Author: Bill Harland

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James Ruedlinger Rejoins ERI as Senior Vice President, Engineering

Chandler, Indiana – April 17, 2017 – Electronics Research, Inc. is pleased to announce that James Ruedlinger has rejoined ERI in the newly created position of Senior Vice President, Engineering. He will have responsibility for managing both of ERI’s RF and Structural Engineering Groups.

James is a registered professional engineer with over 17 years of experience in the telecommunications industry including serving almost 15 years previously with Electronics Research, Inc. (ERI), from 2000 through 2014. James has spent the past two years working for Crown Castle as an Engineering Manager with their corporate engineering and construction engineering departments. James has been involved with multiple facets of engineering including new broadcast tower design and construction, complex structural reinforcements, development of engineered rigging plans, and engineering oversight for large broadcast antenna installations as well as extensive design and analysis experience of large and small gin poles. James also has over 15 years of climbing and tower inspection experience, and has been actively involved with the TIA committee in developing construction and gin pole design standards since the inception of the ANSI/TIA-1019 standard. James currently serves as the chair of the TR14 task group responsible for the ANSI/TIA-322 engineering standard on Loading, Analysis, and Design Criteria Related to the Installation, Alteration and Maintenance of Communication Structures.

Kenny Brown, ERI’s Chief Operating Officer, stated “The timing is perfect for James’ return to ERI and he will strengthen the company’s already expanded manufacturing and engineering capacity ahead FCC Repack of the television broadcast band. James, mentored by Tom Silliman, [ERI’s president and CEO], will help lead our engineering group and the company well into the future. ERI’s commitment to the broadcast industry today should serve as notice that we’ve been here for a long time and we expect to continue to serve broadcasters for many years to come.”

About Electronics Research, Inc.

For more than 70 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Our dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all of your broadcast transmission needs, both RF and structural. We take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.

For More Information Contact:

Bill Harland
Electronics Research, Inc.
Tel: (812) 925-6000×214
E-mail: bharland@eriinc.com
Online: www.eriinc.com

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ERI Appoints Shawn Knotts as Western Region, Account Manager for Television Broadcast Systems

Chandler, Indiana – April 18, 2017 – Joe Meleski, Vice President of Domestic Sales, Electronics Research, Inc. (ERI) announces the appointment of Shawn Knotts as Western Region, Television Account Manager. He will have responsibility for the sale of ERI’s television antennas, towers, transmission line systems, television filter systems and RF components. He will serve the Western Region of the United States.

Shawn has been with ERI for over 14 years and was previously the Western Region Radio Account Manager. Prior to that, Shawn was the Senior Project Engineering Manager through the digital television build out in. Joe Meleski commented that, “Shawn has been involved in some of the largest and most complex broadcast projects in the US. His experience and knowledge of ERI products and services will be essential to his new position for the television market.”

Knotts graduated from the University of Southern Indiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering Technology. Prior to joining ERI, Shawn held project management and product engineering positions at TMI Mechanical Contractors, TRW Automotive Electronics, and Universal Tower, Inc.
Shawn can be contacted by telephone at +1 (812) 760-5581 or by e-mail at sknotts@eriinc.com.

About Electronics Research, Inc.

For more than 70 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Our dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all of your broadcast transmission needs, both RF and structural. We take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.

For More Information Contact:

Bill Harland
Electronics Research, Inc.
Tel: (812) 925-6000×214
E-mail: bharland@eriinc.com
Online: www.eriinc.com

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Dave Benco Joins ERI as Director of Television Sales

