720 KOTZ--Local radio "redux"!!!

[hipporadio]

I recently came upon the internet stream of KOTZ-Kotzebue—a reward for my long-fascination with that station. To say it's music format is “unconventional” is an understatement... Fats Domino, Led Zepp, Analis Morissette, ABBA, Johnny Cash's "Drive Home", "99 LufBallons", “Landslide”—Fleetwood Mac, Santa Esmeralda, “Hot Hot Hot” (Buster P), “Get a Haircut—Get a Real Job”, Hot Chocolate, and the “Hamster Dance” within a half-hour is replicated NOWHERE! NO jingles—NO “imaging”—not even a segue between events—just a simple top-hour ID that features an Inupiat chant followed by an “average Joe on the street” saying “This is KOTZ from here in Kotzebue”. This is about as “local” as it gets. A friend in a large-market morning show commented: “OMG—we need to go 33-miles north of the Artic Circle to find the last remnants of really-good bad radio”. PLEASE believe me when I say “We’re NOT being glib”—I suspect this station is more “central” to, and appreciated by, its community than are 99-percent of the stations in the “lower-48”. In short—KOTZ is doing a really good (and rare) job of community broadcasting... RFRESHING!

I especially enjoy when that station’s PD is on-air afternoons (local time)... “Laid back” and contently comments about his wish to “be fired” as he plays bootlegged John Fogerty CCR songs... ‘Even played vinyl (that skipped on air)—“Don’t Bogart that ‘joint’ my friend—pass it over to me”—this in a town where one CAN’T buy a beer... ‘Followed by a seven-minute weather forecast and “messages” from the public including one where a wife asked her husband to “Call and just talk”. And let’s not forget those hourly NPR and APRN newscasts—and interviews with the local high school wrestling coach talking about his men going to state finals... OMG—this is “delightful”—and that response is shared by NUMEROUS “corporate radio types” I have shared the link with.

I am familiar with the Nome stations—which have an obvious “duty” to a particular church—but KOTZ operates outside that paradigm. HOW do they find the “essentials” to operate? I hear at their “sign-on” that they are a “public radio station managed by a board”—but I hear minimal references to an “underwriter” that presents the “Shop ‘n Swap” and “Request Hour”? What is their 10kw coverage in the area like during the daylight hours? Do other areas of Alaska receive nighttime coverage from their “clear-channel” non-directional signal? How does a 10kw signal get out on the tundra?

This station’s website offers little—no “in studio” photos, and little else but a schedule. KOTZ—show us interested folks MORE! Local Kotzebue government ALWAYS mention and link them. And what about the “other” AM station in town (in the FCC database) on 1230 and 1260kHz? Also, KOTZ’s website indicates an FM service at 89.9—but the FCC facilities query does not find that to be licensed. Can you folks tell us more about radio in this remote area?

 

[hipporadio]

At about 3PM EST on 12/18 we decided to place an expensive call to KOTZ from our “Corporate HQ” in Charleston, South Carolina. About a dozen PCs were logged on to WarpRadio which distributes the KOTZ programming to the net. We actually enjoy their programming at that time of the day (1-5PM EST) - GREAT classic Rock - and a wide 80s playlist! The PD (John) of that station was on-air... We were greeted by a very polite lady who immediately transferred our call to the Control Room. When “John” answered, we experienced a “so what” response to our interest in their station via the net. We asked him if he was the PD—he answered... “Yea... So what”... Later he said on air: “I think I’ll go to work for KNOM—Nome—they’ll appreciate me there”. Understand - SO MANT "south 48ers" have a natural interest in this remote station. We'd much rather "acclaim" than criticize!

We told him how very much we enjoyed his radio station, and requested Bill Withers’ “Ain’t No Sunshine” to dedicate to our friends in Kotzebue (who at the time were minus sunshine) from sunny 75-degree South Carolina—he never played it—instead said “Yea—those folks in NORTH and SOUTH Carolina have found us on the internet”. In fairness—maybe KOTZ didn’t have that song, but I found him unwilling to discuss the details of that very “interesting” station.

I have never experienced a “long distance” response such as this—are we doing something wrong—or violating some “cultural rule”? When I owned radio stations (pre internet streaming), if a listener called from 200-miles—I was excited... WHAT has happened to this mindset in the biz?

KOTZ wins NO awards for programming or “execution”—but we love them for what they are—a basic radio station committed to their community in a five-star way... We find this remote radio station “interesting” and “inspiring”... ‘Just please be “nicer” to folks from the outside who wish to learn more about you!

 

[AKLes]

Hey, Hippo....

The man had a point about KNOM. Though the station is church-owned, it does more non-religious public service. Music is a strange mix of everything from current hits to stuff from, yes, the 1920's! Hard rock evenings; lots of public affairs and news.

Some of the more interesting public service stuff is on their website: KNOM.org.

If you want to discuss rural Alaskan radio, try calling PD Kelly Brabec (female) at 907-443-5221. Remember the time difference, -4 hours from Eastern Time. Kelly generally arrives no later than 8:30 AM and usually is free enough to be willing to talk at length if that's what you'd like.

I do suggest you see the website first so it'll all make sense.

Some of KNOM's on-the-trail coverage of The Iditarod Sled Dog Race makes it to the networks; station just shifted from AP to ABC. Also, regularly feeds their coverage of the major snowmobile (snowmachine) race to KOTZ for free rebroadcast.

Will be interesting to read your comments if you give it a shot.

If Kelly isn't in when you call, ask for Amy. Please feel free to reference this board and my name as the one who put you up to it.

