[cma-l] Preparation

Ian Hickling transplanfm at hotmail.com
Sun Dec 21 21:03:07 GMT 2014 

NickWhilst I do sincerely understand your frustration, can I comment on the salient points from a general viewpoint based on 15 years' experience in this part of the Industry?
25W is not a "one-size fits all" rule - Ofcom offers it as a guide - and I'd really like to know exactly how you were "told it officially". As I've pointed out many times, 16% (36 out of the current 225) of CR transmitters use greater powers that the "standard issue" 25 plus 25. Similarly the so-called "5km rule" never was a rule. As you say, it is a guideline and should have  always been expressed in that way - but I am very aware that it often came across as something quite different.Frequency clearance is a very precise science and if anything Ofcom over-engineers its protection factors. If you are genuinely experiencing co-channel or first-adjacent interference from an existing broadcaster for more than 1% of the time then Ofcom is duty bound to rectify this unless you were specifically warned of it prior to your launch on your Post RTPG letter. However, what is often described as "interference" from another station is simply down to poor selectivity of the receiver. If you are not achieving the audience cover you specified in your Licence Application and Ofcom did not advise you of that possibility when awarding your frequency and power from your chosen site, then you have good cause to ask for enhancement.If you can show that coverage of Macclesfield is essential to the success of your business and that it was not specifically excluded from your Licence Application or Award then again you have good cause to ask for enhancement.The spectrum is not full. There is always space available in every location but protection factors will have to be relaxed in some cases and the incoming broadcaster might have to put up with less-than-ideal propagation patterns and hence coverage.Ian
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> From: office at thethread.org.uk
> To: cma-l at mailman.commedia.org.uk
> Date: Sat, 20 Dec 2014 12:45:29 +0000
> CC: chair at commedia.org.uk
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Preparation
> 
> Peter et al
> 
> This is a very very very interesting one indeed and I would like to add my
> three-pennith in on this if I may. I have covered this point before, but it
> does keep rearing its ugly head.
> 
> I can only speak from our own personal experiences and circumstances but
> most certainly worth noting.
> 
> Everything that Peter writes is correct, however (yes there's that magical
> word again - however)    from the outset regardless what the CMA may tell me
> or Ofcom or the DCMS some Stations were running blind, some were being led
> up the garden path (not necessarily deliberately) and some didn't know the
> rules because the rules were :-
> 
> 1) Mish mash
> 2) Contradictory
> 3) Completely incorrect in some matters
> 4) Some were being treated differently to others
> 
> Let me explain :-
> 
> a) In relation to us, areas that we wanted to cover which at the end of the
> day were our '''Community'''  we carved out.  I have always stated that it
> is the Radio Station and the Staff/Volunteers who know what their Community
> is and not Ofcom or the DCMS .....   SO    how did this manifest itself .....
> well firstly 25 watts DOES NOT FIT ALL and yet we were told 'officially'
> that it did
> 
> b) We discover that the 5km rule (which I always said from the outset was a
> farce) isn't a RULE but merely a GUIDELINE .... unless people understand
> this, the initial outlay for transmission equipment / site / coverage etc is
> bound to end up a complete and utter horlicks !
> We're based in Bollington which is determined as the centre point of our
> transmission area ... if you travel 2 miles North / South / East / West out
> of Bollington you find Hills, Fields, Sheep, Badgers, Skylarks, Cows,
> Hedgerows, Robins, Cowpats, Tractors, Sheep dips etc    at the edge of this
> area if you do your maths, you will find that deducting this from the 5km
> remit, leaves you with a smidgeon either side .....    the fields and foxes
> can not in my opinion be classed as a valid listenership (unless I have
> missed something)   this area simply can't be included in the broadcast area
> re:- distance, but in our case it is !?
> 
> c) Consideration IS NOT taken into account the fact that further down the
> line other Stations may come on-air on the same frequency and may tickle at
> ones output ... in our case Real in Wales on 102.8fm    God knows what power
> they are on ???   they broadcast out of Welshpool for pete's sake !  within
> our tiny official MCA, they come over the top of us ... certainly in
> Kerridge. If we had known 102.8 was going to be used by this Station we
> would have put our transmitter in Kerridge ... but we didn't and in their
> defence nor did Ofcom ... so the situation is an accident. It can however be
> mended very easily.
> 
> d) It is a complete debacle for the authorities to say that they might not
> be able to tweak things if everyone concerned has gotten things a little
> wrong .... surely life in itself is about improving things for everyone in
> an amicable way so we are all happy bunnies ... not saying '';ah well  tough
> luck !''
> 
> I'm not saying Ofcom have said this, but we do have a very tricky situation
> and we are going around in the proverbial circle.
