[Rfu-barnraising] work group leaders for the barnraising
Andy Gunn
andy at prometheusradio.org
Sat Oct 15 12:06:33 CDT 2005
hey rfu folks, i am starting the process of putting together work group leaders for the barnraising construction process. read over the materials below, and if you think there is something you would want to lead or be a part of, let me know. i am going to start contacting people that have done work groups or worked at a barnraising before to head some of these up - but i want to make sure you local folks get in on the process as well. the idea is that the work group leaders take the burdenous task of building the station off your hands, so you can supervise and make sure the station gets built to your spec, and so you can learn something!
anyways, here are the work groups i think fit for this barnraising, and below that are the materials i will send out to the old work group leaders, and hopefully future ones. let me know what you think, and if i left anything out! thanks,
-andy
prp
Possible Work Groups
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Furniture
Studio layout, design, and equipment:
Brief overview of studio layout theory and reasoning, with a look at the current rooms and setup in the Post Office. The main studio will most likely be laid out the night before the barn raising with the technical team, and this is a chance to have people look over that layout, and design the production studio furniture and equipment layout.
Studio furniture and shelving construction:
A brief overview of building techniques and tools might be a good start to this. Most likely this will be an ongoing workgroup for most of the weekend. The first things that need to be built are the tables for the studio equipment. The layout for the main studio will most likely be decided already by the local tech team the night before the barnraising. That furniture can be designed and started almost immediately. The other studio and office space will be designed by another workshop early on, and then that furiture can be designed and built.
Studio equipment
Console testing:
It would be great to go over the basics of consoles, and what sets them apart from a mixer. The goal is to make sure the consoles are set up correctly and calibrated to work well with the source audio equipment.
EAS installation:
Since the EAS is one of the more esoteric pieces of broadcast equipment, people will likely need a background on what the Emergency Alert System is, and how the units work. A few people could set it up, test it, and install it in the studio.
Phone hybrid wiring and testing:
Phones are not typical audio systems, so explaining phone hybrids for a little while would be helpful. My suggestion is to figure out how to best install the system, and testing to make sure the levels are good, and it can interface with the console well.
Studio monitors and on air light:
There will be a good amount of studio wiring to be done, the monitors and on-air light included. It would be good to have a short overview of why these elements are important, and when they are activated (or muted). There will be other wiring to do as well, and there will be other people on point for finishing the studio.
Studio equipment install, finishing and testing:
Once the components for the studio have been laid out and tested, they will need to be installed in their working configuration in the studio. Towards the end of the installation, this will probably be an ongoing project, but there should be some introduction to get newbies into the studio finishing project.
Antenna and Tower
Antenna Tuning:
With the help of some specialized equipment, a look at how an antenna is tuned and why this is important. If a multi-bay antenna system is used, then this will also include setting up the antennas with the power splitter or phasing harness. The antennas will need to be ready before the tower can go up.
Coaxial Cable preparation:
After the final resting place of the transmitter is decided, then the measurements for the coaxial cable can be made. The end connectors can be fitted, and the cable can be run and attached to the tower before it is raised.
Tower Preparation and Raising: %% All of the materials for the tower will need to be assembled, and a plan for how to hoist the tower will need to be formulated. We have plenty of people available, and once the antenna and coaxial cable is finished and attached, then the tower can be lifted into place, and the guy wires can be tightened.
Transmitter
Transmitter testing and burn-in:
Transmitters are interesting beasts. This should be a short session to test and do a 'proof of performance' on the transmitter. Let the transmitter warm up and do a component burn in test, then demonstrate how to test the output of the transmitter to verify that it is working within specifications.
Automation
Automation setup (Hardware setup, software install and setup):
The automation system may be somewhat finished already. Some of the local techs have a minimal automation system running, for testing. I am still talking to them about moving it to the studio, from the transmitter site where it is currently. Hopefully, you will get a chance to set up the automation system and go over it with a small group of people. There should be a good amount of testing for people to try out, and a lot of loading of source material.
Cabling
Cable planning, measurement, cutting, making:
Some background on cabling and what ties the studio together. Cable and connector type overviews would be good for background. There will also need to be a cable cutlist developed given the equipment. This will likely be done after the equipment is tested, and the layout is finalized. There are other work groups for that.
Computers
Office and Studio networking:
The computer systems in the studio space will need to be set up, and networked. There will hopefully be a working broadband connection where the studio space is located. Some background on networking would be good for the newbies, then set people to work getting some office computers up and running! This will be dependent on how many machines they have donated, but it should be at least a few.
Miscellaneous
Session on modulation: (maybe)
A short breakout session on radio modulation would be helpful for those people that want more information than the Basics of Radio workshop provides. It can be as in-depth as you would like, with hopefully some demonstrations and hands-on stuff.
