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Tucson Are there any updates on KWCX, KCDX, KKYZ, KRDX?

Here are some residential antenna site details for KWCX Tanque Verde embedded in a email sent to the FCC on April 12. I found this at FCCdata.org. Extracted..

......

Here’s the information you requested:

· The antenna will be on a pole located on the back side of a one-story house. It
abuts ups to the house in the same location as the exterior HVAC system.

· The homeowner licenses/leases the location of the antenna pole to the radio
station. She lives in the home with 3 other people. There are other buildings on
the property, but the homeowner wanted the antenna pole to be located where
it is at the back corner of her house where it cannot be seen from her preferred
views. She’s also asked that the station consider installing a small windmill at
the top of the pole for her to provide her with some “green” power for some
small things.

· Using the FCC’s FM Model calculator, from a radiation centerline of 11.6 meters
AGL, the EMF at 2 meters above ground is 135.2 uW/cm-squared, below the
200 uW/cm-squared standard.

· The roof of the house is approximately 11 feet high at the location of the antenna
pole, and 16 feet high at the roof’s highest point.

· The radio station has provided the homeowner with RF information and she is
fully aware of the RF considerations and the need to carefully control access to
the roof of the house. In particular:
o Warning signs will be posted on the property to warn of the radiation
hazard on the roof and near the antenna.
o The property is locate in an extremely remote area and is protected by a
locked gate. No one is allowed on the homeowner’s property unless she
lets them through the locked gate.
o The homeowner knows not to allow anyone to access the roof of the
house without coordinating with the station. And, she knows how to turn
off the station and all of the power if someone needs to access the roof
in the event of an emergency..

....

The full dialog is here: https://enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov/dataentry/api/download/attachment/25076f917915d36f01791ee31f3a06e8
 
This thread appears to be about two different and unrelated entities who both have designs about moving rural stations into the Tucson market. One organization is headed by Ted Tucker who has been in the business of buying and selling Brooklyn Bridges for decades. The other is KZLZ which has designs on moving their Willcox station on 104.9 into some tiny suburb of Tucson. Attempts to move KWCX into Tucson have been attempted for many years but thus far all have failed. If KWCX does make the move the sports talk translator on 104.9 will be silenced (no loss!). There seems to be some evidence that KZLZ plans to make the move in the cheapest possible way. Will the new station have a decent signal over the Tucson market? Meanwhile it is important to understand that radio stations all over the nation are losing value with every passing day and if these moves don't take place soon there will be little incentive to consummate them.
 
Another Tucker-related event for comment. More appropriate that this "Ted Thread" gets place here.

Cochise currently has an FCC-approved upgrade (2/25/2021) to re-locate KCDQ from Douglas to Tombstone. The station goes from a Class A at 800 watts to a Class C0 at 97 kw ERP but remains on 95.3. (Some antenna nulling protects Channel 237C at Caborca, Mexico.) This one definitely will rimshot the eastern Tucson metroplex with a 60 dBu contour (fully covering Vail). The proposed location is on an unnamed 5500' hill west of Dragoon (LAT/LON 32° 01' 01.00" N , 110° 05' 38.40" W). The hilltop has many pre-existing towers (cellular, two-way) and an apparently some large satellite dishes , e.g. uplink-grade quality.

The KCDQ engineering study is here:



Tucker also filed to re-locate KKYZ Huachuca City to the same site and upgrade it to a Class C1 at 101.7 with 17 kilowatts. There is a -10db null towards 245-250 degrees but still would give a 60dbU contour almost to Vail. This coverage will not be as rock-solid as the KCDQ proposal. The null protects Mexican short-spaced Sasabe 270B and Las Palomas 269B. The FCC accepted this for filing on 3/17/2021.

The KKYZ engineering study is here:


Yes. The engineering write-up says "C2" in places but the FCC form states "C1".
 
KWCX filed a License-to-Cover for the new 3kw ERP at Tanque Verde. The FCC granted it on September 14. Is anyone hearing it? Any web presence?

KWCX is owned by the KZLZ folks I understand. Speaking of KZLZ, their K277CV 60-watt translator on 103.3 has a proposed upgrade with the FCC for 200 watts ERP - directional. Furthermore there's a channel change to 227. The main driver - the KCDX re-location and upgrade.
 
From the East side of Tucson 104.9 remains the sports talk translator for 1490 AM. They've been using that frequency for years.
In order for KWCX to provide meaningful service to Tanque Verde or Tucson, the sports translator would have to be silenced.
 
Well, it looks like the post above this one is incorrect. There was a possibility that I hadn't thought of. It appears that Lotus is paying KWCX to relay their ESPN programming on their Tanque Verde station. If you listen to the top of the hour ID you'll hear mention of three stations including KWCX. Obviously there will be a zone of interference where the translator for KFNN and KWCX are of equal strength. I was hoping that the Tucson area would get something new and different but no such luck. 1490 and 104.9 barely show up in the Tucson Nielsen. The signal from KWCX won't make any difference.
 
When I listen to ESPN Tucson's Internet audio feed it always seems to have long silent pause at the top of the hour for ID placement. No luck in confirming a new 104.9 outlet that way.
 