 

[hipporadio]

Les... Thank you for your post! Let me share a story with you... My stations utilized a frequency measurement service in the Kansas City area—and I was always amazed that he could measure our AM carrier freq over 400-miles away at 1AM when we jumped from 186-watts to the daytime power of 1kw. It was a monthly exercise, and in ten years—he only missed us ONCE! A few years back, KNOM participated in a publicized international DX test. I remember asking Jim if he could catch them despite WBBM on 780 in Chicago... He said Nome was a 100-degree shift from Chi-Town, and could be completely nulled making at least a Morse Code ID from Nome receivable. He invited me to his “shack” for the event. I was greeted by a very awesome $4000 Ten-Tec 340 receiver with more IF filters then we have fingers. He had an outdoor British Wellbrook amplified loop that was 10-feet across on a rotor. He easily made ‘BBM go away, but with a 3kHz filter engaged—their was no polka or speech that coincided with KNOM. He shifted to a VERY narrowband CW filter and listened for over an hour for a code ID—NOTHING! Feeling nearly emasculated, he turned to me and said “Damn those northern lights—they’re screwing with my DX”. A week later he called to say “Hey... Nome—that place is in an RF ‘black hole’—NOTHING gets out of there—and KICY is going 50kw aimed at Russia—what are they smoking when the Parson isn’t looking?”

I guess we are from the (older) school that gets a kick out of this sort of comedy. I remember the morning we got a call from five states away reporting reception of our AM oldies station the previous evening when we were on the nighttime 186-watts. Our morning show guy actually put this fella on the air and allowed him to play back the cassette tape of our liner “It’s too damn cool to be on FM—Cool 1220 AM”—complete with all the “monkey chatter” in the background. Now, I work as a retail marketing pu-ba, and many “non-radio types” in the office actually enjoy the mystique of KOTZ. This is fueled when you view the OTZ Telephone webcam showing total darkness at high-noon in that town and a photo of a 64-ounce bottle of apple juice priced at over $11! That’s somewhat exotic for folks in Charleston, SC who routinely enjoy lunch under sunny skies at 75-degrees. Add in the Inupiat quotient—and you can understand a respectful interest from several thousand miles away. Maybe we hit up KOTZ on a bad day—but we were somewhat surprised that they so casually brushed us off.

Several weeks ago, I visited the KNOM website. It is very well done. I especially enjoy the “history” and photos... WOW—an explosion when they were attempting to melt the permafrost to lay down the antenna base! I especially like all the studio and transmitter building/antenna site photos... I wish KOTZ would offer that on their site.

Les... I understand the “funding” for the Nome stations... But HOW does KOTZ or KYUK (Bethel) make their utility payments? Are these virtual “state-owned” stations? I guess that Alaska “passes out” a lot of oil money royalties to augment the very high cost of operation there. Outside your three largest cities, the traditional commercial radio paradigm seems to not exist... This causes many “inquiring minds” to want to learn more.

 

[bmprfg]

I've been listening to KOTZ from MA over the last few days, and a bizarre as a "radio" person would think it is, you have to admit it's compelling to listen to. I've been telling all my co workers about it.

 

[hipporadio]

I've been listening to KOTZ from MA over the last few days, and as bizarre as a "radio" person would think it is, you have to admit it's compelling to listen to. I've been telling all my co workers about it.

Do I sense a KOTZ fan club forming in the lower-48? Take heart in knowing that you're not the only new member!

KOTZ is sorta like your first radio when you were a kid... It wasn’t much—but it was all you could afford—and you worked very hard for it. Now that little ole radio pales in comparison to your glitzy new surround-sound system, but you consider it fondly for meeting all your expectations in its time.

We especially enjoy them in the early to mid afternoon (EST)... You never know what to expect musically on that station, but the “shock ‘n awe” is part of the charm! Just this afternoon they played Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” twice in a row I guess the track repeat button somehow got pushed before the DJ hiked out back for a smoke! After the characteristic “KOTZ program pause”, the mic clicked on to all the air-handling noise, and he said “That one’s my favorite so I gave it a twin spin”.

 

[AKLes]

A few years back, KNOM participated in a publicized international DX test. I remember asking Jim if he could catch them despite WBBM on 780 in Chicago... He said Nome was a 100-degree shift from Chi-Town, and could be completely nulled making at least a Morse Code ID from Nome receivable. He invited me to his “shack” for the event. I was greeted by a very awesome $4000 Ten-Tec 340 receiver with more IF filters then we have fingers. He had an outdoor British Wellbrook amplified loop that was 10-feet across on a rotor. He easily made ‘BBM go away, but with a 3kHz filter engaged—their was no polka or speech that coincided with KNOM. He shifted to a VERY narrowband CW filter and listened for over an hour for a code ID—NOTHING! Feeling nearly emasculated, he turned to me and said “Damn those northern lights—they’re screwing with my DX”. A week later he called to say “Hey... Nome—that place is in an RF ‘black hole’—NOTHING gets out of there—and KICY is going 50kw aimed at Russia—what are they smoking when the Parson isn’t looking?”

I set up that test! Can't remember the name of the person from the DX board on the old site who did the publicity. He suggested the polka music so I went out and personally bought a half dozen Polka CDs and arranged to have someone beat out a very slow-paced Morse K-N-O-M which was repeated between every second polka with voice IDs aplenty. As you noted, the Aurora was especially strong that night so between that and what was then KROW in Reno (also 780) we got NO reports from The Lower 48. Several, though, from Scandinavian Countries and Japan. It was with the full 25-kW. Of course the low-angle folded unipole antenna doesn't help.

Now, I work as a retail marketing pu-ba, and many “non-radio types” in the office actually enjoy the mystique of KOTZ. This is fueled when you view the OTZ Telephone webcam showing total darkness at high-noon in that town and a photo of a 64-ounce bottle of apple juice priced at over $11! That’s somewhat exotic for folks in Charleston, SC who routinely enjoy lunch under sunny skies at 75-degrees. Add in the Inupiat quotient—and you can understand a respectful interest from several thousand miles away. Maybe we hit up KOTZ on a bad day—but we were somewhat surprised that they so casually brushed us off.

