Broadcast Writer

By Vicki W. Kipp
Society of Broadcast Engineers (SBE) Chapter 24 Newsletter
January 1, 2004

If you’ve attended any meetings lately, you may have noticed other attendees whipping out recipe card size appliances. Not just the status symbol toy of business executives anymore, Personal Data Assistants (better known as PDAs) are becoming a popular tool for all kinds of workers, students, and parents. PDAs range from personal organizers to industrial tools. When I switched from my baseball card size paper planner to a PDA, I felt like I had a calendar/phone book with super powers. (Figure 1) Not only can a PDA hold fantastic amounts of text data, but PDA is a Gadget Worth Owning it can also hold photos, and in some cases audio and video files.

Fundamentals

The best and worst thing about a PDA is that it requires electrical power to operate. While older PDAs ran on AAA batteries, newer PDAs have internal rechargeable batteries. Battery life isn’t a problem if you’re able to place your PDA in its sync/recharge cradle each night, but can be limiting if you run your PDA for more than a day without having a chance to recharge. The power limitation can be addressed by buying a disposable external PDA battery, a portable recharge cable, or a car charger cable. Preserving battery life is the easiest way to manage power needs. You can set the time parameter for how long the PDA remains lit up when not in use before going into standby mode. You can stretch battery life by decreasing the brightness and contrast of your PDA’s display.

Application hard buttons are the buttons at the bottom of the PDA that you can push, and are labeled with an icon of the application that they represent. Typical application hard buttons include calendar, address book,  “To Do” list, and Notepad applications. You can customize the application hard buttons to provide a different shortcut than the default application stamped on the button. For example, if you play Solitaire more often than you write memos, you could reassign the Memo hard button to Solitaire.

All PDAs have a scroll up and scroll down button. Newer PDAs come equipped with a 5-way navigation scroll bar layout that allows you to conveniently move up, down, left, or right, or select “Enter” by pushing the center. Older PDAs require you to tap the left or right button on the screen with the stylus for horizontal mobility. Silk-screened soft buttons are located around the perimeter of a rectangular area at the bottom of the PDA screen. They only function when a PDA is turned on.

Silk-screened buttons need to be clicked on with the stylus to function. There are also silkscreened buttons for the alphabet keyboard and a numeric keyboard. When you tap the ABC button, an alphabet keyboard pops up on the screen. A tap on the 123 button brings up the number and symbol keypads. You can reassign other programs to the silk-screened buttons, as with the application hard buttons.

The rectangular area bordered by the silkscreen buttons is called the Graffiti area. To use graffiti, you must position your stylus on the ABC half or the 123 half of the graffiti area to indicate whether you are writing a letter or number. When you make strokes on the graffiti area with your stylus, the PDA recognizes this mark as a short cut for a particular character and prints the corresponding character on the PDA screen. Learning the language of graffiti strokes takes some time but those who become efficient at writing graffiti claim to achieve very fast data entry speeds. If you don’t enter a graffiti stroke accurately, you may not see any character appear, or you may get a typo. Some people love Graffiti and its enhanced version, Graffiti 2.0, but I find it quicker to tap the desired character on the on-screen keyboard or my PDA-compatible external keyboard.

Although PDAs are very stable compared to a typical computer, PDAs can become locked up. This is most likely to happen if you’ve loaded new software that conflicts with the PDA operating system (OS) or configuration. In my opinion, freeware PDA applications are more likely to lock up your PDA than well-established purchased applications, due to limited investment in debugging the free products. If your PDA becomes locked up, you may notice that it displays the OS Splash Screen and it locks up. Rebooting the PDA may not fix the problem since the PDA will face the same conflict when it completes the restart process. In the event of a serious lockup or “Fatal error”, a hard reset may be required. The PDA will return to the factory default settings. If you then sync the PDA with the desktop syncing software on your computer, you can restore the PDA to its condition the last time you synced. You will lose data that changed since the previous sync.

Brands

PalmPilot is the best known brand of PDA, but more companies are entering the PDA market all the time. PDAs that run the Palm OS include PalmPilot, the Sony Clie, and the recently discontinued Handspring Visor. PocketPCs, sold by Toshiba, HP, and Compaq, run a Windows OS.

