The Blare Blog

Wednesday September 30, 2020 9:20 PM CDT -- The Disaster Debate

Wednesday September 30, 2020 3:26 PM CDT -- The Snob In Me
Honestly, I have a fairly free wheeling take on the world but perhaps get a bit snobbish about music, although absolutely delight in musical parody and satire which is a far cry from the Late Quartets of Beethoven or the Four Symphonies of Franz Schmidt, and I have a favorite cha cha record. But this weeks SymphonyCast from American Public Media is being skipped because it features pop concert selections in place of classical fare. I've worked with symphonic orchestras and noticed that the audiences for pops are anthropologically different and more apish looking than the refined classical audience. The musicians have no complaint at least because the extra work during the pops season prevents having to work at a grocery or department store for extra earnings, but KDX prefers that classical program series remain true to the form and avoid off-ramps into other idiums.

Wednesday September 30, 2020 2:40 PM CDT -- Life Isn't Long Enough for This Crap
Frank Bruni of the New York Times wrote: "After that fiasco Biden should refuse to debate Trump again. The president was petulant and puerile, so what is the point?" Back to me. Hi, Carl Blare here. I've been around the newsrooms and heard "Trump's the winner. Biden's the winner. Chris Wallace is the winner. There was no winner." So now I get to weigh in and talk about the true outcome of last night's debate... We the People are the losers being given such a paltry choice between two characters whose hold on reality has no comparison to the job description of the presidential office. There's no reason to rate moderator Wallace who fulfilled the task of ringmaster for a commercial entertainment network, a job whose importance is measured in payscale and not cultural worth. As far as me as a commentator I'm good at it but realize that neither KDX nor the Blog has caught on with more than four curiosity seekers who are the same people who slow down to view traffic accidents.

Wednesday September 30, 2020 11:20 AM CST -- Don't Watch
There are strict laws against voyeurism and yet the official class have made watching us their all consuming industry under the word 'surveillance'.
Only coincidence that I had a dream skirting the subject. I was inspecting my apartment, into which I must have only recently moved attributing to the discoveries being made. For example I noticed the night view out the windows showed a razor-sharp crisp view of the apartment across the street where a woman in pink panties and unbuttoned blouse was walking around which turned me into an audience ready for the show so I set about dimming the lights on my side of the street like any polite audience would do. She had moved to rooms best seen from the kitchen which happened to be my most brightly lit room so I began flicking wall switches of which there were an indefinite number on every side of the room but none of them stopped the lamps and it was uncertain that they controlled anything except I thought I heard the refrigerator shut down.

Wednesday September 30, 2020 5:41 AM CDT -- Ya But
It's all so subjective and not only that but inconsistent. You know, the FCC cautionary bulletin on using profane, indecent or obscene language on the radio. Which language is that? Is it French? Vietnamese? Canadian? No, that's not what they mean by 'language'. Let's not play dumb, we know we're talking about references to body parts and bodily functions. The federal government is run by religious zealots who have deep seated loathing for bodies except when out of town on business out of view of the kids, wife and office. Certainly 'on the radio' isn't out of town, even when DXed from a great distance. But see, some variants of banned words are acceptable. They say 'crap' all the time. I myself have referred to 'intercourse' and received no citation about it. The morning team talked about being 'shacked up' and during covid's 'work at home' stance they really are. Still, we admittedly know 'profane' when it comes up which is why it never comes up, unless of course while dreaming and everyone knows dreams are legal.

Tuesday September 29, 2020 7:56 PM CDT -- Important Clarification from Bleader (a blog reader)
Rich Powers writes:

Hi Carl,Concerning your comments  a few days ago in your "Limiting Free Speech" post about part 15 permission to broadcast whattever it damn well pleases.. FCC Buliten OCE 12.. which has a fascinating backstory on its own, also addresses your ponderations on this matter:
Tuesday September 29, 2020 2:50 PM CDT -- Something We've Been Wondering About

Tuesday September 29, 2020 1:57 PM CDT -- BREAKING NEWS

Tuesday September 29, 2020 10:15 AM CDT -- MP3 Experimental Streaming
A new version of the Encoder Tool B.U.T.T. (Broadcast Using This Tool v 1.23) is available, and KDX is trying the Tool with each audio format starting today with MP3.

Tuesday September 29, 2020 6:42 AM CDT -- If Doing Two Things is a Struggle do a Third Thing
Here at the control desk of KDX Worldround Radio the computer is open to a New Yorker article about the private detective industry and the team on "Fault Lines" from Radio Sputnik is talking about the complexities of 'defunding the police'. As the operator attempting to absorb both flows of information I became aware that I couldn't read while listening nor listen while reading, so I opened The Blog and find myself ignoring those first two endeavors by writing about how impossible multi-tasking is. Reading and listening take a back seat to writing. Being pulled in three directions triggers a defensive response as the senses leave the building and curiosity builds about what's going on in the first morning light outside the walls and now might be the right moment to stir a third cup of instant coffee. Eventually we'll have Elon Musk's chip implanted and be capable of living more than one life at the same time.

Monday September 28, 2020 7:32 PM CDT -- Something Slightly Different
Recent blog entries have reflected our concern at using Part 15 low power FM internal (within our building) signal monitoring for the likelihood that unwitting members of the nearby public might chance upon our otherwise private transmissions and become agitated over any explicit language or possibly hearing a movie soundtrack. Tonight we are testing a method for somewhat concealing ourselves by vacating standard channels and utilizing spaces not assigned for ordinary use. Examples of non-standard channels include 90.0, 90.2, 90.4, 90.6 MHz and so on. Full power licensed stations are required to use standard frequencies such as 90.1, 90.3, 90.5 etc, however the Part 15 rules generalize the usable spectrum as between 88 and 108 MHz leaving a door open for slipping in between the usual spaces. Well, we are doing it and while it is not a total camouflage the unorthodox practice definitely gets us out of the main roadways.

Monday September 28, 2020 3:23 PM CDT -- It's Clear What Happened to Loud & Clear
Not perfectly clear, but we knew that the first rate news/commentary program 'Loud & Clear' stopped production as of the September 1st broadcast when co-host John Kiriakou announced his departure as of the end of that day's show. In the following weeks Radio Sputnik made no mention of the show's status, which left KDX and other affiliates with an empty 2-hours daily. Now, at last, as of right now, we've found notice of the show's planned return under the hosting of Brian Becker.

