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Storm Outages
- Thread starter johnster
- Start date
We're At The Drift.
Around noon, I noticed these AM stations off the air: 950 WROL, 1090 WILD, 1230 WESX, 1260 WBIX, 1360 WLYN, 1430 WKOX, 1510 WMEX.
WLYN and WMEX are now back on the air as of 4:30pm. WESX and WBIX transmitters are back on with a dead carrier only.
WLYN and WMEX are now back on the air as of 4:30pm. WESX and WBIX transmitters are back on with a dead carrier only.
On the Cape, all the Cape Cod Media Broadcasting stations were off this morning (Wednesday) 99.9, 103.9, 104.7, 107.5. 104.7 the transmitter was on with dead air - the other were just off.
The Coxswain Media and iHeart stations were on. WGTX-AM and 106.5 translator I'm not sure. I think the AM was off as I was getting what sounded like old time radio weekly on 1240AM. 106.5 I did get music that sounded like their programming but not 100% sure it was them (I usually don't get the FM well in my location).
The Coxswain Media and iHeart stations were on. WGTX-AM and 106.5 translator I'm not sure. I think the AM was off as I was getting what sounded like old time radio weekly on 1240AM. 106.5 I did get music that sounded like their programming but not 100% sure it was them (I usually don't get the FM well in my location).
WATD was noted back on just after midnight this morning (not sure when it came back). Now this morning I notice WBNW-1.120 is off.
We Avoided Total Disaster!
Is their 102.9 FM translator on? Not close enough to get it.
If the AM is off the air during scheduled hours from the stations FCC licence then the FM translator LEGALLY HAS TO BE OFF too.
I know that's the law, but it's not always followed when an AM with a translator gets knocked off the air by a storm, outage, tech problem, etc...
I've occasionally heard AM's that were knocked off the air for one reason or another with FM translators still broadcasting.
They should hope the FCC doesn't find out. Common sense would a allow the translator to run without it's AM during an emergency but then the definition of an emergency could be abused. The translators really are and "economic life" line to keep some AM stations alive and on the air. If you don't run your AM no FM.
BTW: With all the AMs biting the dust a spare transmitter shouldn't be hard to come by. There are active STAs using traffic information equipment. David one time stated that if he were running an AM station he would have the "wire on a roof" ready to go.
IN all the places I've worked, the definition of an emergency was when a government official had declared one.
I've never known a station to go off the air during a blizzard, at least in my area [though it's been a while since we've had one]. Were the winds that atrocious that it took down antennas? Or just lost power and no generators or generators that died because they were suffocated by snow? Or the voice-tracking froze in the computers or blocked by ice in the internet lines?
Sustained high winds with tropical storm-force and, in some places, hurricane-force gusts are bad news for radio installations even without snow.
If the antennas fall it could be a long time to fix. Usually computers don't mind cool temperatures. Most communication cables are underground or on poles. Unless something falls on lines they should hold up even with a couple of inches of ice. Satellite dishes don't work well with snow. If the tower has working heaters on the bays that work, or radoms the reflected power shouldn't be too high for FM transmitters.
Getting people into the station can be an issue. Some stations have a deal with someone with a Jeep or other 4 wheel drive vehicles. Sometimes employees sleep at the station.