People who "made it" in radio migrate, more often than you might think, to marketing. There is serious money to be made there...I did very well off having made the change back in 1978 and was able to retire very early and do just the stuff I enjoy. Kotzebue prices are approximately the same as in Nome, both being supplied mostly by air (though some canned stuff comes in by barge in summer). If you want to be really impressed by prices, try reading The Nome Nugget online. It's in .pdf format and includes the whole paper, even the primary ads though the two grocery stores in town generally use once-a-week inserts and I haven't seem those included in the .pdf edition. Here's a link: http://www.nomenugget.net/

There are also several webcams. A year or so ago I was looking at one of them and saw smoke coming out the roof of the Front Street halfway house. With updates every minute I was able to see the arrival of the fire department and their progress in battling the blaze; a pretty good one. Then I realized it was Sunday morning and only one person on duty at KNOM, probably paying no attention the the police/fire scanner. I called...broke the news about the fire...and since I was a former staffer, the young lady put me on the air (from California!) with the breaking story and I was able to do an "on-scene" report from a couple of thousand miles away.

Several weeks ago, I visited the KNOM website. It is very well done. I especially enjoy the “history” and photos... WOW—an explosion when they were attempting to melt the permafrost to lay down the antenna base! I especially like all the studio and transmitter building/antenna site photos... I wish KOTZ would offer that on their site.

I arrived in Nome, for the first time, just after the station signed on and the stories about construciton were still fresh. The transmitter was housed in an old highway construction shack. Insulated, but barely. It was a Collins tube-type transmitter (10kW days/5kW nights back then). Station signed off at 11:25 pm (I did the night shift for a year) and back on at 6:00 am. Had to leave the filaments on overnight to be sure it would start in the morning.

Les... I understand the “funding” for the Nome stations... But HOW does KOTZ or KYUK (Bethel) make their utility payments? Are these virtual “state-owned” stations? I guess that Alaska “passes out” a lot of oil money royalties to augment the very high cost of operation there. Outside your three largest cities, the traditional commercial radio paradigm seems to not exist... This causes many “inquiring minds” to want to learn more.

KOTZ and KYUK are part of the state operated "Alaska Public Radio Network" and get some funds from the state though NOT directly from oil royalties; out of the general fund, a large part of which is oil-revenue based. They don't get a whole lot and hope for local contributions and a lot of volunteer staffing. Every year the funding seems to get reduced a bit and the costs for taking statewide programming goes up. KNOM used to participate in APRN (as a paying user) but the cost was run up so high that the service was abandoned. APRN then funded a translator at The Nome City
Rec Center to re-broadcast KUAC out of Fairbanks. It usually works but is horribly overdeviated and therefore distorted. At 250-Watts it is audible through out the city but not beyond. KICY-FM and KNOM-FM run a killowatt each and reach a little further. I once did a study that showed a 100-Watt FM located in downtown Nome would cover a population of 3,400. If it were moved to Anvil Mountain (where there is no power available) and run at 40-Kw ERP, it would reach a population of 3,800. The kilowatt signals are somewhat of a waste but it was a case of if one did it, the other had to due to blanketing potential.

There is commercial radio in Anchorage, Fairbanks, North Pole, Juneau, Wasilla, Sitka, Ketchikan and a few other places but once you move North and West of the Anchorage/Mat-Su Valley, you're right; it's not commercially viable. There are numerous FM CPs awarded in the last auction but, so far, I haven't heard of any being built though KNOM is now operating at least one translator with several more to come on line shortly. They're possible under unique Alaska waivers which allow FM translators to be fed by AM stations. Technically, KNOM could feed their FM signal via Satellite to the translators but the FM side occasionally breaks away from the AM to do stuff like City Council meetings - of zero interest to the villages.

It's a fascinating place, Alaska. For more glimpses at it, some of them hilarious, go back to the KNOM website and locate the link to "Tom's Alaska" and to the various webcams.

 

[hipporadio]

We missed those polkas, Les! We tried from the most perfect facility—but no go. The two best freqs for west-AK in the Midwest are 720 and 780-assuming you have access to a nice outdoor loop that can easily null Chicago. 640 (Bethel), 680 (Barrow), 930 (Unlakleet), and 850 (Nome) are not do-able because of the local population. The station on 780 in Reno has very little radiation toward the east (to protect WBBM), so it is not a limiting factor. Jim could snare my former 1220 (even at 186-watts) from several states away, but he has never scored KNOM or KOTZ—and he has tried often. So has my former PD (and ham) who now lives in St Joe, MO. These signals remain illusive and a great mystery!

Now how close have I come? Back in 1982 I was walking the parking lots of my South Bend, IN apartment complex on the overnight before an appointment to have a couple wisdom teeth cut out. I hopped in my 1978 Olds Cutless and turned on the Delco radio at about 1AM. Upon tuning to 610kHz, I heard “Barracuda” (Heart) and knew that couldn’t be WTVN Columbus, OH. It turned out to be CKRW in Whitehorse, YK, CA. I listened to them for about 40 minutes (even rolled some tape from my GE SuperRadio). I never heard them again.

AK from the east coast is impossible (so even is the Midwest)—too much Cuban crap... But you’d love our “salt water path” along the S.E. Atlantic coast. Throw the E.R.P. and ground conductivity tables to the wind... There is some awesome daytime DX courtesy of that big body of salt water! At night, 590 VOCM St. John, Newfoundland, CA is a regular appearance.

Finally... Just before noon today a lady in our building ran into my office and said “Quick—log onto KOTZ on the net—they are playing “Dueling Banjos” (from the “Deliverance” flick) ... She hadn’t heard that on the radio in nearly 20 years. Your local radio is fascinating Les. When I get a free hour after lunch I’ll be sure to give KNOM a call. BTW... Were you there when they put in the Harris DX—and how did they process it?

