Time passes by and trends in broadcast come and go, and inevitably a season of change emerges. In Dielectric’s universe, the fading pool of skilled RF engineers has been an extended season of change over many years that continues to unfurl.

As older talent retires and fewer engineers enter the field with RF experience and education, the role of vendor support has never been more important the customer. Beyond standard telephone support and site visits, RF vendors have amplified their efforts to play more critical roles across consulting, design, remote monitoring, disaster recovery, predictive maintenance, and even turnkey project management.

This increased vendor support presence in RF engineering signals a new season of change: the vendor’s obligation to responsiveness as customer needs arise. And as 2025 nears its conclusion, we find a trove as examples to share. Following are three FM stories that best exemplify our mission to fulfill the increasingly diverse needs for customer responsiveness.

Disaster Recovery

Mother nature never ceases, and through all seasonal cycles we see inclement weather disrupt broadcast operations. When severe weather strikes with direct impact to broadcast towers, the results are often disastrous. This sets up a classic disaster recovery scenario that requires immediate response to return broadcasters to air as quickly as possible.

The open wilds of Northern Michigan experience extreme weather conditions over long winters that can stretch well into the spring. Perhaps no North American broadcaster was hit harder by severe weather than what Black Diamond Broadcasting and Northern Christian Radio experienced in April, when a devastating ice storm took down several broadcast towers affecting broadcast operations for both companies.

Working closely with broadcast engineer Del Reynolds, Dielectric and our partners at SCMS helped to restore operations for WMKC-FM and WPHN, supplying 10-bay ring-style antennas for each station and a combiner for the latter. Upon receiving the request, we immediately initiated a plan to build, store and ship the two antennas, leveraging an expedited manufacturing process and deep inventory of parts. Full-power WMKC shipped first, and we stored the WPHN antenna for free until the new tower was raised and ready for action.

Preventative Medicine

There is great satisfaction in helping broadcasters recover from unexpected complications, though disaster aversion is cause for celebration. This is exactly what was accomplished for two Minnesota Public Radio stations, KNBJ-FM and KCRB-FM, serving communities in the far northern Bemidji market before the winter 2024-2025 season. Once again working in collaboration with SCMS, Dielectric built and delivered a DCR-M ring-style antenna with a shorter than standard lead time. Installed in time for the harsh winter season, the stations reported immediate improvements to correct the reflected power issue that was beginning to affect transmitter performance.

A similar problem arose heading into this winter season, as the existing antenna from another vendor for a nearby FM station was showing signs that its end of life was nearing. Specifically, there was severe damage from icing that caused leaks in the system, worsened through cracks and moisture infiltration.

Vincent Fuhs, Manager, Network Engineering Group, Minnesota Public Radio, reached out several weeks ago to report a worsening situation. “He got straight to the point – the problem was worsening, and waiting to spring would be a risk,” said Cory Edwards, OEM Manager and APAC Sales Director, Dielectric. “I assured him we could get it done if we moved immediately on the bill of material and drawings.

Edwards led a team that worked through verbal agreement to ensure the job got done. “We focused on securing extra interconnects for the input failure point, and made the mounts of stainless steel material to accelerate the time with the winter weather bearing down.”

Dielectric ultimately scheduled the delivery four weeks from agreement, and the new DCR-M antenna was scheduled for installation at press time. “If we decided to wait and not act immediately, we believe the station would be off the air for the much of the winter.”

Careful Consulting

While disaster aversion is now a common element of customer responsiveness, there are some problems that are simply unique and take us into new territory. In this case, Dielectric stepped in to conduct FCC pattern studies prior to the lapsing of FCC construction permits  – and turn around a two-bay DCP-J panel and a vertical dipole antenna over three- and four-week spans, respectively.

As a typical 12-week process, the quick action reduced manufacturing and delivery timelines by approximately 75 percent the normal production cycle for each system.

“We worked closely with the customer to run pattern studies, create the mounts and produce two antennas,” said Edwards. “It comes down to more than responsiveness. It’s about having the inventory, planning for future needs, and flexibly adapting to emergency needs for all customers.”