Greetings from your broadcast friends out on the Desert…
This is BDR Newsletter 862, Volume 17, #29 for February 18, 2026

FCC OPEN … FOR NOW
The government shutdown is not yet affecting the FCC, as they have some carryover funds. Today is scheduled for the monthly Open Meeting, where, among other things, the Commissioners will discuss the upcoming NCE translator window and proposed limits.

If the shutdown lingers for weeks, the FCC may be affected, but all functions appear OK today.

FCC TAGS LATE PAYERS
It may take a decade, but the FCC eventually comes back to stations that owe regulartory fees. Two groups, owing as much as $65k were warned by the FCC to pay up – or maybe lose the licenses.

MOVING AN EAS RECEIVER
Did you know that pulling an EAS receiver off-line to move it is not allowed under current FCC Rules? The 60-day rule for repairing or replacing a unit does not cover moving it – but you can apply for a waiver to make a move. Yes, it seems a bit of stiff rule, but recently the FCC told a couple of stations that simply moving the unit was not acceptable.

IMPORTANT CYBER SECURITY INFORMATIOH
With the FCC and GatesAir both issuing warnings, every station large and small should take time to audit the way their equipment is attached to the Internet. OK, it is relatively easy to say that secure access to your gear should always be connected via VPNs, firewalls, or protected network architecture. Still, for many stations that is difficult, if in fact there is someone there that understands the words, much less the implementation.

With that in mind, our Thursday zoom meeting will be focused on ways stations of all sizes can erect better barriers to defeat hackers. We have several folks willing to discuss what they did and offer ideas to help the smallest operation to prevent bad guys from taking over the program or rf systems. Maybe you even have an idea to share? 

Join us Thursday at 2 PM Eastern /11 AM Pacific, and let us learn things. The link request is, as usual, at www.theBDR.net/TLG/ Yes, you can see us on YouTube live – but joining us on zoom makes it easier to ask questions and discuss issues.

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

TUBE REBUILDING SOURCES REDUCED
Last week MPP (Econco) announced they were closing the rebuilding shop at the end of September, and telling stations nearing the need for a new/rebuilt tube to get any orders in prior to May 12th. There are other options, so stations need not worry that they need to find a new rebuilder tomorrow.

BTW: WHERE ARE YOUR SPARE TUBES?
At the same time, the company mentioned that many stations have “banked” their duds at the Woodland Hills, CA facility. Accordingly, stations need to either have those duds rebuilt or shipped back to the stations by May 12th. Otherwise, leftover duds will be considered abandoned and disposed of. So, it might be well worth your time to check and see if you have a deposit in the Econco “bank.”

AI ENGINEERS
As part of the AI explosion, you might wonder if AI will replace the technical department. So far, while there have been more self-diagnostic programs embedded, it still takes a live person to make many adjustments and/or replace modules. But, if we get to a point where HAL will not open the pod bay doors, we will be in trouble for sure.

A RESET FOR BUDGETS?
As we move past Winter, broadcasters face budgetary issues for maintenance, upgrades, or new gear. Of course, planning ahead is always the best, but, as the saying goes: “stuff happens,” and some flexibility is needed to handle both expected and unexpected needs. Expected, because prices have gone up since last year for many items (have you checked the price for tube rebuilds lately?), and unexpected because if you were not looking, natural forces can create real problems. Here is one that could be a bit of a surprise, especially if you are new to the area.

FOR SALE
New items this week include a Wheatstone A-50 console, a PSI 4-bay antenna, and a Mackie SR32.4 VLZPro PA Console. Check them out here.