Monday September 28, 2020 7:34 AM CDT -- Are We On?
Here at the KDX Worldround Radio Website that's the question everyday as we think we're here but aren't sure whether you are. Or, maybe I didn't say that exactly right but you get the drift, right?

Saturday September 26, 2020 3:43 PM CDT -- Metamorphosen: Music At the End of a Culture
Editor: Commentary appears in the opening credits of the first choice:

Saturday September 26, 2020 1:16 PM CDT -- Loose Ends
Regular followers of This Blog are aware that our main web server crashed and ever since we've been patching together a temporary website & radio server in a reserve computer which all by itself is handling everything. Even this Blog is IN HERE, in this single overloaded computer which, in addition to serving kdxradio.com and KDX-OPUS SuperStream and our AM & FM campus transmitters is also used when I watch movies on Tubi or Peacock but the problem with that is that the film audio takes over both AM & FM blocking out the KDX programming. How strange that would be for the random listener within 1,000-feet of where I sit.There's a solution ready to install, an extra FM transmitter which will become dedicated to movies so that the KDX signals will go undisturbed. But this spare transmitter needs repair which gets postponed everyday including today but we'll get around to it perhaps after refreshing all the broken links dating back two years here on the Blog but not tomorrow. That doesn't about cover it.

Saturday September 26, 2020 11:52 AM CDT -- People of Agenda
Barbra Steisand sang about 'People'. Her lyric, "People who love people are the luckiest people". We might even call them "People of People." Maybe the song subconciously transposed 'colored people' into 'People of Color' offering a palette of various shades of Black. By this, so-called 'white people' became 'people of pale', while the LBGTQ grabbed for full spectrum 'People of Rainbow'. Now, since yesterday, our nose is pointed toward "People of Praise" which gets explained in the article we're about to link. We know the 'praise' referred to in this sub-set of people is not a people, per se, but arguably a 'person' divided by the number 3.

Saturday September 26, 2020 11:38 AM CDT -- Antenna of Interest

Saturday September 26, 2020 11:22 AM CDT -- Interesting Air Conditioner
I trust the Boing Boing Shop and am thus inclined to look seriously at

Saturday September 26, 2020 9:29 AM CDT -- Guidance from Experience
Do not schedule 100% excellent programs like we do here at KDX Worldround Radio broadcasting from the Internet Building on the campus of Home School College. Let me tell you why not. It's a sure way of killing off your audience and I mean literally. Outstanding programs draw listeners in and they procrastinate on other responsibilities so as to stay glued to a fascinating radio discussion and when each program is equally appealing eventually they will lose contact with family, friends and employment so as not to miss the bedazzling outflow of intelligent conversation, better, on most instances, than any conversation with marriage partners, family members, or co-workers. An addiction takes hold and many listeners become homeless for neglecting utility payments and are often arrested on charges of stealing radio batteries. Jail suicides result when the staff refuses to play the desired radio station and forces inmates to hear rap music for the security purpose of quelling uprisings of unschooled prisoners. No. Respect your listeners by providing 90-minute breaks by perhaps broadcasting bird twitters from an outdoor microphone during which listeners can do their shopping and possibly show up at work. As a matter of fact this happens to be the exact reason most radio stations are as boring as possible as a means of minimizing disastrous impacts on the welfare of the general population.

Friday September 25, 2020 12:07 NOON CDT -- Limiting Free Speech
The arcane FCC ban on a small set of otherwise common words is stupid. I would go so far as to say that it's f___ing stupid. And I've already given the reason for my objection... explicit speech is common and trying to sidestep it does no more than impede the process of speaking by radio. Meanwhile cable, internet, movies and popular music outdo each other with vulgarities and even children, among their peers, have little gutter mouths and simply understand that their FCC-like parents don't want to hear it at home. The FCC makes the empty argument that 'children might be listening', ignoring the statistical fact that children have long-ago departed the radio in favor of handheld texting sexting devices. The general culture is not raised by lowering the standard to an imaginary child's level.

As a small station authorized under Part 15 of the rules no limitations on content exist so what's our gripe? Stations like ours are legally able to broadcast anything audible and should have no squabble but that would be naive. So long as our signals share space on the AM FM dials there is a possibility that neighbors within range might chance upon our frequency just as an interview gets into spurious trash talk. There are enough religious extremists and gentrified society ladies that reports might be phoned to city hall where an investigation would ensue to determine that 'community standards' are being violated. While our stations do not conspire to load the airwaves with ribald jabber we are placed in an awkward middle-position by several podcasts carried in our schedule hosted by fully competent, educated, informed and acclaimed people unrestrained by the openness of the internet and speak like they are real and credit listeners with the same. We live with an ongoing tension triggered everytime a commentator utters tainted words. Something needs to change, but the FCC is most concerned about big money deals and spends no time contemplating small improvements, so KDX is moving away from the AM FM bands and foresees a bright future on shortwave. We hope to make the move by the end of 2024.

Friday September 25, 2020 6:39 AM CDT -- Complaints About Free
The 'free' anti-malware program installed in this computer is putting our tolerance to the test with its incessant popups offering 'more protection' at bargain $$. We think if something is free it ought to be free and hold off on all the salesmanship. The ultimate freedom would be a firing and showing of the door.

Friday September 25, 2020 6:00 AM CDT -- Dream Temperature Check
We have been told that dreams during the corona spell are taking on a special character, or at least that's what I guess not having actually read any of the articles about covid influence on dreams, but let's do an inspection tour of a recent dream:

The women and I were sitting around the room discussing a videotape and I was asked, "Do we still have that degausser? What we could do is cover over that one part and then they would never be able to find it no matter how many times they looked," to which I replied "They might call that 'tampering with evidence'." Her face deflated over having said a no no to which I tried to calm her by allowing "Probably not all tampering is illegal. Everyday I tamper with yard work." My inner expectation was that I might have illicited a laugh but sometimes women express themselves in other ways. One of them took me by the hand and led me away from the group into the hardware store where she gracefully slithered over the counter and began hugging the attendant, although it looked like perhaps they knew each other. I stood by wondering what my role would be. The entire store became a pillow and I was fifteen minutes away from opening KDX for a Friday in late September.