The number of competing brands in the PDA market just decreased by one. The Handspring Visor was conceived in 1999 by the parents of the original PalmPilot: Jeff Hawkins, Ed Colligan, and Donna Dubinsky. The Visor is similar to the PalmPilot and uses the same software. Handspring also sold the Trio PDA. In 2003, Palm, Inc. acquired Handspring. With this business deal, Colligan and Dubinsky returned to their original company, Palm, Inc. The reunion of Palm, Inc. and Handspring resulted in a new company name of PalmOne, Inc. PalmOne, Inc is selling three subbrands: Zire for consumer and multimedia use, Tungsten for mobile business, and the Treo brand PDA smartphone.

Operating Systems

Just like a computer, PDAs come loaded with an operating system (OS). There are two main operating systems in the PDA world. Resembling the familiar Macintosh vs. Windows competition, a PDA has either a Palm or Windows OS.

The Palm OS is fairly intuitive and easy to master. Settings are accessed and changed by tapping the drop-down menu silk-screened button. When I sync my PalmPilot with my Windows computer, I’ve found the Palm Desktop software to be compatible. I’ve not had any problems loading MS-Word or MS-Excel files on my PalmPilot.

Microsoft WinCE OS is loaded on most Pocket PCs sold in the past few years. This pint-sized version of Windows for desktop has a start button, some familiar menus, and the hourglass to indicate when the system is running slow. New PocketPCs come loaded with the Windows MS Pocket PC 2003 OS.

PDA software must be purchased in the version that corresponds to your PDA operating system. In my observation, more Palm-compatible software is available than PocketPC Windows-compatible software. I’ve also noticed that some applications are developed for the Palm OS first, and then converted to a Pocket PC version.

Beam on!

Much like the hot holiday toy of 1999 –the Furby– a PDA is able to communicate with other PDAs with an infrared (IR) beam. I can beam my electronic business card, files, and programs to other PDAs, if the PDA’s owner has their IR port turned on to receive. With the purchase of remote control software, a PDA can be trained to use its IR port to remotely control A/V devices.

PDA Recreation

Besides being useful for organizational tasks, a PDA can be a source of fun and entertainment.

If you enjoy playing computer games, you will have plenty of choices. There are free games available for download such as Blackjack, Gammon, Hardball, MineHunt, Puzzle, Solitaire, and SubHunt. You can purchase popular games such as EverQuest for PocketPC, and PDAPacMan for your PDA. PDA games tend to be mentally challenging, as opposed to the reflex challenging sound and graphic intensive video games played on computers.

Easter eggs, whimsical effects intentionally hidden in software by the developers, are included in some PDA OSs. In fact, I can make a drawing of an Easter egg, inchworm, taxi, photo Palm OS developers Bob Haitiani and Chris Raff, and the DOS error message “Not ready reading drive C Abort, Retry, Fail?” appear on my PalmPilot. It is worth notice that the PalmPilot does not have a C drive. Easter Eggs are also present in HandSpring and Pocket PC PDAs.

Accessories

Purchasing a handheld is just the beginning of your PDA expenditures. Once you become comfortable with your PDA, you may be tempted by the rich assortment of software and hardware add-ons available for our handheld. The tricked-out PDA should include a case, screen protector, external keyboard, deluxe stylus, cables, memory card, printer, modem, wireless area network card, and PDA-compatible clothing for the PDA owner.

While I’ve found the plastic stylus that came with my PDA perfectly adequate, there are plenty of styli to choose from if you desire something fancier. There are metal styli, combination writing pen/stylus utensils, and even a Belkin stylus that contains a laser pointer and a bright LED lamp.

Should you desire to buy a PDA case for protection, function, or fashion, you will have many choices. Cases for various PDA models are available in leather soft cases, or metal or plastic hard cases. For extreme PDA users, Otterbox makes airtight, waterproof, crushproof cases that float in water, can be fastened to a lanyard, and can be attached to a vehicle exterior with a magnet rated for 85 pounds. Generic model cases are cheaper, but can be a hassle to use because the case blocks your PDA’s sync/charge, external memory, and IR ports so you have to remove the case frequently.

It is smart to purchase screen protectors for your PDA to protect the screen from scratches and the risk of using a pen tip instead of a stylus to select an icon. Resembling a combination of Scotch ™tape and Saran ™wrap, screen protectors are self-healing and can be used for months at a time.

With the exception of the Palm Tungsten C, most PDAs do not include a touchable keyboard. All PDAs come equipped with the capability to read Graffiti, on-screen keyboards that can be summoned with a stylus tap, or the option of typing data on a computer and syncing the data to the PDA. However, if you wish to enter any significant amount of text to your PDA while away from a computer, a PDA keyboard is a nice thing to have. Keyboard choices range from near full-size keyboards to thumb boards. If you buy a keyboard, you need to ensure that it is compatible with your particular model of PDA. Keyboards connect into your PDA’s sync port or by sending an IR signal to your IR port.