 

[hipporadio]

...we got NO reports from The Lower 48. Several, though, from Scandinavian Countries and Japan. It was with the full 25-kW. Of course the low-angle folded unipole antenna doesn't help.

Hey Les... I overlooked your "folded unipole antenna" comment... Did KNOM elect that antenna design because of an inability to bury a conventional radial ground system in the permafrost? When I read their "construction history", I wondered about how they would have handled the ground plain.

 

[AZJoe]

Alaska is unique in its broadcasting situation...yet there are several good markets in the state with several stations, Anchorage(inc Mat Valley) has 32, Fairbanks has 16, Juneau has 10, Kenai/Soldotna/Homer 16, Ketchikan 7, and Sitka 6. Anchorage by far most resembles any mid sized American city situation, covering formats such as classical, oldies, hip hop, jazz, country, rock, ac, news talk,sports and religion amongst others. Your unique markets will be in the bush and outlying areas from Kotzebue, Nome, Bethel, Unalaska, Barrow, Valdez, Cordova, Nenana and others. 8)

 

[AKLes]

We missed those polkas, Les! We tried from the most perfect facility—but no go. The two best freqs for west-AK in the Midwest are 720 and 780-assuming you have access to a nice outdoor loop that can easily null Chicago. 640 (Bethel), 680 (Barrow), 930 (Unlakleet), and 850 (Nome) are not do-able because of the local population.

I forgot to comment on your remark earlier that Nome is a sort of radio "black hole". Indeed it is! Reception there is horrible day and night. If you drive about 3-miles out of town at night the truck radio will pick up amazing DX. But in town, nada. Even during power failures when there is no electrical noise. If you look at the aeronautical charts for the area you'll see mention of "magnetic anomolies" which may have something to do with it. It's into physics I don't begin to comprehend!

As to the folded unipole: It was the only way to get decent loading given an FAA extreme limitation on tower height (230-feet was actually built). The transmitter site is just outside town, built at the limits of available commercial power at the time. It's also directly under the flight path to the Nome Airport ILS runway. The choice had nothing to do with ground conditions. The license does, however, specify "unburied" radials. They are stretched across the tundra and anchored to a copper stake at the far end of each. Interestingly, some of the "stakes" have jacked out of the ground. Several years ago I drove about 50 back in but, last I was there, most were back up. There originally were 120 radials, each 230-feet in length but at some point another 120 were added though they are somewhat shorter. Breakage is a serious problem with regular snowmachine traffic across the site.

The original unipole skirt was "3-fold" (three down-wires) but was replaced with a 6-fold skirt about 7 years ago for better bandwidth. It's the bane of my existence though improvements done this past summer (additional standoff insulators and humungous clamps holding each to the tower) may help. Problem starts with icing and progresses when the wind rises and the wires get to flapping, coming into contact with guys and then burning through. Fortunately the copperweld wire perishes first or the tower would have fallen years ago.

Finally... Just before noon today a lady in our building ran into my office and said “Quick—log onto KOTZ on the net—they are playing “Dueling Banjos” (from the “Deliverance” flick) ... She hadn’t heard that on the radio in nearly 20 years. Your local radio is fascinating Les. When I get a free hour after lunch I’ll be sure to give KNOM a call. BTW... Were you there when they put in the Harris DX—and how did they process it?

The music on KOTZ and KNOM is very similar. I believe "Dueling Banjos" is still in the playlist. By now you may have spoken with Kelly or Amy and, I hope, are as enchanted with them as are most all who encounter them. They're very different but very great personalities, each in their own unique way.

As to transmitters:

KNOM runs a Nautel ND-25, one of the last they built. Solid as a rock. Now at ten years without a minute of transmitter-caused downtime in 24/7 operation. A lot of that is due to several of us having taken Nautel's courses and paid attention. Filters are kept clean; the building is kept cool and we do a once-a-year major teardown, cleaning everything and checking torque on every nut, bolt and machine screw. Tom (you know him from the website) and I installed it in 1996 in an entirely new building.

Processing is pretty simple and brutal. There's an Aphex Compellor (installed this year) at the studio, replacing some old CRL stuff. Then the Marti STL and, at the transmitter, a CRL-MBL 100 shortwave limiter. Actually an alternate/main pair because their power supplies have a short but merry life. This crunches the BW down to about 4 kHZ and drives hell outta the Nautel for maximum "reach". Sounds terrible but it does travel! Remember, most listeners have bare-minimum receivers and are happy to get any service at all. On the FM Side, an Aphex 2020 with the most recent factory upgrades. A really clean sound with a little bass emphais 'cause people living in Nome (as opposed to the villages, served by the AM) tend to spend more for radios in their vehicles though not in their homes.

The Harris DX is at KICY. I was in town at the time they decided on it; based almost entirely on the low cost. They bought a 50-kW transmitter in anticipation of their adding towers and being authorized for a boost; the purchase was made after an airplane destroyed their original tower and prior to the whole power increase/directional-to-Russia thing coming to fruition. The plane crash didn't physically damage the transmitter building but it electrically destroyed their Continental 10-kW transmitter. I won't say they are unhappy with the Harris but they have had much more downtime that I'd be pleased with and parts seem to be largely proprietary and expensive.

I have no idea what KICY is doing about processing; never paid much attention since the stations target entirely different audiences on the AM side (KICY programs AM and FM separately; KNOM largely simulcasts). KNOM targets the Alaskan villages with heavy news and public affairs; pop music; public service and a moderate amount of religion. Most of the latter in the form of 30-second to 1-minute spots on themes like character building, respect for others, and rarely anything that could be termed heavy-handed by most. KICY, on the FM side, targets the "urban" Nome population. The AM side, by day, serves predominantly Evangelical Covenant oriented villages with Christian music and religious-focused discussion. At night the target is Russia with commercial religious programming; a major part of the station's funding.

KICY is licensed/operated commercial with some local advertising though there aren't many businesses with any real need to advertise.

