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Day-only Class D AMs with Class A-like day facilities?

P

pianoplayer88key

The ND night Class Bs thread reminded me of something else I've thought of. What about stations with Class D licenses that have Class A-like daytime facilities and NO night authorization? Ideally I'd be thinking of 50kW ND with half-wave or larger antennas, of which I've only found one, but I suppose anything that meets class A criteria (10kW and 362 mV/m/kW efficiency) would qualify. (I wasn't able to find one with a 3-letter call, though. Also, if a station has a PSSA/PSRA I'd prefer the power difference be such that when they change, your enthusiast-quality radio, if you're near the station, goes from overload (garbled/distorted audio when tuned on-frequency) to no signal at all.)

Here's a few i've come up with:

890 WHJA Laurel, MS - 10 kW ND-D, 214.9° tower, 436 mV/m/kW day, 378 mV/m/kW Critrr

1530 WYMM Jacksonville, FL - 50kW DA-D, 2 towers: 210+23.7° sec'd, 2980.51 mV/m @ 1 km

1550 KUAZ Tuscon, AZ - 50kW ND-D, 215.6° tower, 437.74 mV/m/kW
 
This one is close but not quite: KCTA, 1030 Corpus Christi TX, 50 kW ND-D, 308.99 mV/m at 1 kilometer, 90.5° tower. This was one of my earliest DX catchs, I might have been 8 or 9 years old and I woke up early one winter morning, turned on the little transistor kitchen radio which was always left on 1040 WHO Des Moines and heard something chattering in the background. There was Corpus Christi on 1030.

Had to read the darned history cards on this one...first signed on 1944 on 1010 w/50kW daytime only; to 1030 in 1946, 50 kW ND-D; filed app in 1947 for 1030 to relocate to Houston, 50 kW/10 kW, DA-N, dismissed; on 1030, operated as a limited time station, from local sunrise Boston MA to local sunset Corpus Christi. (I assume it's still operating with grandfathered limited time up to the present); 50 kW/10kW DA-N app, take two in 1958, assuming this time from Corpus, app dismissed 1964.

With the two attempts to add night service in its early years, it's ironic that KCTA never pursued night time operation after the clears were broken down in the 80s.
 
joebtsflk1; With the two attempts to add night service in its early years said:
I really, really stand to be corrected on this one, but I seem to remember that this was discussed here several years ago. IIRC, what it boiled down to was a choice between an expensive DA setup or "flea power" non-directional. Neither of which was deemed to be economically feasible. I don't know, but I'd guess that the 10kw night pattern proposed in the '40s and '50s would be less "exotic" than what might be required today.

....BTW, Joe. Great job with "Renegade Roadhouse". Good stuff!
Click to expand...
 
cyberdad said:
....BTW, Joe. Great job with "Renegade Roadhouse". Good stuff!
Click to expand...

thanks for the thumbs up!

KCTA's xmtr site is just far enough from Corpus that an ND pattern night time wouldn't get far...guessing that even if they got 190 watts or so night it wouldn't be worth it
 
Aside from being able to hear KCTA in the daytime behind WONQ out on Honeymoon Island, sometimes for a while after sunset here in Tampa I can hear them before they sign off.
 
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