Channel surfing after getting gas for my car tonight, I noticed KBRT is still on the air ... As of right now (9:20) they are still on ... Down here in south Orange County, they seem to be at full 10kw power complete with IBOC hash. With a portable radio I can null them just slightly and KCBS is easily heard. They are almost exactly in synce with each other. I wonder if the engineers at KCBS are aware?
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Daytimer KBRT 740 AM is still on the air tonight
- Thread starter SuperRadioFan
- Start date
SuperRadioFan said:
The rightthing to do is e-mail or call KBRT. In my experience, this sort of happening is generally a malfunction of some piece of gear, and stations usually are glad to be advised.
Really?! Yes, I was thinking of giving them a call, their TOTH ID was definitely automatedDavidEduardo said:
SuperRadioFan said:
Yep, most stations do care about complying with the "terms of the license" and would be happy to hear about what is likely a malfunction. Check for an e-mail link on their website if they have one.
On the other hand, I recall calling KNIX 1580 in Tempe (Phoenix metro) around 1973 when they kept the daytime AM transmitter on several hours after sunset. I got the DJ who was on the air, told him the AM was still on the air and got a "so?" reply. Upon mentioning that this was a violation of FCC rules, he said, "so you are one of those!" at which point I said I would call the FCC instead.
Less than 15 seconds later, the AM was off.
I wish there was an FCC for neighbors with barking dogs.
I made the call... seems they were unaware, though I didn't speak with the CE
DavidEduardo said:
Actually there have been a few postings on other boards here about local daytimers, staying on for Friday nights to broadcast the local high school games but generally most operators prefer to play by the rules. Also the Columbus Ohio board had a flurry of outrage about WRFD there which is probably automated for sure. I thought that KBRT had an engineer in residence on Catalina so there is less excuse for them, if that is so.
David, there is an FCC for barking dogs just contact your local animal control agency, usually the shelter. I did, faxed them back a form they sent me and problem solved.
...WNOV/860 Milwaukee, under the old Courier Communications ownership, was infamous for staying on at full power (250 watts) after sunset instead of dropping down to the 5 watts nighttime pattern. They're supposed to be protecting CJBC/860 Toronto, and I suspect Courier didn't think anyone was bothered by English-language rap records obliterating French-language speech ;-) ...
Carmine5 said:
As Mr. Moore says, they do not use the night authorization as it is not enough to overcome KCBS even in Avalon, a couple of miles away from the transmitter on Santa Catalina Island.
DavidEduardo said:
Hey David jumping between boards does spin your head sometimes, my friend. Mr. Moore didn't post it, I did ... but not on this board... I posted the following on the SF board....
......yes they are authorized for night operation, but they don't use it... Think about this... 113 watts at night with KCBS's signal beaming strongly down doesn't make that signal very usable unless you live on Santa Catalina Island . Even with their full power last night, it was easy to null them (with a portable radio) and clearly hear KCBS. Since I live in Orange County where their daytime signal is the 2nd strongest for me (after KFI) I know this for a fact that they sign off either at local sunset or during some months they sign off 15 minutes after local sunset.
DavidEduardo said:
Was Buck Owens the owner of KNIX-AM/FM back in 1973? If so, I'm sure he would have never allowed such an event to occur on purpose. One thing about Buck Owens, he was well known to be a stickler for keeping his operations totally within FCC specs. What happened that night was probably a fluke or a stupid operator (or a combination of both). I hope it didn't happen again.
1580 Tempe is 50 KW at night. When were they just a daytimer?
Peter Q. George (K1XRB) said:
From my 1974 Broadcasting Yearbook:
KTUF 1580 Tempe acquired 04-18-67 (calls apparently still KTUF at the
deadline for this 1974 yearbook), KNIX 102.5 Phoenix acquired 06-68.
