Channels on radio console

genlock · Post by **genlock** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 9:14 am

How many channels are really needed on the typical radio console?
What with automation running spots, news, music, and all that other stuff, why have the 24 or 16 channel consoles?

Dave Allen · Post by **Dave Allen** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 9:32 am

Our board, installed last year, has eight slides, each with an A and B. The final position has a source button which can vary between six or seven other sources. With the router system our engineer put in we can actually go to 437 different sources, I think.

genlock · Post by **genlock** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 9:55 am

Router thing sounds nice.
What is make/model of the console and router?
Probably makes it easier for remotes/sports/breaking news stuff.
Since you do phoner,s I assume you have a gentner or comrex phoner sys.

And, Does anyone use patch panels anymore?

Tom Taggart · Post by **Tom Taggart** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:20 am

For clusters with several studios, a digital system routing inputs to slaved work stations would make sense. While expensive, there isn't a great deal of interconnecting wiring between studios--just cat 5. Everything is wired through the rack room.

But for one or two studios, analog consoles are cheap: $5k compared to $20k and up for a multi-studio digital installation. Broadcast tools makes a variety of passive or active switchers, although it is about as easy just to run common sources such as networks, rpu's and so on to each studio.

We have an 18 channel and 12 channel mainframe Auditronics 2500 in the two air control rooms, --XCR has 8 channels installed, as I remember, and 93R 14 channels, plus a new 18 channel mainframe/12 channel installed R55E for production. There's a 27 pair cable between each studio & studio switchers for each station to put any of the three studios on air as needed.
Of course, the entire building is only 35 X 50 ft; so we are not talking about many long cable runs.

With all that, we normally only use 2 mikes, computer and CD in production. XCR runs with two channels most of the time--satellite and computer, switched by the computer; while 93R normally just uses 4 faders, --ABC satellite music, computer, ABC news, and Premiere for Delilah, again switched by computer.

Of course, remotes, sports and NASCAR require extra channels

Dave Allen · Post by **Dave Allen** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 10:49 am

I don't know what we have,makes,models, etc. I do know that with the router I have to spend 10 minutes putting all the settings back where they should be every Monday morning following weekends full of sports and such. I know the number of the chief engineer when I break something,which I do a lot.

genlock · Post by **genlock** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 11:16 am

Some of those things have a smart-card reader or some such, that you can use to return everything to your personal settings. Ask for one.

Tom Taggart · Post by **Tom Taggart** » Sun Feb 04, 2007 3:44 pm

Patch panels, programmable routers and similar devices always seem to be a mystery to everyone except the engineer. That's why I like big consoles with everything wired into them somewhere. P-touch label tapes are expensive, but permanent and legible.

Saves answering a lot of weekend calls, especially since we normally do over a hundred remotes a year, plus weekly ball games fall and winter (sometimes two), plus NASCAR, plus all the required shows from MRN and PRN.

Cameron · Post by **Cameron** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:06 pm

Tom Taggart wrote: Patch panels, programmable routers and similar devices always seem to be a mystery to everyone except the engineer. That's why I like big consoles with everything wired into them somewhere. P-touch label tapes are expensive, but permanent and legible.

Saves answering a lot of weekend calls, especially since we normally do over a hundred remotes a year, plus weekly ball games fall and winter (sometimes two), plus NASCAR, plus all the required shows from MRN and PRN.

On the other-hand, you can really dumb-it-down by having the automation system spit serial-strings to the router and the satellite receivers so your BOOTH (Board-Op-Of-The-Hour) can just push one button on the touch screen.