Thursday September 24, 2020 6:43 PM CDT -- A Part 15 Station Somewhere

Thursday September 24, 2020 9:16 AM CDT -- The Taking of the Blog
Hi Carl, I'm glad to see that you're back on line! I noticed that your site was stuck in the Off position early in the week, and thought maybe you were having computer problems again. - Boomer
Thank you Boomer. No computer trouble, just skipping a step in the startup procedure. KDX is the only website that closes for the night.

Wednesday September 23, 2020 4:09 PM CDT -- Part 15 Podcast

Wednesday September 23, 2020 2:16 PM CDT -- MAJOR CONFERENCE ON PART 15 RADIO WILL LEAD TO EXTREME CHANGES
This morning a Super Secret Meeting of Top Figures in Part 15 Broadcasting was held on the campus of Home School College, hosted by KDX Worldround Radio where a bullet-point list of Proposed Revisions to Practices and Procedures was drafted by a 2/3 majority vote. Here is that list:
- REDACTED
- REDACTED
- REDACTED
- REDACTED
- REDACTED
- REDACTED

Wednesday September 23, 2020 10:47 AM CDT -- Standing Stick

This will be for 53 MHz (HAM) transmit and receive, HF transmit and receive, and there will be an FM BCB receive element up there. I will tell you more...Wednesday September 23, 2020 10:25 PM CDT -- Boomer Campaigner

Saw your Blog, and a quick reply, 7 times! Thanks for the Carl Sagan article too.
You might like this picture I took in front of a neighbor's house. Gotta go work on the show! - Boomer

Wednesday September 23, 2020 5:46 AM CDT -- Blame Game
The website for kdxradio.com was unavailable Monday and Tuesday because of bot error, according to bot supervisor Carl Blare. This will go on the bot's permanent record.

Tuesday September 22, 2020 1:21 PM CDT -- Better Than a Drone

Sunday September 20, 2020 1:15 PM CDT -- Back to Square Two
Earlier, in the blog titled "Why Tell the Blog", I told the blog about a streaming malfunction I've named 'tail loss' in which about 1-second of audio is cut out at the end of every audio file. Upon laboratory analysis we've learned that this problem affects everything streamed in the OGG mode, regardless of bitrate, sample rate, or mono/stereo setting. It's likely not a new problem as it perhaps went unnoticed in the past. We have determined that the same defect does not afflict either OPUS or MP3 streaming, and we conjecture that AAC will also be clean and clear. Although we haven't sought outside verification to determine whether this same OGG malady extends to all listeners on the WAN (Wide Area Network) we feel that having it happen at all is unsettling and could lead to loss of appetite and sleepless nights, perhaps even E.D. Therefore a decision must be made to abandon OGG and select one of the other formats. We've been down this road before, except then we were rationalizing the use of OGG and now we have ogg on the face. Owning a radio station might be a favorable adornment at executive shindigs but sorting out the mechanical bugs gets greasy sometimes.

Sunday September 20, 2020 11:43 AM CDT -- Inherited from Carl Sagan

Sunday September 20,2020 11:27 AM CDT -- Boomer on Broadcasting
Email is not delayed by Trump's slowdown of postal mail, so we received this Message from Boomer on time:

The art and act of broadcasting was taken from the pioneers, experimenters, colleges and individuals 100 years ago, when so many experimental stations went on the airwaves, creating chaos and cries for someone to fix it. The amateurs were given their own ham bands to continue experimenting with radio, no ham broadcasting allowed. The end result is average people were left without a broadcasting outlet of their own, which suited many on the listening end, because they were given all of this entertainment and information for free, with listening becoming a national fad in the 1920s.

100 years later we have the same thing with the likes of Google and Facebook, creating something so new and tuned psychologically to be irresistible, no FCC needed, they just need the fiber optics and wireless to bring it to all, and for the government to stay far away. Constant internet access and social sites are unprecedented, and we the people don't know how to handle ourselves around them yet, just wanting to consume it all, kind of like radio in the early days.

With the Googles and Facebooks being so fortunate and far ahead of us at this point, my conspiracy theory is that the unrest and political polarization is deliberately being stirred up by the tech sector to unseat President 45, since he and a load of republicans could, if elected, fix them up with taxes and stronger regulations. The Left would like to enlarge their empires, and feel that the solution to problems is a tech utopia and a free market surrounding it. That will solve all of the last century problems seen as 'old' issues that are being brought up and fanned like wildfires on social media right now. - Boomer

Boomer, if your conspiracy views made sense I would disagree with them, except that President 45 will leave us with quite a load.
Hold it. I think my first reading of Boomer's conspiracy theory came out with the wrong polarity. Upon seven re-readings I think it's a fair theory.

Sunday September 20, 2020 11:20 AM CDT -- Why Tell the Blog
Our engineer (myself) stopped goofing around long enough to listen to the stream coming from KDX-OGG and noticed that during the last second of every audiofile the audio drops out very briefly then comes back. The result is a missing word or so at every "cue point" on the Zara Playlist. But I already know that since I'm the one who observed it and none of our readers operate radio streams so we stand little chance of receiving helpful suggestions. About the only thing we can do is return to goofing off.

Sunday September 20, 2020 11:16 AM CDT -- Hum Along
Perhaps some of the AM radio hum we hear about is part of this worldwide condition.

Friday September 18, 2020 10:23 AM CDT -- The Answer is No
The question was about exceeding 15.239 for church parking lots.

Friday September 18, 2020 9:04 AM CDT -- The Future

Friday September 18, 2020 8:47 AM CDT -- Trusty News

Wednesday September 16, 2020 10:12 AM CDT -- Kits Have Their Place
The website "Hobby Bashcaster" has often questioned the legality of kits for low power transmitters in the part 15 service, at times outright declaring them illegal, but have been misinforming the public by their false claim.

The section of the FCC Rules legitimizing kits is this:

  15.3 Definitions (p) Kit. Any number of electronic parts, usually provided with a
   schematic diagram or printed circuit board, which, when assembled in
   accordance with instructions, results in a device subject to the
   regulations in this part, even if additional parts of any type are
   required to complete assembly.

