n925tv 143 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 KFMB just bought a new ENG Live truck. Their Chopper 8 footage seems much more stable looking, did they get a new chopper? Sounds different then their ol' Bell 206. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 KFMB just bought a new ENG Live truck. Their Chopper 8 footage seems much more stable looking, did they get a new chopper? Sounds different then their ol' Bell 206. Do you have any pics of the new ENG truck? I've been trying to see if anything's changed with their chopper, but I haven't found anything to indicate otherwise. They are due to at the very least get a new paint job on it as it still has the old logo. I don't know what setup they have in the chopper but ever since they upgraded the camera to HD, they've had image/signal issues and the pictures don't look as crisp as the LA tv stations choppers. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123831 Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1684 Posted February 21, 2015 Share Posted February 21, 2015 At a minimum they could have upgraded the camera on the helicopter. Last year WCAU changed the camera on Skyforce 10 from a FLIR based system to Cineflex. I asked one of their photographers and they stated the Cineflex gimbal system was a much more stable platform. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123833 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted February 21, 2015 Author Share Posted February 21, 2015 Here's a pic of the new ENG truck. Gene posted the pic on his FB. As for their chopper, I can definitely tell they are now using a Cineflex cam. The FLIR camera that they were formerly using, was very choppy looking, lots of shaking in the image quality. I have suspicion that they are using a AS350B helicopter, like most LA Stations. One reason why, is because during the traffic report tonight around 5, they were hovering in one place. Usually with their old chopper (Bell-206), they almost never hovered, just flew in circles. Not sure about this, but I don't think the 206's can hover very well, if at all. I know that the AS 350 choppers hover, as the LA stations do it for almost every traffic report. Lastly, I would be VERY surprised if they put a Cineflex on their old Bell chopper. Time will tell... Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123834 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 Got the answer. They're using a loaner helicopter, because Chopper 8 has repairs longer than usual. Regular Chopper 8 should be back in service next week. Info from Phil. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123876 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Got the answer. They're using a loaner helicopter, because Chopper 8 has repairs longer than usual. Regular Chopper 8 should be back in service next week. Info from Phil. So it's back to the same old crappy picture quality next week. It seems like Chopper 8 is down several times a week, I don't know how the stations can be happy with the service that is provided. Anyone know how long the helicopter sharing agreement is for? Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123879 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted February 22, 2015 Author Share Posted February 22, 2015 So it's back to the same old crappy picture quality next week. It seems like Chopper 8 is down several times a week, I don't know how the stations can be happy with the service that is provided. Anyone know how long the helicopter sharing agreement is for? Unfortunately, yes. Even Phil said he likes this camera way better than the old FLIR one. Maybe this will be the final straw for Chopper 8, they'll just stay with this loaner one. I'm still betting on KSWB to get a chopper. They've been using some helicopter shots for their promos of their live trucks. One of the promos was from last week when the morning news was live in Coronado. Another promo was from a few months back, briefly showed their truck driving past Ponto St. Beach. I can tell those shots were definitely not from KFMB's chopper. Must have been a helicopter from ACA in Pacoima, which KTLA uses. BTW, I don't see KGTV getting a new chopper, as they just stopped using their old one. KNSD might get one when they move back to Kearny Mesa, but who knows. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123896 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Unfortunately, yes. Even Phil said he likes this camera way better than the old FLIR one. Maybe this will be the final straw for Chopper 8, they'll just stay with this loaner one. I'm still betting on KSWB to get a chopper. They've been using some helicopter shots for their promos of their live trucks. One of the promos was from last week when the morning news was live in Coronado. Another promo was from a few months back, briefly showed their truck driving past Ponto St. Beach. I can tell those shots were definitely not from KFMB's chopper. Must have been a helicopter from ACA in Pacoima, which KTLA uses. BTW, I don't see KGTV getting a new chopper, as they just stopped using their old one. KNSD might get one when they move back to Kearny Mesa, but who knows. Did he say what kind of chopper the loaner was? Yeah, I figure KGTV has no plans for a chopper anytime soon, heck they even added an animated sky 10 in the top right hand corner when they show chopper footage. KNSD is an iffy one as several other NBC O&O's have been getting their choppers back but it seems like they've been told to cut back on expenses as you can tell that they're relying more on iphone/cellular bonded liveshots plus several of their mic flags are either broken or scuffed up. Point is, who knows if they'll get their chopper back seeing as that the priority right now is the new building. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123897 Share on other sites More sharing options...