> 
> 1) We have to get Macclesfield in our official output map .. at the moment
> we only have the North tip ... we have always wanted Macclesfield from the
> outset, it is crucial to our (business) as Peter says ..... we ask for a
> little move (maybe only a mile)    take Kettleshulme out (which is pointless
> anyway) and pop Macc in .... why ?   because before we get to asking about
> the move, we keep getting told that Macc isn't in our remit ... yes we know
> that, hence why we need to change it and then move on from there.
> We didn't get Macc because we were OFFICIALLY TOLD that because of
> restrictions and difficulties due to silk fm, going for Macc could prove a
> problem ... so we had to take what I suppose we can only call    second
> best.
> 2) Some Stations are situated where they are because they started off on a
> shoe-string ... some are still on a shoe-string, but those who ain't should
> be allowed to have a little bit of a room for improvement. Circumstances
> change and we all need to change with that. This remember isn't change for
> changes sake.
> 
> We fully accept that the spectrum is full, and that those on-air are perhaps
> lucky ... nonetheless, where improvements can be made, they ought to be.
> 
> Basically I do not buy into this ''you've made your bed you lie in it''
> certainly if you take into account these points. Our example is a shining
> example, and our rather poor signal in this area which loses us listeners
> and business is actually none of our making, it is a result of
> 
> Poor communication
> Not clear ruling
> And inexperience on Community Radio not just from us, but the authorities as
> well.
> This has been a learning curve for all of us, the things we thought would
> run true, some haven't and some we thought wouldn't = have !      Having the
> guts and conviction to stand up and say ''well we missed that one chaps
> didn't we?'' is not a crime, so can we please stop harking on about who said
> what and who did what and why we CAN'T do something ... let's talk about
> about what we CAN DO and we can do it easily, it isn't difficult.
> 
> In otherwords and to sum it all up, those Stations currently on-air who need
> an ickle tweak ought to be treated the same as the ones coming on-air .. in
> my opinion they are not (well, we seem to be not)    remember also that
> those new Stations may have a better start than we have had, as they have
> the knowledge learned by the mistakes from us    ie:- us namely the Guinea
> Pigs
> 
> All the best for Christmas
> 
> Regards
> 
> Nick
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk
> [mailto:cma-l-bounces at mailman.commedia.org.uk] On Behalf Of Peter
> Sent: 18 December 2014 11:47
> To: Ian Hickling
> Cc: cma-l
> Subject: Re: [cma-l] Preparation
> 
> I would like to add to that. In my experience IT knowledge is a must (I
> would go as far as saying having a Cisco CCENT as minimum), especially for
> installing IP based mixing desks and other IP based studio equipment. It
> does make my life a lot easier...
> 
> PeteOn 18 Dec 2014 10:48, Ian Hickling <transplanfm at hotmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > With all the new Applications having gone in this week - and Post RTPG
> letters notifying clearance appearing regularly, can we offer some sincere
> advice based on having to deal regularly with problems which should not
> occur:
> > Don't assume that the studio packages on offer are going to be right for
> your own requirements. Our 15 years' experience tells us that there is no
> such thing as a "standard" studio. Get at least three quotes. Bone fide
> suppliers will provide these promptly and free of charge if they want your
> business.
> > Don't assume that you can install studio equipment yourself - or that a
> tame engineer with other skills will be able to do it. It's a highly complex
> job and one wrong solder joint in the many thousands required can produce
> huge problems and take ages to find and fix.
> > Get advice on how best to cover your target audience. Detailed coverage
> predictions are easy to obtain but must be prepared by someone with expert
> knowledge of the terrain, of antenna design and of Ofcom's many and complex
> requirements. Most suppliers and consultants will make a charge for this.
> > Don't assume that sticking an aerial on your roof - or the location you
> used for RSLs - will provide good signal coverage. It's vital to the success
> of your project that you get this right before you commit to a design.
> > Make sure you know how much power you will need and tell Ofcom at the
> outset. Ofcom will listen to a well-constructed argument and will generally
> meet your requirements.
> > Don't assume that you can change your transmission system once you're on
> air if it isn't performing as you would like. Doing it later will definitely
> be a long painful process.
> > Ofcom will almost certainly award mixed polarity. Currently only 17% of
> the 225 CR transmitters currently on air are using balanced mixed polarity
> propagation. The rest are wasting some or all of the extra power they could
> be using.
> > Do all these things before you submit your final transmission format to
> Ofcom. 
> > If you're not providing a coverage service good enough for your listeners
> then your business will suffer.
> > Ofcom is not in a position to tell you whether what you have proposed in
> your Application will work in practice - only that it complies with some
> very general guidelines
> > OK - we provide all of the above services so to an extent I'm pushing our
> business.
> > We do an awful lot of that without charge - because that way we believe
>  Clients will come back to us when they are ready to invest.
> > But there are a lot of other good suppliers/installers out there too - so
> you do have quite a wide choice.
> > I just hate to see honest conscientious people spending their hard-earned
> money on systems and equipment that are simply not right for this very
> specialised job - for the sake of asking a few questions to people who have
> current first-hand experience.
> > Ian
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