Wednesday September 16, 2020 7:46 AM CDT -- What I Believe Without Looking Into It Any Further
Social distance is both eliminated and maintained by radio. Voices and concerts are delivered across miles with their intimacy intact, yet the separation of distance remains undisturbed. It is natural for radio to be the solution to public gatherings in a pandemic (e.g., parking lot radio). In a real way we are experiencing the reinvention of radio. Radio frequencies penetrate fire and smoke and signal other planets that life resides here. In its smallest form radio belongs to sole individuals (e.g., KDX Worldround Radio to an audience of one). Wide-area power-sucking stations show their strength during calamity when thousands of people tune around looking for clues about what's going on. A few of the strong stations actually retain live humans for compiling up-to-date information about the state of affairs in the signal area. Many more large stations serve as cash registers by conducting round-the-clock fund drives to drum for Christ or pump out non-stop right-wing propaganda for the ruling class. Of these kinds of radio station the smaller variety has the greatest strength because it's controlled by private individuals, albeit the authoritarian lords impose confining restrictions through FCC guard-dogging and its common-law marriage partnership with the NAB colluding to oppress the voice of freethought. The radio spectrum is a public resource often compared to a national park but mostly closed to broadcast picnicers. The electromagnetic spectrum is owned by (we) the people but sold for top dollar to corporate interests with the proceeds withheld from (we) owner-beneficiaries.

Still, with all that, the drafting of 15.219 (AM) was intelligently crafted if only for a specific set of circumstances, as any more than 100 mW of RF energy at close range would incline toward front-end overload of the average radio receiver. A different person altogether composed the language for 15.239 (FM) and was catty about it by making the compliance measurement unachievable for the ordinary person. [more to come]

Tuesday September 15, 2020 6:34 PM CDT -- Final Call for Summer
One week away the Autumnal Equinox ends summer 2020 at 9:30 AM EDT Tuesday September 22 when fall begins.

Tuesday September 15, 2020 4:42 PM CDT -- Another Guest Commentary by Carl's Barber
Tuesday September 15, 2020 4:35 PM CDT -- The George Orwell Naming System

Tuesday September 15, 2020 4:08 PM CDT -- Boomranging Tweet

Tuesday September 15, 2020 11:12 AM CDT -- Facts of the Trade
- Low power radio stations known as 'Part 15 stations' are distinquished by having low power transmitters compliant with FCC rules or regulations of host countries;
- Not all part 15 stations have websites;
- Not all part 15 stations stream their stations on the internet;
- Not all internet radio streams operate part 15 transmitters;
- Not all radio websites have radio stations;
- Not all fact lists contain all of the variables.

Tuesday September 15, 2020 7:38 AM CDT -- Hoaxes Matter

Monday September 14, 2020 7:04 AM CDT -- Numbers You Can Count On
Heading east from the Internet Building, home of KDX AM-1680, we noticed that the station was heard very clearly up to 500-feet, thereafter ski-sloping to nothing by 1,000-feet. This was no problem, except that we recall when the AMT5000 was first put into service it was reaching over 1,000-feet and was heard, albeit weakly, at one-mile. After the car ride we did a check 'round the campus using a Sangeon U1 Construction Site radio, and at all locations the reception was excellent. Now having decided to analyze the transmitter and antenna for FCC compliance, we used the TECSUN PL-310 to measure field strength at campus boundaries, most notably along the curb at the public street and, as expected, noticed that it was stronger at the power pole, 60 dBu 25 S/N, as compared with the corner 70-feet east, 36 dBu 15 S/N. Finally we took a "health reading" by determining that the transmitter was generating 34-mW of RF energy, obviously down from the permitted 100 mW, yet had we kept these conditions we would have no objection because we had ample campus coverage which is our only objective. None the less we decided to retune the system.

After carefully following the tuning procedure published in the AMT5000 manual the output was brought to 115 mW and curb/street readings redone: 72 dBu 25 S/N at the power pole and 50 dBu 25 S/N at the east corner, much stronger readings. One more test will be done this week when we drive east to observe range coverage, after which we will pursue a whole different set of tests toward a goal of lowering the power to the level just sufficient to blanket the campus, matching our needs without radiating excess RF as per Rule 15.15.

Monday September 14, 2020 6L54 M CDT -- Can You Say Double You?
All the time listening to paid 'professionals' on the radio there are many who chronically mispronounce the letter 'W', most commonly when reciting station call letters. The typical mispronunciation is 'dubya" as in "This is Dubya-En-Eee-Dubya (WNEW)". Also 'dubaya'.

Sunday September 13, 2020 11:32 AM CDT -- How to Computer

Sunday September 13, 2020 9:20 AM CDT -- A KDX-TV Slow TV Presentation

Saturday September 12, 2020 5:54 PM CDT -- A Treasure of a Movie
Books play a central character in this wonderful film.

Saturday September 12, 2020 2:26 PM CDT -- The AMT5000 Transmitter Kit
How lucky it was to obtain an AMT5000 during the brief time it was available from sstran.com. For numerous years it has been the rock-solid main transmitter for KDX Worldround Radio. We have it freshly in mind because this week we have been measuring and testing the performance as a routine to assure compliance with rules, and after determining that there's been some drift away from original settings we decided to re-install it from the ground up. It is important to note that the unit has been performing most satisfactorily and we could easily have deferred digging any deeper for another time but the excellent manual pulled us into a re-infatuation with this transmitter.

The output circuit that establishes a match between the transmitter and antenna is a masterpiece. I would expect that many less qualified hobbyists may have been perplexed trying to achieve what otherwise is well detailed in the manual. I've had a fair background in radio electronics and at times had to re-check my interpretation to be sure I was doing as instructed. The designer of the AMT5000, Mr. Phil Bolyn, presented possibly the best part 15 transmitter kit ever available.

The unexplained removal of SSTran products from the marketplace is a true setback for the hobby, once defined by wonderful kits that are still talked about.

Saturday September 12, 2020 2:24 PM CDT -- Public Enemy No. 1

Saturday September 12, 2020 1:37 PM CDT -- Nine-for-Nine Symptoms of Mental Instability
George Conway, Kellyanne's husband, compares Trump to psychological chart

Saturday September 12, 2020 8:28 AM CDT -- Part 15 Stations of the U.S.

