SBE Introduces . . .
                 Broadcast Networking Technologist Certification
                        By John Poray, CAE
                            Executive Director, Society of Broadcast Engineers

SBE has rolled out a new certification program designed to respond to the
convergence of the broadcast and information technology fields.

Applications are now being accepted to take an exam to become a SBE Certified
Broadcast Network Technologist. Terry Baun, CPBE, SBE National Certification
Chairman, explains that the new certification level will delve into networks as much
as possible without becoming specific to any vendor. Topics covered by the exams
will include the basics of broadcast local area network installation, recognizing
what a hub is, knowing what the different wire categories do and understanding
the basic layers of network protocol common to all systems.

For more information about this new SBE Certification program, see the March
issue of the SBE SIGNAL, contact Chapter 36 Certification Chairman Oscar Medina
at KNSD, 858-279-3939 or contact Linda Godby-Emerick at the SBE National Office,
(317) 253-1640 or lgodby@sbe.org.

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Certification Update
     The only activity that has crossed the desk this month has been my own
application for re-certification. In the process of working on my own application
it was brought back to me how important participation is in being a member of SBE. Participation of the type I am describing takes a number of forms.
You can participate in the Houston Chapter by attending meetings.
  You can participate by being willing to hold office when you are asked.
  You can participate by recruiting other folks where you work into SBE and helping
      them get certified like you are. (You are certified aren’t you?) This particular kind of participation is good for you and them and for the people you work for since it upgrades the quality of employees they have.
  You can participate by writing an article for the newsletter,
            even before Danney requests one .
   You could tell the rest of us about that new "hot stuff" piece of equipment your
station just installed. You could tell us about that school you just got back from on
transmitters, or tape machines, or whatever.
   You could sponsor a tour of your station to show it off to the rest of us. Those of you
who are on the air with DTV and HD could show the plant to the rest of us.
   Realize that the majority of the membership of Chapter 105 does not get to go to
the NAB convention or to the TAB convention to see all the latest gear. So, your
observations and your impressions of what you see there are of interest to all of us.
All of the things I mentioned here are things that can help you when you apply for
re-certification. Just as important, these are things that can help the chapter, and
other members.

     In local activity, the latest Signal from SBE national, shows that . . .
David Carr   was re-certified as a Professional Broadcast Engineer.
Robert Cham   re-certified as Senior Broadcast Radio Engineer under the Millenium Project. James Kirkland   from Dickinson re-certified as Senior Broadcast Television Engineer
       under the Millenium Project. He did not list a Chapter affiliation ,
         so maybe we need to invite him into Chapter 105.
As for my own application, it was duly filled out and forwarded along with a check.
   Now I wait to see if I made it to re-certification. Some of you would
       probably suggest that I have been certifiable in another sense for some time.

                                                          Richard Goldy
                                       rgoldy@kprc.com