KNOM, though conventionally licensed as commercial, operates entirely non-commercial, selling no advertising. There is some NPR (though considerably more subtle) underwriting, particularly of major events like The Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Iron Dog (Wasilla/Nome/Fairbanks snowmachine race) and the notorious Lions Club Nome/Golovin/Nome snowmachine race. The latter is just shy of 200-miles; record time is under two hours with victory typically coming within about two-hours/fifteen minutes. Covering the Golovin race is a hoot with several Martis out on the ice (a large part of the race is run on the frozen Bering Sea); hand-helds working via repeaters and even wireless phones rigged to village phones at the refueling point (White Mountain). An engineering challenge but a lot of fun!

 

[hipporadio]

As to the folded unipole: It was the only way to get decent loading given an FAA extreme limitation on tower height (230-feet was actually built). The transmitter site is just outside town, built at the limits of available commercial power at the time. It's also directly under the flight path to the Nome Airport ILS runway. The choice had nothing to do with ground conditions. The license does, however, specify "unburied" radials...

The original unipole skirt was "3-fold" (three down-wires) but was replaced with a 6-fold skirt about 7 years ago for better bandwidth...

Les... THANK YOU for your very thoughtful and fascinating post! BTW... I saw your picture in the VERY NICE KNOM transmitter building beside that 25k Nautel rig (sitting behind the bench performing your “duty”). I’ve been out of the business for a few years and was unaware that Nautel was no longer producing their solid-state rigs for AM. That’s a shame! I have a friend that purchased two of their transmitters back in the 90s (a 1kw and 5kw)—they were very fine rigs—and produced excellent audio quality. YES—they were far more dependable than the Harris DX transmitters (but I do love the DX audio quality)! We had two Harris rigs—the MW-1 and “Gates” series 1kw—both were very fine transmitters, and could be “cranked” with pleasing audio results.

I knew of one station (in the Mississippi River flats near St Louis) that maintained an “above-ground ground radial system”... Their big problem was THEFT. “Low rents” seemed to casually wander onto the property and steal the copper!

Yep... Your description of KNOM’s antenna system sounds like a good excuse for “bane”... We had a “three-fold” unipole on a 90-degree stick after the ’93 flood diminished our ground system. We actually “manufactured” our own ATU in a new Kintronics case... ‘Got system impedance to 50.5 ohms at a J-factor of just 7... Needless-to-say—that little AM “cooked”—lots of “hot ‘n nasty” sidebands. Fortunately, we never had to contend with the ice and winds that plague KNOM, so the system remained intact and dependable with very minimal maintenance.

Processing is pretty simple and brutal. There's an Aphex Compellor (installed this year) at the studio, replacing some old CRL stuff. Then the Marti STL and, at the transmitter, a CRL-MBL 100 shortwave limiter... This crunches the BW down to about 4 kHZ and drives hell outta the Nautel for maximum "reach". Sounds terrible but it does travel!

WOW... I’ve heard of a few “talkers” that tried that—but never an AM that aired any music (seems a waste of the Nautel’s audio capabilities)—but I guess you needed EVERY extra mile of coverage to reach the villages. Because of terrain, we had to use an EQed loop via telco fed by a Compellor to a “slightly-modified” AM Optimod. We were “loud”—but shot for maximum audio quality.

Remember, most listeners have bare-minimum receivers and are happy to get any service at all.

Hey Les—I don’t think an AM requires an Eskimo listening base to face up to that same “receiver paradigm” today... Sad, that many AM stations transmit audio quality WELL BEYOND the capability of the listeners’ receivers.

The Harris DX is at KICY. I was in town at the time they decided on it; based almost entirely on the low cost... The plane crash didn't physically damage the transmitter building but it electrically destroyed their Continental 10-kW transmitter...

And so was KNOM’s decision to purchase the Naultel—right?—and very wise also! I was jarred by the KNOM webside description of the utility cost to fire your Collins 10kw rig—a very fine one BTW—but well “past its prime” in this contemporary era... Great rig—wrong time when the WattHour meter was spinning!

...KNOM targets the Alaskan villages with heavy news and public affairs; pop music; public service and a moderate amount of religion. Most of the latter in the form of 30-second to 1-minute spots on themes like character building, respect for others, and rarely anything that could be termed heavy-handed by most...

I’ve heard the “inspirational spots” in RealAudio from their website—VERY well done! KNOM is DEFINATLY a very “class operation”—and an “inspiration” to boot. They well-deserve their acclaim! I love their website—it is the best!

There is some NPR (though considerably more subtle) underwriting, particularly of major events like The Iditarod Sled Dog Race, Iron Dog (Wasilla/Nome/Fairbanks snowmachine race) and the notorious Lions Club Nome/Golovin/Nome snowmachine race. The latter is just shy of 200-miles; record time is under two hours with victory typically coming within about two-hours/fifteen minutes. Covering the Golovin race is a hoot with several Martis out on the ice (a large part of the race is run on the frozen Bering Sea); hand-helds working via repeaters and even wireless phones rigged to village phones at the refueling point (White Mountain). An engineering challenge but a lot of fun!

I can’t think of ... well... ANY commercial stations in the “lower 48” that would go to that trouble... The “local service” of these rural Alaskan stations is to be admired! I’ll be sure to call Kelly after the holidays... ‘Would love to know more... Thank-you Les—and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

 

[AKLes]

Just to clean up a couple of points:

I’ve been out of the business for a few years and was unaware that Nautel was no longer producing their solid-state rigs for AM. That’s a shame! I have a friend that purchased two of their transmitters back in the 90s (a 1kw and 5kw)—they were very fine rigs—and produced excellent audio quality.