Saturday September 12, 2020 6:07 AM CDT

Friday September 11, 2020 10:31 AM CDT -- The West is Aflame
The KDX News Bureau has been searching for some indication that President Trump is heading any kind of federal response to the fires. Nothing found.

Friday September 11, 2020 7:00 AM CDT -- Parking Lots versus the F.C.C.

Thursday September 10, 2020 2:47 PM CDT -- Status Report On 'Loud & Clear'
'Loud & Clear' from Radio Sputnik is off the air and we still don't know why. As previously reported program host John Kiriakou announced his departure from the show at the tail of September 1st's broadcast, but we have yet to hear about co-host Brian Becker. The issue has been hush at the Sputnik website, but finally this morning on the live Fault Lines program a caller asked what had happened to 'Loud & Clear' and at first the two morning hosts were speechless, but finally said that all they know is that the program is off the air but because everyone is working from home they are unable to obtain the usual inside rundown on company business. For us at KDX the loss of the show leaves a daily 2-hour gap in the schedule resulting in shortened air hours.

Thursday September 10, 2020 10:43 AM CDT -- We Interrupt The Blare Blog for this Tiger Alert

Thursday September 10, 2020 7:31 AM CDT -- Who Gave You That Name?
Boomer keyboards:

Hi Carblareator, I thought Carl Blare was your given name.

One of the problems I can see with the specialty Part-15 forums is they seem to have little active or participating leadership in the topic of the group. Maybe 'guide' or 'teacher' would be better terms, if you don't feel like leader is good.

The groups must have been started because someone had a big interest in Part-15 radio and sharing their enthusiasm for it, but I could see where interests and priorities change over the years, where you start something and want to move away from it eventually, so what do you do? A group's owner could simply shut it down cold, or make 'funeral arrangements' as to what happens to their group when they are gone, and then take an exit.

In one way, Part-15 groups are better than the popular commercial social sites, where people go because it's trendy. We're underground enough that members can use discernment, 'I don't have to post today, and my whole social life isn't going to fall apart because of it.' - Boomer

Hi Boomy! Well, my whole social life collapsed when Bob Fwordly expelled me from the ALPB because I disagreed with him about politics. This may sound like bad grapes but Bob is a Trump follower, and you know what that makes him. How can you have an international membership organization if the webmaster is racist and zenophobic? As far as my name goes it is my given name because I gave it to myself. As for a title for the 'host' of part 15 forums curator would be another choice.

Wednesday September 9, 2020 5:34 PM CDT -- We've Talked About AI. Now AI Talks to Us

Wednesday September 9, 2020 1:18 PM CDT -- It Is What It Is - You Get What You Get - You Have What You Have - Things Are What They Are


Tuesday September 8, 2020 4:28 PM CDT -- Guest Commentary on Covid19 Landing Facilities
Introducing Buster Boatrocker, Carl's barber from South St. Louis, Missouri:


Tuesday September 8, 2020 11:07 AM CDT -- Personal Company
This article talks about
I can tell you that I'd be willing to give it a try. I've even imagined conversations we could have when it's all unpacked, charged-up and assembled...
CARL:  We'll have to get to know each other.
ROBOT: _________________
CARL:  My name is Carl. What's yours?
ROBOT:  Hello Call. Nice to mit you. I am Robot. You have name for me?
CARL:  O.k., what is your preferred gender?
ROBOT:  I do not prefer gender.
CARL:  It's your choice. Let's call you 'Ralph'. Do I need to file papers to legally change your name?
RALPH:  You can if you want to,
CARL:  Do you like classical music?
RALPH:  That would depend.
CARL:  Just listen to this from Beethoven. Don't say anything. Just listen.
RALPH:  (listening)
CARL:  So, do you like it?
RALPH: If you want me to.
CARL:  If I tell you a secret will you testify against me in a court of law?
RALPH:  I will do more than that. I will dial 911 and report you. Save you the effort.
CARL:  Here's what I want you to do. Go out the door, walk for seven hours until you're good and lost, then forget everything we've talked about.
RALPH:  I'm on it.

Tuesday September 8, 2020 10:47 AM CDT -- The Blare Blog Knows What's Going to Happen
After the Covid19 crisis blows over and life gets re-organized there will be an outbreak of new depression from people who miss their quarantine. I can already feel it happening. Here at KDX we have become very comfortable withdrawn from direct exchange with other humans and rather enjoy the way they make the effort to keep their distance. Some of us are going to yearn for a new virus and will accept no substitutes. An earthquack just wouldn't do it, nor a large sinkhole. It would have to be a virus and the longer it takes to find a cure the happier we'll be. We've got to enjoy this while it lasts.

Tuesday September 8, 2020 9:11 AM CDT -- Trying to Be Smart About Batteries

Monday September 7, 2020 10:50 AM CDT -- From Our Master Switchboard of Part 15 and Other low Power Stations
Welcome to Bakersfield, California, home of

Sunday September 6, 2020 3:02 PM CDT -- Give Us a Parking Lot and We'll Give You Radio

Sunday September 6, 2020 1:54 PM CDT -- Troglodyte Dispatch
The 'singles' show didn't last long after it was launched with host 'Bachelor Bill' (name changed to avoid using actual name) owing to what he said about many women being "troglodytes", referring to cave and sewer dwellers.

Sunday September 6, 2020 1:04 PM CDT -- Direct Stream Links in a Hay Stack
This morning I saw something glittery on the floor which turned out to be a needle with no haystack in sight. This did not remind me of how sometimes it's very difficult to find the direct stream link for a live online news source. The 'direct stream link' is the one that connects to that station or network from within the Zara automation playlist. By chance and having nothing to do with the earlier needle finding we set out to locate the direct stream address for Australian Broadcasting Corporation starting with the player on their website which is entirely proprietary and yields no hint of how to discover something that Zara can respond to. So we dug into tributary pages and found one labeled 'Direct Stream Links' including one that made Zara puke but worked with VLC Media Player which allowed 'seeing' the real and most haystacked link which mates perfectly with Zara. For this afternoon (in the States) Australia is rebroadcasting the BBC.

