El Gallo resurrected on AM

[Patrick 29582]

WNMB El Gallo Spanish programming on the Grand Strand has been operating FM translators on 103.5 and 102.3 for nearly a year, while the nominal 900 AM frequency has been silent or inaudible.

This morning 900 surprised a bandscan, coming in loud and clear, sounding great! I am about three miles from the North Myrtle Beach transmitter site, curious if anyone else nearby is hearing El Gallo on 900. Not sure why this makes me so delighted.. must be the sun.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I'll try to remember in September or October when I usually go.

 

[boiseengineer]

Looking at Google Earth, the "old" WNMB site is devoid of towers as far back as 2015.
In fact there's a self storage place where one of the towers was.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Which is which and what am I seeing?

 

[speer360]

Looking at Google Earth, the "old" WNMB site is devoid of towers as far back as 2015.
In fact there's a self storage place where one of the towers was.

View attachment 6948

Yep, Towers went missing from land sometime between 11/2014 to 1/2017 according to Google Maps Streetview

 

[kevtronics]

WNMB filed a Silent STA on January 6, 2016 stating that they had lost the lease to their transmitter site. (I recall their C-QUAM equipment ending up on eBay shortly thereafter.) They've been alternating between being silent and operating with a temporary longwire antenna ever since then, with a CP to diplex 250 watts on an existing AM tower.

 

[vchimpanzee]

WNMB filed a Silent STA on January 6, 2016 stating that they had lost the lease to their transmitter site. (I recall their C-QUAM equipment ending up on eBay shortly thereafter.) They've been alternating between being silent and operating with a temporary longwire antenna ever since then, with a CP to diplex 250 watts on an existing AM tower.

WMIR's tower is said to be in that photo. Is that an actual tower?

Also, didn't WEZV and WNMB share a tower at one point? Where is WEZV's tower?

 

[boiseengineer]

WMIR's tower is said to be in that photo. Is that an actual tower?

Also, didn't WEZV and WNMB share a tower at one point? Where is WEZV's tower?

Coordinates on the WMIR license are off a little. The WNMB CP is the correct location (within 50' according to Google Earth).

 

[Patrick 29582]

I believe the WNMB tower is off Water Tower Rd, near a new Pepsi distribution center, and a new UPS center (and soon to be a new Amazon distribution center.)

 

[Patrick 29582]

I'll try to remember in September or October when I usually go.

I'm just curious how far the signal actually goes. I'm so close and of course today it booms in (great sound too) , but their 'temporary' homebrew was barely audible on a sensitive shortwave am fm set it it was properly rotated.. about two days a week.

Persistence paid off.

 

[vchimpanzee]

I'm just curious how far the signal actually goes. I'm so close and of course today it booms in (great sound too) , but their 'temporary' homebrew was barely audible on a sensitive shortwave am fm set it it was properly rotated.. about two days a week.

Persistence paid off.

I didn't think I'll be able to help with that. I remembered to listen in Conway one year but that was many years ago.

 

[vchimpanzee]

This week I was at the beach. 900 AM was listenable in Aynor (I wish I had stayed on it because I liked the tuba music) and quite clear in the Waccamaw Pottery area. I could even hear it my motel room during the day!

 

[Patrick 29582]

It took them awhile to tinker after returning to the air on 900 and they were knocked right off after a week due to lightning. There were also modulation issues. I kept in context via social media with the engineer and I have to say they have it sounding pretty good now! Aynor on 500 watts, not too shabby when the signal largely is directed out to sea.