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

Here are some of the more recent items of interest:

• Coping with Overgrown Wild Vegetation – Barry Mishkind
• Join the Lunch Gathering – Thursday 2 PM Eastern
• Enforcement Watch – Licenses threatened by $65k in late fees
• Making Nautel Customer Support Better – John Wilton
• Keep Your Copper in the Ground – Clay Freinwald
• The Rewards of a Broadcast Career – Mike Vanhooser
• What Do We Really Know About Reginald Fessenden – Donna Halper
• Y2K – Tempest in a Computer Code – Barry Mishkind

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 
MANUFACTURERS’ NEWS

Coming up: NATE Unite 2026 – The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association will meet in Las Vegas on February 23-26 in Las Vegas. More into at natehome.com

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Broadcast Electronics continues its February sale on their refurbished FXi250W digital exciters and transmitters. Just $1999, including shipping in the US, until Feb 28th. Contact dvance@bdcast.com or jmyers@bdcast.com

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Broadcast Depot is featuring the VelaPPR, an automated brand detection system to analyze live and recorded material to verify sponsor exposure.

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

Do You Remember? This week in history:
Broadcast related items:

By the way – Early February is when the Super Bowl and the Grammy Awards are generally broadcast.

• • 14 years ago (2/28/12) Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” hits #1 after Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez lip sync it on YouTube.
  • 20 years ago (2/17/06) The Rolling Stones played a free concert for 1.5 million people on the beach at Rio de Janeiro.
  • 25 years ago (2/21/01) Johnny Cash got out of a hospital to attend the Grammy Awards where he won Best Male Vocal Country.
  • 29 years ago (2/22/97) the Spice Girls Hit #1 with “Wannabe.”
  • 32 years ago (2/22/94) Prince registered a trademark for the symbol that he used instead of his name.
  • 45 years ago (2/21/81) Dolly Parton had her biggest hit ever: “9 to 5.” It hit on both Country and Pop Charts!
  • 60 years ago (2/17/66) Brian Wilson began recording “Good Vibrations.”  *
  • 88 years ago (2/17/38) Baird Color TV was first demonstrated in public.
  • 110 years ago (2/22/1916) A US Patent was granted to Ernst Alexanderson for a selective tuning system.
  … and 148 years ago (2/19/1878) Thomas Edison got the patent for the phonograph.
  
  Here are a few other “newsy” items of interest:
  • 23 years ago (2/20/03) pyrotechincs started a fire in The Station, a nightclub in Rhode Island; 100 died.
  • 46 years ago (2/22/80) the US Hockey Team had a “Miracle on Ice.”
  • 54 years ago (2/17/72) The VW Beetle overtook the Ford Model T as the world’s best-selling car, having produced 15,007,034 Beetles.
  • 61 years ago (2/21/65) Malcolm X was assassinated.
  • 64 years ago (2/20/62) John Glenn becomes first American to orbit Earth.
  • 141 years ago (2/21/1885) the Washington Monument was dedicated.
  … and 207 years ago (2/22/1819) The US acquired “Spanish Florida.”

May we please recommend this fine company which supports the BDR – and you!

 

* It took Wilson 7 months to finish this recording.

MIDWEEK BONUS

A Dime a Dozen
You have probably hear this phrase for years, but did you it originally referred to the price of a dozen eggs in the 1930s? You could buy them in the “dime stores” (or five and dime stores). Just another sign (and sigh) that inflation has made life more expensive.

A “Battery” that Uses CO2
An Italian demonstration for a compressed CO2 system that turns a turbine and creates energy is starting to be built around the world.

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We sure do appreciate you spending time with our Newsletter. And even more so when you recommend us to your colleagues and friends.

NO INBOX FLOODING!!!!    MORE DETAIL HERE
Those you who read the Newsletter might notice that more detail is provided on some timely issues than on the BDR site, itself. That is one reason we encourage you to invite your friends to subscribe. We are Opt-In only… and we give you two promises (OK, four!):
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PLEASE DO INVITE A FRIEND
We sure hope you are finding the BDR and the Newsletter to be of value to you. If so, there are two things that you can do to ensure the BDR keeps pulsing along:
        1. Invite a colleague or a friend to sign up for the Newsletter. Since it is only one-time-a-week, you will not be accused of flooding their in-boxes!
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PLEASE TELL US WHAT’S WHAT
There are so many areas into which we would like to expand, but it is feedback from you that helps us decided where to go first. Are you interested in a certain piece of gear or technology? Let us know. Even better, would you be willing to do a user report and share your experience?

barry