Field Blog

Anyone for tennis?

Blog Author — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:00:00 GMT

With clear blue skies, record temperatures and threats of hose-pipe bans, it's easy to forget it's Wimbledon fortnight. But as truck-loads of broadcast hardware, along with the larger part of the UK's strawberry harvest, was being shipped to SW19, JFMG was squeezing a quart of spectrum requests into the pint of PMSE spectrum.

Whilst there are many events with more frequencies assigned, the Wimbledon challenge is meeting the ever growing demand for talkback, the majority of which are accomodated without borrowing in spectrum through Ofcom.

The Broadcaster area at Wimbledon is pretty tight, I do wonder how the drivers squeeze all the trucks in. They have my sympathies, since the same area is a hot-spot for comms frequencies. With antennas on trucks and all around the building roof, getting all the systems to behave without clashing with each other is a tall order - imagine two dozen five year olds, a sack of chocolate bars and a soft-play area. Now tell the kids to sit quietly. Get the picture?

Seriously, careful planning using specialist software ensured most of the operation went well, whilst a visit to site during set-up enabled me to deal with a few technical issues. Last minute requirements were dealt with right up to the first day with thanks to understanding customers and in some cases on-site access to radio programming software!

Fortunately, once the Championship was in full swing, the phone stopped ringing, and judging by the coverage on TV all went well - except for fans of Andy Murray...

London Marathon

Blog Author — Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:00:00 GMT

No I wasn't running this, be serious please. I was of course supporting PMSE activities for the broadcasters and the event management. This is an unusual event in that the 'location' is spread from East London right the way to Buckingham Palace. Whilst the broadcasters have numerous presence points at key spots along the route as well as a presence in the air, the event management team require communications along the whole of the route - quite a challenge for spectrum that ordinarily is deployed to cover short ranges.

Both before and during the event there were problems with interference. Our friends from Ofcom were present at the start and finish line, but realistically unless you were in a pair of lycra shorts with a number on your back, you were hemmed in by the huge crowds. Consequently it was difficult to track the source down. One particular source was persistent over the whole weekend and beyond, and had to be located. The day after the event, with the crowds out of the way, I joined one of the Ofcom engineers and went searching for the intruder.

Close liaison between Ofcom, the affected customer and JFMG, resulted in the signals being traced to a high rooftrop in the Whitechapel area of East London, some 7km from the start of the Marathon. The illegal transmissions were immediately closed down and the equipment, valued at around £2000, was seized. I was there on the rooftop with Ofcom, and don't mind saying that I was quite gratified when the kit was taken away.

Spring has sprung

Blog Author — Sun, 28 Mar 2010 23:00:00 GMT

The arrival of spring (?) has seen the days lengthen and the frost isn’t quite as hard. It’s also enabled me to get out to some of the locations where demand for in-band spectrum is highest and conduct survey measurements. Wireless microphones and IEMs, as Services Ancillary to Broadcasting, have to co-exist with high and low power television transmissions and exploit the ‘white-spaces’ between them. A quick check on JFMG’s on-line ‘UHF Mic/IEM/Intercom Location Planner’ will show the availability of this white-space at the click of a mouse. However, key locations often have demand that exceeds this availability. Thus I’ve been getting out and making measurements to supplement our computer modelling. The results are then fed back into our systems to improve online availability. Already, key locations in major cities, sporting venues and festival locations have been visited and users will already see spectrum being freed-up. The work is ongoing, so further improvements should be seen throughout the year.

Talkback in Manchester

Blog Author — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I'm not going to get into the second city argument, except to say that Manchester continues to grow as a media and entertainment centre. The completion of Digital Switchover in the region has freed up spectrum for wireless microphones (see my blog entry for 23/12/09 for more). However, talkback frequencies have experienced growth in demand for the finite spectrum available. My visit to the city was to look into some of the issues around this area, however I was also able to meet up with a major broadcasting customer covering a cultural OB. Besides enjoying a tour of their technical facilities I was able to gain a better understanding of how wireless deployment fitted in with the rest of their busy operation.

Football Crazy

Blog Author — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Another day at Wembley and this time the club formerly from Newton Heath were facing off The Villains from Brum. We’d not treated this match as an official ‘major event’, so frequencies were available online and many were booked that way. It was good to be on the ground seeing how the web-booking translated to the effective use of spectrum on the day.