Dave Benco Joins ERI

Chandler, IN USA

Joe Meleski, Director of Domestic Sales for Electronics Research, Inc. announced today that Dave Benco will join ERI as Director of Television Sales. He will have responsibility for the sale of ERI’s television antenna, transmission line, and filter products in the United States.
Benco has over 20 years experience in terrestrial broadcasting including not only UHF and VHF television, mobile television and distributed transmission systems, but also FM radio, 2.5 GHz MMDS systems and wireless broadband applications. He was an active participant in the ATSC activities surrounding ATSC Mobile DTV. He has been a member of IEEE BTS, AFCCE and has presented at multiple technical conferences and meetings.
Previously Dave served as Strategic Accounts Manager at GatesAir, National Key Account Manager at Rhode & Schwarz and Director of Sales at Axcera. He has also held technical sales positions with Westinghouse Electric Corporation and Indus International. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Penn State University and a Master of Business Administration from Waynesburg College.
Dave can be reached by telephone at +1 (724) 470-4440 or by email at dbenco@eriinc.com.
About Electronics Research, Inc.
For more than 70 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Our dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all of your broadcast needs, both RF and structural. We take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.
For More Information Contact:
Bill Harland
Electronics Research, Inc.
Tel: (812) 925-6000×214
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ERI Introduces High Power UHF DTV Mask Filters at NABSHOW 2016

Electronics Research, Inc. has extended its UF Series TV Mask Filter product line to include models for up to 20 kilowatts average power handling. These new models are tunable filter designs in either six or eight section configurations and can be tuned for 6, 7, or 8 MHz channel spacing. The filters are temperature compensated and include multiple cross couplings are provided to increase out of band emissions suppression. The product family includes three (3) models built out of a common aluminum outer casing and silver plated brass resonators. The UF10000 is convection cooled and rated for up to 10 kilowatts average power. The UF15000 adds forced air cooling to increase power handling to 15 kilowatts and the UF20000 has power capability to 20 kilowatts with its liquid cooling system.

Visit ERI in booth number C2324 at the NABSHOW in Las Vegas April 18 to 21. For more information contact ERI at sales@eriinc.com or by telephone +1 (812) 925-6000.

About Electronics Research, Inc.
For more than 70 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Our dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all of your broadcast transmission needs, both RF and structural. We take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.

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ERI ETV Series Broadband High Band VHF Television Panel Antennas debut at NABSHOW 2016

Electronics Research, Inc. is debuting a new family of broadband high band VHF panel antennas at NABSHOW 2016. The Electronics Research ETV Series high band VHF television antennas include a horizontally polarized high band VHF panel antenna element as well as an element for circularly polarized requirements. As with all ERI antenna systems these panel elements can be designed to mount on existing towers or supplied with integrated top or side mounted spines. Both models are available in configurations for three (3) curtain (for triangular towers) or four (4) curtain (for square towers) arrays. The elements and full arrays can be configured and optimized for a single high band VHF television channel, 174 MHz to 216 MHz, or be optimized to cover the entire channel span from 7 to 13 and handle multiple television signals in a single system. ERI can also provide channel combiners as a part of a complete system.
The horizontally polarized ETV Series antenna elements are constructed from rugged galvanized steel and include UV protected ABS radomes to protect the element feed points from weather and debris. The circularly polarized ETV Series antenna includes a full radome enclosure to protect the element from snow and ice and to reduce wind area, which reduces tower loading. Both models are rated to 5 kilowatts, average power, per element and include a single 1-5/8-inch EIA flanged RF inputs. These panel antenna systems can be designed to mount on existing customer owned towers or supplied with integrated mounting spines that are fabricated by ERI.
Visit ERI in booth number C2324 at the NABSHOW in Las Vegas April 18 to 21. For more information contact ERI at sales@eriinc.com or by telephone +1 (812) 925-6000.
About Electronics Research, Inc.
For more than 70 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Our dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all of your broadcast transmission needs, both RF and structural. We take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.
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ERI Provides Compact High Band VHF Channel Combiner at NABSHOW 2016

Electronics Research, Inc. introduces a new integrated channel combiner for high band VHF television. The VF-H8600 is a compact solution for combining two high band VHF television channels into a single antenna. This is a single cabinet solution that is an economical alternative to traditional modular combiner configurations. The channel diplexer consists of two three (3) section band pass filters integrated into a single compact floor or ceiling mounted cabinet that requires no on site combiner assembly. It will combine any two high band VHF RF channels that are a minimum of 24 MHz spaced (N+4). The filters are temperature compensated.

