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Perplexing Digilink Problem

R

Radiopronouncer

Our FM station uses two Arrakis Digilink Xtremes. One is used for the satellite network and hard drive automation hours and the other is used during live board shifts. We normally have satellite automation between 6 PM and 5:30 AM and between 9 AM and 4 PM. Satellite automation, running a full schedule, waits for Floating Breaks at :15, :30 and :45. The Mandatory Break is the one at :30.

Recently, the system used for satellite automation has been playing the break scheduled for 9:30 AM at 9:15 after, as if it were a Timed Break. The schedule has a Flotating Break at :30. There is no break of any kind scheduled at :15 for that hour. This leaves dead air for the Mandatory Floating Break scheduled for 9:30.

We found that the scheduler had simply left Floating Break lines in place during some hours, with no content. On the advice of Arrakis, we removed those empty Floating Breaks. This did not help. The 6, 7 and 8 AM hours had been scheduled as satellite hours, but with no satellite feed available and no spots scheduled, just to have some continuity for this unit. I tried changing the 6, 7 and 8 AM hours to automated hours, with a Time Command at the top of each hour and one file. This did not help.

I tried removing the 9:30 AM Floating Break line and putting it back in. This did not help. I don't see any bad files. It seems to work just fine until the 9 AM hour.

We are not having this problem after our live shift in the afternoon. The only difference that I can think of is that I have a Time Command with a Legal ID at 5:59:57 PM, but I don't have that at 8:59:57.

I really need to find a solution to this. Arrakis did a Go To My PC session and the only thing they found was the empty Floating Breaks.
 
Every version of AS has the same software at some level. Before we removed the previous version DL4, if the auto was in a break and you were scheduling you might end up with the products of multiple hours suddenly on the playlist. There was never an answer for this so we kept anyone from scheduling withing so many minutes of a break.

As with most problems we ALWAYS had to find a workaround. Make the 9:15 break mandatory along with the 9:20 break and fill it to see if it works that way. If that works with spots, then make the 9:15 break a silent cart for .001 seconds then rejoin. Takes the break in a way then back to music.
If you look at log history see what triggered the break. Should be under Digilink and the daily files are labeled something like 04-10-2012. Does it say TIMED BREAK or FLOATING BREAK on the log file? This will go a long way to fixing it.

If floating then you are still getting a trigger to the automation somehow. Given the way it works you have to totally disconnect the inputs or use diode switching to disable the inputs.
 
Had this exact problem with one station. And we often had two recorded hard breaks playing at the same time. We had to use the 5:00 blank mandatory break before our actual break. Had to eventually use diode switching to disable the inputs. Really tough to get running right. Agree about the innumerable workarounds to get Digilink to play right.
 
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