wrathofkahn.ORG

DATE: JAN. 26, 2005

WEEK 1: WEDNESDAYS WRATHFUL WORDS

 

This is the initial publication of wrathofkahn.org which we will try to fill with information, news and commentary mainly focused on matters of interest to broadcasters, including owners, engineers, programmers, investors, regulators and anyone who really cares about the future of Free Radio. Of course, as one who is heavily invested in the CAM-Dä  System, ("COMPATIBLE AM DIGITAL"), any of my displays of WRATH, while honest and deeply felt, are really, really BIASED. But this bias will not "cutoff" the truth and we will publish information about all IBOC systems, even if it really, really hurts.

 

To purloin a phrase, these "fair and balanced" truth statements will comprise:

 a) on-the-air reports by station operators with what we really, really like to call the NEW IBOC system, Cam-D, (on-channel IBOC System), and b) signed opinion pieces by real live experts, (no alias masked "experts" who better get out of town by sundown because they really, really are afraid of the dark), and experts you and I can trust, who will put their professional reputations on the line and sign their opinions on IBOC, satellite, FM, etc., as I have below. How do I know that they really, really are experts? Because I know most of them and I know they are known to be intellectually honest and have done really, really outstanding work in the past.

 

I, would also like to announce the start of a second WEB site, WrathofKhan.org which is ORGanized to publish a little more really, really "way out" stuff clearly outside of this galaxy even stuff of interest to readers that are not in broadcasting even mine and OTHER peoples views on political matters such as attempts to destroy the American 200 year old Patent System as a Hollywood "trade" for increased foreign copyright protection and the Early Warning National Security System and some really, really humorous pieces by published and unpublished authors Coming in FebruaryGod willing.

 

In conclusion, I chose this date, the date of Ruth Repetti Kahn and my xyzth anniversary (Ruth never wanted people to know how young she was) to honor her memory, the most un-wrathful person I have ever known.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are really, really accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

DATE: FEB. 2, 2005

WEEK 2: KDYL's on the air report of Cam-D operation

CAM-Dä RADIO (Compatible AM Digital) IS THE ANSWER

by Ralph J. Carlson President of Carlson Communications, Intl.

With the radio industry rushing to embrace Ibiquitys IBOC (in band on channel), I would like to point out the flaws in this system.

Here are nine points for consideration:

First Point  - Ibiquity is not in-band as it causes interference to adjacent channels with a hissing sound, thus causing reception  to be degraded on those stations. This interference should not be tolerated by the F.C.C. We are required presently to stay on our assigned frequency.  If we stray from our band, F.C.C. inspectors would fine us. Even a harmonic can get us in trouble. It should be no different with Ibiquity.

This interference can be detected even at great distances in other cities. Of course, if all the 50 KW stations install Ibiquity it could wipe out thousands of lesser powered stations across the U.S.  Already Canada has voiced concerns about the interference to their stations.

Second Point -Clear Channel and Ibiquity are championing a reduction to 5 KHz bandwidth. Their reasoning, though they deny it, is to give more room for Ibiquity. Also, they claim that no radios are capable of wide band above 5-6 KHz. This is incorrect, and there are radios capable of wide band (G.E. Super Radios, Grundig and others). I was always under the impression that AM Radio was to reach par with FM Radio at 15 KHz.  Also, the analog stations would not be able to broadcast in stereo. It will be years before IBOC even approaches 10% of the 800 million radios.  Meanwhile, all the AM analog stations would be handicapped with inferior broadcast systems. Talk about a disaster!

Third Point -The cost of conversion to Ibiquity requires spending thousands of dollars on new equipment, etc. Even the required erection of new towers and purchasing new transmitters will be beyond the ability of thousands of stations to convert. Thats not the end, though, as a license fee must be paid every year it is in use. A fee will be assessed on transmitters with Ibiquity.  Estimated costs can range from $150,000 to $400,000 or more.

Fourth Point -The IBOC System cuts down sky wave distance at night.  There are listeners other than DXers that are tuning in to distant stations. In Salt Lake City, KSL-AMs (1160) 50,000 watt signal is heard all over the west. Many people listen at night. With IBOC the signal will be impaired, and what does get out will be jumbled and not listenable. On top of that, the hissing interference will affect adjacent channels 1140, 1150, 1170, & 1180.

Fifth Point -The digital processing delay from mike to your speaker can range up to 8 seconds. A listener at a sporting event will see the action but the play by play will be delayed. But IBOC has a plan; they will go back to analog during sporting events. (This is progress?).

Sixth Point -The IBOC signal does not work well with directional antennas. There are hundreds of directional antennas in the U.S. that will be frustrated in this installation of Ibiquity. Already consulting engineers are trying to solve this problem.

Seventh Point -Ibiquitys signal gets interference from high power electrical lines. Find a  radio station in your town who is broadcasting it and check it out.

Eighth Point -Coverage of the stations signal will be cut down and not reach as far. Management will have to re-do their coverage maps. On the fringes of coverage with this IBOC Radio, the radio receiver will switch back to analog. It will be quite a trick to balance out volume levels while it pops back and forth between digital and analog.

Ninth Point -The IBOC system is proprietary, that is it is not an open market system. The backers are the large chain broadcasters and manufacturers that will require an annual fee forever.

There are other points that I can make, but they say dont criticize others work unless you have something better to offer. I believe that something better is the Kahn Communications CAM-D Digital Radio Broadcasting System.

1.) The Kahn Communications, Inc. CAM-D is up and doing what it promised on KDYL-AM 1060 in Salt Lake City. Tests on the spectrum analyzer show that it has a clean digital signal.

2.) We are delighted to be the first in the world to have this new digital modernization for AM Radio. Unlike the old IBOC System, CAM-D will not interfere with adjacent channels.

3.) CAM-D dramatically increases, and does not limit, sky wave coverage.

4.) CAM-D is fully compatible with the more than 800 million radios in America.

5.) CAM-D more than passes NRSC Standards with +/- 8 KHz bandwidth.

6.) CAM-D will utilize the several data channels that will alert the listening public about storms, road conditions, and national defense. 

7.) The installation cost to broadcasters is minimal compared to Ibiquity. It does not require purchasing new transmitters, tower antennas, or processors.

8.) There is no time delay from mike to speaker in your car, home or business.

9.) Interference from high power electrical lines is eliminated almost completely. The signal remains strong when going through road underpasses.

10.) CAM-D will work to improve the AM band, not take it backwards to 5 KHz. More wide band digital radios are on the horizon that will make AM even better.

All I ask is that stations look before they leap and not install something that will take the AM Band backwards. Call me at 801 268-8181 or Leonard Kahn at (212) 983-6765 for more information.

I, *Ralph J. Carlson President of Carlson Communications, Intl., truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

*Email: Ralph@kdylam.com

DATE: FEB. 9, 2005

WEEK 3: Cam-D^TM on KRCM by Ralph H. McBride, President and Owner of Voice Broadcasting

Editorial

As the second Cam-D^TM installation in America, we here at KRCM AM 1380 were optimistic.  At 760 watts day, and 98 watts night non-directional, we are the northern signal of a duopoly covering Jefferson and Orange Counties in East Texas (Beaumont/Port Arthur MSA), Arbitron market 132, with roughly 320,000 18+ population. We had installed Powerside on both stations back in 2002, and were amazed at the improvement in our coverage area then, with no increase in power.

As a local independent AM broadcaster, industry consolidation, increasing interference from many sources, and urban sprawl combine to put us at a tremendous disadvantage.  When we heard that the theory behind the Powerside was being included and digitally enhanced in the new Cam-D system Leonard Kahn was designing, we signed up to be one of the first to try the new technology.

It was a risk, since so much bad news was coming out in the trade periodicals about the Ibiquity system.  Reading about the Ibiquity system led us to believe that IBOC AM stereo would require having to buy a new transmitter, as well as suffer from a built in 8 second delay, cause increased interference by us and from others on our licensed spectrum, a reduction in robustness for the digital reception, reduced analog frequency response, expensive licensing fees, daytime only operation, etc. etc.  Considering digital stereo back then made me wonder if we could survive such a transition as a medium.

This January the long wait was over.  We installed our first Cam-D system on KRCM, and experienced a tremendous extension of our signal receivability, even over the Powerside operation!  I quickly drove the signal, and immediately confirmed to Leonard Kahn that I wanted the second Cam-D for my other station.

And then my biggest surprise came since I bought KRCM. We suddenly learned that KRCMs antenna was killing our operation, even before we took the station over. Since I am a Mechanical Engineer, not an EE, I have asked Leonard to explain the details on what happened:

We at Kahn Communications have always claimed that the POWER-side^TM

System, and now the Cam-D^TM Exciter, works with all antennas (and transmitters) and actually offers a broad banding antenna effect, especially in null areas.

Mr. McBrides KRCM provided an excellent example of 1) how well Cam-D works with a really, really bad old, rusted, detuned antenna, and 2) how Cam-D can be used to detect a detuned antenna, within a few minutes without even interrupting programming.

1. When the Cam-D was first installed at KRCM it immediately gave such a dramatic increase in coverage, EVEN OVER POWER-side, that Mr.. McBride sent us a check for a second unit. Not bad for operation with KRCMs old, arcing rusted antenna.

2. When installation started on the second (KOLE) install, we asked that the sidebands be reversed on the KRCM Cam-D and the arcing stopped, without cleaning off the rust, AND THE MODULATION Sensitivity  INCREASED BY 12db, four times the voltage! We then knew the reason this station never sounded loud and had such poor coverage for all these years. The install was interrupted for 2 hours while the antenna was retuned, at no cost to KRCM, and when KRCM went back to the desired sideband they, (ask Mr. McBride) never sounded, better, louder or had covered more area.

By next weeks, WRATH issue we will have both stations in our duopoly operational with Cam-D, and I'll share about a very different installation and technical plant in that installment.  In fact, I'll share about the ceremony we plan to have with the Mayor of Beaumont to throw the switch on the first full time digital AM talk radio station in America!  Everyone in Beaumont is excited.

I, Ralph H. McBride, President and Owner of Voice Broadcasting, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

DATE: FEB. 16, 2005

 

WEEK FOUR: Cam-D^TM System on KOLE by Ralph H. Mc Bride, President and Owner of Voice Broadcasting

 Continuation, Part II

When the Cam-D^TM system installation on our first station, KRCM,

1380 AM (last weeks Wrath), was so successful, I immediately exercised my option with Kahn Communications to buy a second Cam-D for KOLE .

 

KOLE 1340 AM is 1,000 Watts day and night, non-directional, licensed to Port Arthur Texas.  Port Arthur is on the gulf coast, just at the Texas border with Louisiana.  Being so near salt water, ground conductivity is very high, which extends our signal from Galveston to Lake Charles.  However, going north, ground conductivity becomes horrendous, making coverage a very serious problem.

 

KOLEs transmitter was center tuned according to the Harris instruction book for the MW-1 transmitter, at no cost by Kahn Communications installation engineer, providing optimum performance.

 

KOLEs transmitter/antenna plant performed even better than KRCMs older plant.  I first drove my signal to the north, which is away from the Gulf of Mexico, since the signal attenuates faster with the rapidly reducing ground conductivity in that direction.  I used my older truck for a more subjective measurement of receivability.  I know very well where my signal becomes unlistenable.  It has been my major constraint for many years now.  The radius of the signal to the north-northeast was extended by approximately 17%.  And that was above the old Powerside operation, which had already in its time, increased our receivability when it was installed in 2002

 

If you compare Cam-D operation to the  pre Kahn equipment install operation of 2002, i.e. with normal AM operation, the increase in coverage is conservatively 55%.

 

I next drove my Houston signal in my wife's new Avalon, which has a much better radio.  I lost the signal for both stations when I passed near Baytown, with a signal on 1360AM.  And then imagine my surprise when I picked up both KOLE 1340 AND KRCM 1380 in Houston itself fully 90 miles from Beaumont!   I was beyond twice the distance away from the transmitter of our predicted urban contour for either station!

Broadcast engineers tell us that receivability is so dependant on the quality of the receiver, interference levels, weather conditions, etc.  But as an owner, let me say this unit delivers, period.  I hope someday very soon that we have an abundance of digital stereo receivers in Beaumont and Houston.  But until then, I am providing the best, legal, extension of receivability for my market available now.  And when the new Cam-D equipped receivers get out there, we will be ready.

 

In my opinion, Cam-D is the bridge from regular analog AM, with all its fading and atmospheric problems, to a compatible digital system that enhances the medium, in its analog AND digital forms.

 

Last week in our studios before local TV cameras, we had our mayor of Beaumont, Evelyn Lord; throw the switch on the first continuous AM digital stereo in our market.  It is great to have something so exclusive to sell, with so much promise for AM broadcasters and their American audiences.  Everyone is excited about our compatible digital operations and the modernization of AM Radio.  It really means a bright future for our entire AM Radio Industry¹.

 

I,  Ralph H. Mc Bride, President and Owner of Voice Broadcasting, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

 

^1. A word from The WRATH

 

Mr. McBride is not the type of person who likes to speak of his or his broadcast companys achievements.  I had to sort of drag this out of him, so let me insert a word or two that has nothing to do with the Cam-D^TM System. 

 

Mr. McBride participated in "The Taste of the Triangle," a local event at the Beaumont, TX Civic Center, featuring food from over 60 local restaurants and media companies, with proceeds from ticket sales going to local charities.  There he competed with such little guys as every television station in the market, the main cable company, and even Clear Channel.  And, can you imagine he came out first, and clear channel came out as runner up in the competition for "Best Media Booth."  My guess is that Mr. McBride will keep Clear Channel "running up" as long as they are around.

 

WEEK FIVE: FEB. 23, 2005

 

Cam-D^TM Installation Notes by Timothy C. Cutforth¹, President and Owner of VIR JAMES, P.C., Broadcast Engineering Consultants.

 

I have installed the first three production Cam-D^TM installations and I would have to call them each a raving success.  Of course with any new technology there is a learning curve.  I expected that since I had installed 100 Kahn POWER-side^TM systems it would be a snap to install a Cam-D, but I found that the sweet spot for the adjustment is somewhat different than for the previous POWER-side and a few of the most important setup details are a bit different.  One significant result of the difference is that the Cam-D can be driven even harder than the POWER-side before audible artifacts appear once the sweet spot is found.  Who could imagine something that could be louder than a properly set up POWER-side?

 

There is a slightly different frequency response curve for the overall transmitting system (processor, Cam-D, and transmitter together) than resulted with the POWER-side, and that is part of the difference in finding the best overall audio chain setup.  One thing that is critical is not to clip before the Cam-D system.  Clipping ahead of the Kahn Cam-D system is not as detrimental to audio quality as it was with a POWER-side but the best results, by far, still come when the Cam-D is allowed to take care of ALL peak clipping.  A second thing that dramatically improves the quality for listeners is to keep the bass and sibilant frequencies out of the clipper.  If you feel you need to equalize or premphasize, please keep the highs below the clipper threshold...especially in the critical region around 2.5 to 3 kHz, where car radio IF filters tend to ring.  Your public will thank you and your listening times will rise dramatically...even if you don't have a Cam-D yet.

 

The installed performance of the first three Cam-D systems have proven the system to work well with the existing processing and transmitter technology. The first system was a music station with an Optimod 9100 processor and tube type transmitter.  The KDYL cymbals sing loudly and sweetly behind the vocals. And yet with heavy 125% positive modulation the energy at 10 kHz showed 40+dB down with a 10-minute spectrum analyzer scan. This was true on both the CCA 1 kW night transmitter as well as the Continental 316 10 kW Dougherty transmitter, each more than 30 years old.  The digital data energy is inaudible on an analog radio receiver even during pauses and since it is totally within the   8 kHz audio bandpass it cannot be observed with analog modulation present.  The next two Cam-D installations were on talk stations.  Both KRCM and KOLE have 1970s vintage Harris MW1-A transmitters. I found that KRCM was modulation and distortion limited by a poor ATU impedance match and after tweaking the ATU the KRCM signal went from loud to booming loud!

 

The final adjustment of the modulation density and peak levels is critical with these early solid-state transmitters (as with quite a few other transmitters!).  When pushed to the limit the clarity falls apart just a fraction of a dB beyond the loudest setting.  Clearly the Cam-D could push these venerable transmitters to the absolute limit of the linear modulation capability and yet be set to hold the absolute levels just below that limit.  Beyond the transmitter power and linearity capacity the distortion levels increase exponentially. Don't rely on the mod monitor alone to determine what setting is the loudest, since distortion products register on the mod monitor the same as audio does.  Listen and make the final adjustments based on audio quality.  If you can hear a rough edge on the voices you most likely have the clipper drive (density) or peak modulation set higher than the transmitter can handle and you need to back it down a dB. On the other hand if you have not run the level up enough to HEAR the roughness appear you really can't be sure how close you are to the transmitters maximum modulation capability and you may be 2, 3, or even 10 dB below the maximum useable modulation density level...you really still don't know what the transmitter can do. 

 

Overall what I have seen so far with my own eyes and heard with my own ears is an analog core signal that sounds better than ever, an analog core signal that has excellent transparency and apparent wide frequency response, an analog core signal that is more robust and that cuts through interference whether cochannel, adjacent channel, or power line noise, day and night, and an analog core signal that sounds clear and loud on car radios FAR BELOW the protected 0.5 mV/m level.

 

Finally, by the third installation there is not much mystery left to finding the sweet spot or how to set up the audio chain so that the whole system cooperates to produce a superior AM analog signal that extends the station coverage and improves the AM listening experience for everyone.

 

I, Timothy C. Cutforth, President and Owner of VIR JAMES, P.C., Broadcast Engineering Consultants, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

¹Tim Cutforth is a legend in broadcast engineering. When stations in Detroit, Houston, Miami and New York sound wimpy, he is and has been for many years, the man to call. The reason for his popularity is that he is comfortable with every single part of the broadcasting plant: narrowband antenna, sick audio processors, transmitters that run out of power at +125%, or a bad satellite feed, he knows them all. He is also known for getting results at the FCC, where he is well respected. His firm, VIR JAMES, has enjoyed a sterling reputation for over a half-century. And after all these years, he is still in love with AM radio. So now you know one of Kahn Communications secrets, we get Tim to do all of our out-of-town instals.

Mr. Cutforth is the first of a number of prestigious engineers to appear in the WRATH... I am so delighted that we now have a list of eminent engineers who will appear in future issues and share with you there latest thoughts on all phases of broadcasting.. it makes me feel so honored as to almost dissipate my WRATH. Leonard Kahn

 

wrathofkahn.ORG

 

WEEK SIX: MARCH 2, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

A REALLY WRATHFULCHALLENGE TO THE

OWNERS/USERS OF THE "OLD" IBOC SYSTEM

In my very biased opinion, it is about time to issue a "put-up-or-shut-up" DOUBLE DOUBLE challenge to those huge broadcast groups that think they can bluff their way into realizing a share of the TRILLION DOLLAR

(yes, thousand Billion dollar) receiver market they expect to create by obsoleting the almost billion working radios Americans own. Can you believe how naive they must be to expect the Public to allow that to happen and do they really expect the politicians to remain quiet while the voters start shouting?

 

But before I issue the CHALLENGE, I need to answer those friends, and some "unfriends," who are urging me to tell them just how the Cam-D^TM System works so as to satisfy skeptics, such as our competitor. They argue "Pat. Pending" will protect us and other such legal nonsense. They must think they can goad me into trying to do the impossible, convince my competitors to agree that Cam-D is the better system. That makes about as much sense as the Coca-Cola^TM firm being goaded by its competitors into disclosing cokes 100-year-old secret formula. It is not how Cam-D works, but what it does that counts. Just listen to any station broadcasting with Cam-D.

 

Nevertheless, when I was in knee pants you never double double dared anything you could not do yourself.. So... you now know of 3 Cam-D stations that are on ­the air, KDYL, KRCM, and KOLE.. Tune them in ANYTIME, day or NIGHT for proof that Cam-D isnt afraid of the dark.. Also tune to their first adjacent channels, you have never heard it so clean., then get a Clear Channel IBOC investor station in town to use a spectrum analyzer to further see the clean spectrum and, if they know where to look, see the 10 channels of digital data.. And THEN get them to drive any one of the Cam-D stations, since Clear Channel probably thought of trying to buy them, considering the HUGE INCREASE IN COVERAGE.. and also the Cam-D FULL HIGH FIDELITY sound.

 

Anyway, back to our CHALLENGE to those who threatened to bury me if I tried to compete with their ancient IB0C system.

 

IRREFUTABLE PROOF THAT THE "OLD"

AM IBOC SYSTEM VIOLATES FCC RULES

 

There are two separate indisputable means for proving that the system championed by the owners of the old IBOC system, including all of the major broadcast groups who own equity in that system, Clear Channel, Viacom, and Susquehanna Radio, etc., which cannot meet FCC Rules:

 

1. There is not one single report on file at the FCC, after 13 years of intensive efforts by Bell Labs and other prestigious researchers, proving that their system can satisfy FCC Rules and Regulations. (Arguably, there has been more money spent (wasted) on developing this fatally flawed System than any other radio system, including FM Radio and all AM and FM Stereo Systems COMBINED!)

 

2. None of the stations now experimenting with the old AM IBOC System, (when I last looked there were some 18 stations) have operated at night, they KNOW their system is afraid of the dark. If they really believe the System will work at night, WHY DON'T THEY OPERATE AT MIDNIGHT, THE PROPER TIME TO CONDUCT ON-THE-AIR TESTS? They don't need any permission to experiment late at night, IF they do not create interference. All of our Cam-D^TM test stations started initial tests after midnight to make certain that each of our test stations complied with all of the FCC Rules before they started FULL-TIME operations. Cam-D stations now have logged over 2500 hours of legal nighttime operation (over 5000 Full-time hours) compared with old IBOCs ZERO nighttime hours!)

 

The real bottom line is, the old IBOC system does not satisfy the basic rules of the FCC to guard against interference, and the Cam-D system does. If they did, they would be on full time, and no one would be so violently opposed to their system.  

 

ACCORDINGLY, I, LEONARD R. KAHN CHALLENGE ALL OLD AM IBOC DAYTIME STATION OPERATORS TO OPERATE FULL-TIME, FOR EVEN A SINGLE WEEK, JUST TRY IT... I EVEN DOUBLE DARE YOU!

 

And I, Leonard R. Kahn, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

cc: iBiquity, Viacom, Clear Channel and Susquehanna Radio.

 

Please note that the above-copied firms are hereby invited to submit their responses as long as the senior officer signs said response and uses the same affirmation statement that all wrathofkahn. ORG publications require.

 

WEEK SEVEN: MARCH 9, 2005

 

                                                                                                                                  

                                                                               

 

Welcome to WRATH... But since your visit may convince you to enlist in saving AM Broadcasting from those who wish to destroy it and sell it out. We want to make your visit most time efficient:

1.  If this week's article is written by me, or any other person employed by Kahn Communications, skip it for a future visit.. You know that we are biased.

2.  Click on the "previous weeks" button on the left side and scan the articles... Look at the authors... Station owners are relatively unbiased and they will view the controversy from the broadcasters side... Also they bought with their own money Cam-D^TM units and they can tell you if it was a good buy.

3.  See if any engineers that you respect wrote an article. The first one was by Tim Cutforth, President of VIR JAMES. If you know Tim, get his advice.

4.  After all that, if you have the time, read my WRATHFUL stuff and see why I am so  wrathy. And finally,

 5. Talk to the other side... Why not? But I make such a recommendation only if you promise to make your very last question to them... But how come it doesn't work in the dark?

 

Belated Answer to the '05 New Years Guy Wire Attack

 

It is now over three months since the "Dear Leonard" attack on me by the masked writer Guy Wire via Radio World's website and I have decided not to wait any further for an opportunity to respond, hopefully without helping sell more RW publications.  Therefore, please see the following which was actually written during the '05 New Years week and not updated. 

 

If you believe that RW was at least somewhat less than professional by providing a regular place for anonymous spokesmen for its main advertisers, you may find the history of how the Radio broadcasting press started on a slide down to a vanity press level over the past two decades interesting.  So let me spin-back the clock to the early 1980s when our industry first experienced what might be called "Real World" journalism when some magazines first offered for sale control of their contents to the highest bidder.

 

My wife, Ruth, (see her pre-illness photo above) and I were at its real start.  Believe it or not, Kahn Communications was RW's first major advertiser . . . and also most importantly the only one that paid on time, at least thats what the founding editor told me.  Anyway, this editor, who like RWs anonymous Guy Wire we will keep nameless, phoned me and invited himself to meet Ruth and me at our NYC home during a weekend.  He started our meeting with what appeared to be a general interview.  I thought he might be planning to provide biographical sketches for various participants in the Stereo War.  As this went into the late afternoon, Ruth took me aside and said that this chap seemed like he wasn't doing well financially and suggested we take him to dinner early so he did not have to stay overnight at a hotel.  Ruth was always concerned about people she thought were struggling.  So we took him to dinner across the street at a nice hotel where I made it clear he was my dinner guest.

Then the meeting got interesting.  The interview swung into substance meaning he wanted to know why my system was better than the competition: Motorola, Harris, Magnovox, RCA, etc. and I asked him what he would do with that argument.  He said he would publish it; after all I was his chief advertiser.  Frankly, I was shocked having reviewed articles for publication for the Institute of Radio Engineers, the IEEE and others and what he was suggesting to me was that he, the editor, would argue my case in his magazine as the view point of the magazine.  I told him that I would not go along with any such plan, and since he was just starting out I said he would destroy his credibility . . . he should be strictly impartial.

 

Sounds like I am patting myself on the back, ethics and all that good stuff, however, it also has to do with good business. I knew my competitors could and would once they saw RW was for sale, out-bid me.  You see, sometimes good business and ethics go together, but of course, he never really listened and so we have RW continuing on into the new century with the same new style journalism we have grown to expect, unfortunately.  With more of a preamble than you ever wanted, let me go back to my January response to Mr. Guy Wire.

 

FINAL RESPONSE TO RW's ATTACK PUBLICATIONS

My initial draft of this response was deemed, by close advisers, to be too legalistic obfuscating a clear response to an unfounded attack by an alias engineer's rewrite of the history of the AM stereo "war" falsely accusing me of "killing" AM Stereo by arguing too adamantly.. as though the Public cared what I, (an unknown engineer), said or even what GM, Ford, NAB, and NRSC said.  The Public rejected Motorola Stereo because of what listeners heard with their own ears... "platform motion" that made many listeners literally sick to their stomachs, and fatal flaw, Motorola stations lost coverage, EVEN FOR MONO RADIOS!  But Mr. Wire blames me.  Want my complete answer, visit the WEB... wrathofkahn.org.   

 

Let me opine on just one legal matter raised in Mr. Wire's personal attack on me, the Cam-D^TM system, and my business tactics... Mr. Wire deplores my use of trade secrets prior to issuance of patents, yet he hides behind an alias.  Also his full alias, Guy Wire, invokes a fact broadcasters will appreciate.. "guy wires" are generally considered inferior to "self supporting" antennas...My guess, gleaned from Mr. Wire's unsolicited business advice is that he is not "self supporting" and has never gambled millions of his own dollars on developing new technology. I have.. (not only broadcast systems) but the Patents that were key to such developments before ATT/BELL, issued large orders (Coastal Harbor Ship-to-Shore)..(Airfone) before Jack Goeken/GTE issued huge contracts, and a new Reading Machine for the blind...totally funded in-house.  I am not unique in risking large amounts of money in "growing" my business... independent station owners and engineering consultants repeatedly risk their fortunes and are true "self supporters." 

 

Issued Patents protect research investments, Mr. Wire, while a Patent Pending notice doesn't provide any protection against major infringers until a patent issues.  Publication, prior to patent issuance, just gives copyists a head start in finding ways to steal an inventor's work.

 

 Also when you attack my "proxy writer", I don't know whom you are talking about since I don't have one. But there are hundreds of real smart engineers who know why the system that you are pushing is not viable, and they don't need me to tell them why. If you are talking about a really, really great engineer, Mr. Mike Dorrough, who has done more real innovative work in processing speech and music than any other engineer in history Mr. Dorrough is no "proxy writer"... why don't you show a little respect?

Enough law and history, now compare, side-by-side, the old IBOC system with the new, 18 month old baby IBOC, Cam-D...

 

NIGHT & DAY

Old IBOC has NEVER, not for a single hour, worked successfully at night...

Cam-D has been on 24 hrs per day for over 2 months in Salt Lake City and has been on 24 hrs per day for over a month in Texas (and the Owner bought a second one, with an option for a third.)  We expect to deliver 10 units before June for other sections of the USA. 

 

COVERAGE

Old IBOC claims coverage to near 1 mv during the day, while Cam-D Stations, all 3 of them, claim huge increases in coverage BEYOND POWER-side, (PS) and these stations claim they cannot cover their 0.5 mv without PS.  (Contact KDYL, KRCM and KOLE, or drive their radials yourself.)

 

SPECTRUM

Old IBOC jams adjacents to the third channel.. see Clear Channel's early FCC report & my FCC analysis proving IBOC violates FCC Rules.. and U.S. Treaties.

Cam-D Spectrum using a 30 year old tube transmitter reduced interference FOR FIRST ADJACENT CHANNELS WITH TEN CHANNELS OF DATA..

Drive to a site a mile from the stations and check them out with your own spectrum analyzer.. Call for test procedures.

 

QUALITY

OLD IBOC

With the 800 million radios, 5 kHz "quality."With new radios.. "almost as good as FM."

