Housing development next to KLTN tower

[JustinT]

FOX 26 Exclusive: Radio tower poses threat to controversial Houston housing project

More troubles could be on the way for controversial Houston housing project.

www.fox26houston.com

I'd been completely out of the loop on this one and didn't see this posted on here before. You can read up on the background, but for the radio angle, there is a new $100+ mil Houston Housing Authority project soon to open next to the KLTN/KAMA tower. As part of the federal funding for the project, HHA claimed the neighboring tower was 305 ft. tall; it is instead 900+ ft. tall.

Thinking from a factual rather than speculative perspective -- in the event that the lawsuits around the HHA project deem the project uninhabitable while the tower is standing -- would these stations have any relocation options without significant coverage reductions? My understanding is both stations have backups at the existing Ennis site, KLTN cannot go to Missouri City, and KAMA would find itself being a rimshot once more from Missouri City. Would One Shell Plaza be an option?

 

[Mediafrog+]

Sounds like this is an HHA problem, not Univision’s.😖🤣

KCOH 1230 also transmits from that tower.

 

[BamaTX]

would these stations have any relocation options without significant coverage reductions?

They don't need any. This is a government vs government issue. The Houston Housing Authority is the one that lied to the federal government.

I'm sure Univision isn't thrilled to have section 8 development next door. T&P to their copper.

My understanding is both stations have backups at the existing Ennis site, KLTN cannot go to Missouri City, and KAMA would find itself being a rimshot once more from Missouri City. Would One Shell Plaza be an option?

I'm assuming downtown could be an option for both FMs. But the city would have to pay Univision a hefty amount to move (which I'm sure they could be open to since they're looking to get out of radio). Not sure about 1230 AM.

 

[bigdonho]

Is this a confusion of feet vs meters? 305 meters = 1000 ft.

 

[Palpatine]

Sounds like this is an HHA problem, not Univision’s.😖🤣

KCOH 1230 also transmits from that tower.

Killing three stations with one stone. Priceless.

 

[JustinT]

They don't need any. This is a government vs government issue. The Houston Housing Authority is the one that lied to the federal government.

If it wasn’t clear from my original post - the only way the KLTN site is impacted is if things progress such that Univision would be open to a payday from a desperate HHA who is $100 mil into their project. This is hardly the only issue with the environment around the project.

Back to radio — One Shell Plaza didn’t work for FMs in the 1980s, but is fine for the few translators up there today. Has transmission technology changed to make the site work? Or is this a factor of the low power output of the translators?

 

[Mediafrog+]

Back to radio — One Shell Plaza didn’t work for FMs in the 1980s, but is fine for the few translators up there today. Has transmission technology changed to make the site work? Or is this a factor of the low power output of the translators?

The problem with One Shell Plaza is that taller buildings have been constructed around it.

I recall in the early 1980s, before the Senior Road Tower was built, the downtown FMs were plagued by quite a bit of multipath coming off those (then) new buildings. Inside Loop 610 it could be quite a mess in certain places.

The downtown translators are on Wells Fargo, which is much taller than OSP. The low power reduces or eliminates any multipath issues in most areas.

Not sure about 1230 AM.

The current signal from 1230 is very poor. Although supposedly 1kw, judging by its strength in various parts of the metro I‘m thinking it is only putting out between 150 and 250 watts. It used to have a much better signal; appears the transmitter is failing or the antenna system has deteriorated.

I suppose a tower move solution for KCOH would be to diplex with KSHJ 1430 (ironically the original KCOH) or with KMIC, which are the two closest options. I doubt the church that currently owns KCOH has the money for that.

Is this a confusion of feet vs meters? 305 meters = 1000 ft.

Excellent point. I can easily imagine some government worker bee not understanding the difference.

 

[radiofan2023]

Excellent point. I can easily imagine some government worker bee not understanding the difference.

Why wouldn't HHA double check the antenna height with the FCC?

 

[Astros2023]

Perhaps Univision could be granted an exemption through a grandfather clause? I recall that during the construction of Senior Road Tower, the area was predominantly swamp and livestock. Currently, there is an abundance of homes priced between 300k-800k just a few Ft from the towers.

 

[Deleted member 108832]

@Mediafrog+ the reason KCOH is degraded comes from the many years that the tower site was being used as a battery dump.