caliwxdude 254 Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Did he say what kind of chopper the loaner was? Easy way to tell - JetRangers have a very distinct engine/rotor noise inside the cabin, sounding like this. Eurocopter AS350Bs have three rotor blades and its Arriel engine from inside the cabin. Both are rotary aircraft, so they all have the ability to hover. JetRangers are considerably louder due to the twin rotor blades (more of a pronounced chop-chop-chop) so I'd imagine they limit the hovering to reduce noise complaints, especially over residential areas. The AS350 is considerably quieter in comparison. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123904 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Easy way to tell - JetRangers have a very distinct engine/rotor noise inside the cabin, sounding like this. Eurocopter AS350Bs have three rotor blades and its Arriel engine from inside the cabin. Both are rotary aircraft, so they all have the ability to hover. JetRangers are considerably louder due to the twin rotor blades (more of a pronounced chop-chop-chop) so I'd imagine they limit the hovering to reduce noise complaints, especially over residential areas. The AS350 is considerably quieter in comparison. Thanks for the insight. From one of the videos on KFMB's website (Friday's standoff with a suicidal man), you can hear the chop-chop-chop of the engine. Is it more costly to operate an AS350 than a Bell Ranger? Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123907 Share on other sites More sharing options...
caliwxdude 254 Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Thanks for the insight. From one of the videos on KFMB's website (Friday's standoff with a suicidal man), you can hear the chop-chop-chop of the engine. Is it more costly to operate an AS350 than a Bell Ranger? Hourly operating cost of a JetRanger is a bit lower than the AS350 series, yes. I don't have the hard numbers, but from what I remember, it's less. Bell helicopters are also thought to be a bit more reliable and cheaper to maintain than those from Eurocopter. It's akin to Ford vs. Mercedes—cheaper to maintain, but the import will perform a bit better. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-123930 Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAnewsjunkie 6 Posted February 24, 2015 Share Posted February 24, 2015 Btw, ACA became Welk Aviation and their facebook page shows a pic of the chopper they're supplying KFMB right now: https://www.facebook.com/welkaviation/posts/605556716242350:0 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-124019 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted February 25, 2015 Share Posted February 25, 2015 Btw, ACA became Welk Aviation and their facebook page shows a pic of the chopper they're supplying KFMB right now: https://www.facebook.com/welkaviation/posts/605556716242350:0 Is KFMB still with National Helicopter? And from those pics, I wonder if the backup chopper is the ex-KCBS/KCAL bird. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-124027 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Is KFMB still with National Helicopter? And from those pics, I wonder if the backup chopper is the ex-KCBS/KCAL bird. Yes, that helicopter was the former Sky 2. Sky 2, is now with Helinet, based out of Van Nuys Airport. From the National Helicopter website, KFMB's chopper feed link is still on their page. BTW, the regular Chopper 8 is back. Sigh. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-124033 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted February 25, 2015 Author Share Posted February 25, 2015 Is KFMB still with National Helicopter? And from those pics, I wonder if the backup chopper is the ex-KCBS/KCAL bird. Yes, that helicopter was the former Sky 2. Sky 2, is now with Helinet, based out of Van Nuys Airport. From the National Helicopter website, KFMB's chopper feed link is still on their page. BTW, the regular Chopper 8 is back. Sigh. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-124034 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted March 12, 2015 Share Posted March 12, 2015 Here is a few more pics from Flickr of KFMB's newest live truck... CBS 8 by So Cal Metro, on Flickr CBS 8 by So Cal Metro, on Flickr Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125049 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm suprised they didn't get one with SNG capabilities, their current one is growing older in years. Also, I'm hearing KSWB got a new live truck, unknown what model they got. They've got quite a few E150 ENG trucks, only one DSNG truck from what I know, and that mini Subraru car. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125133 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm suprised they didn't get one with SNG capabilities, their current one is growing older in years. Also, I'm hearing KSWB got a new live truck, unknown what model they got. They've got quite a few E150 ENG trucks, only one DSNG truck from what I know, and that mini Subraru car. What KFMB needs is some HD cameras. Every other station has HD cameras, some are capable of doing HD live shots. At this stage, there is no excuse not to have them when they have the money to spend on sets, etc. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125138 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Also their "portable" transmitters, they also don't help with the quality. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125154 Share on other sites More sharing options...