 

But what about KRVN and the failure of Cam-D?

Well, KDYL's super engineer, Ken Meyer, installed Cam-D correctly and KDYL received a good percentage of Utah's Best Sounding Stations Contest votes in comparison with FM stations, using old Sony Kahn radios!  Make your own listening comparisons.. and coming soon inexpensive Cam-D super sound radios, with crawl LCD data displays and the Emergency Alarm Light. 

 

Listeners and the FCC will not care what NAB, NPR, Viacom, Lucent or even GM or Ford says.. just what the Public hears when they lose their nighttime game.  And when they hear the comparison with Cam-D, the contest is over, and the FCC will let the free marketplace rule, the American way.    

 

Future, developers and their financial backers, should never forget the Power of AM radio over satellite radio, the WEB, cable, etc... The Public's habit in tuning in, night and day, to their favorite station on one of the 800 million radios they bought with their own hard earned money.  No entity, public, private or international corporation, can overcome the PUBLIC'S WRATH if they dare attempt to turn-off Free American Radio. 

 

Want information on Cam-D operation, including reports from operating stations?  Get your free weekly subscription to "wrathofkahn.org" which will be "ORGanized" to only report "signed" expert opinions, on AM/FM, satellites, HDTV and anything else real live Experts want to publish..as long as they conclude as in the following: I, Leonard R. Kahn, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

Any entity specifically mentioned in the above may respond, if and only if, the firms senior executive personally signs using the above signing procedure.

 

WEEK EIGHT: MARCH 16, 2005

 

Stumblin' In by Frederick R. Vobbe,

Publisher, DX Audio Service.

Introduction by L.R.Kahn

BV (BEFORE VOBBE) THERE WAS NO Cam-D^TM SYSTEM

 

On February 28, 2003, at precisely 5:36 pm the challenge was issued that caused me the longest string of sleepless nights in my life, and when I don't sleep my associates Dr. Gordon & VP Salzman, and others, at Kahn Communications, Inc. (KCI) don't get that much rest either. It was Mr.Vobbe, who in a lengthy interview during which I described the reasons why the then sole system before the FCC for digitizing AM broadcasting violated basic mathematical spectrum concepts that made the "old IBOC" system a certain failure, his challenge reminds me of when I was six years old and this old guy, he must have been at least 25, challenged me to climb down the ladder off the pier leading to a lake in upstate New York. After convincing me I could do it and watching over my first few successful minutes of swimming until I was safely back up that ladder, he admitted his fear of water and couldn't swim and I had been on my own. BUT he had faith, as there was no theoretical reason I couldn't swim.

 

 But why was Mr. Vobbe interviewing me in New York City from his office in Lima, Ohio about a Bell Labs decade long development in New Jersey? Because I had attacked the system in a published opinion piece when it first was proposed, in the early 1990s. Also I had just (1/24/03) filed a lengthy formal submission to the FCC arguing:

 

1) That the FCC should appoint a "Blue Ribbon" Committee to investigate how the Commission processes petitions re complex new technology falsely relying on NAB committees using advisors with huge conflict of interest members and,

2) Why the proposed IBOC system would destroy AM radio and deny the Public its main source of information and emergency alarms, and was clearly a serious blow to the defense of our Nation during these dangerous times.

Then, at the close of the lengthy interview Mr. Vobbe asked the crucial question: Mr. Kahn are you saying that it is impossible to make a compatible digital system that does not destroy AM radio? The answer was "I see no such impossibility mathematically" and once again I found myself jumping in that cold water.

Mr. Vobbes final words to me sounded like a clear challenge to that six-year-old ego...

Thus Dear Reader you can credit Mr. Vobbe for his instigation as a blessing (my friends and KCI associates think so) OR the blame for just another WRATHful development from those wrathy Kahn guys who (surprisingly) haven't many friends at NAB, nor at Clear Channel, Viacom and the other owners of iBiquity.

"Stumblin' In",  By Frederick R. Vobbe

As a publisher of one of the National Radio Club's magazines I've reported on several issues involving broadcast. My magazine, the DX Audio Service, is an audio book on tape.  Unlike the print medium I have the ability to describe by example the issues we discuss.

 

The National Radio Club is a non-profit organization, and is made up of over 700 DXers and general radio listeners. Many of the members are keenly aware of the technical and real issues in broadcasting. The club has members in the trenches of engineering, programming, and finance. The club also has many people who depend on radio as their primary source of news, information, and entertainment. For example, the blind need a medium such as radio as their window to the world.

 

First, a little about me.  Although I was born in Ohio, I probably should have hailed from Missouri. I've always been skeptical of claims and statements made by people without substantial evidence to prove their claims. I want proof. Hard, indisputable truth! 

 

Sir Winston Churchill once said, "Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened." Stumbling over the truth seems to be a hallmark with advertising, political campaigns, and with various radio discussion areas. This has never been so evident as with discussions about AM radio.  Some stumbles trace their roots to misinformation, and sometimes a monetary reward can entice the writer to bend the laws of physics. 

 

The first stumble is that AM radio is "technically quality challenged", and this is why listeners are leaving for other mediums. AM radio's problem is content, not quality.  If quality is an issue, then why do so many teens and young adults listen to 24 and 32 kbps MP3 and RA files to get the content they want? Why are Ipod, Sirius, XM, Napster, Kazaa, and others so popular among my generation? Simply, it's about content.

 

To address the quality issue, for the past couple of months I have been preparing a report for our magazine titled, "The Quality of AM". In the audio report I demonstrate the plusses and minuses of the analog transmission.  To be blunt, the quality is not as bad as it's made out to be. In one of the tests I set up an AM transmitter, and FM transmitter, and used several common radios available to the public. I played selections of music and spoken word through the systems and asked listeners to thumbs up or thumbs down.  It was interesting to note that the average person had no problem with the quality of the AM test transmissions. 

 

In fact, in several sidebar tests I found the test station was more appealing to the listener than local commercial AM stations. The reason, I feel, was the differences in processors, quality of equipment, and the care in setup.  It should be noted that the AM test transmitter was an LPB Model 30B, fed by an Inovonics 235 audio processor. The output of the transmitter was fed to a 50W dummy load with RF probe, and the probe fed the transmitter's signal to a radio where the level was set to approximate a 2.5 mv/m contour and mixed with outside signals in the air. 

 

So, is the fact AM radio is struggling is due to technical issues?  As the guys on the Discovery Channel would say, "Sorry, the myth is busted".

 

Now, let me deal with Leonard Kahn. Leonard is outspoken, and brash, but I've never seen any proof that his claims are without merit. So when I saw his paper submitted to the Federal Communications Commission I took note. At the same time I was reading Leonard's thoughts, I was hearing a lot of discussion over the adjacent channel noise issue caused with Ibiquity's In Band On Channel (IBOC) transmission scheme. It was then I picked up the telephone and called Leonard for one part of a lengthy discussion.

 

Let me say for the record that I'm not against digital. It does have its place WHEN properly implemented. As a V.P. and Chief Operator for a network affiliate TV station, my station built and is operating a digital television station. Further, I have experimented with digital on the HF ham bands. However, the medium wave band implementation of digital often resembles the fights between cattle ranchers and farmers in the old west.

The cattlemen's needs to get their herds to market often had them encroaching on rancher lands. In the end, the rancher's crops and profits were ruined as the cattle stomped down the land as they propagated to market.

 

I was personally introduced to the issue of medium wave first adjacent channel interference one late afternoon when my wife and I were driving west on US-30 to North Dakota, via Chicago, in her 2001 Buick Century. The weather was turning bad and we wanted to hear the weather forecast to find out what we were driving into. I tuned the car radio to 720 kilohertz. 

 

Well within normal range of WGN, (a 50kw non-directional Chicago station), their programming was covered by a dull hiss making it hard to hear. At first I scrambled to see if it was my amateur radio, GPS, or cell-phone causing interference.  Then I noticed that the problem also persisted on WLW, a 50kw Cincinnati OH station on 700 kHz. The hiss was caused by WOR on 710, more than twice the distance of the other stations.  

 

Since that time there has been much discussion over this artifact. I can't say that I've seen a month go by where the second channel hiss was not brought up in some manner. Further, it's interesting to note both the passion and tirades in both camps.  I can't recall in my thirty years in the business where tempers raged, statements stumbled, and friendships parted.

 

A big stumble is the interference issue. I've heard it stated that interference is acceptable due to the "need" of transitioning to digital. Acceptable?  Since when is ruining something acceptable?

 

Still another stumble is that interference is only a wacky DXer issue. Each week my son and I attend a local HO train club meeting. One night I heard the fellow nearby say, "and I heard on WBZ" My ears perked up! I asked the fellow, who lives in Lima OH, if he really does listen to a Boston radio station. "Sure do", he said.  Another fellow chimed in that he listens to Detroit's WJR radio. At work I found employees listening to out of town AM radio stations such as WLW, and WTAM.  And, yes, I admit that while in the car I listen to WTVN in Columbus OH or CFCO in Chattam Ontario. Why?  See the paragraph above on program content.

As I lurk on E-mail lists, and listen to what people say on the ham bands, folks are conscience of the interference issue. Recently WTOP-1500's digital transmission lead to many a comment about interference to a station on 1520 in Brunswick MD, as well as stations on 1490 and 1510. A message in one list questioned if WLJM-940 should be concerned due to WWJ-950's digital transmissions. The author explained that while he was listening to WLJM, while driving through Findlay OH, he heard commercials for Findlay advertisers. WOWO-1190 had issues with WCHB-1200. WLAC-1510's transmissions were noted causing problems with WWKB-1520 and WTOP-1500. And when WSAI-1530 ran digital, many a comment was heard about the interference to WWKB. And it was amazing to see how many people listen to WWKB-1520 in Pennsylvania, and Virginia.  Still more amazing is how people notice it. Even before there was an NRSC standard I don't recall in history when adjacent channel interference was such an issue.

 

At this point, let me address a safety and security issue. As a co-chair of our area EAS district, and a communications officer for our county's Homeland Security office, I'm aware of the need for quick and precise emergency information.  During 9-1-1, the Blackout of August 2003, and many weather events, the public turns to radio.  I can remember many of my neighbors talking about listening to out of town radio stations to gain information on events.  Suppose we ruin the ability of the public to listen in the future.  Is it fair to the public, or again, are we driving our cattle across someone's grass?

 

Another stumble is that somehow this is my fault.  I was told in a radio list that because I own a GE SuperRadio III, Sony ICF-2010, Panasonic ST K-550, and a decent car radio, I am the problem. I need to adapt. I need to get a new radio. I need to quit standing in the road of progress. The author even indicated that my desire to listen to non-local radio on my 5-year-old receivers was holding back his ability to listen to crisp, clear, CD quality radio.  GASP! This isn't a stumble it's a major fall!

 

And now, allow me to fire a few salvos towards KCI, while I like Leonard Kahn for his honesty, I need to challenge Leonard on his CAM-D system. Leonard, I need to see the proof that Cam-D^TM works! 

 

I would suggest, Leonard, that you run Cam-D on all stations utilizing your system, 24/7/365. Likewise, stations running the Ibiquity system should run it 24/7/365.  No STAs.   Run your modes for 3 months, regardless of interference complaints. Let us radio listeners know what stations you're on so we can monitor them.

 

Cam-D needs to be tested on 1A stations, and possibly scenarios such as groups of stations like WSM/WFAN/WSCR, or WJR/WABC/WBBM, or WLAC/WWKB/WCKY, at the same time.  Will we have the same problem we have now on 1520/1530/1540 or not?

 

Cam-D needs to be tested on the local channels, such as 1230/1240, as well.  The local channels are the ones most likely to loose on any interference issue.  Let's see how well Cam-D works for them as well as protecting their close spaced neighbor.

 

I would like to see a Cam-D station operate whereby a significant amount of signal transitions into Canada or Mexico. After all, even if Canada and/or Mexico do not buy into Cam-D, they will have to deal with it. It's only fair that tests are made and each country has the opportunity to comment on the technical merits and protection to their stations.

 

I would also encourage you to test Cam-D on a station with an independent review committee.  Allow someone like myself to audit the test data. We would all feel comfortable knowing that what we read in the trades is honest observations, and not a P.R. writer's best take.

 

Leonard, you claim your Cam-D has the potential for EAS use.  Might I suggest focusing efforts to assist the LP-1 and LP-2 stations to cut down on program interruptions?  A secondary path in which to transmit messages of importance in an EAS system would be worth its weight in gold, IF it works!

 

I agree with your concept of a Blue Ribbon Committee, Leonard.  I think we, as broadcast professionals need an independent review process.  I would, however, take it further.  I suggest that this committee ruggedly test your system and Ibiquity's system by announcement, allowing the public to review and comment on the use and effects of the transmissions.  I think it's only fair that since KCI and Ibiquity are asking for this technology to be used on the public's airwaves, the public should have the opportunity to comment.

 

I look forward to your comments, and hope that my challenges to KCI do not ruin what has been a good relationship with club, our radio listeners, or myself.  My comments are not to stumble towards anyone's camp, but just to do the right thing for the public.

 

I, Frederick R. Vobbe, Publisher, DX Audio Service, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

Appendix

Fred Vobbe sent along some recent spectrum pictures taken on Monday, March 14, 2005.  The picture at the top shows three stations, (L-R) WIMA-1150, WOWO-1190, and WERT-1220 all operating in analog mode at 2:25PM. The bottom picture shows the same stations, this time with WOWO transmitting hybrid digital at 12:37PM.  Fred commented that he believes that this was WOWO's first day testing, and he took the pictures after discovering the signals while tuning from WERT to WIMA.

 

 

   

 

wrathofkahn.ORG

 

 

DATE: MARCH 23, 2005

 

WEEK NINE:

 

JUST HOW BAD IS THE IBOC-ui SPECTRUM? YOU WOULDNT BELIEVE IT!

 

The following analysis is of the spectrum of the IBOC-ui system, where ui stands for "under investigation". I know I have heard all those jokes as to what it really stands for, very clever, but somehow I an not sure the FCC has a sense of humor or it would have caught the real joke; a radio system that doesn't work at night!

 

You may be surprised how simple the calculations of this analysis are so that any intelligent layperson can understand it. That was the genius of my mentor, Mr. J.L. Finch. As discussed in the following July 2004 FCC filing, he used the basic logic of mathematics to relieve the tedious, time-consuming calculations that even in this computer age make some problems incapable of solution using standard procedures. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the following.

 

Please note that this analysis was submitted to the FCC over eight months ago and I sent copies to Lucent and other supporters of the IBOC-ui system. By now, given the fact that Bell Labs still has world-wide respected mathematicians, don't you think they would have attacked the Finch style analysis if there was a flaw, I do.

 

Finally, I have had the great honor of knowing and working on projects with some superb engineers and mathematicians from Bell Laboratories, but prior to Lucent taking control. Thus, the present IBOC system is not, and I believe, would not be sanctioned by the good old Bell Labs. Furthermore, Bell Labs. pre-Lucent, made its own technical decisions and wasn't forced to support substandard technology. Accordingly, I do not want anything I say here or any remarks made by Wrath guest experts to be considered to be disrespectful to former Bell Laboratory Scientists or those still at Bell Labs finishing out their prestigious careers.

 

PROOF OF THE ASTONISHING FACT THAT THE IBOC SYSTEM UNDER INVESTIGATION VIOLATES FCC RULES BY OVER A HALF A MILLION TIMES

 

As pointed out in the June 14th filing, because of the Sampling Theorem the sampled 15 kHz wave has to be present well within the sweep of the spectrum analyzer to provide the required resolution. Actually, the fact that the carrier structure used by IBOC-ui stations is present even absent program material, resolves the question. These components are present all the time. (See the Important Comments of Chad. Hutton that by a very conservative analytical procedure he has proved that the "IBOC sub carriers are each transmitted 100% of the time.")

 

This then means that all we must do is multiply the test period as required by 47 CFR, 73.44, i.e. 10 minutes, 600 seconds. The following type of analysis will now be named "Finch Analysis "in honor of Mr. James L. Finch, the man in the 1950s who was RCAs highest analytical authority, revered and admired by all of us in his 20 man RCA team, respected for his genius by Bell Labs, and venerated by the Navy as its Chief Communications Consultant and as the designer of the Jim Creek Mountain Antenna for long wave transmissions to submerged submarines. Mr. Finch was a Mechanical Engineer by training and used mechanical engineering techniques to solve some of the must complex problems in communications engineering.

 

Now, let us describe one of the techniques, which will be applied to the most difficult problem of determining by just what factor IBOC-ui stations violate FCC rules. The "Finch Analysis" we adopt herein is a form of "worst case" determination and is based on a single unchallengeable Law of Nature.

 

In the instant case, laymen readily understand the law I use. A worst-case analysis is, for example, commonly used by mechanical engineers in the design of structures, such as the design of bridges. Clearly, the designer is most concerned that under any foreseeable condition the structure does not fail, and of course, the designer will then provide generous safety factors. In this IBOC-ui case, we will assume that the "worst case" factors are always made most favorable to IBOC-ui stations.

 

First of all, let us state the basic law of physics that controls this analysis.

Energy = Power x Time

For example your electric bill is in kilowatt-hours. Surely, such a simple relationship satisfies the "Finch Analysis" criterion, especially since only a single Law of Nature is used in the entire analysis.Now, let us determine what the energy of an IBOC-ui signal is under conditions most favorable to the IBOC-ui station. Clearly, if there is no program material present,

("dead air"), the IBOC-ui signal energy is minimized. Under these "dead air" conditions, the designers of the IBOC-ui system could not do more than fill the FCC power "mask." Thus, we choose to accept a most favorable condition for the IBOC-ui signal and provide no safety margin or even space for the components created by the program material. (Published spectrum photos of WOR off the air indicate that only a small safety factor was used to maximize coverage.) But in any case, it washes out in the final step of the analysis.

Since the spectrum frame components are present all the time, we can just make the simple arithmetic calculation: Energy = Power of Framework x 600 seconds, as the test time under 47 CFR 73.44, is 10 minutes.

 

The next step is to determine the energy of the analog signal splatter. This is, of course, by FCC rules a condition that can only occur once every 10 minutes. Again, we must agree to the "best case" situation for this calculation so as to favor IBOC-ui stations. Actually, it is a practical impossibility for an analog station to produce splatter components that fill the "mask" power levels. There is no way that an analog signal could produce such a spectrum signature from the statistics of voice and music. The only situation that remotely would fit would be some sort of parasitic oscillation that was "clean" for 10 minutes and then suddenly becomes parasitic for a millisecond - Not very probable. Clearly, this analysis is not applicable to defective transmitters.

 

 From the well-known statistics of voice and music, the most powerful component of such waves would fall at approximately 500 Hz which would, if producing maximum negative over-modulation, be the condition which produces the largest amount of splatter, i.e. carrier "pinch off" which amounts to a duration of 1 ms (1,000 of a second). Over-modulation by higher frequency components would probably do a better job of creating interference more closely approximating the "mask," but this would make the duration of the splatter even shorter and less favorable to the IBOC-ui station.

So we conclude with a simple approximation:

 

Energy of lBOC-ui = 600,000 x (Energy permitted by present rules),

A LITTLE MORE THAN A HALF A MILLION TIMES.

 

Note:   Some IBOC-ui stations believe that the problem of interference can be solved by a 6 db reduction in the IBOC-ui signal. Thus, they conclude that instead of a 50 kw station transmitting full power, all they need to do is drop it to 12.5 kw. Unfortunately, the instant analysis indicates that the factor has to be 600,000 reducing the 50kw station to less than .1 watts...To be precise 83.33 mw...mw is a thousandth of a watt. Thus, those IBOC-ui stations who think that they can cure the interference problem by reducing power by 6 db (4/1) are wrong by over a 150,000 times!!!

 

March 22, 2005 Update

Now just a few words to update the above 8 month old filing with the FCC. During this period much has happened. Early in October 2004, we had the first successful Cam-D^TM System installation at KDYL in Salt Lake City, followed by two more in the Beaumont-Houston TX market, KRCM and KOLE,all working 24 hours day & NIGHT. And just yesterday we had another Cam-D install. This station is expected to announce the event shortly in the WRATH. The important thing is that not only do these stations not increase interference, they actually reduced interference even to THEIR FIRST ADJACENT CHANNEL NEIGHBORS. Check it out yourself if you are close to the stations or have a friend in the market check it for you. Also get them to check the huge increase in their COVERAGE.

Maybe more importantly, in the past few weeks a number of IBOC-ui stations went on that provide experimental proof of the above Finch Analysis. See for example last weeks WRATH by Mr.Voppe.

 

Finally, we at Kahn Communications confirmed the fact that the 600,000 times interference figure is conservative. Each time we do the final tests on Cam-D, we make certain that the interference caused by our system does not violate FCC Rules, the REAL RULES. When you put on a new system, no one, especially not your friendly FCC Inspector, can hear ANY increase in interference. We had to drop the level of the digital signal over 60 db, a million to 1 in power. Therefore we, as expected are conservative, but who cares if the IBOC-ui Buzz is a million or 600,000 times too loud, THE FCC SHOULDN'T.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

WEEK TEN: MARCH 30, 2005

 

THIS 10TH WEEK IS REALLY, REALLY WRATHFUL

Hopefully, we will soon be back to publishing reports of new stations on-the-air results using the Cam-D^TM System. The 4th station seems to like the results, they are ordering FOUR MORE Cam-D Boxes, and we are installing the 5th & 6th stations during the next three weeks... However, before we get back to the "good-stuff," I am being forced to respond to some really silly stuff from those who apparently have picked the wrong technology when they supported the "iBOC" system. First of all, I now am being attacked for not participating in NABs committee games, the same committees that reduced your fidelity, gave you the ringing filter, and destroyed AM Stereo by helping cause the FCC to abandon the American Free Marketplace System, and the same group that drove Major Armstrong to waste years of his life delaying his FM masterpiece. No way will we ever get suckered into allowing KCIs work to be destroyed by committees heavily controlled by Clear Channel and Lucent, or any other powerful organization. We may not be too smart, but we are not quite that stupid.

 

But the real, real reason for this weeks WRATHLY WRATH is the continuous mantra, the chant telling us to disclose how Cam-D works. Bell Labs and anyone who can do a patent/ IEEE literature search knows all they need to know about how Cam-D gets the dramatic increase in coverage and also almost eliminates power-line buzz and fading.

(The same way it is now alleviating, but, of course, not eliminating fatal flaw iBOC BUZZ JAMMING.)

 

Therefore, for you Dear Readers who do not have the time to do such searches, I will now publish for the FOURTH TIME (IEEE Transactions on Broadcasting, Vol. 34, No. 3, Sept. 1988 and simultaneously in Japan's "Broadcasting Engineering"Vol. 41, No. 8, also the Radio Club Transactions where Major Armstrong published after returning the IRE FM award) text re the POWER-side^TM advantage.

 

POWER-side provides only half the increase in coverage of Cam-D, but the theory is almost the same. But how about the data details; not until patents issue. But didn't you notice that Bell Labs isn't disclosing its detailed information while their patents are still pending. Don't we still believe in private property? If I hear anymore of this nonsense, I may really, really get WRATHFUL!

 

WHAT IS POWER-side?

 

The POWER-side^TM system is a form of amplitude modulation which offers some of the transmission advantage of single-sideband (SSB) and which is compatible with both envelope-detector type receivers and SSB receivers incorporating synchronous demodulators. Furthermore, since a POWER-side signal better matches SSB receivers than does a conventional AM signal, this new form of transmis­sion should help to expedite the widespread use of these superior SSB receivers.

Block Diagram of a Practical Power-side^TM Transmission system

FIG. 1 shows, in block form, the basic structure of a POWER-side system. The audio signal, that comprises all of the necessary components for monophonic listeners, feeds a de-emphasis circuit. This de-emphasis circuit should be adjusted to match the inverse of the pre-emphasis curve used by the station. Thus, a signal with relatively flat frequency response should appear at the output of the de-emphasis circuit. The output of this circuit feeds an attenuator, which reduces the audio level so that the signal has a level that will produce a weaker sideband approximately 15 dB below the stronger sideband.

 

Figure 1.

In other words, assuming the total envelope modulation produced by both sidebands is 100%, the sideband level for the weaker sideband should cause approximately 15% envelope modulation and, therefore, the stronger sideband is increased from a level that would normally cause 50% of the envelope modulation to one that causes 85% of the modulation.

The output of the attenuator feeds one of three equal sections that produces the desired increased pre-emphasis for the weak sideband. The first segment of Section 1 is actually a low pass filter with a "stop" region limited by a bypass stage.

The second segment of Section 1 introduces a rising response characteristic, which is greater than the effect of the prior block. Accordingly, the overall effect of the two segments is to produce a characteristic peaking at 5 db, for 5 kHz (relative to 500 Hz).

Sections 2 and 3, since they are identical to Section 1, make for a total response of three times that of Section 1, i.e. producing a 15 db peak on the weaker sideband.

As shown in FIG. 1, the output of the de-emphasis circuit, in addition to feeding the increased pre-emphasis circuitry for processing the weaker sideband, feeds an amplifier. This amplifier causes the audio level driving the stronger sideband to be proper to elevate the level of the sideband to 85% of the total envelope modulation at 1 kHz. The output of the amplifier feeds an "all-pass"network, which has a phase characteristic that closely approximates that of the overall additional pre-emphasis network in the weaker sideband path. Accordingly, the two sidebands should be approximately in phase, maximizing envelope modulation.

The two-path audio processing system feeds the appropriate L and R inputs of an independent sideband type AM stereo exciter, such as Kahn Communications' Model STR-84.

For example, if it is desired to enhance the lower-sideband, the output of the all-pass" network is connected to the L input of the exciter and Section 3 output is connec­ted to the R input. The stereo exciter causes the transmitter to produce the desired POWER-side RF wave. It should be noted that a "stereo effects" wave may be added to the audio signal feeding the weak sideband so as to enhance the wave received by stereo listeners. The "stereo effects" signal can take many forms, including a special stereo component or certain stereo sounds such as "crowd noise" for a sporting event (A future paper is planned to dis­cuss further POWER-side developments as well as those pertaining to stereo transmissions effects.)

Reduction of Sideband Cancellation Effects

The classical amplitude modified wave has a serious weakness. The two sidebands of an AM wave are of equal amplitude, thus making the wave particularly sensitive to the relative phase of its three components. For example, if the carrier is rotated relative to the sidebands by 90 degrees, the wave is converted from a pure amplitude-modulated wave to a form of phase modulation (quadrature modulation) where there are no desired signal components present in the envelope of the wave.

 

In other words, the fact that the sidebands are equal in amplitude makes it possible for the desired demodulated audio waves derived from the two sidebands to completely cancel under certain conditions, such as selective-fading multipath conditions, etc.

 

Since the sidebands of a POWER-side wave are unequal, it is a much more rugged wave.

For example, conventional equal amplitude sideband AM waves suffer from a complete loss of fundamental mod­ulation whenever the carrier is shifted odd multiples of 90 degrees; i.e., 90 degrees, 270 degrees, etc, In com­parison, the POWER-side- wave loses only 2.7 dB under these same conditions

(See FIG. 2)

 

A beating sound is most annoying and creates far more listener annoyance than does normal interfering speech or music. Thus, a clean voice signal (absent beating effects), say 30 dB below a desired signal produces far less disturb­ance than does a voice signal having the same level but suf­fering from beating effects.

 

The term "carrier beating" is generally used to describe this phenomenon. However, it is believed that this term is not truly descriptive of the problem. Typically, co-channel interference beat rates are less than a few Hertz. Such low fre­quency waves are greatly attenuated by the frequency response of a receivers amplifier and loudspeaker system. Indeed, listeners cannot hear such low-frequency sound waves even though they can feel very-low-frequency vibrations.

 

One can hear the slow variation in noise level caused by the variation of gain of AVC controlled amplifiers. However, even moderately severe co-channel Interference of 20 dB, causes the gain of the AVC controlled amplifiers to vary by only 1.74 dB, and for interference 30 dB, below the desired signal the total variation is 0.5 db.

 

Actually the phenomenon that listeners do hear might best be called "sideband beat. The fact that sidebands beat undernormal interference conditions can be understood by considering the following situation where:

 

1) The frequency of the desired (strong) signal is 900 kHz and the weaker

co-channel carrier is 1 Hz higher, i.e. 900.001 kHz.

 

2) The desired signal is temporarily free of modulation. ("Dead air"); and

 

3) The interfering signal is modulated by an 1 kHz tone.

 

Since the stronger (900 kHz) carrier dominates the demodulation process. (The envelope detector controls the switching function) the lower sideband will produce a signifi­cant demodulation product at a frequency of 999 Hz. The upper sideband produces a demodulation product having a frequency of 1001 Hz. Both of these equal amplitude waves easily pass through the receivers audio system and are aud­ible to listeners. The beat rate caused by the difference in the frequencies of the upper and lower sideband demodulated audio signals will be 2 Hz, or two times the carrier frequency difference. (See Appendix A.)

 

Thus, under normal two-station co-channel interference conditions, the receiver output will be contaminated with two distinct audio signals having a difference in frequency of two times the carrier error.

 

Referring to FIG.2, it is seen that conventional AM waves suffer a wide range of effective modulation, from full to complete nulls. On the other hand, a simplified analysis shows that a Power-side wave only suffers a total variation of 2.7 dB, under the same conditions.

