Radio Broadcast Encoder/Decoder

District 4J

As one part of the curriculum in Radio Broadcasting, students are learning & putting into practice the many aspects of broadcast engineering and announcing. The proposed funds would allow us to buy the only missing unit of a system we have been gathering pieces to get running since 1993. Until this one last item of equipment is purchased, students are prevented from being able to broadcast school sporting events or broadcast special school related activities like open house at the beginning of school year or other school events from most of the sites in the District, Community and around the State. Because we do not have this one piece of needed equipment, our students can not broadcast from distant cities to cover important playoff games, state competitions and unable to broadcast >from most stadiums, ball fields or gymnasiums where games are played. The purchase of this one piece of equipment will give the 200+ students enrolled in radio classes nearly unrestricted ability to broadcast from anywhere. Once purchased, KRVM will have the ability to broadcast from any location where there is a phone line or cellular phone service.

Why is this Project Important?

Currently every student in a radio class takes part in a daily broadcast on one or more of our stations which include KRVM, KSYD, KAVE & KMKR FM, KRVM AM and translator K211BP. Our radio stations presently serve the students of four high schools (three in Eugene and one in Oakridge) and a middle school. Over the course of a school year, we provide an on air broadcast experience to over 200 students that attend school in three school districts within our coverage area. Since our students can not broadcast from a remote site unless it has a T1 TCP/IP computer connection, a connection our school stadium and most other stadiums don't have, sporting event coverage has been limited to only those places where a remote radio can reach the main studio, a distance of just a few miles. Even using a TCP/IP computer connection is less than desirable because a solid connection is limited by other traffic on such systems. Audio drop outs occur on busy systems. We have this problem at Spencer Butte almost every day.

To get broadcast quality audio using a cell phone or telephone line, the audio must first be converted into a digital form on one end (the site you are seeking to broadcast from) and decoded at the studio end. Since Jefferson Public Radio supplies KRVM the $3,750.00 decoding unit they only use 4 hours a month, the unit just sits there and is available for use by KRVM at all other times. In effect, South Oregon University's radio program has already supported this request by making half of the needed equipment available for use by KRVM's students for over 99% of the time.

Who and how many will be served?

While this grant will directly serve all of the 200+ students in the radio programs of five schools, the award of this grant will provide KRVM the ability to cover distant sporting events and unlimited Eugene School District 4J activities like remote site School Board Meetings, Seminars, Open Houses, etc. Support of this request will also directly affect all of the parents and people in the community that can not attend a function this equipment will allow KRVM to broadcast.

How will you evaluate the success of this project?

Evaluation of this project will be exceedingly simple. Anyone who wants to decide if funding this project was good can do so by simply turning on the radio at any time this equipment is in use and listening to our students cover an event. All who listen will be able to evaluate the success or failure of this project immediately.

Does this proposal build upon existing programs at schools?
By being able to procure this one needed piece of equipment, our students will be able to use our remote laptop computer, mixer, earphone amplifier, headphone sets, microphones, monitor radio and the Musicam Decoder supplied by the University of Southern Oregon to bring professional quality live coverage of events to the radios of thousands of area citizens that are prevented from attending the event being broadcast. This grant only represents a portion of about 25% of the total cost to make it happen.

How will the funds be spent?

Musicam USA Voyager Model Telephone Line Audio Encoder/Decoder.