A day in the life of a lamptimer

[justthenumbers]

That should move the Lumberyard up to a whopping 0.2 share and ahead of Tucson's KUAT PBS TV simulcast on 87.7 FM! ;D

I know you were kidding, but I don’t think that Arbitron measures TV station listening on radio (or at least not in “the book”). WNYZ-LP in New York City is a low-power TV station (Channel 6) that markets itself as a dance radio station (“Pulse 87”). According to this page on Wikipedia, they are measured in the PPMs, but because they cannot be included in the official Arbitron book for that market.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

If I ever get one of the Arbitron books, I'm going to write in 1440 for my listening
from 7:58 A.M. to 5:28 P.M.

6:58am to 5:28pm? Of course, that's only through November, and the funky
lamptimer has probably backed itself into the 6:58 minute by now. Check KAZG in
the FCC AM Query for sunrise/sunset times in December (but keep this on the QT
from ARB ).

Come next spring, IIRC, the Phoenix market switches to the Purple People Meter.
You'll have to have a radio playing for the entire broadcast day to get credit for
Lumberyard 1440. But the good thing is the station will get double ratings credit
everytime they play Sheb Wooley. ;D

 

[DrAkbar]

Nurse Jeff and I can confirm the mischevious station whose nightime skywave is on top of Lumberyard 14~Forty's non-existant signal is KINF in Santa Maria, CA. They run 1kw at night with two sticks and a signal that basically shoots west to el Pacifico. However there is enough juice heading skyward to make it's way to the Lumberyard on Thomas Road. With Gumpdusky's kick-ass processing, there's no reason the Gold Mine couldn't be heard within a 15 mile radius of the Tower of 52 watts Power. We say bring it on and watch those ratings go from a 0.1 to a questionable 0.2!

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

Nurse Jeff and I can confirm the mischevious station whose nightime skywave is on top of Lumberyard 14~Forty's non-existant signal is KINF in Santa Maria, CA. They run 1kw at night with two sticks and a signal that basically shoots west to el Pacifico. However there is enough juice heading skyward to make it's way to the Lumberyard on Thomas Road. With Gumpdusky's kick-ass processing, there's no reason the Gold Mine couldn't be heard within a 15 mile radius of the Tower of 52 watts Power. We say bring it on and watch those ratings go from a 0.1 to a questionable 0.2!

On a noisy channel like 1440, KAZG's 52 watts would produce a useable signal of less then 10 miles!

 

[DrAkbar]

On a noisy channel like 1440, KAZG's 52 watts would produce a useable signal of less then 10 miles!

...but look at the population within a 10 mile radius of the Lumberyard! South Scottsdale, Tempe, Arcadia and parts of Mesa. Gumpdusky just doesn't care about their wayward AM daytimer!

 

[asugeorge1]

Hey everyone! It's Friday night at 6:20 P.M. and the Lumberyard is still on! It's a miracle! It's not our 14 in a row goldmine, though. They had the ASU women's basketball game on and now they are talking about high school football. I believe they aired the 3A state football championship game and a 4A semifinal game.

If this is KAZG's nighttime 52 watt power, it's actually pretty strong. I'm here in Gilbert and it's coming in pretty clearly with no interference. Looks like the lamptimer didn't shut the station down at 5:28 P.M. Did anyone hear the switch from daytime power to nighttime power? Anyone else hearing the Lumberyard after dark?

 

[asugeorge1]

And at 6:24:15 P.M., it went off the air. They got done wrapping up the high-school football postgame show, played a legal ID with the voice of the high school football guy (not the normal KAZG legal ID) and started playing "The Monkees Theme" by the Monkees. After about a minute, it switched off in classic KAZG fashion. I wonder if it was in fact on nighttime power or if it was still on daytime power. Anyone else catch this?

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Unless Gumpdusky got permission from Uncle Charlie to stay on day power
past the 5:30 sign-off time, they got some 'splainin' to do! I don't think a
high school football semi-final constitutes a national or local emergency.

BTW, there's been some discussion on, I believe, the Nashville board about
daytimers "clandestinely" staying on the air Friday evenings to air high school
football games.

Back to the Lumberyard, there was no power drop* which should have occured
about 5:28:17, based on this morning's 6:58:21 sign on (compensating for the
:08 daily lamptimer drift of course). And no power drop until the carrier was
cut at 6:24:03. Oh, and no legal ID anywhere near 6:00 or at sign-off.

The football game proper ended at 5:36, yet KAZG stayed another 48 minutes
or so, airing a bunch of post-game stuff. I also counted at least 16 spots that
aired after the required (yeah, right :) 5:30 sign-off time. I'm curious if radio
stations still have to log at least the actual start time of a spot--if so, how will
Gumpdusky explain all this commercial matter airing after KAZG should have been
off the air?

asugeorge1--did you hear a real legal ID when they finally dumped out at about
6:23:35? I heard two audio sources on top of each other briefly, just before
the hard drive goldmine was JIPped for a short period until the plug was pulled.