 

In order to experimentally verify the reduction of co-channel beat type interference, a simple, but convincing, experiment was performed. A multi-system AM stereo "boom box" type portable radio, Sanyo model MW-250, operating in the monophonic mode, was tuned to two POWER-side stations (WMCA 570 kHz, New York, and WTHE 1520 kHz, Mineola, Long island) at Kahn Co­mmunications laboratories in Westbury, New York.

 

The output of a Hewlett Packard model 6068 signal generator was loosely coupled to the input of the Sanyo MW-250 receiver. One of the two POWER-side stations was tuned in and the signal generator was adjusted to match the received carrier frequency within 2 Hz.

 

The output level of the signal generator was adjusted for maximum beat effects, indicating that the signal generator was producing the same signal strength as the received broadcast signal. The output attenuator of the signal generator was then switched, so as to raise the level of the signal generator by 20db. This properly simulated a strong unmodulated local signal being interfered with by a POWER-side signal. The resulting audible interference from voice and music signals was almost completely free of any beat-type phenomenon.

 

For comparison, the receiver was tuned to WOR a New York station transmitting a conventional AM signal and the same procedure produced the very annoying conventional beat-type sound. It is believed that this simple test produced excellent substantiation of the reduction of the so-called  "carrier beat" phenomenon by use of POWER-side transmission.

By reducing the sensitivity of the AM wave to "Sideband Beating", the widespread implementation of the POWER-side system should significantly reduce co-channel interference effects.

 

APPENDIX A

 

Analysis of Co-Channel "Sideband Beat"

The amplitude of the "Sideband Beat" of a co-channel interfering signal is a function of the relative amplitudes of the interfering wave and the desired wave, under practical operating conditions, the desired signals at least 20 dB greater than the interfering co-channel wave. Accordingly, the envelope-detector performance closely approximates the performance of a product-type detector in that the strong local carrier controls the "switching function" of the envelope detector, (Communications engineers will recognize the similarity of this operation to "exalted carrier detection which was used in early short wave SSB receivers.)

As pointed out above, the phase of the local carrier rela­tive to the interfering carrier is a function of time, and under typical conditions the angle between the two carriers is an unbiased random function, i.e. a rectangular density function.

 

When there is a specific frequency difference between the two carriers; for example, a 1 Hz error, the beat fre­quency will equal 2 Hz (two times the carrier difference fre­quency), two times the random frequency errors that would even apply to phase-locked "synchronous" stations. Such random frequency errors are functions of propagation characteristics, receive location, etc.

 

As mentioned above, the most important phenomenon in terms of co-channel interference is the dramatic variation in audio level of the undesired signal as the angle between the two carriers swing over a cycle. When this angle reaches 90 degrees, or any other odd multiple of 90 degrees, the amplitude of the fundamental Fourier component is nulled, leaving a slight amount of second harmonic distortion. (The reason the distortion is small is that the desired carrier causes the envelope detector to approximate the action of a product demodulator, greatly reducing the quadrature dis­tortion effect).

 

It is useful to determine the amplitude for the complete range of relative carrier phases between the desired and undesired signals over a 0 to 90-degree region (At angles beyond 90 degrees the amplitude repeats this same shape).

In the following equations, the RF terms, DC terms, and the sub-audible low frequency terms generated by beating the two carrier frequencies are deleted. Thus, the analysis can be restricted to multiplying the local carrier by the two co-channel interference sidebands. It is assumed that the sidebands from the co-channel interfering signal are produced by a single-tone modulation and with a modulation factor of m. It is also assumed that the local stations carrier has amplitude of K volts and the interfering carrier has amplitude of unity.

          

Thus, the amplitude of the sideband beat wave follows the absolute value of a cosine wave, which is a well-known wave-shape in radio engineering; i.e The output of a resistance-loaded full-wave rectifier.

 

 

Now Dear Friends, if you want any more details, DO NOT CALL, WRITE, E-mail, OR TELEPATHICALLY CONTACT ME.

You really shouldn't ask us to give away all the hard work Kahn Communications has done all these years, we are a private firm and if you want us to remain those nice guys from New York please do not ask us to commit commercial suicide.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are really, really accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

 

wrathofkahn.ORG

 

WEEK 11: April 6, 2005

 

THE EWNS PLAN FOR DEFENDING AMERICANS FROM

BIOTERRORIST ATTACKS AND HOW AM RADIO CAN HELP

 

BRIEF BACKGROUND TO AMERICA'S MOST SERIOUS THREAT

 

I wish to devote this week's WRATH to a subject of great importance, the EWNS System and hopefully convince you Dear Reader to help sell it to the Public. The procedure I would like to discuss with you is one for helping avoid potential huge losses of American lives because of expected bio-terrorist attacks by deranged individuals who are willing to give their lives as part of a plan to destroy America and all of modern civilization. 

 

This new technique may also be useful in case we are endangered by the spread of natural fatal contagious diseases, such as occurred during the influenza epidemic of 1919 when some 20 million died in 4 months even though the world's population was only one third of today's population.  Actually this week's subject is quite timely as the President just last weekend announced plans to protect us if the Avian Flu, now rampant in Asia, starts attacking human beings... there is so much concern because it is estimated that this form of flu would be 70% fatal, whereas normal flu is 1 or 2% fatal.  May I recommend two books; non-fiction "Germs" by Miller, Engelberg, and Broad and a novel... a real page-turner, "Pandemic" by Dr. Daniel Kalla (soft-cover under $10) who not only provides some dramatic, but authoritative, medical situations, as well as some well-rounded interesting mid-Eastern Arab characters, a great read.

 

HOW DID EWNS GET STARTED?

 

It was one of those things, you know, you wake up in the morning with what you think is a good idea and then you discuss it with your wife and other people you respect... And all of a sudden you find that you are spending inordinate amounts of time studying things that you didn't ever really want to learn about, terrible diseases, "improvements" on small-pox... and other "designer" diseases that turn your brain into mush... and the unbelievable inhumanity of those taught from birth to hate. 

 

But harking back to gentler times, when I worked in R&D at RCA, my mentor James L. Finch, explained to me it is best not to know too much about a subject you wish to research, because you will be biased into thinking the status quo is the only way you should do things, instead of having an open, unbiased mind.    

 

Therefore, when I got involved with this new thought, which I call:  The Emergency Warning National Security System (EWNS) . . . Note since I have trouble with all these letter combinations remember:  East, West, North, South).  I then had to seek out medical information from the best people I know...  Professors of medicine at New York Cornell, the Rockefeller University, etc.  But my problem was, once I got these medical experts interested, I thought I could then go back to my normal work schedule, but as usual, I was wrong, it wasn't that easy. 

These eminent doctors are awfully busy people saving lives and they quickly shamed me into attempting to do the job I thought they would do... sell the concept (by myself) to my favorite group of people, the Government.  You know, the same people that gave me such a great time with AM stereo and who are now giving me such a great time, at least some of them, but not all, with digital radio.  But to my surprise, I did get some real interest in Washington and was invited to give a lecture on something I didn't know a thing about, contagious diseases and of course, the EWNS system. 

 

One more bit of introduction before I disclose to you some details, but not all... that would take a book, regarding this technique.  Now as Ms. Mulholland, our latest associate working on the WRATHOFKAHN.ORG immediately questioned... What about the Right to Privacy and do you really want "big brother" to be further involved in medical tests?

 

My answer is very simple, we have no choice.  The fundamental duty of government is to protect human life.  Indeed, in the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, in the list of unalienable Rights, that among these are life...  And in the Constitution the first paragraph includes the following; insure domestic Tranquility and provide for the common defense.  Surely, the defense of American lives trumps the right to privacy.  It seems clear to me that when thousands and maybe millions of lives are at risk, that asking us to take the slight risk of invasion of our privacy is an acceptable situation.  Furthermore, I believe that I can demonstrate that by taking a relatively few simple steps we will fully protect, what we all agree is an extremely important right, the right to privacy. 

 

Now let me provide a three-year-old disclosure, which describes the 2001 original EWNS Plan: 

 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF EWNS PLAN    April 12, 2002

FOR EARLY WARNING OF BIOTERRORIST ATTACKS [1]

 

As first proposed by the undersigned to the Administration in mid-October 2001, the Early Warning National Security Plan, ("EWNS Plan"), would enlist the American Public to help detect where and when individuals are FIRST EXPOSED to a bioterrorist attack.  Such a procedure is clearly superior to programs that gather data from victims AFTER THEY SUFFER FROM SEVERE SYMPTOMS and finally seek medical assistance when it may be too late to save them, and when it is certainly too late to avoid exposing others.

 

The EWNS system would enlist the American public to devote a few hours, just one day per year, to visit a Health Monitoring Center to provide a blood sample, nasal swab, saliva test and other useful, easily performed tests.    

By enlisting all able-bodied citizens to participate in the program, health officials are assured of an enormous sample of people, (approximately 500,000 per day), all over the country, providing a continuous early warning alert of any attacks.  (These figures assume that only 65% of the total population enlists in the program.  Even this minimal effort would provide data from 870 Americans residing in the state with the smallest population, Wyoming, every day of the year!) 

The last three numbers of Social Security numbers can be used to assign the week, (not day), of a citizen's service. 

 

The Health Monitoring Centers would be open seven days a week, during convenient hours, and would be located at libraries, schools, fire-houses, hospitals, etc.  By arranging for tests to be performed every day, all over America, by a huge number of individuals, locations where individuals are being exposed to serious disease will be quickly pinpointed permitting extremely rapid response to terrorist attacks, as well as natural disease outbreaks. 

 

Clearly, we all must be concerned that America will be targeted for biological attack in the immediate future and therefore the Government must activate this type of plan immediately, before it is too late.

 

Of course, a most important part of any such plan is the safeguarding of the Public's right to privacy.  The EWNS Plan incorporates strict safeguards for protecting such basic individual rights.

 

As a most important byproduct of the EWNS Plan, Americans will be enlisted as "troops" in the war against terror, permitting them to make a meaningful contribution to their Nation's defense.  This will help overcome American's natural tendency to avoid dwelling on unpleasant matters, which has made us vulnerable to unexpected attacks in the past and that can now destroy our country, the avowed object of terrorists.  In any case, even if somehow we can free the World of the danger of terrorist attacks, the EWNS plan will protect us from natural disease attacks, a problem that can be expected to remain a threat to the human race far into the foreseeable future.

 

Conclusion & April 6. 2005 Update

 

The Founding Fathers indicated their view of priorities for the American public:  Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.  For radicals of the right or radicals of the left to force millions of Americans to risk their lives because of their extreme distrust of Government is unacceptable. If extremists are suicidal, they should not be permitted to control the Government so as to paralyze it from carrying out what clearly is its most basic function; defense of its citizens.

Please note how important it is that large numbers of Americans be induced to cooperate.  Without those large numbers, we will not be able to pinpoint the natural or man made attack and avoid these terrible diseases from spreading beyond control. Furthermore, there is a safety in numbers regarding the privacy matter.  Suppose we only had one or two percent of the population patriotic enough to cooperate and wouldn't it be easier to identify somebody with a disease that we shouldn't be investigating.  Using an extreme analysis, suppose only one person went to the sample collection location for a week wouldn't that permit some unauthorized testing for say AIDS.  To know exactly who had the disease, if there were 10,000 in the week, that person would become a statistic, rather than an individual.  And what's more who could afford doing all these tests, the huge number would preclude the tests from a cost standpoint alone. 

 

BROADCASTERS HAVE A KEY ROLE IN THE EWNS PLAN

 

Now, finally why am I bothering you, Dear Broadcaster, with the EWNS Plan, because who else can convince and enlighten the Public of the importance of such a system and overcome those who would rather they, and their neighbors, died, rather than take a few hours per year serving their Country, or being forced to pay a fine? 

 

Now let me discuss reasons why the EWNS system is of special importance to AM Broadcasters... because, God forbid we are attacked by a bioterrorists or even natural pandemics... AM radio is the best medium to alert the Public, the Homeland Security groups, the local police, etc. of serious danger... using little battery portables.  Thus, the entire question of digital radio is involved... The viability of AM Radio is essential to the Defense of our Country... Think about it... PLEASE.

 

I KNOW I really don't need any more causes or arguments, but I do feel strongly that I want to borrow the WRATHOFKAHN.ORG site to spread the word.[2] 

---

  [1]This document is [was] designated Confidential to avoid it being used for partisan political purposes. [During the 2004 Election.]  It may be worth noting that the undersigned and Kahn Communications, Inc. have no financial interest in the EWNS Plan.  Let me make this crystal clear, Ruth and I and everyone else at KCI have agreed that we in no way will accept payments for anything concerning EWNS, no government study projects, no deals with pharmaceutical firms selling the test material. Not even travel expenses. Nothing.

  [2] On a much less important note, this week's WRATH issue also allows me to answer another minor WRATHFUL annoyance.  You won't believe it, but I am hearing over and over the argument, "where was Leonard when all of us hard working people were having our committee meetings to chop-up the AM band?"...Implying that if I hadn't been such a lazy guy I would have somehow made things better.   In any case, I know of no way of snapping my, or any other engineer's, fingers and changing the iBOC system into viable technology, unless you start from scratch.  And isn't that what the Cam-D^TM  System is all about? 

In any case, up until a few years ago I always was certain no one would take the daytime only AM iBOC seriously and by the time I realized some people were, I was working on what I thought was a an even more important matter, EWNS, anyway that's my alibi for not serving on those NAB committees.  Will they ever forgive me?

 

Next week, we are taking a VACATION from this web site... I have to finish writing an Appeal Brief for a Federal Appeal Court and I just cannot do both... besides everyone working on these weekly WRATHs needs a break... also this would be a great time, Dear Reader, for you to submit something for publication... even for you to attack KCI projects... OR some of you may wish to spend the time to look at the LAST WEEKS Button's entrees.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, somewhat fatigued by all this writing, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

   

MAY 4, 2005

LETS BE FAIR... You expected to spend at least an hour visiting the WRATH and now you have nothing to do to keep you out of trouble. So I would like to suggest you do a little "homework".. No grading unless you decide to e-mail your answers... Separate assignments for engineers and non engineering management...(owners, GMs, PDs, etc.)

 

Since Engineers LOVE working long hours, you get a two part assignment...Both of which pertain to Figure 2 shown below: Note that we are concerned with the condition where the carriers phase is displaced 90 degrees.

(a) Plot the envelope of a two (each with an amplitude of 1 volt) tone wave, and

(b) Plot the theoretical POWER~side^TM wave, (not the same as a Cam-D^TM wave) using for the upper sideband 1.73 volts and the lower sideband .27 volts for 100% modulation of a 2 volt carrier providing a peak envelope 4 volts. If you haven't seen this type analysis before, let us know and we will treat it in future WRATH issues...

 

Now let me offer an essay question for management types.

 

In no more than 999 words, tell me how in the world any rational AM broadcaster would spend really, really big bucks to buy, along with a really, really long term license, a broadcasting system that does not work at night... And how will they explain that little problem to their listeners who paid really big bucks to listen to that signal day and NIGHT?

I know it sounds like I am trying to sound like I have a sense of humor... But I am not the guy with the sense of humor. It is the guy that thought up the iBOC AM Plan.

Anyway, I really would like someone to answer the question...

iBOCers... I DOUBLE, DOUBLE DARE YOU.

WEEK TWELVE: APRIL 27, 2005

 

WE ARE BACK, and while I was busy getting a Federal Brief written and filed, we received a number of interesting e-mails, some very nice ones concerning the Cam-D^TM System, which I will discuss in future WRATHs, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, we have added THREE (3) more HAPPY Cam-D^TM Stations, making a total of SIX (6) Cam-D Boxes now operating 24/7. Not to be nastier than normal, that compares to ZERO iBOC Stations, on, even EXPERIMENTALLY, at night!

 

(Note that to distinguish the older IBOC system from the FCC generic In Band On Channel term, we are now using iBOC for its new name.)

 

These Cam-D, (Compatible AM-Digital), stations are reporting increased coverage by approximately 50%, and since that is in comparison with our POWER-side^TM System, Cam-D provides a total increase in coverage, over conventional AM of Two Times, DOUBLE that of AM.  And Cam-D also provides almost fade free operation and practically eliminates power line buzz, etc., etc. Pretty good for a system that iBOCers would like you to ignore, and Cam-D is legal for FULL-TIME operation!

 

But now to re-energize my normal WRATHY attitude, let me discuss another technical weakness of the iBOC system, that is the System that just last week received NABs engineering award, they must have voted on that award at night, when iBOC was turned off, by FCC edict.

 

Anyway, some very astute, real broadcasters, (not those Beltway Boys), who know what they are hearing with their own ears and own radios have reported hearing the iBOC "BUZZ" even during the MIDDLE OF THE DAY, even when the sun was shining, and even when the signal was really, really strong. They heard the BUZZ when they drove past buildings, power lines, underpasses, and little dogs close to fire hydrants...

And if there was the slightest co-channel interference or daytime fading the MONSTER BUZZ also reappeared!

Now my dear friends pushing the iBOC system at NAB, NRSC, the alphabetters, keep pushing me for a little mathematical analysis... (Recall the 10^th Wrath analysis showing why Cam-D was the best thing since sliced bread.) Now let me provide an analysis proving that NAB awards are worth the paper they are printed on, but just barely.

 

Now to get serious... One of the most interesting topics in mathematics, "discontinuities," demonstrates the true beauty of mathematics. To refresh your memory, a discontinuous function can be defined as a function that is not continuous i.e.,

 

A function is continuous at a given point if a change of the function, which can be as small as one can conceive, creates a measurable change in function value.

 

When I used to teach, I enjoyed pointing out that one of the most common functions we deal with in electrical engineering, the sine wave has a discontinuity, when we take its absolute value. That is what happens when we full-wave rectify a sine wave in a power supply prior to filtering, but closer to the point it is the envelope wave shape of a two-tone signal.

 

The two-tone wave is its self a beautiful thing. Note how narrow-band it is yet its envelope, as proven by Fourier analysis, has an INFINITE spectrum! Now, please refer to WRATH Week 10, especially FIG. 2, which is reprinted

here:

 

One can hear the slow variation in noise level caused by the variation gain of AVC controlled amplifiers. However, even moderately severe channel interference of 20 dB causes the gain of the AVC controlled amplifiers to vary by only 1.74 dB, and for interference 30 dB below the desired signal the total variation is 0.5 dB.

 

Actually the phenomenon that listeners do hear might best be called "sideband beat" the fact that sidebands beat under normal interference.

You will see the wave shape with its beautiful cusp-discontinuity. Now you will note that if you move the phase or time, (X axis), just 90 degrees you go from a peak value of twice the peak value of one of the tones to ZERO, and I mean zero.

Now lets get back to NABs hero iBOC, the system supposedly developed by Bell Labs, (what wonderful engineers, mathematicians, and scientists they had years ago and some are still there waiting for retirement), but now under the control of one of the main promoters of iBOC, LUCENT. Anyway, the iBOC system HIDES THE MONSTER BUZZ by QUADRATURE modulating its high level. (It just meets the FCC MASK, DEVELOPED FOR DIGITAL, not the analog AM band. Can you believe all those great engineers at the NABs NRSC don't know such an elementary thing? Amazing!)

 

The point is people who are not familiar with the "real world" problems of standard medium-wave broadcasting do not know how quadrature (90 degree displacement from the carrier) is fooled by reflections from steel buildings, underpasses, fading, which is a phase, not amplitude problem, for medium wave signals and on and on.

 

Thus, whenever a radio wave is subject to normal fading, building reflections, power-line reradiation, and passing little dogs, the BUZZ sneaks out.

 

As usual, the NAB is 180 degrees out of phase... iBOC has made the weakness that Cam-D cures, a giant step BACKWARDS from what AM was 75 years ago!

 

Want to have some real fun... when an iBOCer wants to demonstrate the system, ask him to let you make a simple test, take a stable signal generator, digital, if you have one, and go to his transmitter site and tune  to his carrier frequency and set it for a 1Hz beat and get ready for the BUZZ ... get him to turn off iBOC. And the BUZZ disappears. That simulates the co-channel problem of iBlOC and shows no matter how strong an iBOC signal is it is far more vulnerable to co-channel interference, fading, etc., than is Ancient AM.

 

THESE iBOC FATAL Flaws OCCUR  NO MATTER HOW STRONG AN iBOC signal is, and no matter whether it is used NIGHT or DAY!

 

A FEW MORE WORDS RE A MOST IMPORTANT MATTER, THE EWNS, EARLY WARNING NATIONAL SECURITY SYSTEM

 

Wouldn't you know it, while I was working on my Appeal Brief, we got WRATHED on the EWNS, Early Warning National Security system. I was told the system was "TOO EXPENSIVE" ... for maybe saving a million American lives and maybe avoiding panicking our Country.

 

In any case, I got a quick education from one brilliant litigator. In order to do his job in the courtroom, especially when, say, arguing before a panel of Federal Appeal Judges, who often are really, really well briefed and one of the Judges throws a curve ball, you have to think really, really fast, so my litigator friend was trained to be really, really fast. But when you are at home, you do not have to move so fast. Anyway, when I told him that I discussed the cost factor with a group of Professors of Medicine, he didn't even want to hear what they thought... "What do they know about costs and economics?"

 

Anyway, for any litigators reading the WRATH, and there are some.  Let me tell you how the EWNS system keeps THE PER LIFE PRICE "PLP" low, (what a world we live in).

 

You don't do individual tests of saliva, blood, etc., you do large (100 samples/BATCH) tests so that the per person cost is about 1 % the cost my lawyer friend figured!

And you do not do detailed specific tests; you just look for something strange (an anomaly) in the batches of blood. If you see nothing strange, you discard the batch. However, if something is different, you quickly try to identify the disease, but first you notify the 100 "testees" so they can get initial treatment immediately, and you can make certain that they don't spread the disease. Thus, the standard anomaly batch tests should be relatively inexpensive.

 

Also since your blood is mixed with a hundred other blood samples, your right to privacy is also maintained.

The cost I was worried about was the cost of drawing the blood, but my Medical friends pointed out that nurses worked three days per week and most of them like to work, at least for a few hours, during their days off . . . and they can take about 6 samples per hour.

 

Thus, the overall cost per test should be in the order of $20, or a total of about of $4 Billion, a little steep for you and me, but not much more than the UN steals per year.... OOPs Did I say that... You know me... and those words just pop out.... OTHERWISE how would I keep my WRATHFUL REPUTATION?

 

[Actually, that was not just an "oops" comment... I worked at the UN just after I got my discharge from the Army, and later Kahn Communications, at its own expense, developed a solution for one of the UNs most serious problems. Want to guess what that problem was? See my US Patent 4,099,025 and stay tuned for the shocking answer. But the real point is, I know the UN and, I believe, it is has for almost 50 years been anti-US and riddled with corruption... It really, really needs a strong person to clean its house.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions, including those pertaining to, but not limited to, the Litigator, the United Nations, NAB/NRSC, and not to forget the little dog, are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

Issue 13

May 4, 2005

   

 

 

wrathofkahn.ORG

ATTENTION

In order to address the increasing demand for our equipment, this web site will now be updated on a bimonthly basis. However, be sure to still check in regularly, since any new developments will be posted immediately.

 

May 25, 2005 - Updated May 31, 2005 to Include Audio Recordings

CLICK THE AUDIO BUTTON TO THE LEFT, JUST BELOW PREVIOUS WEEKS, TO GO TO OUR AUDIO PAGE.

 

WHY ENGINEERS ARE SO IMPORTANT TO BROADCASTERS OR TO SAY IT MORE BLUNTLY, A GOOD ENGINEER CAN MAKE YOUR STATION FAR MORE VALUABLE AND A BAD ONE CAN BANKKRUPT YOU

 

If you think, Mr. Station owner, I am trying my hand at shock journalism by using the above headline, a form of "hyperventilated hyperbole"... think again. These are real dangerous times where real knowledge is indispensable because free Radio's very survival is at stake.

 

Let me offer an example; a small station was facing survival concerns because it couldn't cover its city of license... Therefore their consultant recommended that it buy our equipment to increase coverage, BUT when he called a few weeks later he was told that they had "good news", they had gotten a loan for far more than the cost of even our most expensive Box, over  $100,000. They had signed up to install iBOC and even signed a LONG TERM LICENSE agreement with the iBOC people. When he asked why they didn't have him participate in the meeting with the iBOC equipment supplier his old friends said the supplier didn't want him involved for various reasons. So they made this huge decision on their own with no engineering guidance. Now with a big LOSS in coverage and a huge long-term debt they are a lot poorer and hopefully a wee bit wiser. A really, really expensive education!

 

Now let me get specific re this week's WRATH.

 

I know that the AM Digital War is not over, but I truly, truly believe that it is very close to a successful conclusion. Its a no brainer if one compares Coverage, Interference, and Fear of the Dark. The only argument then is the sound quality. Could Cam-D^TM sound good on those 800 million working radios Americans use night and day?

 

Now we can prove to you that Cam-D improves your sound. Not just it doesn't hurt  too much like 5 kHz iBOC. YES the game is over, Fat and thin ladies are singing, you can hear them.

 

We now have a recording of KDYL, the worlds first successful Cam-D Station, on the air for over 6 months of 24/7 operation, that has now provided an on the air recording of Cam-D sound for your critical listening.

 

The music sample was recorded over the air and MADE IN THE DARK, 15 miles from KDYL's antenna operating at its nighttime 150 watts on l060 kHz. Without the slightest increase in adjacent or co-channel interference. As I see it, the game is over for iBOC.

 

Just hear how Super Engineer Mr. Ken Meyer made KDYL sound like FM and, of course, much better than iBOC FM, with its high frequency compression sound.

 

But Ken's importance to the Cam-D development goes far beyond getting gorgeous sound. If it wasn't for Ken Meyers willingness to give a 200% effort night and day to give this new technology a real chance, Cam-D would almost certainly been relegated to the vast graveyard of failed technology.

 

Let me set the stage... Kahn Communications had a deal with a major New York City station to do all initial Cam-D tests at their station during early morning experimental hours, which would have allowed us to do those very important last steps of fitting the brand new equipment that only can be done in a real world operation, not in a laboratory. Anyway, when the CEO of the firm that controlled that station, heard of the tests he ordered the deal scrapped.

 

And when I tried to find another major NYC station, I realized that all of the suitable stations were also controlled by groups owning a piece of the iBOC System. Obviously, they weren't going to permit any competition for iBOC to be heard in NYC, especially where the Advertising and the Financial markets are centered.

 

So I ended up doing the first install in NEBRASKA, not too convenient for KCI people. And then the fun began; the station's engineer didn't need nor want any help in installing the Cam-D Box. He, without knowing what was in the Box, knew how to adjust it without our guidance, and remarkably the thing did dramatically increase coverage and worked at night with no increased interference. BUT it didn't sound good which I, saint that I am, immediately reported to the FCC. Maybe, even if I wasn't a saint, I know enough not to lie or withhold facts from Uncle, it is mighty dangerous. Anyway, I reluctantly helped make Cam-D sound an issue in the IBOC war.

 

Of course, you know I, saintly one, eschew bad language and harsh rhetoric, but somehow I conveyed my opinion that was the end of our relationship with that station and said good-bye to the Nebraska station.

 

I then convinced my old friend Ralph Carlson in Salt Lake City that a KDYL Cam-D operation would be a success. But it wasn't for about two weeks even though Ken Meyer did his best, Herculean efforts at 2, 3,4, and 5 in the morning. Only his willingness to go over and over performing tests as to what Cam-D needed to get good sound did Ken find the magic setting, a setting we now know, after 6 installations, gives a better and louder sound than even POWER-side^TM and far better than compressed iBOC FM. Actually, the last two installs of Cam-D were pretty much a snap, as long as Tim Cutforth was present to practice his magic (see Week FIVE Feb. 23, 2005 of the Wrath). This is further proof that station owners should worship superb engineers.

 

Without getting teary eyed... Let me finish this real life, real honest, story. Let us suppose that Ken Meyer did not persevere and get the great KDYL sound. Do you think that I sitting in New York would have questioned a finding of bad sound by two highly professional engineers? I know I may Sound like I have as big an ego as the masked writer at Radio World, but that much hubris to argue with on-the-air tests by experts, I ain't got, Cam-­D probably would have been abandoned.

 

So next week you will be able to Link to our FTP site and hear the new world full quality Cam-D Sound.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, nervy but nice, truly believe that the IBOC War is almost over and that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.  

 

Issue 14

MAY 11, 2005

 

This issue of WRATH is a DOWNER, as it describes a use for the Cam-D^TM System that should have never been permitted, as a defense to the iBOC BUZZ.

 

Let me elaborate, Mr. Wiedeman, a successful AM broadcaster in northern front-range Colorado, minding his and his familys own business by growing his KHNC, 1360 kHz Station, was attacked by the iBOC BUZZ from an NPR station in Denver 20 kHz away on 1340 kHz. And when he complained to the NPR Jammer, he was politely told to GET LOST. This from a station Mr. Wiedeman and other hard working taxpayers are forced to support and which are spreading a far left agenda that many of us find unacceptable. So anyway Kahn Communications ended up getting an order for over $40,000.

 

But, believe it or not, that was the first sale of a Cam-D Box, we didn't want. Because if anyone should pay the $40k, it should be the Denver NPR station or some other iBOCer who believes he or she should be permitted to destroy his or her neighbor's property.

 

We really, really need a law to stop such outrageous activity, which should be called the "GTBBOMF" Act. Get the Blankety, Blankety Off My Frequency ACT.

And hopefully when the FCC gets its fifth Commissioner, the FCC will seriously sanction stations that knowingly destroy their neighbor's property. It just isnt right.