Thankfully there were no real issues reported, although as I’ve seen before, the TV gantry was a little ‘hot’ due to the cluster of talk-back antennas. This could result in portable radios cracking and popping a bit, but once moved away from the immediate area they soon settled down. The most useful way this could be resolved would be to spread the antennas out a bit – not always easy given the limited space. Or to turn the power down – five-watt base stations do seem a little excessive to cover the length of a football pitch – especially given they can be heard as far as Hanger Lane (yes, I’ve checked)!

Alice in Wonderland

Blog Author — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

There’s nothing like a warm evening in central London. Which is exactly what I got, nothing like one. The occasion was the premier of Tim Burton’s adaption of the Alice In Wonderland story, and it rained. Oh boy did it rain. On me, and my trusty spectrum analyser.

Of particular interest to me was the amount of wireless cameras deployed in such a tight space on Leicester Square. As well as a live OB being beamed to cinemas up and down the country the main news organisations were there in force, plus a multitude of overseas crews. As a result the 2GHz band was busy, busy, busy. Only one unlicensed camera was spotted. Or rather it was me who was spotted by the user of an unlicensed camera. As I moved along the soggy ‘Red Carpet’ (it was actually green!), huddled over my analyser, an unidentified camera transmission suddenly ceased. I was obviously close to the user, but they must have seen me first. My time will come...

On set in Albert Square

Blog Author — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Over sixteen million viewers were glued to the tube to see Stacey Slater unmasked as the killer of Archie Mitchell in an historic live 25^th anniversary episode of EastEnders. So why are you reading that here? Well, given the show is normally recorded, cabled mics are generally used off camera. But for the live episode a large number of wireless mics were required at numerous locations across the set and all operating simultaneously. To complicate matters further, the location, Elstree Television Studios, is in an overlapping area covered by three television transmitters all carrying digital as well as analogue services. To say microphone spectrum is scarce is an understatement.

However, working with a customer on-site during rehearsals, JFMG were able to conduct measurements in the locations where equipment was being deployed and measure the actual levels of TV into the location. As a result we were able to ensure the spectrum was clean enough so you could hear Peggy Mitchell bawl all the way from the Queen Vic to the Argee Bhajee. It also has enabled us to improve on-line availability of mic spectrum for future users.

Oh, and as a bonus, we got to see Bradley 'fall' off the roof two days ahead of the rest of the country!

Out and about in the community

Blog Author — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It’s easy to concentrate on the big events, with their huge demands on spectrum. However, JFMG has a large number of licensees who operate wireless systems, such as microphones and links, as part of their normal activities. And these users are just as worthy of our support as any large sporting event or festival. So it was very pleasant to pay a visit on one such customer in London recently. They had microphone systems operating in a number of locations on their premises and I was able to assist in detecting some interference problems that were impairing performance.

Down By The River

Blog Author — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Before 2010 started, we had to see the New Year in. And for those not out partying, the celebrations were well covered on TV & radio. A particular hot-spot radio-wise was the Thames embankment, just below Charing Cross station – the location of the London New Year firework display. Before it all kicked off (and thus you couldn’t move) I paid a visit to some of our customers on location. There was a busy OB being set up so those of us living out of town could see the display from the warmth of our own homes. And along the embankment, a diverse range of PMSE spectrum was being used – covering everything from the main event communications, sound distribution to keep the public entertained, and even a live feed of the bells of Big Ben as they chimed the New Year in.

NFL

Blog Author — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:57:40 GMT

NFL In London. A football game at Wembley, nothing new there you’d think. But, on 25^th October this year, and for the third year running, the National Stadium played host to the National Football League for the American version of the beautiful game. And this was for no mere demonstration game. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the home side to the New England Patriots for a regular season game in the NFL’s 2009 season.

As well as a sporting event, this was to be a big wireless event. Demands for spectrum came from domestic and US television & radio, sound specialists, a film crew making a documentary about the event, and there was a significant requirement from the NFL themselves.

The NFL requirement may seem surprising; but radio communications are used by the teams as well as the referee & game officials. No longer are plays passed from the sideline to the quarterback by a team member running to and fro. The coach on the side line relays the play over an encrypted radio to the quarterback’s in-helmet receiver. Oh, and to stop the coach from cheating, by directing the quarterback real-time, NFL officials cut the radio link once the ball is in play.