WXmanTim 88 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 Also their "portable" transmitters, they also don't help with the quality. Those are likely either LiveU (or similar) backpack units that rely on variety of cellular data cards to transmit & receive (ifb). They're highly dependent on celltower proximity & usage. Daytime hours with high cellular use are the worst. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125158 Share on other sites More sharing options...
A3N 1002 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm not too savvy with tv technology, but I have not seen them use those backpacks (KUSI does have/use them). KFMB usually deploys these: Here is a pic of their setup: https://www.flickr.com/photos/epgadin/157572529 Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125160 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted March 14, 2015 Author Share Posted March 14, 2015 Yeah, they don't use the backpacks. I know KNSD uses some pole transmitter antenna, so they don't have to shuttle back and forth to get a Microwave Truck in Kearny Mesa. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125163 Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkolsen 1684 Posted March 14, 2015 Share Posted March 14, 2015 I'm not too savvy with tv technology, but I have not seen them use those backpacks (KUSI does have/use them). KFMB usually deploys these: Here is a pic of their setup: https://www.flickr.com/photos/epgadin/157572529 That's odd. I don't think I've ever seen those used for general news gathering except for when you are broadcasting from an area that a truck can't. I have seen them used for a large area remote broadcasts where they beam everything back to the truck instead of the control room. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125165 Share on other sites More sharing options...
n925tv 143 Posted March 15, 2015 Author Share Posted March 15, 2015 I know KFMB does have some kind of cellular backpack device, because I do remember they did a live shot driving down the I-5 at the merge in Sorrento Valley a year ago. Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125181 Share on other sites More sharing options...
DirtyHarry 727 Posted March 15, 2015 Share Posted March 15, 2015 WHIZ-TV in Zanesville, Ohio figured out how to do ENG Live using a Slingbox: WHIZ-TV in Zanesville, OH, put a homemade ENG system into service for news contribution Nov. 6 that cost the station less than $2500 to build, largely because it’s based upon consumer streaming and wireless broadband technology. The system, which relies on the SlingMedia Slingbox and Trango LINK10 5.8 GHz point-to-point wireless Ethernet bridge, was used to deliver live reports from the Muskingum County (OH) Board of Elections for Tuesday’s election coverage during the station’s noon, 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. newscasts, said WHIZ-TV chief engineer Dan Slentz. First put to use in August to deliver 40 live broadcasts from the Muskingum County fairgrounds, the core system relies upon the 5.4Mb/s Slingbox Cat. 5 output to feed the Trango LINK10 wireless bridge, said Slentz. During the fair, the Trango LINK10 transmitted the data stream about 4mi to the station’s tower where it was received and fed into a computer. Using an Extron scan converter and Henry Engineering Matchbox, the station converted the computer’s VGA output to composite video and balanced audio. Once timed to the station’s master control room, the composite video was converted to SDI and fed into its Ross Synergy2 digital production switcher. Balanced audio was sent to the station’s audio console. Because the fairgrounds are located in a valley, the core system resided in an ENG van stationed at a higher elevation. A second van in the valley sent audio and video to the core system van via a Trango Falcon 2.4GHz wireless audio/video transmitter. A Telex wireless CamLink 2.4 GHz system provided a wireless link from a camera wandering the fairgrounds, which was turned around and relayed to the core system, said Slentz. - See more at: http://www.tvtechnology.com/news-technology/0178/whiz-tv-finds-eng-role-for-slingbox-wireless-ethernet-bridge/254829#sthash.5HtcyU4y.dpuf Link to comment https://localnewstalk.net/topic/14225-kfmb-new-information/#findComment-125184 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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