Editorial

Cam-D^TM on KHNC by Don and Sharon Wiedeman, owners of KHNC, 1360 AM.

 

We are Don and Sharon Wiedeman, owners of a radio station in the northern front-range Colorado for the past twelve years.

 

Radio broadcasting has not always been a part of our lives. 1n 1984, the inspiration came as I read from the Bible in Isaiah 40:9. "Go Up to the high mountain and proclaim with a loud voice."

 

Later, believing there was something for us in radio, I looked for someone who could help us begin to start in radio. I found an engineer from New Jersey who wanted to help us to have a radio station. The frequency that we chose was 1360 AM, with the call letters KHNC. The FCC application form was filled out requesting a construction permit with 500 watts of power daytime and 450 watts of power nighttime.

 

There were difficulties, but finally we were able to construct the radio station and to begin broadcasting in February 1993. As time passed, we were able to increase our daytime power to 10,000 watts and our nighttime power was increased to 1,000 watts.

 

The area that we reach with our radio station is metro Denver and northern Colorado and parts of southern Wyoming. The population of all these areas is more than 1.5 million people.

 

Our radio program format is conservative talk.We produce talk shows on various subjects such as, politics, financial interests, natural health, and Bible. We also send our audio signal up on satellite <G-13, channel 4,audio 7.70 > so that other radio stations in the 50 states can pick up and rebroadcast our programming.

 

There are also many listeners to our programming all around the world as we broadcast on the worldwide Internet 7 days a week 24 hours a day on <www.AmericaNewsNet.com>

 

Several months ago, we started to receive listener complaints at our studio in Johnstown, Colorado about our 1360 radio signal being overcome with a loud buzz in areas in Denver. We asked our engineer and he told us that radio station KCFR 1340 AM, a Colorado public radio station, had gone to a digitized broadcasting system. Their type of digital system buzzes out near-by frequencies like our 1360 AM.

 

We called the engineer of KCFR to complain about their new digital system and how it was buzzing out our radio signal, 1360 AM, in large places in Denver. His response was I cannot help you and he told us then there was nothing that we could do about it. We asked our engineer if there was anything we could do and he recommended we install a KAHN digital system called Cam-D^TM. He said that this system would change our broadcasting system to digital and it would greatly enhance our radio signal and overcome most of the KCFR 1340 AM effect on us in Denver.

 

We now are broadcasting with a new Cam-D digitized system and the majority of the buzzing effect that KCFR had over our signal has been greatly reduced, except if you are listening close to their tower

 

Since we have been broadcasting with a Cam-D, we have received many favorable comments. A listener in Littleton, Colorado, which is located in the extreme part of our signal, said that when she takes her son to school in the morning there were some places where our signal would fade out but now it doesn't.

 

This was true with many other listeners that live in extreme areas of our signal. Other listeners say that our signal was sounding clearer and stronger in their area, and they were happy about it. Also, in a nearby town of Greeley, where our nighttime signal did not appear, now it is heard.

 

With all these improvements we are still in FCC guidelines.

In my opinion, the Cam-D digital system has improved our radio signal and

helps us to reach more population centers.

 

We, Don and Sharon Wiedeman, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

May 6, 2005

Don and Sharon Wiedeman

2 South Parish Ave.

Johnstown, Colorado 80534

Phone 970 587 5175

 

And now a final comment from Leonard Kahn:

 

Now I want to offer my condolences regarding the recent death of an eminent Japanese broadcast engineer and a close friend, Mr. Michitoshi Tanaka

 

Mr. Tanaka helped introduce me to many of his colleagues when I first visited Japan and he helped soften the culture shock when 1 gave my first talk in Japan before their main broadcasters in the 1980s. Ruth and I were delighted when Mr. Tanaka and his world renowned artist wife, Mrs. Toshiko Tanaka, visited us in New York and later Ruth was so pleased to spend time with their journalist daughter, Mrs.Reilco Tashiro, who was assigned to cover Wall Street for about a year. And I was so thankful that Mr., Tanaka helped with the licensing arrangements with Sony and others during negotiations in NY and Tokyo. He was a brilliant man and a true friend who will be deeply missed. My condolences to his lovely wife and his brilliant children.

 

ATTENTION

In order to address the increasing demand for our equipment, this web site will now be updated on a monthly basis. However, be sure to still check in regularly, since any new developments will be posted immediately.

 

CLICK THE AUDIO BUTTON TO THE LEFT, JUST BELOW PREVIOUS WEEKS, TO GO TO OUR AUDIO PAGE.

 

Issue 15

June 15, 2005

A REALLY, REALLY SCARY WRATHFUL DREAM

 

I was having a sweet dream of peace, featuring a number of really nice people I have known, even a few broadcasters... when all of sudden this big white horse with a masked rider rode into my private dream (you can't get rid of some "Guys") and started shouting all sorts of ridiculous stuff. To be truthful, some of it was so idiotic that I cannot be certain who was doing the talking, the big white horse or that gun slinger who was shouting how he had no fear of the dark, as long as "dark" means local stations "going dark."

 

Actually, the masked stranger said broadcasters must "thin out the herd", so I guess it couldn't be the horse, no horse I have ever known would talk about thinning a herd and they all had a lot more "horse sense". But, believe it or not, he was speaking about human beings who are supposed to donate their lifes' work for the benefit of the industry, meaning for the benefit of Clear Channel, Viacom and the other big guys including some huge international investment bankers.

 

And believe it or not, he singled out at the "bottom of the food chain," RELIGIOUS BROADCASTERS. What's this all about? Are we supposed to sacrifice stations that teach morals and ethics, not to steal from your neighbors, etc.? It cannot be a question of commercial-free stations. He didn't mention NPR, not in my dream. Is this an ultra liberal plot to get rid of Rush Limbaugh and the rest of "talk radio?" And did anyone tell ABC and FOX??

 

(Let me interrupt this dream with a question. The WRATH needs FACTS: Is the report true that all American taxpayers pay into a special fund for NPRs huge purchases of iBOC transmission equipment creating severe interference to FREE RADIO and making a windfall for the major iBOC supporting manufacturers? Can you please get us the facts and figures, so that if it is true, we can do something about it before the entire AM and FM bands are wrecked.)

 

Back to my dream. I think we have to form a posse and round up the lone stranger. After all he is part of a group that is attempting to pull a Reverse Robin Hood, rob from the weak to fatten the rich. Lets leave the horse out of it. No one likes a horse in a courtroom. They have such drastic ways of objecting.

Now let me stop boring you with my dreams and get back to the main purpose of this website, comparing the iBOC System with our Cam-D^TM System.

 

I truly, truly believe that there is only one LEGAL IBOC system, the Cam-D System that you can use legally night and day because:

    a) It does not increase interference, IT REDUCES Interference,

    b) It works NIGHT and day,

    c) It does not reduce coverage; it INCREASES it, DOUBLES coverage    according to on-the-air reports, and

   d) It improves your sound with the 800 Million radios Americans own and rely upon for "talk  radio" and all other formats Americans choose to listen to 24/7.

 

Now let me offer my really, really biased opinion of the AM iBOC plan to "Rescue" AM Radio: I, believe that the supporters of the iBOC overall plan will divide AM broadcasters and will cause warfare between Local Radio Stations and Large Stations that presently serve huge areas at night This is a strategy that can never succeed.

 

The Public demands both types of service; Local for high school sports, and traffic and even local commercials. At night rural areas and those driving long distances demand their clear channels to keep them informed and awake during those long, lonely nights. The Public surely will never accept AM technology that destroys their full use of the almost BILLION radios they bought with their hard earned money.

 

It will never happen, the Courts, the FCC, our treaties and our American political system will never permit it.

 

Hopefully, next months WRATH will offer a technical evaluation of iBOC and why it can NEVER work at night.

 

If you want to check the accuracy of my dream facts and opinions check out RWs website and the latest print issue of RW, you know that I love promoting RW.

 

And as usual I, Leonard R. Kahn, hoping to see more broadcasters in my sweet dreams of a bright AM future, truly believe that the above stated facts

and opinions and dreams are accurate and not meant to mislead.

 

Issue 16

Updated July 18, 2005

 

We've successfully filed our 10 page comments on the NRSC-5/NAB proposal:

Obviously we don't think much of it as it describes the iBOC Digital Disaster.

 

You MUST comment by July 18, 2005, so you have only Today to do it by

e-mail or FAX. It saves some time.

 

As of this date there are only 4 filings one of which is ours, and you can bet all of the NPR stations will come in by the deadline. Are you willing to let them seduce the FCC into STEALING your station and/or your job as a broadcast engineer? It takes a one page sincerely yours signed letter to save your OWN station and/or job.

 

Please send a copy to us so that we can include it in a bibliography to the Commission.

 

You don't have to make a formal filing, just a letter will do and sign it "respectively yours."

If you make a formal filing it requires "respectively submitted."

 

In any case, you can find my filing on the FCCs website:

Look for Leonard Kahn, Filed: 7/6/05, Docket No. 99-325.

 

The FCC has asked for Comments re the iBOC Digital Disaster, and I KNOW they want YOUR help...they want the truth...they don't want to make another AM stereo mistake and let the NAB/NRSC Lobby to mislead the FCC again into approving the wrong system... This FCC Approval would be a far more serious mistake than the selection of AM Stereo.

It will kill Free American Radio... This the one time you can't let someone else speak for you, certainly not the NAB!

 

You know how polite and "low key" the WRATH is. Well, when I write the FCC, I say things a wee bit stronger, we have a Constitutional Right to Petition our Government and not even be polite about it (But don't use bad language, it doesn't help.) Anyway, while l am not afraid of going to Court, I like to be the Plaintiff, not the Defendant, especially when I am using my First Amendment rights...

 

But, while I will not publish my FCC Filing on the WRATH, I will share with you my challenge to iBOC Stations, which is found on page 5 of my Comments:

 

"A Cam-D^TM 100 watt station will provide better performance with existing radios in New York City than an "all digital" 50 kw iBOC station with the most expensive iBOC special receiver, and Cam-D would still Sound much better."

I am really serious about such a test challenge... And, as a side advantage it would allow KCI to belatedly perform Cam-D^TM tests in the NYC market, and slightly pierce iBOCs monopolization of this most important market... And allow certain big NYC investment bankers to, also belatedly, do Due Diligence.

 

Anyone can be on the Evaluation Panel, EXCEPT KCI employees, engineers who have visited the WRATH website more than 10 times (iBOCers say you are"brain washed,") AND EXCEPT Swiss Bankers, or anyone else who owns or is paid by the iBOC Group, their "Expert" Engineers, whether or not they wear a MASK.

 

Let me interrupt this WRATHFULL Sermon with a TRUE STORY you aint going to believe...but it demonstrates why I am so concerned who is on the evaluation panel.

 

Years ago, a fairly important station, which will be nameless, to protect the innocent wanted to demonstrate how well the POWER-side^TM System reduces antenna null distortion. So their local engineer...a really, really good engineer and a really, really honest engineer invited the Royal Corporate Engineer from a far distant land to witness an A/B Demo, switching on and off POWER-side.

 

I then got a call from His Royal Highness demanding my appearance at 3 am next Monday... and since Engineers Love working when the Sun don't shine, I, of course, appeared there bright and bushy tailed at the stroke of three...

 

And then the FUN started... We used the stations van equipped with a 2 way radio so that their transmitter Engineer could manually switch their transmitter from AM to POWER-side whenever the CE gave the command "AM" or "POWER"

 

SO, we then drove to the side road next to the major highway with the worst sounding null I have heard it was so bad that the speech was completely unintelligible, not a word was understandable. And then the CE shouted POWER and up jumped the loudness AND out came an undistorted voice and then undistorted music.

 

Picture me sitting behind the CE, who was in the drivers seat and His Highness sitting next to him. The CE looked me in the eye and winked as soon as that deep null disappeared.

 

BUT then His Royal Highness (HRH) said in a loud clear voice, almost as loud  and clear as the announcer on his station... "THE NULL OBVIOUSLY MOVED WITH PROPERGATION" So I said in my polite voice, suitable for addressing an HRH, why not drive a few hundred feet and relocate the null?

 

And my wish was granted.... But lo and behold we couldn't find the null until the CE shouted, "AM" and there was the NULL, it came out of hiding... BUT HRH said he knew what was happening... THE SIGNAL IS FADING AND WE JUST HAPPEN TO BE SWITCHING IN SYNC WITH THE FADES.

 

After making a few more perfect sync A/B switches, the CE looked at me again, but now it was clear he wanted corporate democracy, and the guillotining of His Royal Highness.

 

Thus, HRH would not be my first choice to be on the Evaluation Panel.

 

ANYWAY, I DOUBLE, DOUBLE DARE ANY NYC iBOC STATION 50 KW/100 WATTS. AND, I EVEN WILL DO IT AT 50 WATTS, AT NIGHT!

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, nervous with the deadline here, believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.  

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 17

Updated August 17, 2005

 

No more Mr. Nice Guy!

See our reply comment at the FCC on docket 99-325 of August 17. 

 

July 27, 2005

 

AN OFFER YOU CANNOT REFUSE

 

How would you like to bet on a race right now, but wait to decide which horse you picked

until AFTER the race is over?

 

Let me describe this rather unusual opportunity:

 

We will now be selling two versions of the Cam-D^TM Box.

 

   1.  Our present model, the Cam-D^TM Music Box for $42,000.

 

Guaranteed to work with your old transmitter/antenna,

 

  2.  The new Cam-D Talk Box....Talk is CHEAPer...... $36,000.

 

And you still get the guarantee re your old equipment.

 

PLUS, like all Cam-D^TM Systems you get much more COVERAGE even in areas where

 you are being jammed unless you are right next to an iBOCs antenna... AND up to

DOUBLE in iBOC free areas! HOW CAN YOU REFUSE? DOUBLE COVERAGE FOR $42,000.

 

And reduced fading, static, power-line buzz and better sound than FM!

 

KCI built 10 Cam-D^TM Boxes and we turned some customers away... We are building

 60 new units and who knows how long they will last.

 

If you decide to get a Cam-D Box because you want to save your station from being

jammed off the dial by iBOC, and you don't need stereo... then save some money...

but you can make that decision in 6 months... by Jan. 31,2006... And indeed, if you c

annot decide then, you can take another year... But you must make your decision by Jan. 31. 2007.

 

The bet costs $16,000 and our first deliveries will start by Dec 15^th So if you send us another check for $20,000 or $26,000, we will ship your Cam-D^TM Talk or Music Box.

First come, first served.

 

The following is a copy of our reply comment to the FCC re docket 99-325 and was only formatted without any changes to improve the readability.

                                                                                                                                            Page 1

 

Before the

Federal Communication Commission

Washington, D.C. 20554

In the Matter:                                        )                                                                                              

Digital Audio Broadcasting System     )                        MM DOCKET NO. 99325

NRSC 5 Proposed Standard for IBOC)                        REPLY BY Leonard R.  Kahn

 

                    REPLY TO iBiquity EX PARTE NOTIFICATION OF JULY 19,2005

 

Introduction and Background

        Lawyers representing the iBiqnity Digital Corporation ("iBiquity"), met with Chairman Martin and other senior officials of the Commission to urge the FCC to

"authorize AM nighttime service."

 

Since the undersigned has opposed this system for a number of years, and is now a proponent for a system be understands is the sole alternative IBOC system, the Cam-D^TM System, he believes that the Commission may find this Reply useful and somewhat surprising.¹

 

        Conversely, to the encouraging reports of on-the-air Cam-D operation now in this Record, the undersigned has provided the Commission with, what he believes is proof that the iBiquity IBOC System violates FCC occupied spectrum rules by over 60db and that the systems interference is spread over 7 channels, 140 kHz bandwidth.

 

______________________________________________________________________________

            ¹It is believed that the Cam-D^TM System, developed by Kahn Communications, Inc.,

is the first and only on-the-air IBOC System that is in full compliance with FCC Regulations. The System first went on-the-air over 8 months ago. All of the Cam-D stations have operated full time, NIGHT and day, (24/7), since the stations independently determined that they fully complied with FCC Rules and Regulations. A number of these stations have filed Comments in these proceedings describing their operation. They also published additional details on KCIs website wrathofkahn.org, including Cam-Ds doubling of coverage, reduced fading, reduced static and substantially reduced FIRST order adjacent channel and all other orders of interference.

                                                                                                                                            Page 2

      The undersigned has also provided an opinion that the iBiquity IBOC system requires

 phase and time correlation over its extremely wideband bandwidth.

 

    Thus, the iBiquity System, even if it fully compiled with NRSC-5, can NEVER provide useful skywave operation. And this skywave limitation will apply to the system even if the FCC took the  radical step of authorizing "all digital" operation, In effect confiscating the Publics TRILLION dollar investment in AM radio receivers.

 

      The Commission has also received engineering analysis, using widely different procedures from a number of independent prestigious engineers, both domestic and foreign, all reaching

 the same conclusion; the iBiquity System clearly violates FCC Rules and causes severe destructive interference. And, most importantly, the FCC has now received a number of

 reports from Engineers and Station Owners reporting that the theoretical determined interference is REAL and is being suffered wherever the iBiquity IBOC system is on-the-air.

 

      However,on the-other-hand, it is hard to believe that Bell Labs engineers, and certain engineers at Clear Channel, Viacom and ABC, who the undersigned has had long term close professional relationships with, assuming these highly skilled individuals were not coerced, would have advised their management to go forward with nighttime operation, knowing the System would fail.

 

     Thus, I must concede that it is possible I do not understand the true IBOC situation and I must further concede that there is some possibility that iBiquity­IBOC will not destroy

 nighttime AM service.                 

                                                                                                                                       Page 3

CONCLUSION AND CAVEATS

 

     Accordingly, the undersigned supports the request of the iBquity Digital Corporation that licensees using its IBOC system be authorized nighttime operation. Indeed, if as claimed by iBquity, its system really complies with FCC Rules and Regulations, it is hard to understand why it requires FCC Approval for nighttime operation.

 

    However, as one who believes that he is a responsible Professional Engineer and a loyal American citizen he must offer the following caveats:

 

   1.  That such tests start on a Monday or Tuesday of a week that does not have a national holiday, or a week when there is a forecast of severe storms. This will avoid loss of vital emergency AM radio services, if iBquity expectations for its system are not realistic.

   2.  That only stations that have substantial financial resources be allowed to engage in the tests, so that stations that suffer damage from the prophesied interference can be fully compensated.

 

                                                                                                               Respectfully submitted,   

                                                                                                         Leonard R. Kahn, PE, FIEEE

                                                                                                                   767 Third Avenue          

                                                                                                                         35th  Floor                   

                                                                                                                   New York, NY 10017      

                                                                                                                        (212) 983-6765    

 

cc: iBiquity Digital Corporation

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn,  believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and

are not meant to mislead.  

 

Issue 18

August 30, 2005

 

 

  FINALLY, SUMMER 05 iB0C/NAB/NRSC NONSENSE IS OVER

 

Can you believe it; iBiquity wants to suppress derogatory Comments? Note that almost all of the Comments WERE DEROGORATORY except those comments by entities that own a piece of iBiquity, or are licensed to manufacture iBOC equipment, or like certain big transmitter manufacturers, who are both owners and licensees. Everyone else SHOULD JUST SHUT UP!

 

Think I am just WRATHing? Let me quote from ibiquitys formal FCC filing of Aug. 15, 2005, where, after extolling the virtues of NRSC, iBiquity argued:

 

Given the open and public nature of the proceedings and iBiquitys licensing comments, claims of dominance by iBiquity IN A FEW OF THE COMMENTS submitted to the Commission MUST BE REJECTED. The NRSC process leading up to the adoption of  NRSC-5 did not involve multiple competitors proposing competing solutions. Instead iBiquity is the sole developer of IBOC technology and its reference documents served as sole basis for NRSC-5. The absence of input or documentation from any other party should not be misinterpreted as a form of dominance by iBiquity.

 

In other words, if you hear, or even better, measure interference, keep quiet.

Do not CONFUSE MATTERS by filing comments... Suspend your Constitutional Right to Petition Your Government because we (iBiquity), confused the OLD FCC, (not the new Commission) and the Public... REALLY concerned savvy station owners and really competent engineers SHOULD JUST SHUT UP.

 

Please note mention of a "FEW" Comments Actually almost every single Comment attacked iBOC, if you exclude entities that have a little Conflict of Interest in that they hold equity positions in iBiquity and NPR who gets FREE iBOC equipment, including transmitters and antennas, from UNCLE SAM. And Clear Channel expects it and the other big guys will get part of the TRILLION Dollar AM/FM Radio Pot of Gold since they apparently believe in the Tooth Fairy... But even if you include those iBOCers, the Comments were almost all against iBOC... And most of these Comments include detailed reports on severe Daytime interference... EVEN ONE IN A 5.0 MV AREA!

 

WRATH will summarize/these Comments in a few weeks.

 

Now let us quote again from August 17, 2005 iBiquitys final Reply to the latest (and I expect the FCCs last such inquiry on iBOC) in which iBiquity stated (erroneously) in its last paragraph summarizing its 10 page argument:

 

iBiquity also notes the complaints about AM IBOC are largely from skywave enthusiasts and proponents of what is asserted to be the "CAM-D System."

CAM-D, which has never been detailed to the Commission, demonstrated publicly or shown to work, builds upon the failed legacy of AM stereo broadcasting. The Commission HAS RECEIVED SUFFICIENT COMMENT from the broadcast industry about the feasibility of nighttime digital service and the benefit of AM IBOC for ensuring the continued viability of the AM service. iBiquity encourages the Commission to PUT ASIDE THESE COMMENTS THAT DISTRACT FROM THE ANALYSIS OF NRSC-5.

In this concise attack on the Cam-D^TM System, there are no less than four errors:

 

1. Cam-D is on-the-air 24/7 getting excellent listener response and iBiquity knows it as the firm, and its attorneys, were notified in writing.

 

2. And, of course, so was the FCC notified. While we have made it clear in the WRATH, we are not trying to monopolize the field, we want to be sure no one gets a monopoly grant. We believe in the American free market concept. I was certain that iBOC would never work at night and its performance at the few stations in New York was so poor, even iBOCers political clout would not be enough to obsolete the 800 Million Radios Americans own. But not until the serious Comments from all over America were received did I realize the iBOC threat was OVER. We all have been severely damaged, but the NIGHTMARE IS OVER.

 

3.  As to phrase "shown to work," Cam-D was not only shown to work, Cam-D actually does not increase interference, it reduces Interference Day and Night. iBOC HAS NOT , AND NEVER WILL WORK AT NIGHT. Unless they copy the Cam-D^TM System and you know that would be their last bad idea.

 

4. The statement "skywave enthusiasts" mocks those who are concerned about iBiqultys Systems destruction of nighttime service that depends on skywave reception and allows Americans to enjoy nighttime service from WABC, WGN. KSL, KDJCA, WTOP, WBZ, WBT, WLW, WLS, KNX, KOY, KMOX, WWL, KFI, etc., etc.

 

The nightmare is really over... Those laws of physics can never be ignored.

 

WATCHOUT...YOU ARE ABOUT TO BE ATTACKED BY A COMMERCIAL!!!

 

LET ME INTERRUPT THESE WRATHY THOUGHTS WITH A COMMERCIAL.

 

But what does the above mean to you, Dear Mr. & Mrs. Broadcaster. Your bottom line, RIGHT NOW is determined by your coverage. If we can double your coverage, and that is what has happened at now seven stations who are on Day & NIGHT 24/7, starting with KDYL Thanksgiving 2004... How will that influence your profit RIGHT NOW? For signed reports see Issues of the WRATHS "Previous Weeks."

 

BUT, if you want to get your own Cam-D^TM Box, you must get on our LIST. We are building just 60 Boxes. So if you want a Cam-D^TM Box...

 

The price is $42,000 for a full Stereo version and $36,000 for mono "all talkers." To get on the list you must make a 50% down payment... $21k or $18k... See WRATH Issue 17 for details. Also, while we don't have a Rental Purchase Plan, we know one or two firms who specialize in working with broadcasters.

 

We build quality equipment for broadcasters who respect their spectrum neighbors property and believe in meeting both the Words and the spirit of the FCC Rules and Regulations. If you have any comments or questions, please call me at: (212) 983-6765. I am available weekdays from 3 to 6pm for such calls.

 

 I, Leonard R Kahn, am so pleased with the new FCC and those great Comments, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

 wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 19

September 12, 2005

EMERGENCY WRATH RE NEW ORLEANS & WWL, & NYC WWRL

AM Radio, Once Again Proves That It Is Vital In Saving American Lives

 

Finally even the trade press admits that AM Radio saved a huge number of American lives during the last two weeks' Katrina Storm. Shortly, I will be quoting from some of the e-mails the WRATH has received attesting to how WWL and other Gulf stations did a great job in saving lives.

 

And How about the Clear Channel bragging about Entercom's WWL, AM 870 kHz 50 kW, Clear, using its skywave to save lives all over the Gulf Coast. Maybe Clear Channel would like to tell iBiquity to withdraw its final argument to the FCC on Aug. 17^th when iBiquity stated:

 

iBiquity also notes the complaints about AM IBOC are largely from skywave enthusiasts and proponents of what is asserted to be the " CAM-D System" CAM-D.

 

Because of its snide remarks about those "SKYWAVE ENTHUSIASTS" who owe their lives to WLWs skywave, and to its false statement re the

Cam-D^TM System.

 

Mr. Clear Channel you also should know that Cam-D could have been used to reach people in the cellars of their homes AND the digital channels donated for use by first responders could have been used to help them control the Gangs... So don't you think that you, iBiquity and your NAB/NRSC friends should be apologizing to the FCC and the American Public? Anyway, I would be most apologetic if I was in your position... Lives come first, even in the face of an impossible dream for a Trillion Dollar pot of gold... that requires Americans to allow you all to get rich by destroying every single one of their Billion AM/FM radios and replacing them with much more expensive iBOC radios that cannot even receive SKYWAVE signals and would have been almost useless, at least at night, during the Gulf Coast disaster.

 

Yes, I would apologize... And I think YOU, Dear Reader, would too...

 

SOME OTHER POSSIBLE LESSONS FROM KATRINA

 

As you know, engineers and creative broadcasters are great at SECOND GUESSING others. HINDSIGHT 20/20 EXPERTS... SO LET ME OPINE...

 

Now that loss of life estimates, thankfully, have sharply declined, something struck me... Of course, sitting in NYC I have to rely on the Press and, as a conservative, you know what I WRATHFULLY think of that bunch... But after listening to a very interesting Senior Citizen who happens to be Black, and who was being interviewed by the most important Black owned Station in NYC, WWRL and which happens to use our POWER-side^TM system,

(Just doing my weekly check of their signal)... and this gentleman said things that one of WWRLs personalities didn't seem to like... But giving her credit she did not interrupt his reporting that they, the evacuees in the New Orleans Superdome, had plenty of food and water, more than they could use...

 

The real PROBLEMS were: 1) The GANGS, who were shooting at people, and 2) The TOILETS that didn't flush...

As for the GANGS, that is something only the Local Police can handle. Nobody should want a soldier from 1000 miles away, who does not know who is a drunken loud-mouth and someone who is really dangerous, having to make a DEADLY Decision whether to use his automatic weapon. Only the Local Police can and should handle such a REAL LIFE situation.

 

NOW let me talk about basic physics and toilets. Buildings all over NYC have WATER TOWERS. So as long as the Congress doesn't repeal the Law of Gravity there is plenty of time unless you lose electrical power for days...

Therefore, all key buildings that are to be used for evacuation purposes, should have water towers.

Ain't hindsight grand!

 

Since, we are still in the hurricane season, we should, as a "QUICK-FIX" install means for feeding buckets of water into the system... it was real easy to find water in New Orleans. Note the water does not have to be clean. BUCKET BRIGADE this water into the plumbing system on the highest floor in the building. You have willing hands to carry gallons of water, surely sufficient for the emergency. A talented plumber, who thinks "out of the box" should get these emergency shelters equipped with MINI-WATER TOWERS that would not only be easily fed manually by BUCKETS, but would always be kept filled by normal rainfall and when their weight showed the MINIS were full, they would cause the toilets to automatically start flushing... Also the plastic buckets, that are real inexpensive, should be stored outside where they always will be filled with rainwater so the first time they are used no one will have to hike for water. Thus, we will be better prepared for the next shot by Mother Nature.

 

I am sending a WRATHLESS Copy to the White House, and if you think the above makes sense to you, may I ask you to contact people in your State that might help get this show on the road. Keep Safe and Keep Dry.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, could not be more pleased to see proof that the Press was, (as usual), confused about the loss of life estimates due to the New Orleans WATER-WAVE and the trade press was proven to be confused re AM Radios SKYWAVE, and affirm that the above opinions and facts are accurate and not meant to mislead.

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 20

September 26, 2005

 

 

WRATH RAGE AND JOURNALISM 101

Let me provide you, Dear Reader, with yet another example of Radio World type reporting and the reason we NEVER send RW our press releases or authorize my associates at KCI to grant interviews to Radio World reporters...

(It is very difficult to know who you are talking with at Radio World... some of them even wear MASKS.)

Referring to the July 25^th iBiquity Request for the FCC to permit iBOC stations to operate at NIGHT: In my Response, I supported iBiquity's request for nighttime operation for what Radio World HEADLINED was the following reason:

 

THERE IS SOME POSSIBILITY THAT iBiquity IBOC WILL NOT DESTROY NIGHTTIME AM SERVICE.