For those who spend an extensive amount of time in their vehicle or those who use their GPS-enabled PDAs to navigate, powered PDA dashboard mounts are available to charge your PDA battery while giving you convenient access.

Although most new PDAs come with 8 – 64 MB of RAM, memory gets used up quickly, especially if you add software, and audio or graphic files. Memory can be supplemented by adding a memory to the PDA expansion slot. PalmPilots accept a Secure Digital (SD) memory card while Pocket PCs use either a Compact Flash (CF) card or a Memory Stick. I recommend buying a PDA based on how much internal memory it has. Internal memory is preferable to external expansion slot memory because some programs and file types cannot be stored on external memory. The driver for the external memory that I’m using on my PDA leaves much to be desired. I must switch between using the internal memory and external memory whenever I want to access something stored on my memory card. This very slow switch is finite- you can use internal or external memory, but not at the same time. Applications on the internal RAM load much faster than applications on the external add-on memory. Launcher software can help a PDA’s external memory interact more seamlessly with internal RAM, but can make the PDA less stable.

Although most PDAs are sold with a bulky cradle that both recharges the PDA and lets it connect to a computer for syncing, it might be worth investing in a car charger and/or a streamlined USB charge/sync cable for when you travel.

If you need to print from your PDA, you can use a PDA printer to print receipt size documents or you can attach a PDA print server with an IR receiver to an input port of a traditional printer. The print server receives an IR print command from the PDA’s IR port, and submits the print request to the printer.

Newer PDAs may come equipped with 802.11B Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth wireless communications capability. Some new PDAs can be made Wi-Fi or Bluetooth capable if you purchase the respective wireless adapter for the expansion slot. There are Wi-Fi hot spots in Madison at the UW, MATC, and some public venues. Some older PDAs can connect using dial up networking with POTS or a cellular phone if you buy an external PDA modem. An external phone dialer device allows PDA users to have their PDAs dial the telephone for them.

Most PDAs can be equipped as a navigation tool once outfitted with direction-finding software and connected to a GPS.

Now more than ever, there are many electronic devices to carry with us. It is not uncommon for people to carry a PDA, cell phone, digital camera, mp3 player, GPS, ham radio, USB flash drive, and other accessories on our person. So many devices, so few pockets… Two competing products, SCOTTeVEST (scottevest.com) and Band-O-Gear (Band-O-Gear.com) can help us to distribute our devices more comfortably.

SCOTTeVEST’s (Figure 2) new Version Three.0 clothing contains a Personal Area Network (PAN) by Technology Enabled Clothing, LLC within the garment to connect all electrical devices that you’re storing in the 16–22 pockets of your SCOTTeVEST. Modeled after the artillery bandolier for bullets, the Band- O-Gear has five device-sized pockets and a two-liter insulated hydration reservoir with a drink tube. (Figure 3)

Applications

There are more than a hundred software titles sold for PDAs. Typically, PDA users purchase and download an application from a web site, unzip the application, and then set the new application to be loaded on the PDA the next time the PDA is synced. Adding a new application to a PDA can cause the PDA to lock up, develop a fatal error, or lose its ability to sync with the computer.

I was intrigued by the concept of eBooks, an application that allows you to purchase and load entire books on your PDA, so I bought a recent release fiction book for my PDA. Although good in theory, reading a book on my PDA has not been an enjoyable practice. The great part of eBooks is that I can carry a lengthy novel around with me without having to carry a heavy hardcover book. Also, the free eReader software on my PDA sets a bookmark whenever I finish a reading session. It’s also helpful to be able to write notes about the text and mark various points in the text, which the eReader saves for me. The drawbacks of an eBook are that it’s not real comfortable on the eyes, I can’t loan the book to a friend when I’m done, and the time of day that I read is the same time that I normally place my PDA on its cradle for battery charging.

To date, no PDA viruses have been reported. However, that hasn’t stopped Symantec from developing AntiVirus software for the PDA. Whether or not it is necessary to purchase AntiVirus software is debatable. Since there hasn’t been a PDA virus yet, some people feel that AntiVirus software is unnecessary. Other believe that buying AntiVirus software encourages hackers to develop a PDA virus to defeat the PDA AntiVirus software.

