News from the Convention

The Radio magazine Pick Hits of the 2009 NAB Show
Las Vegas - 2009 NAB Show - Radio magazine announced the winners of the Pick Hit Awards for the 2009 NAB Show. The Radio magazine Pick Hits panel selects the top 15 new products introduced at the convention. 2009 marks the 25th year the Pick Hits have been awarded.

The 15 winners are:

The Pick Hit Awards were first presented at the NAB Convention in 1985, making them the oldest technology award at the convention. The Pick Hit Awards are selected by a panel of judges who are radio broadcast engineers from radio stations, radio networks and radio production facilities. The Radio magazine staff has no influence in the Pick Hit Awards decision, which ensures that there is no bias in the selections. The official Pick Hit rules require that the winning products must fit a recognized need in radio, are priced within reason, are available within the current calendar year and have never before been exhibited at the NAB Convention.

The complete list of recipients will be published in the June 2009 issue of Radio magazine.

2009 NAB Show Attendance Announced
Las Vegas - On Tuesday, April 21, 2009, at the 2009 NAB Show, the NAB announced the registered attendance figures:

Registered attendance: 83,842
International attendees: 23,232
News media attendees: 1,246

Radio magazine Editor Chriss Scherer was estimating 85,000. Informal surveys from the convention floor ranged from 75,000 to 95,000.

Exhibitor Extra

Henry Engineering USB Matchbox II
USB audio interface
The USB Matchbox II is a USB audio interface for broadcast stations and professional audio installations. Used instead of a common PC sound card, the USB Matchbox II eliminates common PC interface problems of buzz, noise, insufficient headroom and incorrect levels. It provides both analog and digital interface. The USB Matchbox II features Burr-Brown's new generation phase coherent ADC/DAC, in addition to advanced audio circuitry. The unit supports 32, 44.1 and 48kHz sample rates and is plug-and-play compatible with Windows, Mac and Linux operating systems. The USB Matchbox II also features a built-in ac power supply to ensure operation at true professional audio levels with exceptional headroom.

Dielectric 1.8-kW Switchback Filter
700MHz filter
Dielectric's new 1.8kW Switchback filter is designed specifically for the stringent requirements of 700MHz applications. Within a compact rack-mountable package, the filter provides superior electrical performance with extremely low insertion loss for a unit of its size -- less than 1.1dB integrated insertion loss. State-of-the-art material selection provides temperature compensation within +/-10kHz and an overall temperature range of 0 to 45 degrees. The filter supports a 2,000W power capability and provides a VSWR of less than 1.25:1.

ERI-Electronics Research Shared aperture FM antennas
Analog/digital FM antenna
Shared aperture FM antennas for simulcast analog and IBOC digital transmission operation utilize the Rototiller Series FM antennas. The systems are capable of implementing the proposed increase to digital IBOC effective radiated power (ERP) levels of up to 10 percent (-10dBc) of authorized analog ERP. The shared aperture antenna system is available in a large variety of configurations and utilizes construction methods that yield analog to digital isolation ratios of -40dB, for single-frequency applications. The antenna systems are also available in arrays suitable for multiplexing two or more signals into a common antenna and transmission line. In addition to multiplexed designs, the shared aperture FM antennas are available as directional FM arrays and can be measured and optimized for best radiation performance on ERI's full scale antenna test range.

Axia Audio Livewire Intercom System
Intercom communications
The Livewire Intercom System integrates with Axia IP-audio networks, providing intercom communication not only between stations but to and from the talkback channels built into Axia Element broadcast consoles. Available in 10- and 20-station rackmount configurations, Livewire Intercom lets users talk one-on-one or with multi-user groups by pressing a single button, and uses your existing IP-audio network infrastructure -- no additional wiring needed. Like all Axia equipment, Livewire Intercom scales quickly and economically; adding another station is as simple as making a CAT-5 Ethernet connection.