-Leonard Kahn

 

I have never studied Journalism. Never thought I would spend at least half my time writing legal and engineering stuff and even these WRATH pieces... But I do know one thing... careful journalists, (and I knew some real good ones, Pulitzer Prize types), avoid, like the plague, misleading their readers BY TAKING QUOTATIONS OUT OF CONTEXT. And especially if you headline them in eye-catching large fonts. Radio World did not agree with my decision to steer clear of RW. In a story entitled:

"LEONARD KAHN: HARD TO LOVE HARD TO IGNORE" Radio World opined:

"Kahn has hurt his cause more than any trade publication could." But if a trade publication puts false words in your mouth, or, as in the instant situation, quotes you out of context, NOTHING COULD BE WORSE, NOT EVEN DEAD SILENCE. Actually, ANY TRADE PUBLICATION can kill new technology by spreading fake rumors. Think about it... Suppose some GUY IN A MASK prints a story that: A few months ago he saw you cheating on your spouse. How would you go about proving to your in-laws that you were not?  In physics, there are even better analogies... (If you can send us one such analogy, the WRATH will publish the best one.)

ANYWAY, this is not a game with us, nor is it with our AM friends whose very stations are being setup to be, as Rough World so POETICALY puts it, to be kicked off-the-air to make room for iBOC to "THIN THE POPULATION OF A HERD FULL OF CRIPPLES."

 

So, if you read the WRATH you know that when I concede anything about iBOC's NIGHTIME OR DAYTIME SERVICE, there must be more to the story... And of course there was. Let me offer THE REST OF THE STORY... In the words I used at the FCC:

 

            "Lawyers representing iBiquity, met with ... the Commission to urge the FCC to 'authorize AM nighttime service.'

     Since the undersigned has opposed this system for a number of years, and is now a proponent for a system he understands is the sole alternative IBOC system, the Cam-D^TM System, he believes that the Commission may find this Reply useful and somewhat surprising.   Conversely, to the encouraging reports of on-the-air Cam-D operation now in this Record, the undersigned has provided the Commission with, what he believes is proof that the iBiquity IBOC System violates FCC occupied spectrum rules by over 60 db and that the systems interference is spread over 7 channels, 140 kHz bandwidth.

The undersigned has also provided an opinion that the iBiquity IBOC system requires phase and time correlation over its extremely wideband bandwidth.

Thus, the iBiquity System, even if it fully complied with NRSC-5, can NEVER provide useful skywave operation. And this skywave limitation will apply to the system even if the FCC took the radical step of authorizing 'all digital' operation, in effect confiscating the Public's TRILLION dollar investment in AM radio receivers.

            The Commission has also received engineering analysis, using widely different procedures, from a number of independent prestigious engineers, both domestic and foreign, all reaching the same conclusion; the iBiquity System clearly violates FCC Rules and causes severe destructive interference. And, most importantly, the FCC has now received a number of reports from Engineers and Station Owners reporting that the theoretically determined interference is REAL and is being suffered wherever the iBiquity IBOC system is on-the-air.

            However, on-the-other-hand, it is hard to believe that Bell Labs engineers, and certain engineers at Clear Channel, Viacom and ABC, who the undersigned has had long term close professional relationships with, assuming these highly skilled individuals were not coerced, would have advised their management to go forward with nighttime operation, knowing the System would fail.  

          Thus, I must concede that it is possible I do not understand the true IBOC situation and I must further concede that there is some possibility that iBiquity-IBOC will not destroy nighttime AM service.

CONCLUSION AND CAVEATS

         Accordingly, the undersigned supports the request of the iBiquity Digital Corporation that licensees using its IBOC system be authorized nighttime operation. Indeed, if as claimed by iBiquity, its system fully complies with FCC Rules and Regulations, it is hard to understand why it requires FCC Approval for nighttime operation.

However, as one who believes that he is a responsible Professional Engineer and a loyal American citizen he must offer the following caveats:

1. That such tests start on a Monday or Tuesday of a week that does not have a national holiday, or a week when there is a forecast of severe storms.

(NOTE THAT THIS WAS FILED IN JULY, LONG BEFORE THE GULF COAST STORMS) This will avoid loss of vital emergency AM radio services, if iBiquity expectations for its system are not realistic.

2. That only stations that have substantial financial resources be allowed to engage in the tests, so that stations that suffer damage from the prophesied interference can be fully compensated.

Respectfully submitted,

Leonard R. Kahn

cc: iBiquity Digital Corporation"

 

 

So Dear Reader, you know what I really was doing. Giving iBiquity a good old NEW YORK I DOUBLE, DOUBLE DARE YOU.

Furthermore, if Radio World really was confused by my July 25^th FCC Filing how could it stay confused when they read my Aug. 16, 2005 Final Reply which summarized our position regarding the IBOC System.

 

"A proprietary system that literally jams neighboring stations, sounds like a poor phone connection, and DOESNT WORK AT ALL AT NIGHT and can NEVER provide the same nighttime service that the Public relies on from KSL, WOAI, WABC, WBZ, WCBS, WLW, WLS, WWL, KNX, WGN, WTOP, KFI, XETRA, KCBS, KNBR, WJR, KMOX, KOY, KRVN, KLAC, WRVA, etc., now offer every night of the year."

 

The only way I can make my opinion of iBOC clearer would require the use of REALLY, REALLY X Rated language or REALLY, REALLY crude gestures.

 

Finally, just a few words re our progress summarizing the FCC filings re NRSC-5. It is taking a lot of time, but I would like to report on one major filing that made me laugh... You may have beard of CLEAR CHANNEL and maybe even heard of its Executive VP... you know the 5 kHz guy. Well, I understand that he is the iron-fisted leader of the iBOCers getting those "lock-step" decisions out of NRSC, rising above, way above... Into the BLUE SKIES, far above physics and mathematics AND OBLIVIOUS to even experimental evidence. This, as one of these NRSC "wise men" claimed to be the GOLD STANDARD of engineering... They rose even far above Albert Einstein who always bowed to experimental evidence. But not NRSC!

 

Now, back to the WIERDNESS... This all-powerful Clear Channel Ex.VP filed a TWO (2) page 400 WORD Reply, which just said ME TOO, as though Clear Channel was just WIMPINGLY going along with the NAB/NRSC. (Maybe CC realizes it has an antitrust problem as opined by Microsoft and in my earlier filings.) But the real joke is there was a third signature page with the date and signature... AND THE LOCATION OF THE VPs OFFICE... Cincinnati, Ohio.

Isn't that the home of WLW, at one time the only Super-Power Clear and ONE OF THE TWO (2) STATIONS ON iBOC at NIGHT, ONCE, for a few hours? So he hid in his files all this valuable evidence, right in his office, unless he lost the files... And if he is having trouble locating the killer files, I can help him out, as a nice LOVABLE guy, and send him a recording of the fatal night that PROVES that iBOC CAN NEVER EVER BE USED AT NIGHT... NEVER EVER.

DOES THE FCC HAVE AUTHORITY TO TURN OVER AM/FM TO iBiquity?

 

I was doing, at least trying to do, some basic thinking about the lessons of the Gulf Storms of '05 and what I heard is a plan to avoid the delayed response by the local Louisiana Government. The plan is to get the Congress to authorize the Feds to jump in immediately and not have to wait for governors and mayors. But some how I think that may go beyond the power of the Congress, and, I think, requires a major amendment to the Constitution, and that will require convincing the state governments to cede power. Please note that I am not arguing the merits of the plan but only that, I believe the plan may be beyond just getting a new law through Congress.

 

And then the thought hit me, how about the damage reports all over the U.S. and in Mexico and Canada from the iBOC disaster... And the question: Wouldn't it also take an amendment to the Constitution to cede to the IBOC international cartel what it wants the Government to grant it? And in this case, there is an even  more difficult hurdle to jump, America would violate its treaties, something no law abiding nation can do.

 

Let me briefly summarize my iBOC thought with an analogy: Suppose the Congress decided we suddenly, after almost a century of raising the National Debt realized that raising taxes always hurts the economy and REDUCES tax receipts... Like reducing AM receivers bandwidth to 5 kHz, increases splatter because AMers refuse to sound like telephones, which in turn increases splatter, which would require 4 kHz bandwidth...and so on and on.

 

Anyway, they decide to sell our roads to France. (Reversed Louisiana Purchase), so it can put up more tollbooths and compensate France for its investment... Like iBiquity argues it has spent hundreds of millions of dollars and it can only recoup the money if Uncle Sam allows it to put up tollbooths at every station... with perpetual licenses... and CONFISCATE everyones AM/FM radios.

 

Sorry, boys, the FCC is a lot smarter than that... It knows that even the Congress cannot sell the AM/FM bands rendering a Billion radios obsolete and rendering our defenses in warning Americans of man-made and natural attacks inoperable.

 

Stop wasting your (rather your investment bankers') money and everyones time. Sorry, iBiquity, Bell Labs, Clear Channel, Harris, Suisse, etc., It cannot be done in the U.S. Try some country without a constitution and better still, without radios... How about Mars, which is also reportedly suffering from Global Warming? You can do the Martians a public service and keep gas-guzzlers off Martian highways.

 

In any case I, Leonard R. Kahn, hoping that RW didn't scare you, and that I didn't scare Clear Channel... too much, maybe just a little bit, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead..

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 21

October 26, 2005

 

I had a dream...                                          

Yes another one... I had worked real late Thursday night Oct. 6^th to 3 am Friday... I know you do it all the time. . Anyway, it was nearly noon, Friday, when I got a chance to focus on the debate scheduled for 2 pm. I had been invited to speak at the main Convention Center in NYC, the Javits Center, re IBOC and digital broadcasting in general including the Cam-D™ System.

 

Therefore, in last minute preparation I tried rereading the NRSC-5 Proposed Standard...And I may have nodded off... if you tried going through that document, you know it is a real fun read, much like the Federal Tax Code... Anyway what happened was like a DREAM... maybe it was a DREAM. Anyway, I walked from my home on the East Side way over to almost the Hudson River... maybe I floated over... It was such a rainy month. ANYWAY, I got to the conference room about 3 minutes before show time. The Conference Room was pitch DARK and then someone called out, Mr. Kahn "Turn right." And then someone pushed me towards the podium. And some very nice chap, he said he was from iBiquity, so maybe I was dreaming, showed me my chair.

 

THE OTHER REASON I know it must have been a DREAM... was that, even though one trade publication ran the entire debate... that sterling publication, which thinks it is Rarely Wrong (RW)... DID NOT REPORT ONE WORD THAT WAS NOT PART OF iBiquity's PRESS RELEASE. No real magazine could ignore what really happened at that bare-knuckles debate. Thus, I must have dreamed the whole thing up and slept through the entire debate.

 

ANYWAY, let me finish sharing my dream:

I am now sitting at the dais... And then I counted some ten (10) beautiful computer screens and then someone asked where my computer was ... and I felt a wave of shame engulf me, I forgot my Thunk Pad. I should have thunk to take my laptop like everyone else... But then I felt a little better when I realized I never use graphics at talks, especially at debates, because you better know your subject well enough to be prepared to counter your adversaries and not just read a prepared commercial.

 

And WOW that procedure worked like a dream. I took some REALLY, REALLY hard shots at iBOC... And they didn't say a word in defense of iBOC to the following attacks:

a) iBOC has never worked at night;

b) iBOC will never work at night;

c) iBOC cannot even cover major cities during the daytime because of building multipath;

d) iBiquity's AM iBOC System can NEVER work at night... even if the almost Billion radios Americans own were made obsolete so that iBOC could go "all digital," ...

It still will not work at night.

WHY... Because the iBOC signal is at least 170 kHz wide... and Medium Wave skywaves cannot handle wideband signals. WHY because the old fashioned iBOC signal requires phase and time skywave correlation. IMPOSSIBLE... Plus, its theoretically infinite threshold makes the iBOC hybrid signal jump in and out of the digital mode... makes FM thresholds look trivial.

LET ME INTERRUPT THIS DREAMY COMMERCIAL WITH A QUESTION....

So if iBOC signals have such poor coverage, how come the only nighttime test of AM iBOC had to be turned off because both test stations were literally jammed. Why, because the jammer components do NOT have to be correlated... Skywave works great for iBOC  jammers.

 

Back to my dream. Anyway even though the moderator permitted my co-panelists to ask questions, NO ONE said a word. Not one word of rebuttal... Must have been a DREAM.

HOWEVER, there were two superb questions from the audience... I JUST HAD A GREAT THOUGHT. If the engineers who asked those great questions see this issue of the WRATH... PLEASE let me know if it was all a dream or not. Was I really there????

Or did RW really ignore my attack and the audience's negative reaction to iBOC???

The first engineer, no names please since maybe it never happened... directed his question to me... He said something like: Mr. Kahn I just got my hands on a brand new iBOC radio receiver... and I cannot hear my favorite FM station because two channels away from it is an iBOC jammer... AND when I TRY TO LISTEN TO AM, IT JUMPS BETWEEN DIGITAL AND ANALOG...LIKE A NEW TYPE OF TORTURE... 

Anyway, the engineer continued: Since you have claimed your Cam-D System is also a hybrid analog/digital system, why doesn't Cam-D have the same disastrous problems? My answer was: Cam-D is brand new technology that provides lush stereo sound that can fully compete with FM and uses special new types of digital receiver controls and also provides ten channels of scrolled data for the LCD display, all within FCC spectrum limits.  AND, the entire digital and analog Cam-D signal does not degrade COVERAGE, it DOUBLES it. Indeed, even I was surprised to get reports from every single on-the-air Cam-D station that: Cam-D DOUBLED THEIR COVERAGE, EVEN WITH EXISTING RADIOS!

The next engineer addressed his question to my new friend from iBiquity. The Moderator only permitted the audience to ask two (2) questions!!!

The engineer stated that he had worked for over a solid YEAR in installing his very expensive FM iBOC exciter/transmitter/antenna tuner, and even though he was not thrilled with its performance... his station worked as well as any of the other iBOC FM stations. So he was ready to turn it over to the Program Director to get the second channel or even a third channel on the air. (In other words he was ready to give HIS own station's main channel some more COMPETITION.)

 

So he went to the PD and almost got thrown out of his office... The PD, for some strange reason, wasn't thrilled about doubling or tripling his work load.

So his question for iBiquity was: When are you going to promote iBOC so that the owner will force the PD to program the new channel(s)?

Apparently my new iBiquity friend liked the question and recited their plans to promote iBOC... just waiting for radios to finish developments at all those radio firms... "slight" delays at a few firms but in '06 and '07 they will be ready to roll...

Then NAB wanted to say that there will be more money spent on promoting iBOC than any broadcasting system in history more than COLOR TV... He wasn't concerned about the problems iBOC was causing the receiver manufacturers.

 

Then I jumped up... I must have nodded off during the NAB commercial... I hadn't prepared for this wonderful question but I was ready, willing and able to opine:

Let me tell you how the seven full time, NIGHT and day Cam-D Stations promoted Cam-D.

 

First they made a date for the system to be installed by SUPER engineer Tim Cutforth, or if a new station is close to NY one of KCIs engineers will do the job. The installation TAKES 2 DAYS...Not a YEAR and does not require you to replace your old transmitter antenna or PROGRAM DIRECTOR!!!!

AND THEN YOU DO NOT SAY a word about the new system... You do a STEALTH PROMOTE. You wait for your listeners to call in on your regular call-in shows...

You let the listeners SELF PROMOTE Cam-D...

With such pithy comments as:

When did you get the POWER INCREASE?

How come I can hear you in my BASEMENT?

Why don't I hear POWER LINE BUZZ?

How did you make my old radio SOUND LIKE FM?

 

In other words, this will be the CHEAPEST promotion in broadcasting history!!!

 

Later I DREAMED of whispering to my new iBiquity friend. Save your money... give up AM iBOC. And instead of wasting money trying to convince listeners to ignore what they hear with their own two ears, spend the money on engineering a viable FM system... Don't waste any more money on AM. iBOC AM is dead. Let it rest in peace.

 

ANYWAY IF YOU WERE AT JAVITS... TELL ME THE TRUTH... GENTLY...

WAS I DREAMING?????????????????

Or someone please explain why that REALLY, REALLY strange publication RW reported on its DREAM and ignored the laughter and sarcasm at the GREAT ENGINEERING iBOC DEBATE of 2005??? It sure is a puzzlement.

 

But the real problem is with JOURNALISM, the unwillingness to provide the Public with the FACTS it MUST have to act rationally. Someone at RW thinks that by ignoring the laws of physics, those laws will go away.

 

Now, I think I have discovered what RW actually stands for:

Really in Withdrawal...

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, scared stiff re. Journalism, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 22

November 29, 2005

 

 

WHEN WRATH DREAMS, READERS GAIN

Since the birth of the wrath some ten months ago, we have bragged about the quality of our Guest Authors.  I know --- for the past few issues you have been stuck with me, but I plan to shut-up, at least a little bit; consequently, let me introduce a real FM Broadcasting authority and engineer who really, really loves quality FM and AM radio:

 

Mr. Donald Scott of Newton, NJ mailto:bdscott@nac.net was formally co-founder and CE of WQAB, Philippi, WV; CE of WEIV, Ithaca, NY and its four CBN sister stations; and CE/ announcer at both WIHS and WMRD, Middletown, CT. He later became a Broadcast Equipment Sales Engineer serving New England, Western NY, and Long Island. Then Don became a Contributing Editor to STEREOPHILE doing feature articles, including AM Stereo and FMX and authored approximately 100 FM equipment reviews. Presently he is a Contributing Editor specializing in FM with The Audiophile Voice.

 

A real expert on FM receivers, Mr. Scott is the authority on FM Tuner upgrades, including antiques that were designed to receive Major Armstrong's REAL FM before big-time broadcast groups wanted to win "Loudness Wars" on FM and started clipping!!!! Anyway enuf of Kahn's Wrath, and see what a real FM expert, Mr. Scott, has to say about FM iBOC:

 

"Leonard was not dreaming on October 7, 2005. I was there, and we both were not sleeping through out the seminar, I was appalled that respect was not shown to a man who obviously had the answers and a better system, at least for iBOC AM. I related to the panel that my experience receiving both FM and AM iBOC more than 12 miles from NYC was non-existent, and I asked Mr. Kahn to explain why his system was better.

Flashbacks paralleled the inferior Motorola AM Stereo system being approved. I thought, "Here we go again." Remembrances of being up many nights getting an old Raytheon RA-1000 AM transmitter to have no more than 1.3% distortion from 30 Hz to 13,500 Hz at 100% modulation was not a fictitious dream, so I know what AM can do. Based on the above, Leonard's answers made sense.

 

But there was one thing that any real audiophile would agree on:

Super-compressed AM & FM iBOC sound is unacceptable. No way does it compete with FM (or AM) analog sound. It appears that the equipment used to not spill the bit bucket dictates what the resulting end-audio will sound like. It was MUCH BETTER when the music dictated that the broadcast equipment preserve the original as much as possible.

 

I, Don Scott truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead." 

 

We plan to up-date Wrath with a new POWER-side major market Station's report. The new station turned POWER-side on last night and their prestigious engineer wants to tell you what happened in his unique way of answering doubting iBOCers' denials of real world proof.

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 23

December 12, 2005

 

 

NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD MEN(AND LADIES)  

TO COME TO THE AID OF THEIR COUNTRY

Kenneth Hill is nominated for FCC Commissioner

 

The WRATH is honored to have as this issue's senior author Dr. Ken Hill, who was recently nominated for FCC Commissioner by Senator Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate.

 

He is, if I remember correctly, the first broadcaster (and also non-lawyer) to be nominated to join the FCC for over two decades, and WOW do we need him now.

 

There is a brand new boss at the FCC (Kevin Martin) and three of the five Commissioners are to be appointed. Fortunately, Senator Frist took the FCC situation seriously and nominated Ken, a real broadcaster who operates six stations (WHGG, WPWT, WJFC, WOLD, WABN, all AMers and WHCB-FM). Not only is he a solid owner/manager, but has a really, really keen interest in new technology. And Dr. Hill has vowed, if selected, he will name as his key advisor an EXPERT engineer, a man I have known and respected for over some 20 years.

 

How do I know Dr. Hill so well?        

                           

As he points out in his WRATH article, he has been a customer installing three POWER-side Units and being the first to install Cam-D in the champion rotten ground conductivity area of Tennessee, (that's were those crack-shots came from we had in the Army). And if you can double

coverage on those rocks, you can do it anywhere... (There I go with a commercial)

 

Anyway, back to the FCC nomination...

 

Dr. Hill proved to me that he is really, really serious about broadcasting when he told me not to surprised if he also bought an iBOC System and did a comparison test between it and the Cam-D System... after all how did he know that the iBOCers were not right about their system? I told him I would just LOVE such a shoot-out. But then, when he learned that iBOC would create severe interference to his spectrum neighbors, some of his friends, especially in Virginia, he scrapped his plan and instead did a detailed study of Cam-D performance. . Thus, his and Engineer Mr. Marshall Tipton's following report.

 

Because of our friendship Dr. Hill as a really, really ethical person will recuse himself from voting on Digital Radio, but not to worry, he will do all he can to support Chairman Martin in driving Washington lobbyists from their inordinate position of power in influencing FCC technically based Rulemakings.

 

NOW IS THE TIME for you, dear reader, to write, e-mail, or shout to your Senator, his or her spouse, girl or boyfriend WE NEED KEN HILL ON THE FCC. PLEASE, PLEASE SPEND AN HOUR NOW IN SAVING YOUR FUTURE IN BROADCASTING. CHAIRMAN MARTIN NEEDS YOUR HELP. (Send me a copy... but not any notes to the girlfriend, be discrete.)

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, whose Mother, would be so proud that I have as a friend Dr. Hill who was nominated by Senator Frist, who may well be the next President, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

Statement from Dr. Kenneth C. Hill concerning the Cam-D: 

 

 

I have been involved in all phases of radio since 1969 when I began working as a disc jockey.  As all other owners/managers of individual stations and small groups, I am always trying to figure out how to get the best signal and programming to the public at the lowest cost.  One of my biggest costs is equipment, so I am careful that all purchases make good business sense and I get real bang for every buck I spend for my equipment. For years I have heard from top engineers and savvy station owners Kahn POWER-side was the only technique that actually increased coverage without having to raise power or move the antenna. So I decided to call Professor Kahn and he didn't sound quite as nasty as some people claimed he was. Indeed we became friends. As a result we installed POWER-side at WHGG, WPWT, and WJFC. And we were so pleased with the results...increased our coverage, dropped fading and power line noise, dramatically. Real bang for my hard earned bucks.

 

When the talk of digital broadcasting started rumbling through the industry, I began working on plans to enable our group of fledgling stations to embrace the future.  However, at every turn there were obstacles. We would have to increase the height and breadth of some of the towers.  We needed newer transmitters, even though only one of our transmitters was more than three years old. We would have to set aside money to pay software licensing fees. We would have to apply for permission for the new systems, new towers, etc. But the real coupe de grace was when I heard the iBOC interference no way would I ever allow my stations to cause such interference to my fellow broadcasters.

 

Then I received a phone call from Leonard Kahn telling me of an idea that he had for digital AM broadcasting. This idea was radically different from all that I had heard about when considering going digital. Instead of less coverage - he promised more. Instead of changing out transmitters and towers - he promised that we could use what we had. Instead of no digital signal at night, or in the case of WHGG pre-sunrise and post-sunset darkness he promised a better nighttime  signal. And he offered to allow us the (paid) privilege of being one of a handful of test stations.

 

It seemed to good to be true, but Leonard Kahn had always performed on his promises in the past.  I reasoned that it would be years before the digital receivers would be in place  - and if what he had promised about clarity and coverage in the analog domain was true then I would be foolish not to try it. 

 

So, we tried CAM-D on WHGG 1090 AM.  It is a very cost-effective way to do all the things Leonard Kahn promised. When we can get the dollars in place, our other stations will also be using CAM-D. 

 

The benefits of the Kahn Cam-D are significant. We have less interference.  We have greater reach.  We have greater fidelity. Our pre-sunrise/post-sunset signal is beyond our belief.

(I could not believe the coverage for the less than 30 watts in the dark. When we began broadcasting with Cam-D, I would call our Chief Engineer, Marshall Tipton, and demand that he lower the transmitter power only to find that the transmitter was operating at the proper power level.  It was, and is, that good.)

 

I, Kenneth C. Hill, believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.           

 

9 December 2005

 

Statement from Marshall Tipton, Chief Engineer of WHGG 1090 AM, WPWT 870 AM, WOLD 1330 AM, WABN 1230 AM, WJFC 1480 AM, & WHCB 91.5 FM in regard to the Cam-D.

 

 

My background in working with high-power RF rigs and sideband broadcasting in the military gave me a cursory understanding of the Kahn POWER-side systems that were being used at WPWT PowerTalk 870 AM and WHGG Mighty 1090 AM when I began my tenure with these stations.  The Kahn POWER-side gave each of these stations far more reach than is normally possible in areas with such poor ground conductivity as we have in this rocky portion of East Tennessee. 

 

To be honest, I saw no need to install any new system in the RF chain of either station. But, Dr. Kenneth C. Hill, the President/General Manager of the stations, decided to test the Cam-D system from Kahn Communications in preparation for taking all of the stations in our group into digital broadcasting. Dr. Hill had agreed with the Kahn folks that our 1090 kHz station would be a test station for their new Cam-D.  Following orders from Dr. Hill, I prepared for the installation of what I thought was an unnecessary piece of equipment, especially for the analog receiver sets presently in use.

 

However, as I studied the possibility of the Cam-D system and talked with Leonard Kahn, I became optimistic about both the digital domain as well as the analog side of the Cam-D.  Tim Cutforth of VIR James Engineering came to install the Cam-D.  I learned much more about the system as Tim and I worked together on the installation. 

We installed the Cam-D on our music station, WHGG that operates on 1090 kHz. WHGG with 10 KW day 1.8KW critical hours, and 30 watts or less (depending on the month) pre-sunrise and post-sunset. WHGG is licensed to Kingsport, Tennessee and serves the Tri-Cities, TN/VA market (Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City) which is the 98^th market with about 450,000 population in the MSA.

 

It is important to note that WHGG is diplexed with WPWT, which operates on 870 kHz with 10 KW daytime using antenna-tuning units and diplexer from Kintronics Laboratories.  Both stations use Harris DX-10 transmitters.  WPWT that is a talk station uses a Hmat-Hinds

tri-maze processor and the Kahn POWER-side, while WHGG uses an Omnia 3 and the new Cam-D system from Kahn. 

 

It was a distinct privilege to work with the Cam-D installation engineer, Tim Cutforth.

(He encouraged me to purchase the Sony ICF 2010 off EBay just like the one he used during installation-it is a real trick.)  Installation was a simple operation and was finished in a matter of a few hours, including all testing.  There was no requirement for changes in antenna, transmitters, or processors.  Going digital was as easy as installing one piece of equipment. 

 

One thing that got my attention is that during setup and use of the Cam-D you must make sure there is absolutely no clipping ahead of the unit. I keep the unit adjusted just short of the rough edge, which is the loudest point. We have great audio quality for the oldies format on WHGG. I like to keep the modulation close to this rough edge; this way we are using most of the transmitters modulation density. The clarity on the analog receivers is fantastic.

 

I have no question that Cam-D is the best bridge from analog AM, with its interference and atmospheric problems, to a compatible digital system, which is far less in cost than the other system that is being promoted by the large radio groups.  From what I can read, the Cam-D is also easier to maintain than the other system. Cam-D has improved our signal and reaches more people with much better quality. 

 

One example of the improvement of the signal is the fact that WHGG at 1090 kHz, located at the same tower with WPWT operating at 870 kHz has a nearly comparable signal. Imagine broadcasting in the digital domain without losing coverage, but actually adding territory.  WHGG has approximately 40% greater range than before Cam-D!  This is true during critical hours and pre-sunrise and post-sunset as well.  It is amazing that the digital Cam-D has improved the sound and reach so dramatically on the analog signal. I am looking forward to hearing the digital signal when the receivers arrive.

 

I invite you to drive through this beautiful mountain region and listen to WHGG so you can appreciate the quality of the analog signal using Cam-D.   

 

I, Marshall Tipton, believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.           

 

9 December 2005

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 24

December 21, 2005

 

NEW SUPPORT FOR HILL'S NOMINATION AS FCC COMMISSIONER

 

First, permit me, Dear Reader, to tell you that important steps are in motion to get Dr. Ken Hill on Martin's new FCC. I can share with you information about two of the three brand new influential supporters of Dr. Hill's nomination. Mr. Harold Munn and Tim Cutforth. Tim has appeared in the WRATH; so let me say something about Mr. Munn.

 

I have huge respect for Mr. Harold Munn's enormous engineering talents. He is a really, really incredible engineer, a national resource. To know Harold is to respect him. That is why his opinions are sought by some of the most eminent and powerful broadcasters. I am so pleased that this stand-up, ethical man has permitted us to publish his comments supporting Ken Hill. Just see how well he states the case for his support for Dr. Hill... logical and not a word wasted... a perfect example of why everyone, including the FCC, respects Mr. Munn.

 

Now back to that rambling wreck of the English language you expect from me whenever you visit the WRATH. I wish to share with you the results of my discussions with some real smart lawyers as to the key issue facing the FCC, our Constitutional Right (First Amendment) to petition the government for a redress of grievances. But the founders did not mean that lobbyists can control the FCC and other important government agencies. Think about itDo you expect to get honest advise from a salesman? So how can the FCC permit the NRSCcontrolled and staffed by people who are paid by firms who are mesmerized by the PIPE-DREAM of a piece of a Trillion dollar pot of gold to advise it? No Mr. Clear Channel and friends, the dream is just a dream, it will never happen...GET REAL. 