Well, let's update this KWCX thread a bit: For the past two days KWCX has been running an unmodulated carrier and it does a wonderful job of making sure that nobody on the east side of Tucson can hear the translator. So the way to hear ESPN is by doing the unthinkable and listening to AM 1490. It turns out that the translator for KFFN is seventeen air miles from the KWCX transmitting facility. That's awfully close for co-channel stations. KFFN and the 104.9 translator are both owned by Lotus and I can only wonder if they are aware that KWCX has no audio feed. They should turn off the KWCX transmitter until the problem is fixed. Could be there's no remote control.
I was curious as to where KWCX was actually located and after about five trips to the area I finally figured out how to get there. It's truly in the middle of nowhere on a street called Wentworth. I took seven photos of the site and the road that leads to it. It is here New Page 1. I think that everyone will agree that this scene is unmistakably Arizona, especially the saguaro cactus plants. I can only wonder how they ever found it.
 
Thank you for the great photos! Indeed, the garage-based antenna site photos closely match the description posted in the last CP modification. I guess for visual impact and less tower structure KZLZ Inc. went with a ring-stub bay arrangement instead of a cross-dipole. The ring-stub style has a much higher RF exposure profile so don't get too close to that antenna.

The Internet feed now includes in KWCX in the ID bundle.
 
After nearly a week of running an open carrier KWCX again has the ESPN programming that I wouldn't waste a minute of my time with. The part of Wentworth where KWCX is located is completely separate from the part that has an interchange along I-10 near Vail. To get to the KWCX site you go east on Snyder Road about as far as it goes. Then you go north on a small street until you get to Horseheads. There's a gate and you'll need to either have the magnetic card to get it open or wait for someone else to open it. Horseheads to Wentworth and then up an extremely steep hill. It might be interesting to find out how much Lotus is paying to put ESPN on KWCX. I'd also be willing to bet that the site on Wentworth isn't properly zoned for a radio transmitting facility and that no permit was obtained from the county.
 
Thanks. I know that location. That's a third, short, disconnected section of Wentworth that's north of the Speedway to north of Tanque Verde/Redington Rd. (road changes it's name at Wentworth) section. The 'small street' you mention is Avenida de Suzenu. By the gate there's a small parking lot and a pedestrian pass-through. It's a trailhead for several trails off of the east end of Horsehead (singular). One could 'hoof it' to the transmitter site--about a mile or so from the gate.
 
CAVEMANager said:
It might be interesting to find out how much Lotus is paying to put ESPN on KWCX.
Click to expand...
Why would they pay anything? Networks like ESPN will provide programming in exchange for a certain number of minutes an hour, which they sell to national accounts.

In only a few cases are certain highly rated shows paid in both inventory and cash. Limbaugh was such a case, as was Stern and a number of the morning show "networks" of stations.
 
KWCX obviously isn't relaying KFFN just for the fun of it or because the owners love sports talk. As I pointed out, the KFFN translator on 104.9 is only seventeen air miles from the KWCX transmitter. It would be very impractical for both stations to be programmed separately for even a few minutes an hour. In fact I'd be very surprised if KWCX even has a studio anywhere. For practical purposes KWCX is being used as a high powered booster. The alternative to this arrangement would be to force the KFFN translator to go off the air and program something different. That's what I was hoping would happen.
Incidentally, if you'd like to know if you are hearing KWCX or the translator you can tell because the translator has RDS scrolling and KWCX does not.
 
That area is zoned SR (Suburban Ranch). I'd think if they didn't get a conditional use permit for that property, there could be a bit of a problem.

In reality *who* is going to think a facility such as what you've shown in your photos *isn't* something equivalent to an Amateur Radio setup?

Radio nerds would be about the extent of it.
 
Cochise filed on 12/03 to extrend their re-location STA for KXKR Catalina Foothills, a 24kw ERP C3 at 49M HAAT. Like many near-border stations, Cochise will have a highly-directional antenna protecting some Mexican allocations to the south.

"KXKR CH269A SIERRA VISTA HAS BEEN TAKEN SILENT, DUE TO THE LICENSING AND ACTIVATION OF COCHANNEL STATION KKYZ CH269A AT HUACHUCA CITY (FID 171023). KXKR HOLDS A CONSTRUCTION PERMIT AT CATALINA FOOTHILLS ON CH266C3. THE LICENSEE IS WELL AWARE OF THE NEED TO RESUME OPERATION OF KXKR BY THE 3/19/2022 DEADLINE, AND CONTINUED SILENT AUTHORITY IS REQUESTED WHILE THE LICENSEE WORKS TOWARDS BUILDOUT OF THE CATALINA FOOTHILLS RELOCATION."
 
One obvious question is why Tucker switched the city of license for KKYZ from Sierra Vista to Huachuca City. For a few years he's held the C.P,. for a different frequency for Huachuca City but that station has never been built.
It's also looking like the new Catalina Foothills station seeks to transmit from the tower presently used by the religious station on 940 in Tucson. That station used to be owned by Doug Martin who had a close association with Tucker. More than likely the church could use some extra cash by renting space on its tower.
 


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