I may have stated it badly. Nautel discontinued the ND-25 and ND-50 very shortly after the KNOM transmitter was built in 1996. They introduced a new series (don't know the model number) that was more compact and more efficient and then, about 2-years ago, introduced yet another one that is incredibly compact and even more efficient. They also continue to build a full line of AM transmitters. I'm not as big a fan of their FM transmitters; have a 1-kW at KNOM and the exciter posed some initial "return-to-factory" problems. Not an easy thing to do from Nome. Yes, the audio quality obtainable from the AM transmitters is excellent but, in context, unimportant.

I knew of one station (in the Mississippi River flats near St Louis) that maintained an “above-ground ground radial system”... Their big problem was THEFT. “Low rents” seemed to casually wander onto the property and steal the copper!

Copper theft is not a problem in that the cost of shipping materials out of Nome (air or barge - summer only) exceeds the value of the material. When the transmitter building at the White Alice site (run a websearch on "White Alice" - intriguing) site was torn down literally tons of "virgin copper" waveguide was dumped despite the value. Just too much money to ship it out.

WOW... I’ve heard of a few “talkers” that tried that—but never an AM that aired any music (seems a waste of the Nautel’s audio capabilities)—but I guess you needed EVERY extra mile of coverage to reach the villages.

The old WHDH (850) in Boston was using an MBL-100 when the did talk back in the 1980's and 90's. Produced great results for them. It does make a mess of music, you're so right about that. But again, the spoken content, particularly news and weather, is critical to distant audiences that that limited bandwidth really helps.

Hey Les—I don’t think an AM requires an Eskimo listening base to face up to that same “receiver paradigm” today... Sad, that many AM stations transmit audio quality WELL BEYOND the capability of the listeners’ receivers.

Certainly not Clear Channel with their corporate clampdown on BW! One can but wonder how long that will stand under some of the new ownerships. Still, the KNOM case IS extreme but having the FM with good clean audio for the "urban" audience mitigates.

And so was KNOM’s decision to purchase the Naultel—right?—and very wise also! I was jarred by the KNOM webside description of the utility cost to fire your Collins 10kw rig—a very fine one BTW—but well “past its prime” in this contemporary era... Great rig—wrong time when the WattHour meter was spinning!

The decision to buy Nautel was largely based on having had a 10-kW Ampfet series transmitter they made. It ran and ran and ran with only a connector problem that could take it off the air. Occasionally have to change out some FETs but they didn't cause off-time. The connector problem, once identified, was easily controlled by periodic cleaning. I'm not sure what part of the website you're referencing on power for the Collins. It may go back to when it was replaced by the first Nautel. There is something in one of the recent issues of "The Static" that makes note of what it costs to run the ND-25 but I've lost track of it.

Cost was never a consideration in the purchase price. Efficiency and reliability were the deciding factors and the vendor through whom we purchased was very cooperative as well. Still, we could have had a Harris for considerably less money but none of those involved in the decision wanted anything to do with it. Experience has proven the widsom of THAT.

Some other interesting power stuff:

For about 3-years in the 1970's we made our own power because city power was so unreliable and so unstable. Used a 40-KVA Bedford/Kato set up with a timer to bring it up just before sign-on and turn it off just before sign-off. City power was used only for the tower lights and to keep the filaments warm enough to restart in the morning.
We bought two engines for the genset; run one out; install the other; send the first out for overhaul, etc. It went through three engine cycles before the city got their act together on power. Savings were pretty good; cost of making power, even considering capitalization, was slightly less than city but also tube costs fell like a stone!

A couple of years ago we changed over to LEDs on the tower; a big power cost reduction and they're brighter by far than the old incandescents. Maintenance cost is also down. It runs around $20,000 to bring in a tower crew for any serious work and only slightly less for relamping. This past summer we had some repairs done to the unipole and, though the tower could have gone 1-2 more years without it, we got the painting done and had it plumbed and trued so as to be able to go another three years or so without having to have a crew in.

Anyway, glad you enjoyed the website. If you'd like to get the newsletter by mail, send 'em a small contribution and ask to be put on the mailing list. Most donors make very small contribution but get so caught up in it they becomes "regulars". They even do small things like hand-signed (by entire staff) Christmas cards to every regular donor. It turns out (and this is sad) that for some, it's the only Christmas card they get.

I heard from Kelly this week; got invited to a Christmas party I'll likely miss but we're giving serious thought to going over to Nome for New Year's eve; big fireworks display is planned and some really good parties. I'm sure you'll enjoy talking with Kelly. Hint: At the start of the conversation ask if it's convenient to talk right now and, if not, would she suggest a better time. She is not only PD but does a 4-hour airshift (I think it's still 4) and they are running a bit shorthanded, made worse by some of the staff having gone "outside" to see family.

 

[bmprfg]

My favorite was about a week back. They were airing a high school basketball game, and when they took a sixty second time out, the board op started playing a song, then stopped it after sixty seconds! Then about ten minutes later, another sixty second time out was called, and the board op started playing the SAME song from the EXACT spot it was stopped the last break! That's GOLD boys, GOLD!

 

[hipporadio]

My favorite was about a week back. They were airing a high school basketball game, and when they took a sixty second time out, the board op started playing a song, then stopped it after sixty seconds! Then about ten minutes later, another sixty second time out was called, and the board op started playing the SAME song from the EXACT spot it was stopped the last break! That's GOLD boys, GOLD!

Oh thank goodness I’m not the only “twisted” KOTZ aficionado here! The high school game you mentioned would be “local coverage” of the Point Hope Harpooners VS Cordova. Incidentally, Point Hope appears to be many-many miles beyond the KOTZ coverage limit (??) but they still provided play-by-play—and yes, we couldn’t help but notice those musical interludes during the 60-second breaks. We wondered if the receptionist was pulling a fill-in board shift that afternoon and was unfamiliar with the program PC. The game ended over halfway into NPR’s “All Things Considered”, so KOTZ did an un-ceremonial JIP right into the remainder—followed by an hour of music—then a flip-flopped airing of the earlier portion... ‘And boys—that’s GOLD also!