Initial Work. Back in mid-July JFMG engaged with the Manager of NFL Frequency Organization Group, and the Group’s Chief Coordinator. In effect the NFL has its very own JFMG looking after all of the games played every year in the USA. In fact there’s a ‘Game Day Coordinator’ or GDC assigned to each team. The NFL guys knew which organisations from the USA were likely to be bringing wireless equipment to the game. They circulated information detailing licensing requirements in the UK, and directed the American organisations towards JFMG.

From mid-August applications started to arrive. As a ‘Major Event’ frequencies were not assigned first-come first-served, as soon as they were received. Instead requests were held until the overall demand was clear; and I took the overall responsibility of coordinating and issuing all licenses for the event. Whilst our established UK licensees were familiar with our process, for many of the US users this was their first foray this side of the pond. A few trans-Atlantic phone calls helped me understand their exact requirements, and some technical aspects such as the all-important tuning range.

Coordination. In the talk-back bands I had to fit in a number of outside broadcast customers plus the NFL. The NFL’s helmet radios were crystal controlled. Hard to believe in this digitally synthesised age. But these devices need to be small, light & robust; and be waterproof. It’s hot and sweaty in those helmets. Thus the receivers are encapsulated meaning they couldn’t be frequency shifted. Thus I had to fit the OB users around these fixed frequencies and maintain a plan free from intermodulation. Fortunately one of the OB crews was able to retune their base stations, allowing me to spread usage and keep spectrum clean.

In-band, there was a need to find over 100 frequencies that could co-exist with one another and be kept away from the high-power television broadcasts coming from Crystal Palace. Fortunately, equipment differences meant the applications from the USA were for areas of spectrum not usually occupied by UK users, reducing congestion.

With barely a week to go before the game, final applications were received and the last of the licenses issued. Pressure off?? No chance. Now my attention turned to on-site activities at the event itself. All zones accreditation was provided by the NFL, who, as with all games had their own Game Day Coordinators on-site. Ordinarily, the GDC's would come over from each team, but on this occasion it was the Manager & Chief Coordinator of the NFL Frequency Organization Group instead.

On-Site. Saturday was set up day, with most of the radio frequency users busy assembling and testing their equipment. I was able to visit a number of the crews from the OB and sound companies. I also met with Wembley IT staff, who were responsible for the stadium’s in-house radio communications facilities, and are keen to ensure visitor’s systems can co-exist with theirs.

Touring the technical areas I was also able to ensure compliance to frequency plans, and take a look at some of the antenna installations.

On Sunday, match day, there was activity on site from around 9 am, despite kick-off being some 8 hrs away. Almost immediately I found an uncoordinated (and thus unlicensed) frequency being used. This was simply down to a programming error on a radio mic, and the ‘offender’ (who shall remain nameless!) was quickly found and encouraged to retune to their correct frequency.

My approach in these instances tends to be the ‘carrot’–coordination is in the interest of all spectrum users in ensuring the event passes without spectrum problems. The NFL Coordinators have a “stick” - a low tolerance policy towards uncoordinated radio frequency use at their games. Penalties include eviction from the game and confiscation of equipment (see below). They have security guys the size of some of the players, and, I am told, have evicted NFL staff from their own events. I’m not even remotely jealous of their powers; honestly.

Game-time. As the match got closer there was concern over interference to the microphones being used for the National Anthems, with so many coordinated users moving around the touchline. The risk was small but real; so as Toni Braxton started belting out the Star Spangled Banner, I found myself by Wembley’s hallowed turf, spectrum analyser in hand, adjacent to the microphone receive point. The aim was to provide a ‘cordon sanitaire’ around the antennas. And to move any users who encroached the antennas during this time - in the event this wasn’t necessary.

Anthems over, game time. Working with the NFL Coordinators, we kept an eye on all spectrum use, with attention given to the coach – quarterback frequencies. The NFL was at pains to ensure that these ran interference free, since they’re key to the success of the game; and I’m happy to report there were no problems at all. The fact that we were given a ‘base’ in the press area meant we had some of the best seats in the house. And unusually for me, I actually got to see some of the event. Mind you, as a rugby fan, I can’t say I fully understood the game.

After the final whistle, the press conference areas were the next port of call, since they’re known locations where unlicensed equipment can suddenly appear; though luckily not at this game. After this it was a matter of collecting up my test equipment, and joining the queue to get out of the car park, as the NFL leaves Wembley for another 12 months. In fact NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has stated that a second game could be added for the 2010 season – so I could be doing this twice next year….