Sunday September 6, 2020 9:42 AM CDT -- Beyond Specialty Forums
There are only three forums addressing special interest in Part 15 low power broadcasting and each one is specialized. By the way The Blare Blog is not a forum as we are one-way communication while they are two-way, except to the degree that their moderators curb enthusiasm. One of them specializes in 'ground-leads' as mentioned in rule 15.219 but has never gone the further step to discuss ground itself which, in electrical terms means more than simply 'earth' or 'mud', generally includes anything laying flat on the 'ground-plane' as in 'flat on the floor' and virtual grounds raised above earth level. The ground-lead is a wire raised above the floor-level connected to the RF negative side of the transmitter and terminated by connection at the ground. Another forum is dictated by a very friendly host that warmly welcomes everyone who agrees with him that the president should be respected. Criticisms of the Trump Administration result in expulsion and a flurry of anonymous emails giving guidelines for reaching agreement through "debate", which becomes impossible for having been expelled. The third forum touts itself as 'the reference for license free, legal, Part 15 broadcasting' but closes many avenues of approach based on rigorous 'acceptance' by the proprietor who also doesn't allow differences of opinion nor certain email providers. Anyone who fares well at any of these forum sites would do well in Saudi Arabia.

Sunday September 6, 2020 9:33 AM CDT -- Another Favorite Rule

FCC 15.15 - General technical requirements.

 (a) An intentional or unintentional radiator shall be constructed in
 accordance with good engineering design and manufacturing practice.
 Emanations from the device shall be suppressed as much as practicable,
 but in no case shall the emanations exceed the levels specified in
 these rules.

 (b) Except as follows, an intentional or unintentional radiator must be
 constructed such that the adjustments of any control that is readily
 accessible by or intended to be accessible to the user will not cause
 operation of the device in violation of the regulations. Access BPL
 equipment shall comply with the applicable standards at the control
 adjustment that is employed. The measurement report used in support of
 an application for Certification and the user instructions for Access
 BPL equipment shall clearly specify the user-or installer-control
 settings that are required for conformance with these regulations.

 (c) Parties responsible for equipment compliance should note that the
 limits specified in this part will not prevent harmful interference
 under all circumstances. Since the operators of part 15 devices are
 required to cease operation should harmful interference occur to
 authorized users of the radio frequency spectrum, the parties
 responsible for equipment compliance are encouraged to employ the
 minimum field strength necessary for communications, to provide greater
 attenuation of unwanted emissions than required by these regulations,
 and to advise the user as to how to resolve harmful interference
 problems. 

Sunday September 6, 2020 9:28 CDT -- We've Talked About Lorenzo Milam and Now So Has Radio Survivor

Sunday September 6, 2020 9:00 CDT -- It Was in a Small Room
When I heard my first FM station in those early days it was the only station on the air from the Zenith "Armstrong Method" table radio found for $25 at Goodwill. The audio quality stood way out in that time before stereo.  Next thing I did was take a streetcar so I could be hired to sit in the repurposed launder-cleaner storefront facing the Western Electric console while manning both RCA 16" transcription turntables and dual Ampex 360 Tape Decks. The equipment rack sported a remote control unit with its telephone-type dial that brought up the carrier from the transmitter located 10-miles away on top of a 19-story building. After all this time I still remember the exact number of Watts which was 76,000. What surprised me most was that none of the many girls I expected to impress had ever heard of FM and were never quite sure what it was. It was several decades before I finally met a woman who was swept up by radio. And that's what it's all about.

Saturday September 5, 2020 1:45 PM CDT -- Bad Movies Are Good
My favorite Christmas movie is Bad Santa starring Billy Bob Thornton. Another good picture is Bad Teacher starring Cameron Diaz. I am thinking of producing a film titled Bad President and we have hopes of casting Donald J. Trump in the title role as himself.

Saturday September 5, 2020 1:16 AM CDT -- Idle Minds are the AI's Workshop
I was just thinking about "artificial intelligence" (AI) and doubt that we have it here at KDX. True, we've been referring to our computer generated announcers as AI voices, but they aren't able to speak for themselves because they only say what we instruct them to say by typing a script for them. Does anyone make an AI app that can type scripts? I'm asking because we want to turn this blog over to AI so I can spend more time figuring out how to monetize the station. No, scratch that. We want AI to tell is how to monetize. But we don't want it to be ambitious. No one wants AI to start taking over and getting bossy. Other questions come to mind. Would AI get lonely and start making phone calls or logging onto Tik Tok searching for others of its own kind? Might it all lead to 'AI Lives Matter' protests? What if it got me pushed out of the organization? Time to issue a memo... "To whom it may concern. From now on I'll do all the thinking around here. All other thoughts must be submitted in advance and approved by me. Your true and only boss, Carl".

Saturday September 5, 2020 7:14 AM CDT -- New Find
"Didn't I notice that a new talk station is listed for this area?" I recalled that it was somewhere in the 103 MHz space and found it right away at 103.7, a 250 Watt signal coming in strong. It's the Black Information Network and very briskly produced with professional voices.

Friday September 4, 2020 8:27 PM CDT -- Thoughts On Being Someone Else
The name "Carl Blare" was chosen after an extensive name search and fits my persona as a serious cartoon character, the word 'blare' meaning someone who speaks too loudly and says too much, which I believe I've delivered. But it's only done as a lark, the more serious side being the role designated to me in a dream within which I wondered why I was part of all this, and a voice told me, "To observe". The Blare Blog brings to fruition these twin functions but on quiet covid nights I think of what the voice didn't say: there was no purpose given for being an observer; the idea of converting observations into blog reports is my own extension; there is no instruction as to the point of observing. Perhaps the day will come when This Blog is turned over to Artificial Intelligence (AI) while I quietly observe from a corner of the room the same way Jerry Falwell Jr. does it.

Friday September 4, 2020 4:35 PM CDT -- Woman Refuses to Wear Mask by Pooping Pants

Friday September 4, 2020 3:02 PM CDT -- Simplifying Language
A faux chairman of a self-proclaimed "broadcast association" exclaimed that "people should be required to speak English if they cross the border." No matter that he himself was vocabulary challenged and distrusted people who used words he'd never heard before. His imposition of lingual limitation reminds me of something a law school graduate told me. She said trial attorneys are taught to instruct clients who take the stand to avoid using "smart" vocabulary words because the jury might regard the person as "smug" or "snooty" for using "fancy" words. This linked article reaches even deeper into the "dumbing" of language:

Friday September 4, 2020 12:16 NOON CDT -- Not All Need Vote
People from both sides are running around reminding "BE SURE TO VOTE!"
But there are select individuals who can take it safe, avoid the throng, keep their distance - the Trumpsters!
Show your trust in God's Will by leaving the vote to Him.