Studio Construction Work Group Overview
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Email to Workgroup Leaders:
Starting with the last barnraising in Florence, MA with Valley Free Radio, the station construction project has been managed by separate 'work groups'. These are designed to create a more welcoming studio building process. These work groups handle a particular and discrete task as part of the larger task of building the physical radio station. The structure is worked out something like this: a team leader (or small group of leaders) takes on a project area, such as building a table or wiring in the EAS unit. These team leaders knows beforehand what needs to get done and by when. They will have created a tool and materials list that details everything needed for that particular task. A shopping list can be generated beforehand so they have everything necessary for their project, and a master shopping list can be created.
Work groups will be scheduled to meet at a particular time and place, somewhere near the studio most likely. There will be a master work schedule, but it can be modified by the individual groups so long as the task is completed before any dependent task group meets. The groups can consist of four or more people that are unskilled at the particular task, but there must be at least one person who knows the particular job at hand and can instruct others.
A Sample Worksheet will help explain the process of the work group. It shows the shopping list and has suggestions for a project outline and how best to include people. These worksheets are just examples - if you think it needs more or less detail, that is fine. If there are some parts that you don't think can be filled out until you are 'on site', that is fine too. The important parts are the number of people you think the task can handle, and the major tools and materials that you will need. It is really best to have these things in hand before the barnraising starts. The Workgroup Leaders are essentially point people for plugging volunteers into a task, and making sure that these projects are finished.
The reasoning for having the work more structured is to have the studio construction be more 'approachable'. We have noticed in the past that a small group of people doing station construction can get very focused and intense about the project. This enthusiasm is great, but can be intimidating to people who might not have much or any experience with construction or engineering. Some people just want to drop in, work a little, then head off to workshops to get a feel for how a station is built. This is designed to be more welcoming for people with little to no experience in this stuff. The entire purpose of a barnraising is skill sharing and teaching - so much of the task of a work group leader is to demonstrate and teach. Try and avoid touching any tools - build the station with your voice by telling volunteers how to do something, not by doing it yourself. That would be too easy!
At registration, people will have the option to sign up for a work group - depending on how many slots there are available in the various work plans. Work projects will become a little more like workshops, with short opening overview talks, and the rest being hands-on construction. There will only be a certain number of participants that sign up who can get hands-on time, but there should be room for other people to watch. If some people drop out of the work group, then other folks can drop in and help out. It is important to gauge how many people you think you can work with - most of the time, people do not sign up for work groups, but just show up to the studio area. I will likely be the point person to plug people into groups, but if I see that you are 'at capacity', I will try and find a group that needs people.
In order to lead one of these installation groups, the leader should know the job well enough to plan it out and help people get involved. It is important to have people feel like they have contributed to the construction of the station. There might be a 30 year expert on the team, but we are asking certain people to be work group leaders because we feel that they possess the skills to delegate well, have a democratic work plan, and have fun!
Sample Worksheets
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EAS Unit
Project leader: Emily A. Supertech
Meeting time: Saturday, 2 PM
Meeting place: Tent outside studio
Goal: Test and install the Emergency Alert System unit.
Materials Needed:
* EAS unit
* EAS manual
* (2) External antennas - (1) FM band and (1) AM band
* Dot Matrix line printer and box of continuous feed paper -or- old computer with serial port running Windows in close proximity to unit
Tools Needed:
* Wire cutters and wire strippers
Number of people needed: 2
Number of people who can hang out and learn: 5
Overview:
* 15 minute background on the EAS network
* 15 minutes on how the unit works
* 15 minutes guided instruction on setup
* 20 minutes on installation in studio or other site and testing
Pre-requisites:
* Knowing where the unit goes in the audio chain
* Rackspace built for unit installation
Studio Shelving
Project leader: Susan Shipshape
Meeting time: Friday, 10 AM
Meeting place: Production studio
Goal: Pick site for CD / Record shelving, build and install shelves.
Materials Needed:
* (1) Sheet of 3/4" Plywood
* (4) 2x3 or 2x4 lumber
* (36) Angle brackets
* (1) box of 2" screws
* (1) Small can of laquer
Tools Needed:
* Circular or Table saw
* Hand sander and sandpaper
* Measuring tape and pencils
* Screwgun / cordless drill
* Proper screw bits
Number of people needed: 4
Number of people who can hang out and learn: 0 (totally hands on!)
Overview:
* 15 minutes site and discuss where the shelves will go
* 10 minutes measuring out area
* 15 minute discussion of building techniques and tools
* 30 minutes marking and cutting wood
* 30 minutes construction of shelves
* 20 minutes laquering surfaces
* 15 minutes installation and securing in place
Pre-requisites:
* Having enough space to put up the shelving
* Knowing where the tables for equipment are going, so the shelving can go around those
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thats all!
-a
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| Andy Gunn - Technical and Training Organizer |
| Prometheus Radio Project - prometheusradio.org |
| andy at prometheusradio.org 215-727-9620 |
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