Further, given the technical ability to do so, we would seek permission from the main full power area station to switch to their audio so KDX would become a relay of the larger broadcast.

Wednesday July 29, 2020 1:12 PM CDT -- From Parking Lot to Trailer Park

Planning to trend with the times KDX has explored the idea of bulldozing our forested garden campus and opening a spacious parking lot for listeners to distance in their parked cars while we broadcast to them from the front window, but having seen "Trailer Park Boys" we have become more interested in opening a trailer park, a place where listener's live and listen in place.

Wednesday July 29, 2020 5:31 PM CDT -- America Left Behind

Thursday July 30, 2020 3:21 PM CDT -- Internet Alerts (FIA)

Wednesday July 30, 2020 4:42 PM CDT -- Where Are We Trying to Go

The deep inquiry into streaming technology recently detailed on The Blog has been mainly a learning venture in the ongoing quest for general mastery over coding and technology to be ultimately applied to the daily operation of a radio station. But to some degree we might have in mind particular goals and objectives and it's a good idea to know what those are so we're not wasting gas. Artisan Radio, in commenting on our stream findings, has mentioned audio quality as one product of a station's output but in the case of streaming there is another dynamic well deserving of careful attention and it trades-off with audio quality: bandwidth usage.

Streaming from a radio server requires a certain chunk of bandwidth for each listener served and there are finite limits to available bandwidth from the ISP (Internet Service Provider) balanced against the reality that the wider the bandwidth utilized the better the audio quality. It therefore does matter when a given codec conserves bandwidth while retaining sound quality. That's really why at this moment it seems like OPUS is the front-runner but what are the actual differences in real numbers? Our curiosity is sufficient to move us into the realm of measurements and comparisons, coming next week on The Blare Blog.

Friday July 31, 2020 6:33 AM CDT -- The Human Connection

Will half of existing AM FM radio stations leave the air by 2024? Jeff McHugh writes that it is possible and makes the point I've been talking about - successful radio depends on a human connection.

Friday July 31, 2020 7:19 AM CDT -- Senior Living Facility Takes the Air

Friday July 31, 2020 8:34 AM CDT

Friday July 31, 2020 8:37 AM CDT -- View from the End of July

The Blare Blog is all about the hobby. As hobbies are concerned low power broadcasting ranks with the topmost on any list of hobbies.

Yet, at least for now, we don't see our class of broadcasting listed on Wikipedia's List of Hobbies. Perhaps you might be the one to get what we do listed, meanwhile we've spent years in semi-existence by dint of two or three ineffectual forum sites that have failed to attract a significant following. We've been watching over the past decade for that one dedicated communicator who would take hold of the hobby and give it proper representation, a calling that would take fulltime dedication, but the post remains unfilled as only a few part-time blogs keep the hobby on life support.

Friday July 31, 2020 11:12 AM CDT -- All Things Considered Again

Talking about "Technology and Obsolescence" the Artisan Radio Blog said, "Over at Hobbybroadcaster, the webmaster talks about how he ripped some music from vinyl, and then used new technology and a great deal of time to remove as many clicks and pops as he could.  This, for a single song played on a Part 15 over-the-air radio station that, if legal, will have static introduced to its signal far in excess of that surface noise after a few hundred feet.  If you're doing it just because you can, that's great.  You can waste your time (imo) all you want.  But I have better uses for my time.  And to insinuate that this type of noise reduction is something good, and necessary, that all 'professional' Part 15 stations should do, is missing the boat entirely.  I like the sound of vinyl, and surface noise is just part of the experience.  Noise reduction introduces its own sets of problems."

By the way, you're not experiencing deja vu nor have you already read this... I've previously spoken about groove noise but have more to add...

A few years ago Archive.org digitized hundreds of old 78-RPM disks and evidentially assigned several staff members, each of whom had his own recipe for setting the equalization and noise-rolloff... some of the platters completely lacked the slightest groove sound but at the loss of vital musical mid-range without which the sound was terribly muffled. Those records retaining their natural "needle-noise" sounded best.

Friday July 31, 2020 11:57 AM CDT -- People of Label

The tool of language gives us the means to place labels and titles on everything including each other. Stronger labels become slogans like "Black Lives Matter" and there's good reason why that label is foremost in current importance. Along with it the expression "people of color" has taken over where "colored people" and "Negro" have dropped from being preferred to being not acceptable. My complaint about "people of color (the label not the people)" as a label is that, like the other labels, it's as openly racist as saying "you know, he or she is colored", as if somehow we needed to know. It sounds like an "air", a gesture toward dignity as if color equaled dignity. If we bring dignity into it the mere fact of being human dignifies across color lines and is no more or less so whatever color. If I today became a "person of age" would that manage to upgrade being elderly? Unless we're trying to qualify for government benefits there's no cause for notifying anyone as to being "old", anymore than it matters what color a person is.

Friday July 31, 2020 1:39 PM CDT -- The Undermining of the U.S. Postal Service

Has your mail been slowing down?  Ours has, and there's a story behind it.

June 2020

August 2020

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