*: Based on a constant meter level on my Sangean 909 from when I started listening
at about 5:21, and the strong signal. The difference between 5000 vs. 52 watts
in the 'Tuke is definitely noticeable.

 

[DrAkbar]

Maybe Lumberyard 14~Forty was running on it's Post Sunset authorization. And maybe all Xmas Music two months early isn't so bad afterall.

 

[asugeorge1]

asugeorge1--did you hear a real legal ID when they finally dumped out at about
6:23:35? I heard two audio sources on top of each other briefly, just before
the hard drive goldmine was JIPped for a short period until the plug was pulled.

Your right, oldiesfan, it wasn't a real legal ID. I heard the same thing you did. If I remember right, the ID said, "Your listening to 1440 KAZG, playing your all-time favorite hits," and then went into the Monkees song already in progress. You definitely have the right tools for this! I was just listening on my Sony Liv portable radio.

I'm very curious as to why they would be allowed to stay on the air using daytime power almost one hour after they were suppose to sign off. That postgame show did not need to drag on like it did, especially if KAZG had to sign-off ASAP so as not to get into trouble. I've also never heard them air high-school football before. That's usually 1060's business. I don't have a problem with it, I just wish they would stay on the air all-night airing the DOS computer goldmine using their allocated 52 watts. What we were hearing at 6:00 P.M. yesterday clearly was not the 52 watts of nighttime power. It sounded as clear as the daytime power here in Gilbert and 52 watts from Scottsdale would barely come in down here.

Gumpdusky does have some "splainin" to do! No matter what, you gotta love the antics of our beloved Lumberyard! ;D

 

[The Beave]

Hey everyone! It's Friday night at 6:20 P.M. and the Lumberyard is still on! It's a miracle! It's not our 14 in a row goldmine, though. They had the ASU women's basketball game on and now they are talking about high school football. I believe they aired the 3A state football championship game and a 4A semifinal game.

If this is KAZG's nighttime 52 watt power, it's actually pretty strong. I'm here in Gilbert and it's coming in pretty clearly with no interference. Looks like the lamptimer didn't shut the station down at 5:28 P.M. Did anyone hear the switch from daytime power to nighttime power? Anyone else hearing the Lumberyard after dark?

This is the very same situation that got "all Sports" KDEF-AM $46,000.00in fines.
The Albuquerque station was running all sports on the network at 5kw without automation,
or a live operator there. A staff of 2 the owner + an underpaid part timer.

 

[justthenumbers]

Click here and you will see that this is now the 3rd-longest message thread in the history of the board (or at least since it switched to this layout). Coming in at #2 was another lengthy discussion about KAZG (123 messages) that started in May '07. And the top of the list is the Jim Sharpe one with 187 messages (although it really branched out into different tangents) -- it began in Dec '07 but was resurrected in September and then again in November of this year.

Reading the other monster KAZG thread, it seems that have/had the option of broadcasting at 500 watts from 6am until sunrise, for the times of the year (like now) when sunrise occurs after 6am. But have they ever actually done this?

That string of messages also mentioned KFNX 1100 running some "headbanger" show with an illegal 50,000 watts after sunset. Can someone refresh my memory on when exactly this occurred, how long it continued, and who was responsible for it?

Also in that thread was mention of the "Giant 580" (KSAZ Marana). I seem to recall being able to hear this station reasonably well around the Valley in years past, but I haven't been able to pick it up lately. Did they make a change to their transmitter power or pattern?

 

[justthenumbers]

I found the answer the pre-sunrise operation question earlier in this thread -- it is yes. I'd still love to know if that pre-sunrise power is 52 watts, 500 watts, or something else.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

Reading the other monster KAZG thread, it seems that have/had the option of broadcasting at 500 watts from 6am until sunrise, for the times of the year (like now) when sunrise occurs after 6am. But have they ever actually done this?

Not sure if it's 500 watts. KAZG has the PSRA/PSSA, the specs of which are buried somewhere in their listing in the FCC AM Query; it also apparently involves some convoluted formula to figure out exactly how many watts they can use in a month when sunrise is after 6:00. As they also have the blazing 52-watt nighttime authorization, it more likely that's what was used. I think the last time KAZG used 52 watts from 6:00 until monthly sunrise was prior to April 2008 (April being a 6:00 sign-on). Maybe I'm confusing that with the short period where they actually stayed on all night at the low power.

That string of messages also mentioned KFNX 1100 running some "headbanger" show with an illegal 50,000 watts after sunset. Can someone refresh my memory on when exactly this occurred, how long it continued, and who was responsible for it?

A number of years ago, there were instances of heavy metal and/or rap shows on around midnight, with totally uncensored lyrics (yes, those seven words) and where KFNX powered back up to 50 gallons. Earlier this year there was a period where power drops were done much later than the required time, often when some colon blow (or similar) infomercial was airing in the evening. AFAIK, they have been playing by the power rules for a number of months now.

