This month we'll learn what's new at Orban. Project Management Coordinator Marty Acuff will talk about DSP (digital signal processing) and how it's applied to audio processing and why that's important.
As usual our luncheon will be at Sinbads. Sinbad's is just south of the Ferry Building on the Embarcadero near the foot of Mission Street. Please RSVP to Karen Prasek at Zack's: 408-324-0551 x126 as we've been running out of tables and chairs. We meet at 11:30 and are seated at 12:30.

The following meetings are currently scheduled:

NOV 27TH - Peter M. Langtry -LOWNEY ASSOCIATES - Regulations regarding the operation, maintenance, and management of underground fuel storage tanks.
DEC - No luncheon meeting. But there will be a joint evening meeting with SMPTE at KRON-TV. JVC will do show and tell on their Digital S format. The meeting will be Thursday Dec 12th at 7 PM. KRON is at 1001 Van Ness Av., San Francisco.

The recent World Media Expo in Los Angeles was the last. NAB has elected to go on its own again and conduct a radio show without SBE, SMPTE, and RTNDA. SBE plans to link up with one of the major regional SBE conferences and conduct its business meetings and other affairs there. No date or location available at this time.
The certification test dates for 1997 are April 8th at NAB in Las Vegas, June 13-23rd and November 14- 24th locally. On the local test one date is picked in the range indicated.
The SBE Awards Banquet in LA honored Chapter 24 in Madison, WI for the best newsletter; Chapter 26 in Chicago for their frequency coordination efforts; Neal McLain for the best paper or program by an SBE member: "Geostationary Orbits"; James Stellpflug and Vicki Way of Madison, WI for best article, paper or program by a SBE student member: "The Magic of March"; Chaper 56, Tulsa, OK won for being the most certified chapter; and Chapter 29, Corpus Christi for the highest member attendance at chapter meetings;
Chapter 87, Holdrege, NE for the greatest growth in new members.
The SBE educator of the year was Michael Paul Scott of Tacoma, WA. The SBE Broadcast Engineer of the year was Leonard J. Charles of Madison, WI. And Martin "Sandy" Sandberg of Dallas was named Fellow.
Sandy impressed me with the fact that he'd once ridden gain on the board at Aimee' Semple MacFearson's radio station. Sister Aimee' was known for such utterances as "I don't want to hear the rattling of the small change break up the nice clean rustle of them dollar bills."
I decided to check the spelling of her name but a Yahoo search of the Web doesn't turn up either the Angeles Temple or the Four Square Gospel church, so what's the use? Probably can't find Billy Sunday either, but can find pong.

At the SBE banquet we had a moments silence for those killed in this tragic accident.
This report was posted on the radio newsgroup by Chip Kelley.
KXTX-TV-39 Dallas's TV tower collapsed this morning around 10:15 as workers from KXAS/KXTX were installing a new antenna. The cause of the 1500 foot tower's collapse is still not known. Supposedly, it should be able to sustain winds of 70MPH according to WFAA-TV-8. The collapse killed 3 workers.
The tower is in Cedar Hill, southwest of downtown Dallas in far south Dallas County. There are 9 towers at the Cedar Hill antenna farm.
In the process, all these stations went off: KDTN-2 (PBS), KDFW-4 (Fox "Fox 4"), KTVT-11 (CBS), KTXA-21 (UPN "UPN21"), KDFI-27 (Ind. "Hot TV27"), KXTX-39 (Ind. "Texas 39"), KZPS-92.5 (classic rock), KLTY-94.1 (contemp christian), KEWS-94.9 (CNN news), KSCS-96.3 (country), KLUV-98.7 (oldies "K-Love"), KRBV-100.3 (urban AC "V100"), KKDA-FM-104.5 (urban "K104"), KYNG-105.3 (hit country "Young Country"), and KOAI-107.5 (smooth jazz "Oasis"). My cable service had weak signals KPRC-TV-2 Houston and KMOL- TV-4 San Antonio while KDTN and KDFW were off until after 11AM.
Most were back on within an hour. I suspect loss of power knocked off some of these since all these stations do not use KXTX-TV's tower. KXTX-TV is still off, as are KRBV, KYNG, and KOAI.
WFAA-TV reports the 3 radio stations have no auxillary towers, which is why they are sill off. KXTX will attempt to deliver a feed to cable systems. Earlier in the day, the local all-news format on KEWS- 94.9 ended as it went to all-CNN Headline News (Infinity swapped Salem for its religious KDFX-1190 which will move to 94.9 in a few weeks). Tonight, KYNG's format has replaced CNN news on KEWS.

This is not the first time the Cedar Hill site has had accidents. In the 80s, a plane from the Dallas Naval Air Station in Grand Prairie took down a tower knocking off KDFW-4, WFAA-8, KSCS-96.3 and KZEW-97.9. KSCS and KZEW operated for quite a while from auxillary facilities. According to the channel 8 news report tonight, they, KDFW, and KXAS share a tower now, although 8 and KDFW are in the process of building a new one.
The workers killed worked for Doty-Moore which is the firm which has done a lot of work at Sutro. In fact one of the men killed had worked there only a few weeks ago. - ED.

Left to right: Roy Trumbull, Dick Parks, and Bill Ruck taken about 1982.