Visit ERI in booth number C2324 at the NABSHOW in Las Vegas April 18 to 21. For more information contact ERI atsales@eriinc.com or by telephone +1 (812) 925-6000.

About Electronics Research, Inc.
For more than 70 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Our dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all of your broadcast transmission needs, both RF and structural. We take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.
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ERI to accelerate completion of TV channel repack post FCC’s Broadcast Incentive Auction

ERI will work with T-Mobile to ensure the availability of equipment and installation crews to accelerate completion of the mandated television channel changes following the conclusion of the FCC Broadcast Incentive Auction

Electronics Research, Inc. (ERI) announced at the National Association of Broadcasters NABSHOW2016 today an agreement with T-Mobile that gives ERI the ability to ramp materials and accelerate antenna production capacity by 800% before the end of the year in anticipation of the end of the auction.

ERI will begin production of antennas and installation crews will be available immediately after the FCC issues new channel assignments to broadcasters either being relocated within the UHF television band or relocating from UHF Channels to VHF Channels. This will accelerate the process of clearing the 600 MHz frequency band allowing new wireless broadband services to be deployed in the band, within the 39 month repacking timeline outlined by the FCC.

Commenting on the agreement ERI President and CEO Tom Silliman remarked “Working with T-Mobile ahead of the completion of the auction enables ERI to be first in the category to manufacture and install a high volume of the antennas needed to clear spectrum, and do it faster than we’d otherwise be able to. ERI will have the capacity to manufacture television antennas, transmission line, and filter systems and to have trained and equipped installation crews at the beginning of the FCC’s 39 month clearing window.”

“It’s a no-brainer for T-Mobile to do what we can to help the broadcast industry accelerate the FCC’s repacking schedule. We want to insure that television broadcasters have access to the equipment and installation capacity needed for timely completion of the FCC clearing timeline” said David Mayo, Senior Vice President – Technology for T-Mobile.

ERI will immediately take the necessary step to expand manufacturing and test facilities as well as hire and train manufacturing, test, and installation personnel in advance of the increase in demand for television antennas, transmission line, and RF components that will be driven by the new television channel assignments issued by the FCC.

About Electronics Research, Inc.

For more than 70 years, ERI has served the broadcast industry with products and services of the highest quality and dependability. Our dedicated staff of engineers, drafters, fabricators, project managers, and installers deliver products to meet all of your broadcast needs, both RF and structural. We take pride in contributing to your success by offering the best broadcast antennas, filters and combiners, transmission line, and towers.

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ERI Provides Complete Tower Make Over for WEHT NEWS25 Post Transition Digital Operations

WEHT NEWS25, ABC’s affiliate serving Evansville Indiana, has completed the construction of its post transition digital television transmission facilities. The construction of WEHT’s final digital transmission system was complicated by its change from its assigned out-of-core pre-transition, RF Channel 59 to RF Channel 7. Until the June 12, 2009, digital transition deadline, Channel 7 was occupied by the FOX affiliate, WTVW’s, NTSC analog signal.

Electronics Research, Inc. provided the new main and auxiliary digital television antennas for WEHT, as well as structural engineering services, tower reinforcement materials, and installation services. The WEHT tower was originally constructed in 1966 and is co-located with WEHT’s studio facilities in Henderson Kentucky. The new antenna required for WEHT’s post transition digital operations on a VHF RF channel was larger and heavier than the channel 25 analog antenna and thus required a complete tower inspection, including ultrasonic inspection of the guy wire anchors, and a tower reinforcement design to support the new digital antennas and handle the erection stresses associated with their installation.