 

Enuf language butchery from me... Let's hear from these two powerful broadcast voices:

 

E. Harold Munn, Jr.

 

 

I want to lend my hearty support to the nomination of Dr. Kenneth C. Hill to a commissionership on the Federal Communications Commission.   It is time for the FCC to once again have an informed broadcaster filling at least one of the chairs -- a position filled by non-broadcasters when Cmr. James Quello retired some time ago. Given the critical decisions relating to broadcast spectrum remodeling, the FCC will be handicapped without the input such an individual, as Dr. Hill will bring.

 

In my professional career, appearing before the FCC since 1950 in technical matters, it became readily apparent that the informed regulation of the broadcast industry occurred best when the Commission had at least one member who was wholly conversant with broadcast and technical matters, or who relied on the assistance of a qualified engineer working independently from the FCC's house staff. With the television migration already in motion, and the extensive experimenting with iBOC and discovery of the need for more depth in field testing, it is clear that a steady head and hand will be required and that common carrier or legislative regulation alone cannot serve the public's best interest. One needs only to recall the problem with the "spinning wheels" that almost became the standard for color television, until reason turned to a full electronic system. The failure of AM stereo that resulted from a mandated faulty standard as opposed to an open standard or superior system illustrates the fact that physical principles cannot be altered by either legislative or regulatory fiat. The virtual abandonment of field enforcement of broadcast Rules in many areas demands attention, again to protect the public. An informed member of the Commission can restore balance and provide a basis for administrative efficiency in the mass media communications area, which is a part of the statutory responsibility of the FCC.

 

I, E. Harold Munn, Jr., believe the above stated facts and opinions to be true and accurate based on my personal professional experience and observations.

 

Tim Cutforth

 

 

I just got word that Kenneth Hill, a broadcaster from Tennessee, was nominated by his senator to be an FCC commissioner! What is wrong with this picture? Well to start with broadcasters have been treated as the poor stepchild of communications in this age where the very word "digital" is driving the perceived public interest. With hundreds of millions of listeners nationwide radio decisions lately have been based on nearly anything besides what is best for the listeners and what will allow the broadcasters to serve them better. Kenneth Hill doesnt even fit the Washington Power Broker mold as he is not even associated with a major commercial broadcast group...and neither is he a lawyer! He is an announcer and manager of a small nonprofit broadcasting group of mostly AM stations including. GASP - DAYTIMERS! How out of the commercial mainstream can you get! He actually has music formats on some of the AM stations! If you would like the FCC to take broadcasting seriously and their responsibility to minimize interference and maximize service to the REAL public - serving actual listeners and not just the big publicly held companies.

 

I suggest that you write to your senator and president urging that Kenneth Hill would be a GOOD FCC COMMISSIONER. It has been too long since a broadcaster was part of the regulation of broadcasting and I think the Commission has lost touch with their original purpose and replaced it with stylish feel good regulation plans that bind broadcasters with tons of meaningless paperwork rules and waste their resources trying to guess what will make the government happy Instead of encouraging broadcasters to use their creativity to find ways of enhancing their real service to the public. Putting a broadcaster on the commission will help our promising new Chairman Martin to understand the broadcasters point of view. That will be the first step in putting the priorities straight again as it relates to broadcasting.

 

I, Timothy C. Cutforth, President and Owner of VIR JAMES, P.C., Broadcast Engineering Consultants, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

And now for what Leonard thinks of Dr. Hill...

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 23

December 12, 2005

 

 

NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD MEN(AND LADIES)  

TO COME TO THE AID OF THEIR COUNTRY

Kenneth Hill is nominated for FCC Commissioner

 

The WRATH is honored to have as this issue's senior author Dr. Ken Hill, who was recently nominated for FCC Commissioner by Senator Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate.

 

He is, if I remember correctly, the first broadcaster (and also non-lawyer) to be nominated to join the FCC for over two decades, and WOW do we need him now.

 

There is a brand new boss at the FCC (Kevin Martin) and three of the five Commissioners are to be appointed. Fortunately, Senator Frist took the FCC situation seriously and nominated Ken, a real broadcaster who operates six stations (WHGG, WPWT, WJFC, WOLD, WABN, all AMers and WHCB-FM). Not only is he a solid owner/manager, but has a really, really keen interest in new technology. And Dr. Hill has vowed, if selected, he will name as his key advisor an EXPERT engineer, a man I have known and respected for over some 20 years.

 

How do I know Dr. Hill so well?        

                           

As he points out in his WRATH article, he has been a customer installing three POWER-side Units and being the first to install Cam-D in the champion rotten ground conductivity area of Tennessee, (that's were those crack-shots came from we had in the Army). And if you can double

coverage on those rocks, you can do it anywhere... (There I go with a commercial)

 

Anyway, back to the FCC nomination...

 

Dr. Hill proved to me that he is really, really serious about broadcasting when he told me not to surprised if he also bought an iBOC System and did a comparison test between it and the Cam-D System... after all how did he know that the iBOCers were not right about their system? I told him I would just LOVE such a shoot-out. But then, when he learned that iBOC would create severe interference to his spectrum neighbors, some of his friends, especially in Virginia, he scrapped his plan and instead did a detailed study of Cam-D performance. . Thus, his and Engineer Mr. Marshall Tipton's following report.

 

Because of our friendship Dr. Hill as a really, really ethical person will recuse himself from voting on Digital Radio, but not to worry, he will do all he can to support Chairman Martin in driving Washington lobbyists from their inordinate position of power in influencing FCC technically based Rulemakings.

 

NOW IS THE TIME for you, dear reader, to write, e-mail, or shout to your Senator, his or her spouse, girl or boyfriend WE NEED KEN HILL ON THE FCC. PLEASE, PLEASE SPEND AN HOUR NOW IN SAVING YOUR FUTURE IN BROADCASTING. CHAIRMAN MARTIN NEEDS YOUR HELP. (Send me a copy... but not any notes to the girlfriend, be discrete.)

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, whose Mother, would be so proud that I have as a friend Dr. Hill who was nominated by Senator Frist, who may well be the next President, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

Statement from Dr. Kenneth C. Hill concerning the Cam-D: 

 

 

I have been involved in all phases of radio since 1969 when I began working as a disc jockey.  As all other owners/managers of individual stations and small groups, I am always trying to figure out how to get the best signal and programming to the public at the lowest cost.  One of my biggest costs is equipment, so I am careful that all purchases make good business sense and I get real bang for every buck I spend for my equipment. For years I have heard from top engineers and savvy station owners Kahn POWER-side was the only technique that actually increased coverage without having to raise power or move the antenna. So I decided to call Professor Kahn and he didn't sound quite as nasty as some people claimed he was. Indeed we became friends. As a result we installed POWER-side at WHGG, WPWT, and WJFC. And we were so pleased with the results...increased our coverage, dropped fading and power line noise, dramatically. Real bang for my hard earned bucks.

 

When the talk of digital broadcasting started rumbling through the industry, I began working on plans to enable our group of fledgling stations to embrace the future.  However, at every turn there were obstacles. We would have to increase the height and breadth of some of the towers.  We needed newer transmitters, even though only one of our transmitters was more than three years old. We would have to set aside money to pay software licensing fees. We would have to apply for permission for the new systems, new towers, etc. But the real coupe de grace was when I heard the iBOC interference no way would I ever allow my stations to cause such interference to my fellow broadcasters.

 

Then I received a phone call from Leonard Kahn telling me of an idea that he had for digital AM broadcasting. This idea was radically different from all that I had heard about when considering going digital. Instead of less coverage - he promised more. Instead of changing out transmitters and towers - he promised that we could use what we had. Instead of no digital signal at night, or in the case of WHGG pre-sunrise and post-sunset darkness he promised a better nighttime  signal. And he offered to allow us the (paid) privilege of being one of a handful of test stations.

 

It seemed to good to be true, but Leonard Kahn had always performed on his promises in the past.  I reasoned that it would be years before the digital receivers would be in place  - and if what he had promised about clarity and coverage in the analog domain was true then I would be foolish not to try it. 

 

So, we tried CAM-D on WHGG 1090 AM.  It is a very cost-effective way to do all the things Leonard Kahn promised. When we can get the dollars in place, our other stations will also be using CAM-D. 

 

The benefits of the Kahn Cam-D are significant. We have less interference.  We have greater reach.  We have greater fidelity. Our pre-sunrise/post-sunset signal is beyond our belief.

(I could not believe the coverage for the less than 30 watts in the dark. When we began broadcasting with Cam-D, I would call our Chief Engineer, Marshall Tipton, and demand that he lower the transmitter power only to find that the transmitter was operating at the proper power level.  It was, and is, that good.)

 

I, Kenneth C. Hill, believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.           

 

9 December 2005

 

Statement from Marshall Tipton, Chief Engineer of WHGG 1090 AM, WPWT 870 AM, WOLD 1330 AM, WABN 1230 AM, WJFC 1480 AM, & WHCB 91.5 FM in regard to the Cam-D.

 

 

My background in working with high-power RF rigs and sideband broadcasting in the military gave me a cursory understanding of the Kahn POWER-side systems that were being used at WPWT PowerTalk 870 AM and WHGG Mighty 1090 AM when I began my tenure with these stations.  The Kahn POWER-side gave each of these stations far more reach than is normally possible in areas with such poor ground conductivity as we have in this rocky portion of East Tennessee. 

 

To be honest, I saw no need to install any new system in the RF chain of either station. But, Dr. Kenneth C. Hill, the President/General Manager of the stations, decided to test the Cam-D system from Kahn Communications in preparation for taking all of the stations in our group into digital broadcasting. Dr. Hill had agreed with the Kahn folks that our 1090 kHz station would be a test station for their new Cam-D.  Following orders from Dr. Hill, I prepared for the installation of what I thought was an unnecessary piece of equipment, especially for the analog receiver sets presently in use.

 

However, as I studied the possibility of the Cam-D system and talked with Leonard Kahn, I became optimistic about both the digital domain as well as the analog side of the Cam-D.  Tim Cutforth of VIR James Engineering came to install the Cam-D.  I learned much more about the system as Tim and I worked together on the installation. 

We installed the Cam-D on our music station, WHGG that operates on 1090 kHz. WHGG with 10 KW day 1.8KW critical hours, and 30 watts or less (depending on the month) pre-sunrise and post-sunset. WHGG is licensed to Kingsport, Tennessee and serves the Tri-Cities, TN/VA market (Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City) which is the 98^th market with about 450,000 population in the MSA.

 

It is important to note that WHGG is diplexed with WPWT, which operates on 870 kHz with 10 KW daytime using antenna-tuning units and diplexer from Kintronics Laboratories.  Both stations use Harris DX-10 transmitters.  WPWT that is a talk station uses a Hmat-Hinds

tri-maze processor and the Kahn POWER-side, while WHGG uses an Omnia 3 and the new Cam-D system from Kahn. 

 

It was a distinct privilege to work with the Cam-D installation engineer, Tim Cutforth.

(He encouraged me to purchase the Sony ICF 2010 off EBay just like the one he used during installation-it is a real trick.)  Installation was a simple operation and was finished in a matter of a few hours, including all testing.  There was no requirement for changes in antenna, transmitters, or processors.  Going digital was as easy as installing one piece of equipment. 

 

One thing that got my attention is that during setup and use of the Cam-D you must make sure there is absolutely no clipping ahead of the unit. I keep the unit adjusted just short of the rough edge, which is the loudest point. We have great audio quality for the oldies format on WHGG. I like to keep the modulation close to this rough edge; this way we are using most of the transmitters modulation density. The clarity on the analog receivers is fantastic.

 

I have no question that Cam-D is the best bridge from analog AM, with its interference and atmospheric problems, to a compatible digital system, which is far less in cost than the other system that is being promoted by the large radio groups.  From what I can read, the Cam-D is also easier to maintain than the other system. Cam-D has improved our signal and reaches more people with much better quality. 

 

One example of the improvement of the signal is the fact that WHGG at 1090 kHz, located at the same tower with WPWT operating at 870 kHz has a nearly comparable signal. Imagine broadcasting in the digital domain without losing coverage, but actually adding territory.  WHGG has approximately 40% greater range than before Cam-D!  This is true during critical hours and pre-sunrise and post-sunset as well.  It is amazing that the digital Cam-D has improved the sound and reach so dramatically on the analog signal. I am looking forward to hearing the digital signal when the receivers arrive.

 

I invite you to drive through this beautiful mountain region and listen to WHGG so you can appreciate the quality of the analog signal using Cam-D.   

 

I, Marshall Tipton, believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.           

 

9 December 2005

           

          

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 25

January 10, 2006

WRATH PASSES THE 10,000 HIT POINT

We are really, really proud of the wrathofkahn.org reaching 10,000 hits. When one realizes that our main target is some 5,000 AM stations, the monthly issue rate of 1000 is kind of impressive.

 

I know some "realists" equate honest, ethical business with old-fashioned business. Also, they probably believe that the new "real world morality" can be summarized as follows:

 

 Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage

Go Together Like a Horse and Carriage

NOW should be sung:

 Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage

Is as Old Fashioned as a Horse and Carriage

 

In any case when an author signs a WRATH article with:

I truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead, the author recognizes his or her reputation is at risk.

And I only invite authors to the WRATH who I am certain will not risk their reputations and, also will not risk the WRATH's reputation...

 

Do you think that I am introducing a great new idea? No way, I bet it started with the dawn of man (and woman). Honesty is a rather old invention, probably conceived within milliseconds of the first dishonest guy inventing the lie. But nothing could have been a more foolish invention, than the "engineering lie". That is a modern invention, one that will never work, a perpetual motion machine. But that is why the WRATH initiated publication ...to Leonard do not get too WRATHFULL now. This is a good time to calm down and thank Dr. Robert Gordon who helps edit this mess and who handles all the technology supporting the WRATH including, but not limited, to the artwork.

 

And now may I also thank the engineers and station owners who are the individuals that made the WRATH hit the 1,000 hit/month mark. Their names and the issue they authored follows. You can see their articles by hitting (not too hard) the Previous Week Button.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, who believes there is nothing Old Fashioned about Love and Marriage, and is so proud of the WRATH hitting such a high

, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and not meant to mislead.

 

	Lead Guest Author	Wrath Issue
	Carlson, Ralph J. (Ken Meyer, engineer)	2
	Cutforth, Tim	5, 24
	Hill, Kenneth H.	23
	McBride, Ralph H.	3, 4
	Munn, E. Harold	24
	Scott, Donald	22
	Tipton, Marshal	23
	Vobbe, Fredrick	8
	Wiederman, Don and Sharon	14

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 24

December 21, 2005

 

NEW SUPPORT FOR HILL'S NOMINATION AS FCC COMMISSIONER

 

First, permit me, Dear Reader, to tell you that important steps are in motion to get Dr. Ken Hill on Martin's new FCC. I can share with you information about two of the three brand new influential supporters of Dr. Hill's nomination. Mr. Harold Munn and Tim Cutforth. Tim has appeared in the WRATH; so let me say something about Mr. Munn.

 

I have huge respect for Mr. Harold Munn's enormous engineering talents. He is a really, really incredible engineer, a national resource. To know Harold is to respect him. That is why his opinions are sought by some of the most eminent and powerful broadcasters. I am so pleased that this stand-up, ethical man has permitted us to publish his comments supporting Ken Hill. Just see how well he states the case for his support for Dr. Hill... logical and not a word wasted... a perfect example of why everyone, including the FCC, respects Mr. Munn.

 

Now back to that rambling wreck of the English language you expect from me whenever you visit the WRATH. I wish to share with you the results of my discussions with some real smart lawyers as to the key issue facing the FCC, our Constitutional Right (First Amendment) to petition the government for a redress of grievances. But the founders did not mean that lobbyists can control the FCC and other important government agencies. Think about itDo you expect to get honest advise from a salesman? So how can the FCC permit the NRSCcontrolled and staffed by people who are paid by firms who are mesmerized by the PIPE-DREAM of a piece of a Trillion dollar pot of gold to advise it? No Mr. Clear Channel and friends, the dream is just a dream, it will never happen...GET REAL. 

 

Enuf language butchery from me... Let's hear from these two powerful broadcast voices:

 

E. Harold Munn, Jr.

 

 

I want to lend my hearty support to the nomination of Dr. Kenneth C. Hill to a commissionership on the Federal Communications Commission.   It is time for the FCC to once again have an informed broadcaster filling at least one of the chairs -- a position filled by non-broadcasters when Cmr. James Quello retired some time ago. Given the critical decisions relating to broadcast spectrum remodeling, the FCC will be handicapped without the input such an individual, as Dr. Hill will bring.

 

In my professional career, appearing before the FCC since 1950 in technical matters, it became readily apparent that the informed regulation of the broadcast industry occurred best when the Commission had at least one member who was wholly conversant with broadcast and technical matters, or who relied on the assistance of a qualified engineer working independently from the FCC's house staff. With the television migration already in motion, and the extensive experimenting with iBOC and discovery of the need for more depth in field testing, it is clear that a steady head and hand will be required and that common carrier or legislative regulation alone cannot serve the public's best interest. One needs only to recall the problem with the "spinning wheels" that almost became the standard for color television, until reason turned to a full electronic system. The failure of AM stereo that resulted from a mandated faulty standard as opposed to an open standard or superior system illustrates the fact that physical principles cannot be altered by either legislative or regulatory fiat. The virtual abandonment of field enforcement of broadcast Rules in many areas demands attention, again to protect the public. An informed member of the Commission can restore balance and provide a basis for administrative efficiency in the mass media communications area, which is a part of the statutory responsibility of the FCC.

 

I, E. Harold Munn, Jr., believe the above stated facts and opinions to be true and accurate based on my personal professional experience and observations.

 

Tim Cutforth

 

 

I just got word that Kenneth Hill, a broadcaster from Tennessee, was nominated by his senator to be an FCC commissioner! What is wrong with this picture? Well to start with broadcasters have been treated as the poor stepchild of communications in this age where the very word "digital" is driving the perceived public interest. With hundreds of millions of listeners nationwide radio decisions lately have been based on nearly anything besides what is best for the listeners and what will allow the broadcasters to serve them better. Kenneth Hill doesnt even fit the Washington Power Broker mold as he is not even associated with a major commercial broadcast group...and neither is he a lawyer! He is an announcer and manager of a small nonprofit broadcasting group of mostly AM stations including. GASP - DAYTIMERS! How out of the commercial mainstream can you get! He actually has music formats on some of the AM stations! If you would like the FCC to take broadcasting seriously and their responsibility to minimize interference and maximize service to the REAL public - serving actual listeners and not just the big publicly held companies.

 

I suggest that you write to your senator and president urging that Kenneth Hill would be a GOOD FCC COMMISSIONER. It has been too long since a broadcaster was part of the regulation of broadcasting and I think the Commission has lost touch with their original purpose and replaced it with stylish feel good regulation plans that bind broadcasters with tons of meaningless paperwork rules and waste their resources trying to guess what will make the government happy Instead of encouraging broadcasters to use their creativity to find ways of enhancing their real service to the public. Putting a broadcaster on the commission will help our promising new Chairman Martin to understand the broadcasters point of view. That will be the first step in putting the priorities straight again as it relates to broadcasting.

 

I, Timothy C. Cutforth, President and Owner of VIR JAMES, P.C., Broadcast Engineering Consultants, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

And now for what Leonard thinks of Dr. Hill...

 

wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 23

December 12, 2005

 

 

NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL GOOD MEN(AND LADIES)  

TO COME TO THE AID OF THEIR COUNTRY

Kenneth Hill is nominated for FCC Commissioner

 

The WRATH is honored to have as this issue's senior author Dr. Ken Hill, who was recently nominated for FCC Commissioner by Senator Frist, Majority Leader of the Senate.

 

He is, if I remember correctly, the first broadcaster (and also non-lawyer) to be nominated to join the FCC for over two decades, and WOW do we need him now.

 

There is a brand new boss at the FCC (Kevin Martin) and three of the five Commissioners are to be appointed. Fortunately, Senator Frist took the FCC situation seriously and nominated Ken, a real broadcaster who operates six stations (WHGG, WPWT, WJFC, WOLD, WABN, all AMers and WHCB-FM). Not only is he a solid owner/manager, but has a really, really keen interest in new technology. And Dr. Hill has vowed, if selected, he will name as his key advisor an EXPERT engineer, a man I have known and respected for over some 20 years.

 

How do I know Dr. Hill so well?        

                           

As he points out in his WRATH article, he has been a customer installing three POWER-side Units and being the first to install Cam-D in the champion rotten ground conductivity area of Tennessee, (that's were those crack-shots came from we had in the Army). And if you can double

coverage on those rocks, you can do it anywhere... (There I go with a commercial)

 

Anyway, back to the FCC nomination...

 

Dr. Hill proved to me that he is really, really serious about broadcasting when he told me not to surprised if he also bought an iBOC System and did a comparison test between it and the Cam-D System... after all how did he know that the iBOCers were not right about their system? I told him I would just LOVE such a shoot-out. But then, when he learned that iBOC would create severe interference to his spectrum neighbors, some of his friends, especially in Virginia, he scrapped his plan and instead did a detailed study of Cam-D performance. . Thus, his and Engineer Mr. Marshall Tipton's following report.

 

Because of our friendship Dr. Hill as a really, really ethical person will recuse himself from voting on Digital Radio, but not to worry, he will do all he can to support Chairman Martin in driving Washington lobbyists from their inordinate position of power in influencing FCC technically based Rulemakings.

 

NOW IS THE TIME for you, dear reader, to write, e-mail, or shout to your Senator, his or her spouse, girl or boyfriend WE NEED KEN HILL ON THE FCC. PLEASE, PLEASE SPEND AN HOUR NOW IN SAVING YOUR FUTURE IN BROADCASTING. CHAIRMAN MARTIN NEEDS YOUR HELP. (Send me a copy... but not any notes to the girlfriend, be discrete.)

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn, whose Mother, would be so proud that I have as a friend Dr. Hill who was nominated by Senator Frist, who may well be the next President, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

Statement from Dr. Kenneth C. Hill concerning the Cam-D: 

 

 

I have been involved in all phases of radio since 1969 when I began working as a disc jockey.  As all other owners/managers of individual stations and small groups, I am always trying to figure out how to get the best signal and programming to the public at the lowest cost.  One of my biggest costs is equipment, so I am careful that all purchases make good business sense and I get real bang for every buck I spend for my equipment. For years I have heard from top engineers and savvy station owners Kahn POWER-side was the only technique that actually increased coverage without having to raise power or move the antenna. So I decided to call Professor Kahn and he didn't sound quite as nasty as some people claimed he was. Indeed we became friends. As a result we installed POWER-side at WHGG, WPWT, and WJFC. And we were so pleased with the results...increased our coverage, dropped fading and power line noise, dramatically. Real bang for my hard earned bucks.

 

When the talk of digital broadcasting started rumbling through the industry, I began working on plans to enable our group of fledgling stations to embrace the future.  However, at every turn there were obstacles. We would have to increase the height and breadth of some of the towers.  We needed newer transmitters, even though only one of our transmitters was more than three years old. We would have to set aside money to pay software licensing fees. We would have to apply for permission for the new systems, new towers, etc. But the real coupe de grace was when I heard the iBOC interference no way would I ever allow my stations to cause such interference to my fellow broadcasters.

 

Then I received a phone call from Leonard Kahn telling me of an idea that he had for digital AM broadcasting. This idea was radically different from all that I had heard about when considering going digital. Instead of less coverage - he promised more. Instead of changing out transmitters and towers - he promised that we could use what we had. Instead of no digital signal at night, or in the case of WHGG pre-sunrise and post-sunset darkness he promised a better nighttime  signal. And he offered to allow us the (paid) privilege of being one of a handful of test stations.

 

It seemed to good to be true, but Leonard Kahn had always performed on his promises in the past.  I reasoned that it would be years before the digital receivers would be in place  - and if what he had promised about clarity and coverage in the analog domain was true then I would be foolish not to try it. 

 

So, we tried CAM-D on WHGG 1090 AM.  It is a very cost-effective way to do all the things Leonard Kahn promised. When we can get the dollars in place, our other stations will also be using CAM-D. 

 

The benefits of the Kahn Cam-D are significant. We have less interference.  We have greater reach.  We have greater fidelity. Our pre-sunrise/post-sunset signal is beyond our belief.

(I could not believe the coverage for the less than 30 watts in the dark. When we began broadcasting with Cam-D, I would call our Chief Engineer, Marshall Tipton, and demand that he lower the transmitter power only to find that the transmitter was operating at the proper power level.  It was, and is, that good.)

 

I, Kenneth C. Hill, believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.           

 

9 December 2005

 

Statement from Marshall Tipton, Chief Engineer of WHGG 1090 AM, WPWT 870 AM, WOLD 1330 AM, WABN 1230 AM, WJFC 1480 AM, & WHCB 91.5 FM in regard to the Cam-D.

 

 

My background in working with high-power RF rigs and sideband broadcasting in the military gave me a cursory understanding of the Kahn POWER-side systems that were being used at WPWT PowerTalk 870 AM and WHGG Mighty 1090 AM when I began my tenure with these stations.  The Kahn POWER-side gave each of these stations far more reach than is normally possible in areas with such poor ground conductivity as we have in this rocky portion of East Tennessee. 

 

To be honest, I saw no need to install any new system in the RF chain of either station. But, Dr. Kenneth C. Hill, the President/General Manager of the stations, decided to test the Cam-D system from Kahn Communications in preparation for taking all of the stations in our group into digital broadcasting. Dr. Hill had agreed with the Kahn folks that our 1090 kHz station would be a test station for their new Cam-D.  Following orders from Dr. Hill, I prepared for the installation of what I thought was an unnecessary piece of equipment, especially for the analog receiver sets presently in use.

 

However, as I studied the possibility of the Cam-D system and talked with Leonard Kahn, I became optimistic about both the digital domain as well as the analog side of the Cam-D.  Tim Cutforth of VIR James Engineering came to install the Cam-D.  I learned much more about the system as Tim and I worked together on the installation. 

We installed the Cam-D on our music station, WHGG that operates on 1090 kHz. WHGG with 10 KW day 1.8KW critical hours, and 30 watts or less (depending on the month) pre-sunrise and post-sunset. WHGG is licensed to Kingsport, Tennessee and serves the Tri-Cities, TN/VA market (Bristol, Kingsport, Johnson City) which is the 98^th market with about 450,000 population in the MSA.

 

It is important to note that WHGG is diplexed with WPWT, which operates on 870 kHz with 10 KW daytime using antenna-tuning units and diplexer from Kintronics Laboratories.  Both stations use Harris DX-10 transmitters.  WPWT that is a talk station uses a Hmat-Hinds

tri-maze processor and the Kahn POWER-side, while WHGG uses an Omnia 3 and the new Cam-D system from Kahn. 

 

It was a distinct privilege to work with the Cam-D installation engineer, Tim Cutforth.

(He encouraged me to purchase the Sony ICF 2010 off EBay just like the one he used during installation-it is a real trick.)  Installation was a simple operation and was finished in a matter of a few hours, including all testing.  There was no requirement for changes in antenna, transmitters, or processors.  Going digital was as easy as installing one piece of equipment. 

 

One thing that got my attention is that during setup and use of the Cam-D you must make sure there is absolutely no clipping ahead of the unit. I keep the unit adjusted just short of the rough edge, which is the loudest point. We have great audio quality for the oldies format on WHGG. I like to keep the modulation close to this rough edge; this way we are using most of the transmitters modulation density. The clarity on the analog receivers is fantastic.

 

I have no question that Cam-D is the best bridge from analog AM, with its interference and atmospheric problems, to a compatible digital system, which is far less in cost than the other system that is being promoted by the large radio groups.  From what I can read, the Cam-D is also easier to maintain than the other system. Cam-D has improved our signal and reaches more people with much better quality. 

 

One example of the improvement of the signal is the fact that WHGG at 1090 kHz, located at the same tower with WPWT operating at 870 kHz has a nearly comparable signal. Imagine broadcasting in the digital domain without losing coverage, but actually adding territory.  WHGG has approximately 40% greater range than before Cam-D!  This is true during critical hours and pre-sunrise and post-sunset as well.  It is amazing that the digital Cam-D has improved the sound and reach so dramatically on the analog signal. I am looking forward to hearing the digital signal when the receivers arrive.

 

I invite you to drive through this beautiful mountain region and listen to WHGG so you can appreciate the quality of the analog signal using Cam-D.   

 

I, Marshall Tipton, believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.           

 

9 December 2005

           

 wrathofkahn.ORG   

Issue 26

February 6, 2006

 

           

 

WRATH IS PROUD TO BE A CONTRARIAN

 

The first time I heard the word "contrarian" was when I was just entering James Madison High School. I think it was during one of those episodes when I first introduced my famous chant. "When in doubt, throw Kahn out."

 

I AM PROUD TO BE A CONTRARIAN, AND SO SHOULD YOU

 

I have always been a contrarian and KCI has always been blessed with superb contrarian researchers. How else would a small technology firm compete with the really, really big guys? They are mere "copyists," who follow "conventional wisdom." Not very inventive, not very original.

 

Dear Reader, you too are contrarians. Or how else could you compete with such non-original thinkers as "cc: Broadcasting" (stands for "carbon copy," programming)? You would be unable to compete with those thousand "carbon" stations, absent your innovative contrarian programs. In any case, let me prove just how contrary I am...