Also in that thread was mention of the "Giant 580" (KSAZ Marana). I seem to recall being able to hear this station reasonably well around the Valley in years past, but I haven't been able to pick it up lately. Did they make a change to their transmitter power or pattern?

Still the same (5 kw-D, 390 w-N, DA-N), just the music has changed. On Labor Day KSAZ flipped from the ABC Tiresome Classics satellite to the ABC Real Country satellite. I'm still getting about the same signal strength daytime, it's pretty good in the 'Tuke but terrible in some other areas where you start getting close to the 550 and 620 tower sites, both of which run I-CRAP.

 

[DrAkbar]

Not sure if it's 500 watts. KAZG has the PSRA/PSSA, the specs of which are buried somewhere in their listing in the FCC AM Query; it also apparently involves some convoluted formula to figure out exactly how many watts they can use in a month when sunrise is after 6:00. As they also have the blazing 52-watt nighttime authorization, it more likely that's what was used. I think the last time KAZG used 52 watts from 6:00 until monthly sunrise was prior to April 2008 (April being a 6:00 sign-on). Maybe I'm confusing that with the short period where they actually stayed on all night at the low power.

The PSRA/PSSA formula for Lumberyard 14~Forty is more confusing than why so many people are interested in KAZG and requires different power settings each month:

PSRA (on at 6a when sunrise is after 6a) PSSA (an extra two hours after local sunset)

Nov 6:00a - Sunrise 500w Nov 5:30- 6pm 100w 6-6:30p 38w 6:30-7:30p 28w

Dec 6:00a - Sunrise 490w Dec 5:15-5:45p 490w* 5:45-6p 75w 6p-6:15p 49 w 6:15-7:15p 29w


Unless you're the Old Gringo, this is kinda hard for Nurse Jeff and me to remember without a cheat sheet! Most former daytimers with PSRA/PSSA authorizations go to their night power at sunset and leave it there until sunrise. However a case can be made for using the PSRA (pre sunrise) authorization to boost their 52 watts to at least 490 watts at 6am and then turn on the 5kw afterburners at sunrise.

....now does anyone know where I left my pocket protector??



* not a typo (power setting computations have a lot of variables)

 

[justthenumbers]

If KAZG were 5,000 watts day and night, who (besides the Santa Maria station, I assume) would they be interfering with? I'm not saying they should be allowed to do it...I'm just curious about other stations on the same or similar frequencies that would be affected.

 

[oldiesfan6479]

If KAZG were 5,000 watts day and night, who (besides the Santa Maria station, I assume) would they be interfering with?

You can search by frequency on either the FCC AM Query or on Radio Locator
for U.S. stations and perhaps come to a subjective conclusion which one(s)
could be affected. Don't know what's on 1440 in northern Mexico, but we can
put out a shout to the Old Gringo for some help there.

I think the best answer would be that any boost from 52 watts/night could only
occur if KAZG got approval to install a DA-N, and that's not likely to happen for
a couple of reasons:

1) No room at the lumberyard for more towers.

2) A new XMTR site is highly improbable as the needed acreage--if it was available
and there were no NIMBYs, or spotted owls, to scuttle it--would be too expensive.
The cost of building such a site would take forever to recoup with a 5 kw near the
high end of the dial saddled with multiple nulls. Unless Gumpdusky could really raise
the heck out of its rate card for half-hour colon blow infomercials.

They also couldn't afford a new heavy-duty lamptimer to switch power and pattern at
the proper times twice a day. ;D

 

[landtuna]

Nix the HD lamptimer. I think I know where Gumpdumpsky could get an intern.....cheap! ;D

 

[davideduardo]

You can search by frequency on either the FCC AM Query or on Radio Locator
for U.S. stations and perhaps come to a subjective conclusion which one(s)
could be affected. Don't know what's on 1440 in northern Mexico, but we can
put out a shout to the Old Gringo for some help there.

XEVSD wth 500 watts non-directional in Cd. Constitución, Baja California Sur is the only close by Mexican.

The bigger protection requirement is to very heritage KDIF (formerly KPRO) in Riverside, which is 1 kw non directional and requires severe protection.

There is a lot more on the channel that has long heritage, like Corpus and Amarillo and Topeka, but the real issue, as you said, is getting a place to put up a bunch of towers. Being at the high end of the dial means they would have to stay close to the metro, and I don't think that is practical or doable.

 

[phil]

"The PSRA/PSSA formula for Lumberyard 14~Forty is more confusing than why so many people are interested in KAZG and requires different power settings each month:

PSRA (on at 6a when sunrise is after 6a) PSSA (an extra two hours after local sunset)

Nov 6:00a - Sunrise 500w Nov 5:30- 6pm 100w 6-6:30p 38w 6:30-7:30p 28w

Dec 6:00a - Sunrise 490w Dec 5:15-5:45p 490w* 5:45-6p 75w 6p-6:15p 49 w 6:15-7:15p 29w"

What I don't get: if their nightime power is 52 watts, why should th PSSA be anything less? Makes no sense.