The reinforcement design brought the tower structure into compliance with the ANSI/TIA-222 standard and required the replacement of three (3) guy levels with stronger bridge strand wire. In addition to the new guy wires the reinforcement project also included the fabrication and installation of split pipe reinforcements on most of the tower legs and upgrading the tower cross bracing. The final portion of the makeover was the replacement of the top 30-foot section of the tower with a brand new tower section that included a mounting flange for the new ERI TRASAR television antenna.

The new top mounted antenna is an ERI model ATW9V3-CTO-7 TRASAR, circularly polarized, coaxial slotted array antenna. The antenna was designed and fabricated at ERI’s manufacturing facility in Chandler, Indiana, approximately 20 miles from WEHT’s studio and tower complex. In addition to the top mounted main antenna, ERI supplied and installed a side mounted standby antenna which was used to maintain over the air broadcasts immediately following the June 12 transition date while the tower reinforcement project was underway.

WEHT was Evansville’s first television station, signing on in 1953, on Channel 50. Gilmore Broadcasting acquired the station in 1964 and moved it to Channel 25. WEHT has been Evansville’s ABC affiliate since 1995. Shortly after initiating its post transition digital transmissions WEHT activated a second digital channel as an affiliate of the Retro Television Network, branded as RTV 25 on digital channel 25.2. In addition, to RTV’s network programming WEHT also produces a 9:00 PM edition of its local news program, NEWS25.

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ERI AXIOM™ Master FM Antenna on the IDS Center in Minneapolis

Located in downtown Minneapolis the communication towers on top of the IDS Center, 910-feet (277-meters), are the highest point in the State of Minnesota. ERI provided a 12-Bay AXIOM Master FM Antenna which serves as a combiner auxiliary FM antenna system for a number of major FM radio stations who formerly broadcast from this as their main transmitter site. They now use the IDS as a backup in case their primary location in Shoreview, Minnesota were to fail or when shut down for maintenance. The AXIOM Master FM Antenna is a broadband side mounted antenna that can be configured to handle a combined power levels up to 240 kilowatts. The communication spires on top of the building tower to 910 feet (277.3 m), making them the highest point in Minneapolis. The top of the IDS is also used for microwave transmission and reception by WCCO-TV, KSTP-TV, KMSP-TV, and KARE news trucks, in order to relay video to their stations.

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ERI Delivers for ABC Affilliate KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma

ABC affiliate KTUL in Tulsa, Oklahoma faced a problem with their post-digital-transition coverage significant enough to affect the station’s ratings. Their side mounted channel 8 antenna was not performing as well as their pre-transition antenna. KTUL needed to act quickly before their revenues began to suffer

To resolve this problem, KTUL decided to purchase a new, top-mounted antenna installed at a higher elevation to provide a better pattern. To further improve coverage, KTUL would add vertical polarization to achieve circular polarization. Purchasing and installing a top-mount VHF antenna is no trivial endeavor. Few broadcast equipment companies had the capabilities required to design and manufacture a 70 foot long antenna to be installed atop an 1800 ft tower.

KTUL selected Electronics Research, Inc., headquartered in Chandler, Indiana. ERI would provide a complete turn-key solution on a very tight timeline. The delivery of the 70 foot long, 19,000 lb TRASAR® VHF television antenna was set for April 20, 2010, giving ERI only fifteen weeks to design, manufacture, and ship an antenna that would normally take more than twenty weeks.

ERI shipped the antenna on time, meeting the strict deadline laid out in the agreement with KTUL. Now that the antenna was on site, the final obstacle to overcome was installing the antenna on top of the tower. With the antenna weighing over nine and a half tons and measuring almost two school busses end to end, installation on a tower over a third of a mile high presented many challenges. After eight days of rigging, the installation crew had hoisted and mounted the antenna, making it ready for broadcast.

On April 27, 2010 at 3:09 PM (CDT), KTUL began broadcasting from its new ERI TRASAR® topmounted VHF TV Antenna. Since then, KTUL’s ratings have improved and returning Channel 8 in Tulsa, Oklahoma to normal operations.