Broadcast Specific

Acknowledging that many broadcast engineers carry PDAs, the NAB staff created a NAB 2003 “FASTtrack” Exhibit Map that attendees could download to their Palm OS PDA.

The Rohde & Schwarz EFA-NET Television Receiver is a Sharp PDA that allows you to monitor your transmitter parameters. You can view an echo plot, 3-D I histogram, VSB constellation, RF amplitude and group delay response, CCDF envelope, pilot phase noise, and RF spectrum. In a similar vein, several transmitters have the ability to send readings to a PDA. This feature is not widely used because of security concerns.

Developers Marty Martin and Josef Hallermeier have developed a digital audio recorder for the Pocket PC PDA that lets you use your Pocket PC as a Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). This useful application, called Pocketrec, allows you to record at various sample rates. In fact, you can record broadcast quality audio if you record at the 16 bit, 44.1 kHz linear rate. The microphone input level is -44 dB, with 0.25% THD and 47 kHz frequency response.

I’m disappointed that the Pocketrec has been developed only for Pocket PC PDAs, not for PalmOne PDAs, but the developers have their reasons. They feel that the Palm processor is too slow, the Palm PDA doesn’t have an equivalent desktop OS such as Pocket PC does with Windows, and the Palm PDA doesn’t have audio input and output jacks.

Pocketrec is Windows-based, but unique enough that it requires 600,000 lines of code. Pocketrec works on the MS Pocket PC 2002 and Win CE 2003 OS. Pocketrec has certified that their product will work on Compaq and HP iPAQ 5400 and 5500 series PDAs. Harris Corporation, the exclusive North American reseller of Pocketrec, is now shipping the HP iPAQ 5550 PDA. You can purchase the Pocketrec software on an iPAQ 5500 series PDA, nicely equipped with accessories, for about $1,500. If you already own one of the Pocket PCs just listed, you can purchase the purchase the software and accessories from Harris Corporation to add to your existing PDA. Pocketrec software takes up 600 kB of memory on your PDA. The Pocketrec PDA contains all standard PDA features. You can even load additional unrelated software and data on the Pocketrec PDA, but must realize that any third-party software could negatively impact other applications on your PDA. Purchasing your own external microphone is recommended over using the microphone built into the PDA. The PDA uses a microphone-to- XLR adapter cable for audio in and has a headphone level audio output for monitoring. The PDA will display warnings if its internal battery is getting low. With the internal PDA battery, you get three hours of Pocketrec use with the PDA screen on or seven hours of use with the screen off.

Pocketrec records audio at the selected sample rate, which ranges from 8 – 48 kHz. Users can storyboard on the Pocketrec. Pocketrec allows users to set in-points and out-points for editing on the Pocket PC. Audio fade ins and fade outs can be edited. Pocketrec uses non-destructive editing, meaning that the original file is kept until it is manually deleted. Users can label Pocketrec content with industry standard metadata. Pocketrec records audio files to an external memory module, such as a CF or SD card. Recording 16-bit audio at 44.1 kHz, you can store 2 hours and 57 minutes of audio on a 1 GB CF card.

Pocketrec uses on-screen PDA buttons that are large enough to be selected with a finger instead of requiring a stylus. All critical functions have a button. The thoughtful design of Pocketrec spares users the hassle of using a stylus to access a command within a drop-down menu.

When a user finishes editing a story, all elements of the story are packaged by Pocketrec into a single container for deliver. This Windows-compatible file can be sent to the station in one of three ways: via the Internet, remote access, or by placing the PDA in the station docking cradle and syncing. You can do wired file transfer to the station via a dial up modem or wireless access over the Internet. At the same time, you have the capability to send email from the PDA.

Conclusion

PDAs are becoming a ubiquitous life tool not only because they are helpful for everyday life tasks, but also useful in our work as broadcast engineers. If I had to choose one electronic device to carry in my pocket, it would be a PDA.

References: Tom Harle and John Stevens of Harris Corporation: Broadcast Communications Division; Handheld Computing magazine, and Pocket PC magazine.

Figure 1. Palm PDA with accessories. Palm Pilot PDA SD Memory Card Stylus Sync/Charge Cradle External Keyboard Set the PDA in its cradle and connect the cradle to your computer via a USB port to sync.

Figure 2. An x-Ray view of the SCOTTeVEST jacket reveals device pockets connected to form a PAN.

Figure 3. The Band-O-Gear holds five devices and two liters of liquid including ice cubes.