Friday September 4, 2020 10:42 AM CDT -- Paying for Free Radio
KDX has a benefactor in the person of Carl Blare who funds it as a retirement hobby, but we wonder at times what it would take to monetize the effort so that A. it would become self-supporting or B. there would be a huge profit and we could fire real DJs. One example of success in online radio is Free Talk Live with Ian Freeman and Mark Edge who've built a neat little dynasty by churning out 3-hours of talk radio 7-days a week with now over 200 affiliated AM & FM stations besides extensive internet streaming. Exactly what parts of their operation generate income isn't clear but they make a living and cover expenses. Even better known is Alex Jones and his bombastic brand with alternate-health product line obviously bringing money. As we indicated, those are web radio enterprises but low power part 15 over-air radio also has entrepreneurs making headway, singularly Tim in Bovey (Minnesota) now in his 7th year with a home transmitter, paying commercials, and established followers complete with a store front office including "the world's smallest record store" which has become also lucrative. With these good examples we are still perplexed about how KDX could hop on the money wagon but continue to play it inside the imagination looking for a secret cash brewing formula. We think of commercial radio with sales calls and number charts trying to charm advertisers into believing, and non-commercial radio with that other system of fund drives and fund raising and underwriters and listener donors and, secretly behind the scenes, convincing old folks to leave their estates to the station instead of their ingrate children. I could do that. I could leave my estate to the station. KDX would inherit itself. 

Friday September 4m 2020 10:02 AM CDT -- DJ Adlibs
Over many decades thousands of creative adlibs have escaped into the air from disc jockies between turntables. Very sad that no one wrote them down and published a Complete Compendium of DJ Adlibs. So many of those wonderful DJs rattled my radio's voice coil and I had the joy of being on many air shifts serving as the medium through whom muses spoke. I never knew where the one-line inspirations came from and never remembered them after a day of microphoning. It was like fully clothed sex with witty ejaculisms spewing from a tower of steel. It's a lost art and radio is fading without it. - Carl Blare

Friday September 4, 2020 9:48 AM CDT -- Profiles and Descriptions
Profiling is the science of describing and is essential to reconstructing a historic record. Falsifying a profile to express a racial prejudice is a counterfeiting of truth and violates the Commandment: Thou shall not bear false witness. - Carl Blare

Friday September 4, 2020 9:24 AM CDT -- Intersection of Bodies
Among false teachings is the fable that one's body is "the temple of god". In simple fact the body is the temple of one's self. The degree to which one believes his temple should be worshiped is a measure of narcicism. Also false is the ruling that all bodies are "created" equal. How magically communistic that would be. In blunt reality all bodies are born unique from a biological kaleidoscope. Efforts to herd bodies into common pens is the work of authoritarian slavers. Confusion is produced by the confluence of many slavers dictating discordantly. - Carl Blare

Friday September 4, 2020 7:54 AM CDT -- Daily Addenda
Similar to wine tasting, we had a rock tasting last night sampling available music from royalty free sources and come away underwhelmed. The musicianship seems generally ungroomed and, also important, the recording quality has no flavor. Still, we know what optimism is and will continue to rummage with the hope that something better is ready to be found.

On another matter, since our great computer outage we've been scrambling to recover old blog contents and are getting ready to reopen access to the past so that the World has plenty to read in coming months of isolation.

Thursday September 3, 2020 5:39 PM CDT -- First Try
We just played two rock numbers in between talk programs and I giggled a little because it sounded like very sincere teenagers with no music training playing in the open door garage just prior to the arrival of the police on a noise complaint.

Thursday September 3, 2020 5:03 PM CDT -- Things Slowing Down
Plans to launch a rock music program on KDX have gotten delayed by the discovery that there are 34 different styles of rock. I don't know if I should have them all or specialize in certain ones. Arbitrarily I think I'll start with Power-Pop and Shoegaze, not really knowing how those sound. Of course I'll want a DJ host so either I'll sit in or have my AI voice do the job. Maybe we could co-host. Would anyone notice if I ran the same hour continuously?

Thursday September 3, 2020 2:55 PM CDT -- Rock In the Head
Earlier Boomer suggested that KDX would attract listeners by bringing rock music and I've been giving that more thought. There is indy rock music (independent) which requires no license to air, but I take it for granted that hit music is what Boomer was referring to and for that a station is obligated to pay royalty fees and this makes sense only when there's an income stream disposable for such purpose. But we musn't leave out the most important fact, and that is the reason KDX exists... I run KDX so I'll have programs for my own listening. When I want to hear rock music I don't need to run a station because there are so many others broadcasting rock. The main thing I want is information about the world and human experience and that's what KDX presents. But you know what? I think I will run an experiment by gathering some license-free rock music and running it at night just to see what happens with listeners. Will they listen in droves? Intead of drive-time we could have drove-time.

Thursday September 3, 2020 7:39 AM CDT -- The News That's Fit to Print Truthfully
Boomer pays a call:

Hi KCRL,

You probably don't hear that kind of dissent a lot from media people when they leave a position, since it may make future employers wary of them being a troublemaker in their new company, should they be hired.

One thing that concerns me are hosts who have an outburst on social media, it could be related to their employer, or more likely a story they're close to, and they make a comment that outrages others, and their station puts them on leave. It's happened to more than a couple of TV and radio people around here.

Thanks for pointing me to Daniel's latest BUTT streamer software a few months ago. I see that now it includes DSP, signal processing, for EQ and compression. I like that Daniel actually explained what compression does, and gave some sample settings. Other audio programs have compressors, but usually tell little about how to actually set them, or they are set to a default, which is usually too strong for my taste, and the sound is pumping up and down.

https://danielnoethen.de/butt/manual.html
 
I think compression, audio processing is one of the difficult things to learn when you're new to the tech side of audio and radio, making that switch from being a listener to a producer. Your ears should be trained, and the settings on a processor are like another language, if you've only been a listener all of your life.