 

May I nominate for the two worst developments of the 20^th century. the Internet and the iBOC System? (Note that I have not used the word "invention" as I am not certain that an iBOC patent could survive a court challenge.) And believe it or not some broadcast industries "talking heads" support both of these gems?

 

Now I know you are thinking Leonard is just kidding... just to help get another 10,000 hits on the WRATH site... But I plead: Not Guilty, your honor. I am deadly serious. Not only will these terrible developments kill your broadcasting careers, they will kill Americans. Now I really better explain myself before the NAB lobby and Clear Channel attack.

 

THE DEATH OF AM & FM BROADCASTING

 

First, check out the Wall Street Journal front page article of 1/18/06 entitled: In Latest Deal, Google Steps Farther Into World of Old Media, where us old radio media-ites were the main topic of the article re sale of dMarc Broadcasting for $102 million in cash and maybe $1.1 Billion later for radio airtime. So whats so bad about that? Well lets say most all of the independent stations sign up and then Google has just what it needs to sign up most Americans, local broadcasting... high school sports and other local programming ... Even Google cannot afford to do remotes in most every town in the country... Now when people get out of the habit of listening to on-the-air Radio. just use the web, Google will be ready to "thin out the herd"... Sound familiar, Bye-Bye Radio.

 BUT WHAT ABOUT ENDANGERING LIVES?

 

I have worked in the field of military communications and actually we expect to get quite heavy into high security satellite work real soon. But years ago I tried to talk some of my military friends out of even thinking of using the web. But they knew better. use sophisticated coding that no one could decode and no one could interfere with... Famous last words! Now everyone is complaining about our government listening to our every word and using GPS to catch us visiting girl friends. Big Brother is watching us... But so is Little Brother, and most importantly, people who tell us they want to kill us. Can you believe that some politicians want the only people not to "listen in" are the people who want to save our lives? This is a weird time.

 

Now let us get down to the nitty and the gritty...

One of the latest concern that security minded individuals have is destroying computers and our telephone system and the web and even Google, is a pulse on our power grids that takes out Integrated Circuits. EMP, Electromagnetic Pulse, is real... And I don't mean "E-Mail Pornography" which is also real and which will be competing with you for media attention on their computers.

But back to engineering. -. Just think about what happens to your solid state transmission equipment when Mother Nature wants you to show her a little more respect... Hits you with a little lightening...And She has no reason to pick on broadcasters. It just feels that way.

 

Therefore, just when Americans need information to protect the lives of their families, Google and AM Radio will be out of operation. Just like the cell phones were useless on 9/11.

 

So what will work and save lives? Good old reliable AM Radio... Almost all major stations have Diesel backup power and Americans have their battery-powered portables. Next time the crazies attack or Gulf Storms strike, America will ready... UNLESS the great Internet and iBOC systems kill Radio Broadcasting altogether.

 

I, Leonard Kahn, know not to trust my $million plus Cam-D^TM investment to people using names that sound like Goofy, and who are bearing gifts that remind me of a Trojan Horsey, and who really, really believes we need Dr. Hill on the FCC, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead. 

 

wrathofkahn.ORG 

Issue 28

March 22, 2006

WHISTLING IN THE DARK...Through iBOCs Grave Yard

RW You may have heard of them... Now, now... I have heard enough of those RW jokes to realize that you are not taking them seriously... That is because you are a smart Wrath Reader... Anyway, RW claims to have interviewed the new FCC Chairman and somehow, someway, they asked him the right questions to change a funeral into a festival.

 

You know the type ofquestion that some Journalists... Not the ones on Wall Street... ask... Are you still beating that Lady I saw you with last night who wasnt your wife???

 

Anyway... They made it sound like Chairman Martin, a respected lawyer, had never read the U.S. Constitution.

"This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made.., shall be the supreme Law of the Land.." Article VI

 

I wonder if the JOURNALISTS at RW asked the Chairman the Real Questions: Had the FCC staff invented a cure for the little problem iBOC has with THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION, and a way around those nasty little LAWS OF PHYSICS?

 

Just keep whistling, CC and fellow Cartel Cooperators and "C" what really

happens at the FCC... Do you really think the FCC will commit Political Suicide by accepting a radio broadcast system that can never work after sundown even if the iBOC system goes "all digital."NEVER, its a question of theory.., Mathematics and Physics.

 

That is why iBOC never accepted my formal challenge to go on after Sundown.

 

Do you really think that the FCC would be willing to tell the American Public that in order for the iBOC cartel members to become billionaires, they must sacrifice their radios that work 24/7, just now when we are at war with crazies and when the next natural disaster may hit like the Gulf Storms of 05? How do you think those Senators out west, or out east, will react when KSL, WOAI, WABC, WBZ, WCBS, WLW, WLS, WWL, KNX, WGN, WTOP, KFI, KCBS, KNBR, WJR, KMOX, KOY, KLAC, WRVA, etc become local stations? You got to be kidding!

Another few words from the Real World... a real RW....

 

Finally re your going on the web... It is difficult to believe that the huge iBOC groups are willing to give away the two strongest non-engineering advantages AM & FM radio haveover Satellites, the WEB, GIGGLE and all other Alternative Broadcast Systems.

 

Those two basic advantages are:

 

1. The HABIT Americans have of waking up to Radio, turning on their radios as soon as they get in their cars, bike ride and stretch out on the beach, etc., etc.. and another, etc.;

 

2. The OWNERSHIP of almost a 1,000,000,000 (Billion) working radios that are found in every single room in their homes and every vehicle Americans own.

 

So what in the World are these iBOC geniuses thinking about??? Do they really believe that it is in their best interests to destroy their stations??? Or is it in the Public Interest???

 

But even if they wish to self-destruct by going on the web, dont expect smart broadcasters to join them in a suicide pact.

 

You know this entire situation leaves me speechless. I know you are probably delighted that at last something leaves Leonard speechless... So if you dont mind, permit me to now repeat last months also VERY IMPORTANT message., By the way, we will be announcing the tenth and eleventh on-the-air 24/7 Stations....And other GOOD NEWS.

 

wrathofkahn.ORG 

Issue 27

March 2, 2006

       

NO COMMENT, PLEASE

 

On Thursday, March 2, 2006, the Wall Street Journal was the first publication to disclose the fact that I, your loveable friend , and Kahn Communications, Inc. filed a suit in the prestigious Federal District Court for the Southern District of New York at Foley Square.

 

The Defendants are: iBiquity Digital Corporation; Lucent Technologies Corporation; and Clear Channel Communications, Inc.

Its Case Number is: 06 CV 1536.

 

Now Dear Readers and Friends, THIS MAY SHOCK YOU BUT THE WRATH WILL PROVIDE NO FURTHER COMMENTS RE THIS SUIT UNTIL IT IS ALL OVER...

Also do not ask me to comment on what I expect will be a really, really, vicious attack article by Radio W__d.

 

But Leonard, why NO COMMENTS? Because Courts DO NOT LIKE litigants to attempt to try their cases in the press. They want lawsuits to be tried with real evidence in Court... and so does any litigant who really believes in his or her case.

 

SO PLEASE do not make me have to say "no comment " to you.

 

Ask me all the tough questions you want about other matters... BUT PLEASE do not ask about this case. Let's not fight.

I, Leonard Kahn, truly believe that the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.         

 

URGENT, and I mean urgent!

 

All POWER-side^TM stations and Cam-D^TM stations MUST call me. You must update settings to maintain your super sound quality improvement. I am working full time re. Litigation, thus you must call me at 212-983-6765 and leave a message as to exactly when I can return your call. I cannot play telephone tag. Most urgent!

 

wrathofkahn.ORG 

Issue 29

April 26, 2006

   

 

 

 

AN UPDATE OF KAHN COMMUNICATIONS DOUBLE DOUBLE DARE

As WRATH readers will recall, the Sept. 2, 2005 issue CHALLENGED all AM iBOC Stations to leave their signals on at NIGHT. (As do all Cam-D^TM Stations). Now eight months later... NOT A Single Station has accepted my challenge. WHY??? After all isn't nighttime the time for stations to try new systems??? If iBOCers are telling the TRUTH and they can make iBOC work when the sun goes down, what are they afraid of? Let's shed some SUNLIGHT on the situation:

 

Even if Americans junked the almost BILLION Radios they bought with their hard earned cash and AM went All Digital, iBOC would still not work at Night. IT can never work at night!!! WHY? Because of the same reason iBOC jams Co and Adjacent Channels. Skywaves cannot maintain time and phase correlation of wideband signals. ONLY an advanced Spectrum efficient system can. The 24/7Cam-D^TM System "packed spectrum" system can, and you know what we will do if iBOCers try to copy Cam-D.

 

Bottom line: The iBOC system cannot, no matter what they do with their iBOC receivers, ever work at NIGHT and even during Daytime in big cities or in wood frame HOMES or near Power lines, etc.

WHY??? It takes a 10-minute call. Call LOVEABLE LEONARD at (212) 983-6765.

 

OOPS OOPS LEONARD MADE A MISTAKE

I just said there is nothing that iBOCers can do in their receivers to solve the problem, Actually there is. One prestigious American radio manufacturer just announced the SOLUTION. Their idea is to put in a second antenna so that they can use dual diversity, and so if one of the signals is bad, you use just the other one. One of my specialties is diversity... I was the first, in ancient times, before most iBOC radio manufactures started in business, to disclose the RATIO SQUARER DIVERSITY COMBINER system, now in use in ALL Deep Space Probes developed by NASA and the Europeans...

 

So to prove just how LOVEABLE I really am, let me offer FREE consulting advice:

I would connect a well shielded cable (at least 100db shield). Make it very long and connect it to the output of the 1BOC transmitter, be careful of high voltage and do not do this while thunderstorms are in the area... Remember my colleague Ben Franklin. Now for the free diversity combining advice: For best signal-to-noise carefully cut the cable to the normal antenna input, eliminating the antenna requirement and also, and this is the real advantage: Eliminating the stations need to pay all those FCC fees.

 

FOR MORE USEFULL FREE iBOC ADVICE... See you on wrathofkahn. ORG

I, Leonard R. Kahn truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

wrathofkahn.ORG 

Issue 30

April May 10, 2006

 

LOVEABLE LEONARD 1S AT IT AGAIN

 

You know I am on your side. I, like you have devoted huge amounts of time and money trying to help my broadcast friends better compete in these turbulent times. Now I wish to warn you of a sickness that could destroy the over-the-air American broadcast system. The system that has been the envy of the World since it was founded even before I was born. And many of you have been suckered into helping free radio broadcasting commit suicide by feeding your life's blood, your local weather, traffic, local sports etc., to cell phones, Podcasts and "iDestroyRADIO" devices. You are stowing away on the Titanic, streaming full speed ahead to the iCE.

 

Like a beautiful lady, you better find out what all those guys really want.

Let me whisper the answer. They want your spectrum and then when nobody is listening to on-the-air radio they will GO ALL DIGITAL and sell a BILLION new radios for a $TRILLION!!! And then watch them instantly stop the streaming. But your licenses will by then become WORTHLESS, and you did it to yourself... Not too smart.

 

Not only have you destroyed the publics radios and there listening habit, you have destroyed the first means available for alerting the public of a disaster, as all tests prove iBOC makes even 50 kw stations local stations daytime and less when the sun dont shine.

 

I know they shoot the bearer of bad news... but I wouldnt be LOVABLE Leonard if I just kept my month shut and let you slit your throat.

 

As you know my old associate Ben, you know the genius with the kite, who watches over Americans, but he is so disgusted with mealy mouthed AMers streaming, that he has not said a word to me about this situation, not a single word... And you know how he loves to talk, at least when he isnt too busy with all those ladies.

 

Wakeup. Smell Broadcasting burning.

HAVE YOU HEARD THE ONE ABOUT???

NPR asking you to join other suicidal broadcasters to prove that NPR isnt the biggest jamming thread in the history of radio. Way past the Russian threat to VOA.

• That there isn't enough iBOC radios out there. If there was only a way to get more out there with a 100% return it could stop iBOC in its tracks. Especially in cities where they have a few big buildings, power lines, or wooden frame buildings with plumbing. No outhouses. Or a big stupid car manufacturer who likes to jam up their facility with brand new cars to fix broken radios.
• And finally, have you heard that iBOC has to prove itself in the next 18 months. Seems that I've heard that one before. And all that they have to do is to prove it in one hour. Take LOVABLE Leonards advice, turn it on at night.

 

Maybe we should rename this section youve got to be kidding Mr. Commissioner.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

 

wrathofkahn.ORG 

Issue 31

June 14, 2006

A number of my best broadcast friends have asked me to respond to a really, really serious question: Can the Cam-D^TM System Be Designed To Be an ALL DIGITAL system, i.e., be an incompatible system?

 

That question is equivalent to asking a man who can press 200 pounds, can he press 20 pounds? Compatibility is the problem Bell Labs and other iBOCers have been unable to solve in over 12 years of effort and they have spent millions and tens of millions and hundreds?? of millions of other peoples money in trying. And we at KCI were lucky enough to lick the problem with about one million of blood, sweat and our own cash in one year. And don't think that luck isn't involved in the invention of brand new technology. It is much better to he lucky than smart when you research brand new concepts.

 

Leonard, before you give us a headache with all the shouting... Get Real. What do you mean by "Compatibility" ... in plain English for a change?

 

We have been through this before so obviously this shouting hasnt interfered with your sleep... Anyway there are a number of aspects to Compatibility:

1) Spectrum: a new system must fit into the same occupied bandwidth as do normal AM systems. Cam-D is actually narrower than conventional AM and therefore REDUCES EVEN FIRST ADJACENT INTERFERENCE, iBOC interferes even with 3^rd Adjacent channel stations, wipes them out at night and even during daytime it really, really hurts them.

2) Compatible with the physics of skywaves so that the system can provide clear channel stations a platform to reach listeners a thousand miles, or more, away. Cam-D dramatically REDUCES FADING and thereby improves effective skywave performance.

3) Compatible with the coverage the FCC used in allocating stations to ensure all sections of America are served by free radio night and day. IBOC degrades 50 KW clears to local station coverage during daytime and makes them less than 1 KWs at night. Cam-D INCREASES COVERAGE TO, IN MOST CASES, OVER DOUBLE, EVEN WHEN USING CONVENTIONAL AM RADIOS AND MORE WITH SPECIAL HI-FI STEREO RADIOS with deep penetration DATA channels SOON TO BE AVAILABLE.

4) Thus, Cam-D is Compatible with the almost a BILLION RADIOS AMERICANS OWN and use to get news and music AND TO GET AN ALERT RE STORMS AND WARNINGS OF ATTACK. iBOCers want to make these radios obsolete so they can share in a form of "Death Tax" when American survivors buy ALL Digital Radios, which will, over a ten year period cost Americans A TRILLION DOLLARS!

 

But Leonard get back to the question... Can Cam-D be designed to do ALL Digital? YES,YES, YES but with a big BUT... Not while Bob, Ira, Ray, Maria or Leonard or anyone living or dead at Kahn Communications controls matters, we will always make certain that we do not risk lives for more money.

And that gets me back to our last months plea  to you, dear American broadcaster friend, and old friends in Canada (CBC), Mexico, Brazil, Brits (BBC), Australia, Japan and numerous other broadcasters who value innocent lives.

DONT DESTROY OVER-THE-AIR RADIO BY STREAMING.

 

Dear Broadcast friend, please do not endanger your Country, (the main target of the people who are willing to use their own childrens lives to attack us) by participating in a plan for a few bucks that can destroy lives, when the next storm hits or when those crazy people next attack.

 

Please note that no one believes iBOCers are knowingly trying to hurt innocent human beings... They just have not paid attention to what is going on in the "Internet revolution" aimed at monopolizing all mobile communications that can OVERLOAD and thus fail just when it is needed to save millions of lives. Dont tell me that the brilliant people that KCI worked with at Bell Labs and my old friend the late Wm. R. Bennett head of data communications and chaired prof at Columbia University and his brilliant son at Bell who later was chaired Prof at Yale didnt know about system overload... They wrote the books.

 

Just think about the real world and that YOU have to reach your pre-teenage child and his or her cell phone is dead due to OVERLOAD.

 

Don't take the STREAMING blood money.

 

This wonderful new cellular technology has A FATAL FLAW... It will kill people.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

Wrath November 5, 2006

 

A number of broadcasters have told me that I am the Worlds Worst salesman. And they may be right, as I really don't like that part of my job. Why? Because so many broadcasters believe that they know more about KCI products than I do. Leonard, give us an example...

Almost every time I tell someone who has used our AM Stereo or our POWER-side^TM Systems that Our Cam-D^TM Box will at least double the coverage of POWER-side and that Cam-D stereo sounds far better than Kahn/Hazeltine Stereo, they don't believe me... "Nothing could be better than POWER-side." I really don't enjoy not being believed because they think I am after their money (which I am)... But now, when I try to save my Dear Broadcaster buddies stations AND THEIR LIVES, they still do not believe me. And they continue to STREAM on the Internet and Satellite Radio to help KILL Over-the-Air Radio (WHY ARE SO MANY HUGE RADIO GROUPS SELLING THEIR STATIONS???) AND DONT YOU KNOW THAT CELL PHONES WENT DEAD ON 911 AND DURING THE GULF STORM... and that THE WEB SLOWS DOWN even when it just rains heavily.

 

Since YOU GUYS aren't listening to me when I mention OVERLOAD, 1 will now quote from three top-notch professors, one who was head of the FCCs Office of Engineering Technology, and all are real authorities on Digital Radio & its most successful technique, Spread Spectrum... This really annoys me as didn't I ever tell you that one of my early patents is supposed to be one of the first Spread Spectrum inventions that traded bandwidth for increased signal-to-interference, but nevertheless YOU AINT LISTENING. I Hope you will now listen as LIVES DEPEND UPON IT.

 

There is an excellent article, (Spread Spectrum is Good-But It Does Not Obsolete NBC vs. US.), in the current Fall issue of the Radio Club of America Proceedings, actually all three articles are superb. This is One of the articles of direct interest to Mr. Broadcast Owner and Engineer as it teaches in clear lay language the key concepts of digital communications that any intelligent broadcaster can, understand. (If you weren't super intelligent, MOST OF THE TIME, you wouldn't be on this website.)

 

Now why I am so enamored with this great article? Not just because I know one of the authors (Dr. Ray Pickholtz) a top notch engineer/mathematician who was teaching at the same university as I was many moons ago... but because the Spread Spectrum article confirms the killer OVERLOAD problem of conventional digital systems... (NOT our hybrid Cam-D System), but the HYBRID iBOC system and certainly the super OVERLOAD sensitive Internet that threatens the safety of Americans all over our Country and proves it without using equations, just crystal clear logic. The article does not directly treat the iBOC System... the authors are treating normal (rational, state of the art) systems designed by engineers that are not under the control of management that does not respect engineers and the laws of physics. The entire overload concept is far more complex than the well-known power grid peak capacity or telephone system limited number of party usage overload theories.

 

They also debunk the iBOC doctrine that since AM (& FM) signals already have at best say 60 dB of natural noise (lightening and power-­line noise, etc.) and man-made to and adjacent channel interference, that it is masked by the noise. The theory is that if the added noise is below the current noise levels you have no problem...The article destroys this illogical theory with the following figures:

 

   

 

Thus, the basic premise of the iBOC System is FALSE.. You cannot hide their garbage under the normal spectrum. Thus the FCC was sold a phony theory and thus the Commission has NO BASIS for abandoning their rules that have protected AM Radio for over a half a century.

 

May I now interrupt this commercial with my version of a Public Service Announcement and suggest that you join the Radio Club which is a blend of Engineers and Business-people.. Major Armstrong and RCAs Sarnoff were the stars of the Radio Club during the early days... RCAs phone #(732-842-5070), email: info@ radioclubofamerica.org. 

By the way I am scheduled to talk at the annual convention at the New York Athletic Club (uptown on 57^th St. Central Park South) at 3:30 pm Nov. 17th about AM Radio and IBOC.

 

Now as promised, may I say a few UNkind words about the deplorable state of the Press, the Forth Estate and what its SILENCE is doing to the Radio Industry and actually the defense of America from manmade (terrorists) attacks and natural (storms) disasters. As you know, I am involved in litigation and I have a real problem deciding whether or not I should keep quiet and allow the Press to keep SILENT while the big iBOC radio groups claim "crystal" clear reception and not even hint that iBOC dies at night.

 

The Marketplace is NEVER WRONG... But Leonard what about AM Stereo, sorry that is one great example of the revision of history...Motorola and a number of their iBOC friends would like you to forget the big M convinced the FCC to drop the Marketplace when we had the support of all the big groups and more listeners than all of the other stations combined... Remember our AM Stereo increased coverage, was free of "platform motion" and was not Afraid of the Dark.

The Marketplace was working too well, that's why Motorola ran crying to Father FCC. Again the Press hid the true story.

 

Now let me quote from another gem of the article in this same issue of the Radio Club Proceedings one by a highly respected attorney who specializes in FCC practice, Mr. Robert H. Schwaninger Jr. As you know I have in earlier issues of the WRATH gotten very, very POLITICAL... Anyway, the first time I found a publication by a really courageous attorney confirming the fact that when dealing with Government Agencies the LAW trumps ENGINEERING and POLITICS TRUMPS BOTH OF THEM. It took me about a decade for me to learn that Law was overruling my best efforts in engineering so I took, and passed, the Patent Bar Exam... And then to my great disgust it took about another two decades to learn POLITICS made a joke out of Law and Engineering... Lawyer Schwaninger penned a wonderful article giving you a case study demonstration of the Power of politics all WRATH readers will enjoy "Vetting RF Equipment in A Perfect FCC World."  Dear Reader, you have no choice... Sign Up with the Radio Club and be at the talks on November 17^th in New York at 3pm, where I plan to add an argument re the NBC vs. FCC titled case about compatibility and a COVENANT WITH THE PUBLIC. You buy radios and we the Government will not allow anyone to destroy their signals compatibility nor interfere with other channels.

 

And have you noticed that our Dear Friends at Radio World are putting out a brand new message on how to "Save" AM radio at night.

 

As you & I knew when we were 12 year old Hams... At night medium wave radio uses SKYWAVES... RW engineers have Just learned about Skywaves and that it is tough stuff and that iBOCers are stuck.. But RW came up with a SOLUTION..RW would just sprinkle FM repeaters that feed AM transmitters wherever the local station is weak; I guess RW also never heard of INTERFERENCE.

 

But not only is RW insulting real broadcasters by making such proposals, they also think we have all lost our memories... They now are the Champions of Local AM stations, the very stations RW targeted in their famous Thinning Out The Herd proposal. Any local and independent station that happens to be within +/-30 kHz of an iBOC Station.

 

Remember the much more important problem... The failure of the general and trade press to do the Job the Founding Fathers expected the Forth Estate to do... Broadcasters are in a unique position to understand the problem, as they are now a major part of the Press and you would be surprised how my small firm has been damaged by the FREE? General Press, not to mention the trade press... Anyway, during these dangerous times it is not an exaggeration that the very future of America is at stake... Serious Stuff.

 

 

Updated 10/30/2006

 

Have you noticed that our Dear Friends at Radio World are putting out a new message on how to "Save" AM radio at night?

 

As you & I knew when we were 12 year old hams... At night medium wave radio uses SKYWAVES...RW engineers have just learned about Skywaves and that it is tough stuff and that iBOCers are stuck...But RW came up with a solution...RW would just sprinkle FM repeaters that feed AM transmitters wherever the local station is weak. I guess RW also never heard of INTERFERENCE.

 

But not only is RW insulting real broadcasters by making such proposals, they also think we have lost our memories They are now the Champions of local AM stations...The very stations targeted in their famous Thinning Out The Herd proposal...Any local and independent station that happens to be within +/- 30 kHz of an iBOC station.

 

I am trying to comment on a much more important problem...The failure of the general and trade press to do the job the Founding Fathers expected the Fourth Estate to do...Broadcasters are in a unique position to understand the problem as they are part of the Press and you would be surprised how my small firm has been damaged by the FREE? General Press, not to mention the trade press...Anyway during these dangerous times it is not an exaggeration that the very future of America is at stake...Serious Stuff.

 

10/4/2006 - On Opinion and Belief the iBOC System is Dead.

You know how we hate to brag, but Cam-D is the winner, as is the free marketplace.

 

Dear broadcaster, you are the real winner. You are now free to enter the twenty first century digital/analog world where analog can live in harmony side-by-side with true In Band, On Channel (IBOC) signals.

 

What happened? We cannot at this point say more.

 

9/20/2006 Stereo AudioLink now Available

 

THEY said it would never work at night...

THEY said the bandwidth was too narrow...

THEY said you couldn't double the coverage...

THEY said it would never work with tough antennas...

THEY said it would never sound better than FM...

 

So who are you going to believe, the iBOCers or your own two ears?

 

Stereo tonight, click on the audio  button at the top right and then click on play Stereo or Download Stereo for a lab demo using a LPB transmitter and a Cam-D^TM stereo receiver. (Want full fidelity; use earphones on your computer).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leonard R. Kahn immodestly claims to read FCC Commissioners minds, see our 7/10/06 Wrath issue below and compare it with Radio World's guess and the 7/13/06 issue of Clear Channel's Radio Journal following...

 

 

wrathofkahn.ORG 

Issue 32

July 10, 2006

 

 IBOC FCC DE MINIMUS "LAWYER JOKE"

Lawyers like to note that the law does not care about or take notice of small de minimus differences or "trifles." Let me tell you what iBiquity told the FCC in an ex parte filing on July 5, 2006, just 8 days before the scheduled long awaited "open" hearing on IBOC. They had the audacity to claim that changing the method of measuring the maximum effective modulation of the analog component from PEAK readings to AVERAGE measurements are de minimus. Apparently the lawyers think changing a 50 kW FM station to a MEGAWATT is de minimus. I wonder if they would accept their fees in dollars inflated by 20 times?

 

This latest filing by iBiquity lawyers may replace the old lawyer joke...Do you know the difference between a catfish and a lawyer? One is a bottom feeder that has a taste for you know what and has a brain that ceased development in prehistoric times and the other is a fish... Or the difference between a vampire and a lawyer? One is a blood sucker whose kiss dooms his victims and the other sleeps all day.

 

By the way this peak average matter is an old story not only the Wrath caught the joke... They want to change the FM spec by 13 dB...

Just a TRIFLE. And is AM the next new Joke of 08???

 

WHAT IS REALLY HAPPENING AT THE FCC ON JULY 13^th?

 

The short answer is NOTHING re AM night time, except further inquiry.

You lawyers and broadcast professionals may wonder why iBiquity filed a brand new major FM spec change just 8 days before the BIGGY FCC full 5 member meeting in Washington. Bymaking even a really, really de minimus change in system performance specification the FCC CANNOT ADOPT NEW RULES... No Government Agency will just allow only 8 days for public comment.

 

Thus, all the Commission can do Thursday is issue yet another Notice of Proposed Rule Making. But Leonard why would iBiquity do their de minimus dance ??? Because they want time. Don't you folks remember LOVEABLE Leonard's Double, Double Dare? If iBOC really, really could meet FCC specs why do they need FCC permission to put on their system at night??? We at KCI just added our 11^th 24 hour Cam-D^TM Station and shipped the 12^th last Wednesday, July 5^th!!!

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY...

 

Now a really, really imminent danger, the cell phone overload failure mode, and would you believe Clear Channel in today's WSJ is leading the way to disaster. Evan Harrison, Executive Vice President, Online, Clear Channel Radio says Clear Channel is getting there, but the situation won't turn in its favor over night. Yeah, like the 12 year iBOC history!

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

I, Leonard R. Kahn also believe that streaming can really kill. Don't just worry about your bottom line, think about your family. See last weeks Wrath.

 

 

CAM-D Testimonial

We at Quad Cities Media were looking for a way to get the most out of our 5kw AM full-time radio station, WKBF 1270 AM in the Quad Cities (Davenport, IA area). Having heard of Leonard Kahn's CAM-D, we thought this would be a profitable investment to increase our range.

Upon installation of the CAM-D, the installing engineer reported on drive out the range increased from a 50 mile radius to a 65 mile radius. Our .5 mV radius was at the 60 mile mark, so we went from 10 miles within to 5 miles outside it! That means 7,850 square miles covered before, 13,266 miles after. Using some population counts, our radius used to cover 670,000 people, and now we were over a million.

My engineer reported that we were finally getting a clear signal into Iowa City which we hadn't before. Listeners reported the sound was almost as good as FM!

My personal "driving it" compared to earlier found that our quality levels each moved out about 15 miles. The radius with a "perfect signal" extended 15 miles, the radius with a faint background noise was 15 miles back of that, etc.

In all, we are very satisfied with our CAM-D unit, which made us the first station broadcasting in digital in the Quad Cities (#143) market!

I, Randy Melchert, truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

 

 

The following is a copy of our latest comment filed with the FCC on April 7, 2007.

 

Reg. Prof. Engineer Leonard R. Kahn, U.S. Patent Agent

35^th Floor

767 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Phone (212)-983-6765                                                         FAX (212)-983-6432

VIA FAX & Electronic Filing
Marlene H. Dortch, Secretary of FCC
445 Twelfth St. SW
Washington, DC 20554

 

 

Ex parte Filing in MM Docket No. 99-325                                                      April 7, 2007

 

Dear Ms. Dortch:

 

At the recent (3/22/07) FCC Hearing, the Commission announced adoption of our competitor's IBOC System as sponsored by the iBiquity Digital Corporation which as you know is a Defendant in a suit (Kahn, et al vs. iBiquity Digital, et al)

06 civ.1536 on appeal to the 2^nd Circuit, in which Lucent, Clear Channel, Texas Instruments and the FCC are the named "et al" Defendants. This suit alleges violation of Sherman Antitrust Laws based upon a per se violation, "boycott" of our POWER-side^TM System and our new Cam-D^TM System which are both in full compliance with FCC Rules.

