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AM Radio - (day) Power Increase?

kfbkfb

kfbkfb

I used to listen to KMBZ 980 AM more than I do now, for some reason, they increased their daytime transmitter power to 9kW a few years ago, this was several years after the move of their local talk programs to KMBZ 98.1 FM.

I've heard about some AM stations decreasing their transmitter power in recent years, but not increasing it (I've never had a problem w/KMBZ AM reception locally, KCMO 710 AM on the other hand, does have some local areas with poor reception).

KMBZ AM runs syndicated programs outside of their simulcast local morning news, I don't understand the economic value in increasing their transmitter power.


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
I used to listen to KMBZ 980 AM more than I do now, for some reason, they increased their daytime transmitter power to 9kW a few years ago, this was several years after the move of their local talk programs to KMBZ 98.1 FM.

I've heard about some AM stations decreasing their transmitter power in recent years, but not increasing it (I've never had a problem w/KMBZ AM reception locally, KCMO 710 AM on the other hand, does have some local areas with poor reception).

KMBZ AM runs syndicated programs outside of their simulcast local morning news, I don't understand the economic value in increasing their transmitter power.
Click to expand...
The main reason for increasing power is to overcome man-made interference that is increasing constantly in larger city area. The market is 10 whole counties, so more than 5 kw is needed.
 
KMBZ changed tower sites to diplex with KCCV. The power increase was to maintain their field strength over the Kansas City area through a less efficient antenna. The daytime 2mV/m contour was effectively unchanged with the power increase.

So the economic reason was either to sell the former tower site, or to eliminate rent paymets for the KMBZ antenna property.
 
Just as FM coverage depends on both ERP and antenna height, AM depends on both transmitter power output and the efficiency of the antenna system.

KMBZ lost the site it had used since the 1940s on the Kansas side of the state line (it was valuable real estate and the cluster wasn't using the former studio building there, so it was primed for sale), and along with it they lost the taller, more efficient towers there.

They're now diplexed on the Missouri side at a less favorable site with shorter towers. The extra power pretty much gets the actual signal close to what it used to be (though it's still weaker if you're in the Kansas suburbs.)
 
I emailed KMBZ-AM several years ago and asked if they would be simulcasting w/FM translator (as KCMO AM does), no answer to my email.

Maybe they could have lowered their AM power w/tower move and instead promoted an FM translator.

Even at my suburban MO location, KCMO AM is noisy, so I nearly always listen to the 103.7 translator.


Kirk Bayne
 
kfbkfb said:
I emailed KMBZ-AM several years ago and asked if they would be simulcasting w/FM translator (as KCMO AM does), no answer to my email.

Maybe they could have lowered their AM power w/tower move and instead promoted an FM translator.

Even at my suburban MO location, KCMO AM is noisy, so I nearly always listen to the 103.7 translator.


Kirk Bayne
Click to expand...

Why would they want to lower power on a tower thats going to be less efficient? and if they had an fm translator, theyd promote or use it.
 
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