Remember the CBS-TV sitcom “Northern Exposure”? ‘A lot in common here! The only thing that appears to be missing is the neighborhood Moose sticking his antlers into the control room. Maybe KOTZ has a friendly local Polar Bear instead ;D

 

[AKLes]

Oh thank goodness I’m not the only “twisted” KOTZ aficionado here! The high school game you mentioned would be “local coverage” of the Point Hope Harpooners VS Cordova. Incidentally, Point Hope appears to be many-many miles beyond the KOTZ coverage limit (??)

Don't underestimate coverage in Alaska! Lots of people using "Select Tennas" and similar devices to enhance reception. Also, not unknown for a village to erect one huge longwire with drops off it to individual homes so almost everybody gets at least one station. Basketball is incredibly popular in Western Alaska with teams flying hundreds of miles to compete.

Similarly snowmachine races. When KOTZ broadcasts "The Archie Ferguson Memorial Race" it's picked up by KNOM down in Nome (just dial into the regular number and they'll put it on "hold" so the air-signal can be rebroadcast). Same when KNOM does The Nome/Golovin Race. Participants from many villages far beyond the coverage area you'd expect of each and the families are willing to go to all kinds of lengths to hear it. Also, family relationships are pretty wide-spread.

 

[B Lewis]

What can you tell me about KBRW AM/FM in Barrow?

I have noticed and listened to 'OTZ and find them as 'interesting' as you guys. However, my favorite is KBRW in Barrow. I hope to visit there sometime. I am the GM of a small market NPR station in North Carolina...and, years ago, ran across KBRW in the NPR listings. I have contacted their Morning Edition host, Earl Finker, and finally can listen to them on their website. They, in a different kind of way, remind me of the local AM station I started at in the early 80's. The station was the center of the community of about 15,000...it was involved in and covered everything, was very interactive, but the programming was professionally (on a small-town scale) executed.
From what I hear on KBRW, they run the NPR anchor shows, play a wide range of music (in blocks), have programming in Inupiat, have a decent list of underwriters, and seems to have trained announcers...that sound like the guy next door on the air (meant as a compliment). They do run an interesting show called, 'THe Birthday Show". For 30 solid minutes, they take calls from people wishing loved-ones and friends a happy birthday. Every time I have heard this show, it's LOADED with calls. Is 'BRW-AM's signal received in other parts of Alaska? It seems that the AM is the 'main' station...as the FM is at a much lower power and seems more automated (from looking at the schedule). Though both run public radio programming, it seems the AM is intended to be more of a local, full-service staiton...where, it seems the FM is to be more of an NPR station with cultural programming. I have to say that KBRW is my favorite station on the final frontier of REAL community-based, local radio. Any information you guys have on KBRW would be appreciated.

Thanks and Happy New Year!

 

[AKLes]

Re: What can you tell me about KBRW AM/FM in Barrow?

However, my favorite is KBRW in Barrow. I hope to visit there sometime. I am the GM of a small market NPR station in North Carolina...and, years ago, ran across KBRW in the NPR listings. I have contacted their Morning Edition host, Earl Finker, and finally can listen to them on their website. They, in a different kind of way, remind me of the local AM station I started at in the early 80's.

I can't add much....you've pretty much hit it. KBRW is very much like many other rural Alaska stations in that their programming is highly localized. Thing is, "local" is variously defined according to location. I know, that sounds silly. Consider Barrow. 10-kW is sufficient to cover the community and the few outlying residents. 50-kW might add 50 people...well, OK, more if you consider the oil camps but those are not folks concerned with issues local to Barrow. The 10-kW output does the job; to do any more would gain little and cost hugely in power consumption.

The FM does, indeed, cover just the local community and I think you'll find the programming "adjusted" so that stuff of interest exclusively to folks within Barrow itself are not dumped on the outlying listeners. The AM coverage is more important to those who venture out of the community on snowmachines or in boats.

As I recall, the station has always used Nautel transmitters. There was one nasty fire some years back but they recovered nicely. Yes, the staff IS professional, perhaps moreso than at many other rural Alaska stations.

Managers of rural AK stations tend to know one another quite well through The Alaska Broadcasters Association but that doesn't extend much below the level of program directors; it's almost as though the talent in each market exists in a vacuum and there is little movement between stations in terms of employment.

You'll find Barrow exciting to visit; perhaps a little difficult to arrange a tidy flight schedule though Alaska Airlines takes 737s there daily. Just tying it together with a flight into Anchorage from "outside" might involve a long wait between arrival and departure. The costs are such that you might consider Barrow as just one point on an Alaskan tour. Problem is that there really is only one Northern Hub; Anchorage. To go, for example, from Barrow to Nome, Kotzebue or Bethel involves passing (again) through Anchorage. The Nome-Kotz "tour" is easily arranged since almost all AK Air flights go ANC-OTZ-OME-ANC or ANC-OME-OTZ-ANC. Spendy, though!

 

[hipporadio]

When KOTZ broadcasts "The Archie Ferguson Memorial Race" it's picked up by KNOM down in Nome (just dial into the regular number and they'll put it on "hold" so the air-signal can be rebroadcast). Same when KNOM does The Nome/Golovin Race. Participants from many villages far beyond the coverage area you'd expect of each and the families are willing to go to all kinds of lengths to hear it.

Les... I guess as I post, you’re on your way to Nome to enjoy their New Year's fireworks... HAPPY NEW YEAR and I wish you safe travels—and a fine time also!

When does the Ferguson snowmachine race take place? I would enjoy that coverage over the net—it would be a “first” in radio listening for me and I’ll happily make an appointment to hear it.

These stations are fascinating, refreshing in their simplicity, and a break from the usually “over-anal” radio stuff... Mr Lewis was on the mark in many respects.