 

The purpose of the instant filing is to correct the erroneous FCC Press Release that indicates that the "iBOC" system

(a term that I have used in the above cited case to identify the specific IBOC system promoted by the Defendants) is Approved. As anyone familiar with the Constitution knows, since the FCC is an agency of the Administration, it can ONLY ADMINISTER Laws passed by the Congress and not vetoed by the President. Thus, the FCC cannot write or change laws, it can only enforce them.

To be specific, under existing Law 47 CFR Section 73.44(b), emissions 20 kHz to 30 kHz from a carrier MUST be at least 35 db below a stations unmodulated carrier. So WCBS in its April filing got that right, but they "inadvertently" forgot the rest of the story as clearly stated in that same section of 47 CFR Section 73.44(a) that measurements of the spectrum must be made with a "peak hold of 10 minutes" whereas WCBS AND ALL of the other iBOC stations use only millisecond long measurements

 

The Petitioner recognizes the Commissioners are not skilled engineers and this rule may sound like engineering "Gobbledygook."  (A term Chief Justice Roberts recently used to describe an inferior Courts erroneous argument re the patent law as discussed In re Kahn, which the Commissioners may believe is irrelevant, but it isnt. It provides an example of how the Patent Office, a Federal Agency, immediately changed its regulations when its error in law was mentioned by the Supreme Court, which is suggested may apply here.)

Anyway, this argument is not engineering "Gobbledygook."  It is serious, as affirmed, by the recent complaint against WCBS and also many comments filed in this MM 99-325 Proceedings. If the Commissions staff will check my earlier comments or on my website wrathofkahn.ORG, they will note that the LAW is violated by almost a sixty (60) db, a million to one violation. This figure was published about a year ago with a request (challenge) that my distinguished mathematician friends at Lucent's Bell Labs or Defendant TI find an analytical error, or better measures a mistake, please contact me.

 

The point is, even a 1 db error violates the Law and the FCC must enforce the law.  And the Commission cannot permit licensees to use such a system to mislead the Public into buying special radio receivers that are obsolete on the day of purchase.

BUT MOST importantly, this is all happening during a national emergency, endangering lives by wrecking our system for alerting the Public of natural and manmade disasters.

 

The Petitioner wishes to also point out that he is not the only PE who has measured and analyzed this iBOC defect.  (Though their analysis didn't reach his million times figure.)  But the Commissioners don't have to worry about this Gobbledygook, they can hear the problem themselves by just listening to their own radios and have any local iBOC station switch IBOC on and off while tuning to adjacent channel stations 10, 20, 30 kHz or even more away from the iBOC stations frequency on the dial.

 

Clearly, I am biased having made a very sizable investment (multi-million dollar) in the development of a competitive IBOCSystem that actually greatly increases any stations coverage AND meets (exceeds) all FCC specifications as measured with the legal 47 CFR Section 73.44 required tests, so therefore, we practice what we preach.  That we make products that fully comply with FCC regulations is not a boast, as I cannot name a single firm that, prior to the IBOC campaign, did not fully comply with FCC Rules.  Prior to the iBOC international cartel scheme to make Americans replace their car, home and any other type of over-the-air radio, a TRILLION DOLLAR plan, that convinced the fifteen largest radio groups to overrule their best engineers.  NO manufacturer in the 75 year history of broadcasting would have built such an illegal product, nor would have any FCC Inspector permitted it to stay on the air.

A shocking violation of Public Interest.

 

This brings the Petitioner to the second complaint: The violation by the FCC of all of the many skilled broadcasters who have filed negative comments about the iBOC System of their Constitutional Right to Petition Their Government, and the violation of the Administrative Procedures Act and RKO General vs. FCC 670 F.2d 215 (D.C. Cir.1981).

 

Finally, this is not a personal attack on the present Commissioners, the IBOC system was first really launched during the last (Democratic) Administration and as one can see from the above argument, the Commissioners cannot be criticized because they were the target of a complicated scheme to violate an arcane engineering rule.

 

Respectfully yours,

[Signed]

Leonard R. Kahn, PE, U.S. Patent Agent, FIEEE

 

cc: The CEO of Clear Channel, iBiquity Digital, Lucent Technology, Texas Instruments, U.S. Justice Department and CBS

 

 

SCOOP - LATEST iBOC SPIN

Seventeen little (magic) words at the end of yesterday's (March 22, 2007) FCC press release. "Seek comment on whether the commission should adopt any new public interest requirements for digital audio broadcasts."

 

This is a joke, so if you know of any reason why the commission should LIMIT the new rules like it ain't legal at night because it interferes with my station. There's your opportunity to start the iBOC system all over again.

 

The only excuse for the FCCs very existence is to act only IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST. Only the Congress and the President can change the Telecommunications Act. More good news.

 

Finally, it is put up or shut up time. Put iBOC on at night as we challenged years ago. Once more you will hear an example of how strictly the laws of physics are enforced.

 

 

They are starting all over again with comments, replies, etc., etc. etc. It will take years and then they will start it all over again. 

 

IN THE INTERIM, iBOC stations violate FCC rules as mandated by the congress and presidents, while Cam-D^TM is perfectly legal. Call me if your lawyer needs a citation of the controlling law case. IT'S REAL GOOD NEWS.

 

ATTENTION

If you need to speak to Leonard, please call at 1-212-606-8110. This number is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but please do not call late at night unless the matter is urgent.

Thanks,

Leonard

        

(A WRATH NEWS SCOOP)                                                            Sunday, December 10, 2006

YOU CAN'T WIN THEM ALL

 

I promised you dear WRATH visitor that we would keep you informed re the status of our antitrust case against the iBOC cartel... Well, we lost the first round... In a decision dated Dec. 7^th, the infamy date, the District Court found for the Defendants... However, after studying the lengthy (14 page) decision KCI's attorney and I have come to the opinion that the lower court decision will be reversed. Antitrust suits are considered to be the most complicated cases federal district courts handle and are often reversed on appeal.. Our case is super complicated because of the complex technology. But, the 3 judge appeal panel will base its decision on basic legal concepts and will follow the law that requires prior to trial that all allegations we make are true and all allegations the iBOC defenders make are false:

 

Manual of Federal Practice, R.A.. Givens © 4th Edition 1991, Vol. 1 Page 601.

     "Motion for Judgment on the Pleadings...   For purposes of a Rule 12 (c) motion, all controverted allegations in the      

     pleadings of the moving party are treated as false, while all properly pleaded material fuels in the opposing partys    

     pleadings are treated as true,"

 

For non-lawyers may we point out that the iBOC people are the “movers” that filed this Rule 12 Motion. Thus, the law requires the trial court to accept all of our (as the opposing party) allegations as TRUE and all of their controverted allegations as FALSE… In our opinion this really should be a simple appeal, as we believe that the trial court confused this rule and actually, believe it or not, put a logic inverter into their analysis, converting our true allegations into false allegations. Thus, the end result will be, in our opinion, the forcing of iBOC out of business. Apparently, the filing of our antitrust suit put pressure on the FCC. Also negative comments by top engineers all over the world (USA, Canada, Mexico, etc.) have stalled iBOC and will soon place the system into the FCC junk file. Also note the number of major stations that have TURNED OFF iBOC... You cannot fool Mother Nature.

 

By the way I love appeal courts Actually, I have ALMOST A PERFECT RECORD IN LOWER COURTS... I (almost) always LOSE in the lower courts..

 

BUT, on-the-other-hand IN ABOUT 10 CASES to APPEAL Courts, Article 3 and Agency Appeal Courts, I ONLY LOST TWICE and the one against GENERAL MOTORS and its Super lawyers got a split verdict that saved my most valuable AM Stereo receiver patent... (It may run in the family... My Uncle was reputed to be in the 1940s the best appellate brief writer in New York, but he kept away from trial court work.)

 

Now we at KCI have a choice... We can just let iBOC with its FCC friends enjoy their monopoly including FCC support of monopolization of the unregulated radio receiver market and eventually best them in the free marketplace... And ignore the iBOC boycott of all KCI products by the Grand Alliance to destroy over-the-air free radio...

 

Not to worry about the Cam-D^TM System, we are starting to accelerate with entrance in another major market and two more are on the way... The break up sale of radio stations by the big guys who have boycotted us to real broadcasters is terrific for KCI...

 

BY THE WAY DID YOU HEAR THE LATEST JOKE ABOUT TESTS OF iBOC RADIOS... IN OF ALL PAPERS... The NY Times... THOSE TESTS WERE RUN ON GREAT NEW RADIOS that they are literally spending hundreds of $millions to promote!!! They tested the radios in Seattle where there are 20 iBOC stations... But the best receiver only received 15 of the 20 stations on iBOC ... AND NONE OF THE RADIOS COULD PICK UP ONE STATION AT ANY LOCATION... THE ONLY AM iBOC in Seattle... 100% FAILURE RATE (even worse record than my record in the lower federal courts)...

 

SO maybe we should wait while iBOC self-destructs... AND LOVEABLE Leonard COULD AVOID CONTROVERSY. Why don't you guess what I will do? Also, I have two other cases in the federal courts... Both of them are far more important to me and one of them involves far more money... That makes my decision a little more complicated...

 

Now let me get to the real point of this WRATH, a moral problem you are going to HATE...

 

You know it has been about a month since I did my magic trick of CONVERTING FRIENDS TO ENEMIES at the Radio Club of America... let me destroy those visitors to the WRATH many of which are old friends... AND this is tied directly to the case against the iBOC bunch, the only reason we sued my favorite living Uncle... Sam. Actually, before I served the Summons on the US Attorney I did all I could to convince the Justice Department to do what they should to SAVE MILLIONS of American lives... But only one smart young powerless guy understood what I was talking about... So I made the case dramatically more difficult to win at the busy trial court.

 

So get on with it Leonard and do your TRICK

 

OK, OK... Now you know how wonderful the WEB is... it even brings you the WRATH and great new Cam-D^TM  Stereo Music and my ugly face and all those great old motion pictures and the new hi def PORNO and all that political "mis"information that wins elections, etc., etc.

 

NOW for your conversion... You know the WEB will OVERLOAD... and provide the same reliability of nighttime AM iBOC ... ZERO reliability 100 % Failure Rate whenever there is an emergency whenever there is a severe STORM or when those Crazy SOBs attack us again.

 

NOW you present or ex Bell Labs or ex RCA Labs or CBS Labs or any responsible communications Labs including the FCC Labs... YOU MUST KNOW THAT I AM RIGHT.

 

The alternative is to do a Dr. Strangelove/ Love the bomb Act and learn to LOVE the WEB as it blows up America.

It is now on your conscience to DO SOMETHING BEFORE YOU have to share the BLAME for say 3,000,000 BODY BAGS.

 

We will keep you informed re our antitrust case at the appeal court...

   

I, Leonard R. Kahn truly believe the above stated facts and opinions are accurate and are not meant to mislead.

 

NEWS FLASH #1

Introducing a brand new Web Site that should be particularly interesting to senior broadcast managers and their legal advisors, and also youse guys who are concerned about protecting your trade secrets and inventions.

The new Web Site just activated is: wrathofkhan.org. We also talk politics.

 

 

NEWS FLASH #2

 

Before the

Federal Communications Commission

Washington, DC 20554

 

 

URGENT PETITION FOR RULE MAKING )

                                                                             )       DOCKET NO. _______               

REQUEST FOR NOTlCE OF INQUIRY         )   

 

 

 

Prof. Engineer Leonard R.Kahn,

35^th Floor

767 Third Avenue

New York, NY 10017

Ph (21 2)-9834765 F (212)-983-6432

Patent Agent

Dated: April 22, 2007

 

PETITION FOR RULEMAKING TO FORBID  "STREAMING" AND REQUEST

FOR AN INQUIRY OF A 07 VIRGINIA MASSACRE DEFENSE STRATEGY

 

INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

 

1.  The Petitioner on January 27, 2003 filed a Notice of Rulemaking (Docket Number Never Assigned) informing the FCC that lives will be lost if the Commission does not take immediate action "during this crucial time (when) America can come under terrorist attack anywhere in our Country" And this Petition, (Exhibit 1), was received by the Commission over four (4) years ago.

 

2.  America was lucky that no major disasters occurred during these dangerous 4 years that could be traced to cell phone overload.  (A major reason for our safety is the excellent intelligence work of NSA and other government agencies including the FCC, but we were  lucky that not even a serious storm occurred during these four years that could have overloaded the Cell Phone system.)

 

3.  BUT, in any case, OUR LUCK RAN OUT WHEN A WELL TRAINED MADMAN ON April 16, 2007 KILLED 32 INNOCENT HUMAN BEINGS.  While your Petitioner cannot be certain that if the Commission had not VIOLATED the Petitioners Constitutional Right to Petition the Government and paid attention to his warnings he does believe that as many as 25 innocent lives may have been saved.  (Exh. 1 not only complains about the Commission ignoring critical comments filed in the MM 99-325 Docket, but discloses a plan to investigate procedures of downplaying the influence of NAB and other lobbyists on the Commission, especially when considering technical matters.)  In any case, the instant filing is restricted to consideration of Cellular System OVERLOAD, what it is, why it happens and how the FCC can (MUST) take IMMEDIATE STEPS TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC from disasters aided by cellular overload.

 

WHAT IS CELL PHONE OVERLOAD?

 

4. Cell phone overload is the condition of the Cell System has in a local area or when entire Cell Systems demand exceeds the System capacity.  Americans are familiar with "overload" of electric power grids and even more commonly roadsserious rush hour accidents overload the toad; closing off sections of the highway.

 

WHY OVER THE AIR RADIO IS SO SUPERIOR TO CELL PHONES

 

5.  Simply put; radio stations CANNOT OVERLOAD because their operation does not depend on the number of listeners who tune in Of course, if it is a commercial, for profit station, it desperately cares that hundreds of thousands of listener tune in, rather than a few hundred.. But the transmission equipment cannot notice the difference.

 

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6.  Now let us consider a cell phone It is a two way device, it both transmits and receives whenever it is activated So that when two people use the system the occupied bandwidth is double that of the transmission bandwidth The mount of electromagnetic spectrum used is doubled and if a thousand people decide to call one of their children the bandwidth used is 2,000 times more.  Thus, when we were attacked on 9/11/01 cell phones OVERLOADED because there wasnt enough bandwidth and more police, firemen and just people who happen to be in or near the Twin Towers or the Pentagon became victims But at least there was no panic.

 

7.  Another OVERLOAD example; In the Summer of 03 the power failed all over the Northeastern states when excessive use of air conditioners caused another type of overloadoverload of the power grid: THEN cell phones really OVERLOADED.  However, it wasnt a disaster because WABC did a super job putting on the Mayor, the Police Commissioner and they told New Yorkers:  Where to get water; Which buses were running; Announcing police would shoot muggers on dark streets; which hospitals have emergency power, etc., etc.  Results:  No increase in crime; People got emergency medical treatment; and no panic.

 

SO WHY IS IT SO MUCH WORSE IN 2007?  "STREAMING

 

8.  The Commission may note by just walking down the street of any major American city one can see the problem: Combination cell phone and digital camerasamazing devices that will let you send pictures of your children to their grandparents anywhere in the world; let you enjoy any TV show or Gene Kelly Singing in the Rain or lets little boys or big boys plan the latest "coolest GAMES with unknown competitors in Moscow, for moneyA magnificent modern miracle: Internet based video cell-phone personal entertainment center.

 

9.  But apparently, no one recognizes that those super pixel graphicscause SYSTEM OVERLOAD EVEN before Mr. Kelly gets the slightest bit wet, Americans lose their emergency warning system that has so reliably warned us of danger, for over 75 years.

 

10..Not only is the Petitioner and Kahn Communications prosecuting an Antitrust Suit Alleging Sherman violations because the named firms are boycotting all of Kahn and KCI FCC compliant products Such as POWER-side^TM units, Can-D^TM Boxes and even Kahns Symmetra-peak tm audio unit, and important to the alleged Sherman violations, Defendant iBiqity admitted to the FCC Cam-D was its only competitor.

 

11.  As stated in the Complaint:

"Most importantly, the FCC has provided support to internet operating firmsIn (the) face of manmade or natural disasters communications may (will) fail because of OVERLOAD, shutting

 

                                                             

3

 

off all communications ... just when communications can save American lives."

"(c)  A major reason for filing the instant Amendment is to get the attention of the FCC re this most serious problem.... All previous attempts by Kahn, and other engineers who oppose the Commissions avowed goal of converting AM & FM radio to the unproven and "un-provable" iBOC  digital system. No dissenter has during these final "hearings" FCC Docket MM No. 99-325 have been able to discuss this matter with the Commissioners, while iBiquity and Its supporters have full access to provide sales slide demonstrations almost every few days. And this situation continues although the Comments officially filed far more oppose the iBOC system than favor it."

 

"(d) Not only does this unwillingness to hear any words of dissent violate the Administrative Procedure Act and the Supreme Courts Dickson .v Zurko, 527 U.S. 150  (1999) decision, these activities violate the dissenters basic CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS TO PETITION THEIR GOVERNMENT" Emphasis Added (Also see the wrathofkahn.org for statements by a number of eminent radio consultants and broadcasters begging the FCC to consider their measurements and demanding iBOC supporters make measurements according to FCC rules, not contrived measurements that are not allowed to be used on the analog bands.)

 

12. Accordingly: The Petitioner requests emergency Public and Private hearings to consider plans to avoid another disaster caused by overload of cell phone systems. BUT IF THIS TAKES TOO LONG, we request FCC officials on their next drive home JUST TUNE THEIR CAR RADIOS PLUS OR M INUS 30 kHz FROM ANY iBOC STATION, AND LISTEN TO THE NOISE WHILE HAVING TRE IBOC STATION TURN THE iBOC on and off. Your own ears will prove to you that the iBOC system is not viable and will actually cause the less of innocent lives.

 

13. Are there solutions to Cell Phone Overload besides enforcing cell-phone free zones and even jamming and chopping down cell towers near schools, etc.? Yes, and we stand ready to make disclosures under seal to one or two FCC engineers with high security clearances.,. Actually, just coincidently KCI, was involved in the Goeken, GTE Airfone project that did work on 9/11 and probably by informing one passenger, Mrs. Olson, without system overload, she helped save the Capital... We also plan to request permission to make confidential disclosures to Senators Stevens (R) and Lieberman (D), and former Senator Allen (R) of Virginia and former New York Mayors Koch (D) and Giuliani (R).

 

BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, KAHN IS MAKING ASSUMPTIONS

BASED ON HEARSAY PRESS REPORTS THAT MAY BE WRONG

 

14. Kahn is making conclusions based on press reports that are not yet a week old and may be incomplete or even totally erroneous. So why doesnt he wait a few weeks and do the job right? Two reasons: Sick copycats have already started to kill and secondly; Professional broadcasters know that Cell Providers have a very close dual relationship with broadcasters as huge advertisers and as a team partner in the

 

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"streaming" operation. Thus, the last thing Kahn would do is wait for a group of CellPhone lobbyists to form a committee of firms that market iPods, new games, etc., who might be tempted to continue reaping huge profits UNTIL a really big massacre occurs.

 

15.  Therefore, Kahn may he jumping to conclusions, but let us consider what might have happened if the massacre had taken place where he was an Adjunct Professor

of EE  , Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute (BPI), instead of Virginia Polytechnic Institute (VPI).. Most of his students at DPI lived in Brooklyn or Manhattan and also quite of few of his graduate students worked at major electronic firms on Long Island... and most of their parents would have taken the subway, the quickest way to get to Polytech NORMALLY, but if it "overloaded" they may have panicked and left their trains sad tried jumping over the electrified rails.., and the Long Island parents driving on easily overloaded LI highways... And we are not even considering attacks by some well financed enemy. NO, THIS CANNOT WAIT EVEN A FEW DAYS, NOT ALONE THE YEARS NORMAL SIMPLE RULE MAKING PROCEDINGS TAKE.

 

CONCLUSION AND REQUESTED ACTION

 

16, The Petitioner, Leonard R. Kahn, respectfully requests that the Commission

Docket the instant Petition for Rule Making and Notice of Inquiry AND CALLS

FOR IMMEDIATE ACTION IN VIEW OF ALLEGED IRREPAIRABLE HARM.

           

Dated: April 22,2007                                                            Respectfully submitted,

     Leonard R. Kahn, PE

 

P 212 983 6765   F 212 983 6432

     767 3^rd Avenue  35^th Floor

       New York, NY 10017

 

cc: CEO of iBiqnity Digital, Clear Channel,

      Lucent, (Bell Labs) & Texas Instruments   

 

Clearly, the above is a rushed attempt to hopefully save lives and therefore Kahn did not follow normal petition writing procedures as he did in his Jan. 27^th 2003 undocketed Petition. If the Commission requires a formalized version, including controlling legal citations, Tables of Contents, etc., he will of course provide it... BUT he respectfully urges the Commission to immediately Docket the above and schedule meetings. As you may know Kahn has a number of Federal court actions pending, including a major case before the Supreme Court, in Fe Kahn ... the case Justice Scalia said he and Chief Justice Roberts thought was Gobbleygook and for that reason and other reasons, he may request permission, to appear by phone.

 

 

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Exhibit 1

 

Before the

Federal Communications Commission

Washington, D.C, 20554

 

 

 

 

 

PETITION FOR RULE MAKING               )

                                                                         )                                   DOCKET NO._________                                             

REQUEST FOR NOTICE OF INQUIRY    )

 

 

 

Leonard R. Kahn

c/o Kahn Communications, Inc.

501 Fifth Avenue

(Suite 2002)

Now York. New York 10017

(212) 983-6765

 

 

Date: January 24, 2003

 

Table of Contents

 

PETITION FOR RULE MAKING AND

REQUEST FOR A NOTICE OF INQUIRY ...............................................       1

 

SUMMARY OF MAIN ARGUMENTS OPPOSING THE

MM-99-325 ORDER ...................................................................................       1                                                     

BACKGROUND OF REASONS FOR CHANGING CURRENT

RULE MAKING PROCEDURES ...............................................................      1                           

 

IS FULL DIGITALIZATION OF AM AND FM BROADCASTING

IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST?   ....................................................................    3

                      

TECHNICAL ISSUES ............................................................................      4

 

MAJOR RECENT FCC DECISIONS RECENT FCC DECISIONS REVISING AM

TECHNICAL RULES  ...................................................................................    5          

 

WHAT ARE THE BASIC  PERFORMANCE DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN ANALOG AND DIGITAL AM TRANSMISS1ONS? ..............  6

 

NRSC CLAIMS THAT STEREO IS THE MAIN FEATURE OF

AM DAB, BUT DOESNT SEEM TO KNOW THAT THE FCC

CAN REVITALIZE AM WITH STEREO IN 24 HOURS WITHOUT

DAB AND DO IT NIGHT & DAY .................................................................   7

CONCLUSION  .............................................................................................     8

 

 

i

PETITION FOR RULE MAKING AND REQUEST FOR A NOTICE OF INQUIRY

 

The Petitioner Respectfully Requests the Commission to initiate a Rule Making Proceeding and also initiate a Notice of inquiry. The main purposes of such proceedings are: 1. Revise the procedure for evaluating new technology. 2. Using the revised evaluation procedure reinvestigate the technical basis  the Commission used  to support Its MM-99-325 Order, as said Order Is based on flawed advice that violates the very essence of viable broadcasting. In order to avoid irreparable harm to the Public while these proceedings are being conducted, the Petitioner Respectfully Requests the Commission to STAY Its MM-99-325 Order in its entirety.

 

SUMMARY OF MAIN ARGUMENTS  OPPOSING THE MM-99-325 ORDER

 

In the starkest terms, the MM-99-325 Rule Making can dramatically alter AM & FM as we know it, converting a service that almost every single American Uses every day of the year to a new form of unproven technology whose AM version ONLY WORKS DURING DAYLIGHT HOURS and occupies 1-1/2 times the current bandwidth.  Furthermore it is a major Step in DAB Proponents avowed plan to digitize Radio Broadcasting which will render obsolete every single radio owned by the Public and require their replacement with more expensive radios. In addition, the final Plan [and even the interim plan]  requires massive equipment and license expenditures by AM & FM participating stations, and these huge costs, as well as a dramatic increase in interference, may force many independent  rural stations out of business.

 

The AM DAB situation is analogous to an automobile manufacturer introducing a new type of vehicle that can only be driven during daylight hours and which is 1-1/2 times as wide as the widest vehicle on the road, so that it cannot be driven on most of Americas  highways. And which eventually will force all at the other cars off of the road.

 

BACKGROUND OF REASONS FOR CHANGING CURRENT RULE MAKING PROCEDURES

 

The instant Request for Rule Making calls for a major revision of procedures to be used to

investigate any technology that is the basis for a requested change in FCC rules.

Clearly, a major revision a procedures for evaluating technology will require substantial time and concentrated effort. Therefore, such a major effort would interfere with the Commissions present schedule which includes may important proceedings.

Accordingly, it is  Respectfully Requested that the Commission appoint a special "Blue Ribbon" panel of prestigious individuals who are experienced with the operation of the FCC, such as, former FCC Commissioners.

 

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The most important task of this Panel would be to recommend a Substitute procedure for the present industry Committees and Industry Associations to advise the FCC that has been ineffective in providing technical support in numerous Rule Making Proceedings. History proves that these Committees and Associations have on numerous occasions failed to provide proper assistance to the Commission and indeed, have recommended actions that proved counter to the public Interest going back to at least Armstrong and FM broadcasting and Crosby and FM Stereo.

 

In the last three major AM Rule Making Proceedings (including MM Docket No. 99-325, an industry Committee failed to uncover vital engineering information that would have helped the Commission avoid decisions that are it is believed, clearly not In the Public interest and cannot withstand serious engineering analysis. ¹

 

Now, the FCC, with a full compliment of Commissions, can take on this most important problem and generate a new technical fact-finding procedure that guarantees that all sides of relevant technical issues will be properly investigated, and that when one comes before the FCC the basic right of Americans to petition their Government will result in a full, fair and effective hearing.

 

The blue ribbon panel would also be requested to opine on whether there is any significant Public interest in replacing the present free AM and FM broadcasting system with a system that has the natural goal of rendering obsolete all existing AM and FM radios? Furthermore, will the public accept an expensive system that MAY offer some possible advantages, especially when the system requires far more expensive radios? And is there justification for forcing broadcasters to pay substantial equipment replacement amounts as well as royalty

 

   ¹ The fact that Industry Committees, whose members include many highly respected engineers, to function so poorly is an enigma. However, recognizing most committee members are unpaid volunteers it becomes apparent that such committees can be steered by the proponents of the Rule Making who may have literally billions of dollars at stake.

It is just not consistent with human nature for uncommitted individuals to work effectively as do people whose fortunes are at stake.

   To make the matter even more uneven, it is understood that the DAB Sponsor had full control of the of the DAB transmitting and receiving equipment. Even the controlled  experiments at trade shows have been fraught with failed demonstrations. At a minimum

The sponsors of DAB should make available, at a reasonable price, portable DAB AM and

FM radios, so that broadcast consultants, SBE groups and IEEE groups can purchase such receivers and do serious, impartial tests. Please note that such receivers should not be marketed to the innocent public, and all stations doing on-the-air tests should be prohibited from promoting such tests.

   It should be noted that NRSC did not even test the final version of the AM DAB system, (see Sect. 4.4 pg. 26 re Audio Quality) as the Sponsor had not fully decided on the final coding technique to be used. And yet, the NRSC and the NAB recommended this system as ready to go. Astonishing!

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fees for a new system that actually endangers their business.  The Blue Ribbon Panel should also revisit the question of Compatibility and investigate whether it should be an indispensable component of all new AM and FM Broadcasting technology, just as it has been since the birth of radio over 80 years ago?

 

IS FULL DIGITALIZATION OF AM AND FM BROADCASTING IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST?

 

The Blue Ribbon Panel should also consider whether DAB proponents obvious ultimate Goal of complete digitalization of AM and FM Radio Broadcasting is in the Public Interest. In order to simplify the inquiry and avoid any engineering issues, let us assume that somehow, miraculously, AM/DAB can serve every region of America, and provide that service after sundown, something that this Petitioner, and even the Sponsors own ngineers presently, have no reason to assume. Then given even such a miracle, can one believe that the Public would still accept the loss of billions of dollars it has invested in radios that presently serve Americans o well in their homes and in their cars?

 

Are there any unique advantages of DAB that the average American will believe justifies rendering all their radios useless?  Can anyone believe that any such supposed advantage would compensate for the destruction of local stations, the main source of local news and independent voices that many Americans depend upon to keep them informed, especially during this crucial time where America can come under terrorist attack anywhere in our Country?

 

Finally, the Blue Ribbon Panel should answer the key question re AM DAB:  if the technical experts conclude that there is no known method for providing satisfactory AM DAB after sundown, is this flaw sufficient, by itself, to necessitate the

withdrawal of the MM-99-325 Order?

 

It should be noted that foregoing Panel issues are not engineering in nature.  They concern public interest issues and Government structure.

 

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