 

[Mark Roberts]

The problem with One Shell Plaza is that taller buildings have been constructed around it.

I recall in the early 1980s, before the Senior Road Tower was built, the downtown FMs were plagued by quite a bit of multipath coming off those (then) new buildings. Inside Loop 610 it could be quite a mess in certain places.

Definitely true. Remember the LPTV on channel 5, the one that played music videos? It was based on One Shell Plaza. I don't think Qube Cable ever carried it; I tried getting over the air from my location near Woodhead and Westheimer, but at best got a snowy picture. This was with rabbit ears.

The downtown translators are on Wells Fargo, which is much taller than OSP. The low power reduces or eliminates any multipath issues in most areas.

The current signal from 1230 is very poor. Although supposedly 1kw, judging by its strength in various parts of the metro I‘m thinking it is only putting out between 150 and 250 watts. It used to have a much better signal; appears the transmitter is failing or the antenna system has deteriorated.

Possibly the ground system has corroded and has become quite inefficient.

 

[davideduardo]

They don't need any. This is a government vs government issue. The Houston Housing Authority is the one that lied to the federal government.

I suspect that some government person, victim of our nationally deficient education system, did not "get" that the FCC uses meters, and not feet, in tower height statements; that tower is around 300 meters high.

To many, a "meter" is that device in a glass enclosure that is mounted on the side of our house to measure our use of electricity.

 

[bigdonho]

Personally, I like the English system. Nothing wrong with furlongs per fortnight.

 

[Mark Roberts]

To many, a "meter" is that device in a glass enclosure that is mounted on the side of our house to measure our use of electricity.

Now this is a meter (or "mètre")



Explanation:

The national [revolutionary] convention, in order to promote the use of the metric system, had 16 standard meters, made out of marble, placed in the most-frequented places in Paris.

These meters were installed between February 1796 and December 1797. This is one of two that remain in Paris and the only one that's still at its original site.

This one is just outside the French Senate.

 

[Mediafrog+]

I suspect that some government person, victim of our nationally deficient education system, did not "get" that the FCC uses meters, and not feet, in tower height statements; that tower is around 300 meters high.

I find that odd, as I learned about the metric system in school, and that was almost 60 years ago. Has teaching about that disappeared in recent years?🤔

And you can't blame "immigrant" workers as pretty much everyone else in the world uses the metric system.

 

[Palpatine]

We started down the metric path 50 years ago, only to turn and retreat. Fools.

 

[radiofan2023]

I find that odd, as I learned about the metric system in school, and that was almost 60 years ago. Has teaching about that disappeared in recent years?

Not everything you learned 60 years ago in school, like the metric system, is still relevant in the US today.

 

[davideduardo]

Not everything you learned 60 years ago in school, like the metric system, is still relevant in the US today.

Funny, the High School I went to taught both metric and the "American System". Today, they only teach metric in textbooks printed in China!

 

[Dr. Bob]

Definitely true. Remember the LPTV on channel 5, the one that played music videos? It was based on One Shell Plaza. I don't think Qube Cable ever carried it; I tried getting over the air from my location near Woodhead and Westheimer, but at best got a snowy picture. This was with rabbit ears.


Possibly the ground system has corroded and has become quite inefficient.

The biggest problem with One Shell was that what is now Wells Fargo was built across McKinney Street from it casting a huge shadow to the southwest. Several FM stations that were there originally maintained it as a backup site until the late 90’s when major issues were discovered with the FM antenna mounting structure. The stations with a backup site there included KILT, KODA, and KLOL.

As far as the ground system for the 1230 at that site, it should be in good condition. It was replaced in 1998 as part of the EPA mandated remediation. The ground system was removed as well as a layer of topsoil, asphalt paving was put over the remaining topsoil then the ground system was reinstalled and finally more dirt.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Funny, the High School I went to taught both metric and the "American System". Today, they only teach metric in textbooks printed in China!

President Ford signed a law calling for voluntary conversion to the metric system in December 1975. Various conversion-related activities were started. Some states passed laws requiring it to be taught in schools by 1980. There were even ads for "metric conversion kits"; this one's from February 1977 (from a publicly accessible archive site that doesn't have a paywall):


(URL: https://grundycounty.advantage-pres...ssouri_trenton_19770224_english_3&df=21&dt=30)

But by 1979, initiatives had slowed and some opposition had developed.