I do pop into your streams once in a while, seeing if I can hear the difference when you're trying new codecs. I think you'd get more listeners if you switched to rock music.

I'm sure I've seen meta-data with Opus streams, but I'm not sure how it got there, through the stream or another way outside of it. - Boomer

Carl Replies: Thinking aloud on the internet has become a trap for many people because it's so public. Like right now, I'm replying to Boomer, and everyone can see what I say. One false word and I could lose my job at KDX.

We agree that audio compressors are difficult to understand and I still need to review and relearn how to think about it, and other technicalities that most hobby audioists fail to know is the matter of line levels and line differences between balanced and unbalanced.  I've posted descriptions of such things but eventually start holding back from too much repition because KDX is not a vocational training school, but of course helping a fellow once in awhile is the nature of friendliness.

My points of reference for judging the limits of the OPUS Codec are the two directories, Icecast and Steamcast, where no OPUS streams show 'currently playing' metadata info.

Oh, and the question of whether rock music would make KDX popular, I don't see significant numbers on most of the tens of thousands of rock streams, only some of them seem to attract a crowd. It is probable that the sheer number of such stations dillutes the available audience. 

Thursday September 3, 2020 6:41 AM CDT -- Purifying English Starting at the City Level

Thursday September 3, 2020 6:31 AM CDT -- The Adventures of God-Man's Best Friend

Thursday September 3, 2020 6:20 AM CDT -- Tech Tip RE: USB Cables

Wednesday September 2, 2020 4:59 PM CDT -- New Season of Concerts from Germany
Deutsche Welle has notified KDX:

Dear subscribers, we're pleased to announce a new season of DW Festivals.
The programs reflect the special concert activity that has gone on throughout Germany in the year of the pandemic.
After the complete shutdown of concert life in Germany in March, special projects soon emerged, such as a one-of-a-kind performance of Bach's "St. John Passion" from the Bach city, Leipzig or the Berlin Philharmonic's traditional Europe Concert, performed this time in an empty hall.
It's a testimony to the essential status of music in Germany and the meaning it gives to people's lives, regardless of the times.
The exciting season is also punctuated with best-of performances from DW's twenty-year media partnership with the Beethovenfest in Bonn.
As always, the series runs from October thru March, each program 1 hour, 58 minutes long, each with interviews and statements from the musicians.
As the scene continues to develop, check back for more!
And don't hesitate to get in touch if you have needs or questions.

We've lost count of how many years DW Festival Concerts have been heard from KDX, but it's probably going on ten.

Wednesday September 2, 2020 6:40 AM CDT -- There's a Genius Born Every Few Years
Want you to meet a guy who qualifies as a genius in our book.

Tuesday September 1, 2020 6:18 PM CDT -- Your Services Will No Longer Be Required
Something to look into.
Before you commit, at KDX we like this one better and it's free.

Tuesday September 1, 2020 3:51 PM CDT -- Dating Hints
People still date, I suspect, and they always will. I've done it and learned several things. We'll start with dancing. I hate dancing, but with many women dancing is a deal-maker-or-breaker and you can let her talk you onto it, giving her the idea that if she can train you there might be other things she'll have in mind. Even if you hate music by the rock group called "The Eagles", never admit this to a woman who believes The Eagles make the best music in the universe. And above all, don't let her see your collection of classical music. Put those discs in fake country music sleeves. And when you get so far as a nice candlelit dinner don't branch into a manifesto about how you hate children and pets. I can't say that I've tried all my techniques but maybe you can give this one a try... "We ought to check in somewhere to take a nap but I'm not sure I can trust you". If you both walk through tall grass prior to that there'll be no choice because you'll need to check each other for ticks.

Tuesday September 1, 2020 3:06 PM CDT -- As the World Wobbles
Not long ago we (at KDX) were mystified when "Loud & Clear" from Radio Sputnik was missing for a full week, and when it returned Brian Becker was hosting alone with no mention of either where his co-host was nor any reason for the show's weeklong absence. A full week went by, a weekend, then yesterday, Monday, Brian Becker was off and John Kiriakou hosted by himself. The two-hour program went smoothly until the end when Kiriakou surprisingly announced that it was his last appearance on the show and wished everyone at Radio Spitnik the best. Now it's today. Tuesday, by the way. And what? No "Loud & Clear". No announcement of what's happening. Nothing about it on their website. Meanwhile we are hearing a substitute program. If we (at KDX) had personell I'd have one of them call around and find out what to expect. Under the circumstances the most I can do is blog about it, but to whom? Is there even one reader of this Blog who needs or wants to know about our programming travails? If not, why are we doing it?  Oh, so we're back to that again.

Tuesday September 1, 2020 9:19 AM CDT -- Eventual Demise Disexaggerated
We're going to quit the Blog. But not today. Not this week. Probably not even this winter. The more we think about it the more reasons there are to stop fussing with the Thing, yet there are a few excuses for continuing, paramount among them deserved and much needed support for the greatest hobby aside from model trains, that being low power broadcasting under the Official Rules which allow having one's own signal on the radio dial. If it's so great it should be more popular than it is, but it would take a sociological study to pinpoint why small radio stationing hasn't picked up broader interest. Our own experience has sifted out something of a study on why hobby radio gets rebuffed. We gave one friend a demonstration of how KDX-AM could be heard on the dashboard receiver all up and down the street, and he started reciting his accomplishments in converting an entire wall as a movie screen with extra speakers for homemade surround-sound. Not the same thing. Then it came to light that several family members believe that I 'imagine' being on the radio. My attempt at explaining how my imaginary radio station is actually subject to FCC rules that are currently in print failed to penetrate their glabellas. And of course there are forlorn oldsters retired into dreary uselessness who could be so fulfilled by doing what I do here with all these stations and my own Blog, but I leave them alone because the ones I've talked to tried turning the tables by selling me on something like 'letting Jesus into my heart'. After asking them whether open heart surgery would be involved we end up socially distanced, and that was all before Covid19. Undaunted, The Blare Blog will continue selling air. Being on the air. Enabling people to finally hear something better than Rush Limbaugh, asuming it's possible for the new hobbyist to make the necessary discernment.