I have noticed and listened to 'OTZ and find them as 'interesting' as you guys. However, my favorite is KBRW in Barrow... They, in a different kind of way, remind me of the local AM station I started at in the early 80's. The station was the center of the community of about 15,000...it was involved in and covered everything...

...seems to have trained announcers...that sound like the guy next door on the air (meant as a compliment).

The folks working at these stations DO sound like your neighbors—and that makes listening all the more comfortable! KNOM appears to utilize several volunteers... That may be an awesome experience for some that could afford to make that commitment for period of their life... In fact—maybe that activity wouldn’t hurt as a “rite of passage” into radio!

They do run an interesting show called, 'The Birthday Show". For 30 solid minutes, they take calls from people wishing loved-ones and friends a happy birthday. Every time I have heard this show, it's LOADED with calls.

KOTZ has a “request hour” at 4PM (local time), and it’s loaded with calls also. ‘Seems folks “gather ‘round” to find out and hear their neighbors’ favorite songs.

Is 'BRW-AM's signal received in other parts of Alaska?

I’ve wondered about this with regard to several AM stations there. With the exception of a few Class C and Ds—they all seem to exclusively “own” their channel. 10kw—25kw (14kw at night on KNOM)—and operate on unfettered “clears” with co-channel a good hike away. Les... How do they “cover” by day? I understand the “magnetic situation” in Nome, but can KBRW, KOTZ, and KYUK be heard throughout the state at night?

 

[AKLes]

Les... I guess as I post, you’re on your way to Nome to enjoy their New Year's fireworks... HAPPY NEW YEAR and I wish you safe travels—and a fine time also!

Thanks, but we're not going to make the trip. I looked into prices right after posting about the fireworks and found I had missed the opportunity to buy 2-week advance purchase tickets so the cost would have been around $1,300 for the two of us. I could have used "freebies" but have other purposes for them later in the year. There is some chance I might go over for The Golovin Race -- especially if someone offers to pay my airfare in exchange for my participation in race coverage, whether broadcast or "safety/rescue" via ham radio. This has happened in the past. Otherwise, I think I'll hold out until late June for The Midnight Sun Festival.

When does the Ferguson snowmachine race take place? I would enjoy that coverage over the net—it would be a “first” in radio listening for me and I’ll happily make an appointment to hear it.

The race is run in April. Here's a lot more about that race and others from a website run by former KNOM volunteer Clinton White:

http://www.fullthrottlenative.com/race/index.html

A caution...the nature of coverage varies from year to year on all these stations. Some years the crew consists of sled-dog lovers and the snowmachine races are all but ignored. Other years the crew is largely made up of "gearheads" and you'll get full-time, multi-remote coverage. The best ever was several years ago for The Nome-Golovin where there were live reporters at:

Start-Finish Line, on The Bering Sea Ice at the edge of Nome.

Nome River Bridge, where the racers leave the ice, up a steep hill, and onto the winter trail.

Alma Gulch, where the trail crosses the road (if it's open) and racers start the climb up Cape Nome.

Safety Roadhouse, the first checkpoint, about 20 Miles into the race. Nice place to work with a big yag on the roof, heated, lots of commentary available from veterans who hang out there and sip on various things.

Nome Kennel Club Musher's Cabin at Topkok Head. This one typically involves a relay; the person reporting using a hand-held that "speaks" to a sled-mounted repeater on Cape Nome, thence back to the station.

White Mountain, the refueling point for in and outbound racers. Involves placing the base station of an "Engenius" long-range wireless phone at the yurt where a teacher lives. It's tied to their telephone, dialed into the station's 800 mumber. The phone has a 2-3 mile service radius when used with an external antenna on the base station so the reporter can be right alongside the refueling machines a half mile or so out on the river ice. Great audio when one of the machines catches fire!

Regrettably, it has not been possible to get a signal out of the turnaround point at Golovin. It's an oil drum sitting on the ice of Golovin Bay around which the racers turn and head back. Very interesting conflicts when there are both inbound and outbound machines!

There is also a reporter at the "official" reporting point inside Fat Freddie's Restaurant on Front Street where SPARC (Seward Penninsula Amateur Radio Club) maintains a tracking board where pass-through times from a dozen or checkpoints are plotted.

Can ya tell, I miss it!

I'm losing track of heirarchy in quotes so I'll just lunge ahead here....

KNOM does use several volunteers. Usually recruited right out of college. Any here interested should contact Ric Schmidt (GM) via the KNOM.org website. It's experience a newcomer to radio can't get anywhere else. Incredible opportunities to spend time in native villages and report on stories that wouldn't be believed in other markets.

Make no mistake, a volunteer term in Alaska Rural Radio is life-changing!

On Birthdays:

When there's a birthday in Savoonga or Gambell you can get tens of calls wishing, particularly a child, a happy birthday. A kind of shorthand has evolved for writing these down, though these days many come in via e-mail. Common terms are:

HBD (Happy Birthday)
MMYTC (Many More Years To Come)
KBFM (Kiss Baby For Me)

Sometimes there are the most interesting "Hotline" messages:

"To John at Wooley from Mom in Nome. When you come in please bring the fermented baby walrus head I forgot in the hole under the shed."

Request hours (most stations have one) are VERY popular but occasionally have to be reigned in because of abuse...like malicious dedications on which I will not elaborate. Being rural does not automatically bestow sainthood.

The biggest obstacle to coverage by AM stations is electrical noise. As more and more vehicles come to "the bush" and there are more washers, dryers, etc. electrical noise can overwhelm a signa. Coverage 200 miles out is not unusual for KNOM daytimes. Nighttime it contracts a bit and there is skywave interference to consider.

It's rare for any of the stations to be heard around the state. Remember, Alaska is huge and there are multiple mountain ranges. Plus, lots of signals in the urban areas and the electrical noise runs wild. And, in winter, don't forget The Aurora!

Wife is nagging about breakfast, so we'll all talk later...