I guess we need to disclaim that these yearly tomes were always 100%
accurate in their data, and were proofread multiple times so as never to
have any typos! :
Sam Lit said:
Hi Sam:
1580 Tempe was originally a 50,000 watt daytimer up until the late 80's or early 90's. Eventually with the breakdown of the clears (BIG MISTAKE, IMHO), KNIX-AM was able to get the night authorization they needed to operate fulltime. For many years, it was a simulcast with KNIX-FM (102.5). Eventually, the late Buck Owens experimented with other Country formats (mainly the older material) on 1580. Today, 1580 is a Radio Disney clone.
Eyooo Pete, thanks for the info. Wow, nice blowtorch of a signal. Apparently, Radio Disney bills 1580/Tempe as one of the most powerful Radio Disney signals in the nation. I guess with the 50 kW N-DA-6, SW signal they meant one of the most powerful night skywave signals in Mexico. lol. KMIK and XEDM must make for a nice fight at night in the SW.
Incidentally, Disney, relatively recently held a construction permit for 640/WWJZ to a 25 kW N-DA-8 modification w COL change to Horsham Pa., in the Philadelphia western suburbs. However, Disney let the construction permit lapse. I rather think that 50 kW-DA 4, 25 kW N-DA-8 COL Horsham Pa. on 640 would propel WWJZ to the most powerful Disney signal.
Incidentally, Disney, relatively recently held a construction permit for 640/WWJZ to a 25 kW N-DA-8 modification w COL change to Horsham Pa., in the Philadelphia western suburbs. However, Disney let the construction permit lapse. I rather think that 50 kW-DA 4, 25 kW N-DA-8 COL Horsham Pa. on 640 would propel WWJZ to the most powerful Disney signal.
Peter Q. George (K1XRB) said:
1580 was never a 1-A clear; it was a 1 B shared by Canada (Chiquitimi) and Mexico (XEDM). The 1-B's have plenty of secondary stations on them, such as 810 (KGO and WGY) with WKVM, Kansas City, etc., on it. Or 710 with NY and Seattly as primary stations, with significnt others in Shreeveport, Duluth, Miami, LA, Amarillo, Denver and so on.
1580 had fulltime KDAY in LA (metro) with 50 kw on it, as well as some smaller 1580 fulltimers in Louisiana and such.
KNIX just figured out how to protect KDAY, XEDM and the Canadian border. They then built the dreadful night facility just as AM was pretty much declared dead.
It's not a clone (copy). It is the real thing: a Disney owned Radio Disney affiliate station.
Sam Lit said:
The signal goes nowehere near the XEDM protected area in Mexico. KMIK protects all but far NW Mexico, the Canadian border and KDAY by shooting a very narrow lobe west by southwest over the ocean, south of KDAY and booming over Mexicali and San Diego and tijuana.
The Disney folks are guilty of sales hyperbole and puffery. There is nothing powerful about 50 kw on 1580 that 1 kw on 550 would not beat! That is why 5 kw WIP beats 1210 in coverage in Philadelphia (I'm sorry... can't write the new calls... it will always be WCAU to me... the station where CBS started about 80 years ago).
David,
I know KDAY (KMPC) is 50 kW at night now, but when I was in LA in the late 70's they we're just a silly 'ol 50kW daytimer (playing rap as I recall. And 1kw graveyard 1230/KGFJ was kicking their butt with Frankie Crocker programming). When did they get nights?
Incidentally, light rumor has it that 1210's 50kW signal is so exceptionally bad because their ground system was sold as scrap to pay the bill's during the CBS free FM debacle.
I know KDAY (KMPC) is 50 kW at night now, but when I was in LA in the late 70's they we're just a silly 'ol 50kW daytimer (playing rap as I recall. And 1kw graveyard 1230/KGFJ was kicking their butt with Frankie Crocker programming). When did they get nights?
Incidentally, light rumor has it that 1210's 50kW signal is so exceptionally bad because their ground system was sold as scrap to pay the bill's during the CBS free FM debacle.
Sam Lit said:
In 1970 it was listed as 50 kw day, 10 kw night. In 1965, it was listed as a 50 kw daytimer. So somewhere in the middle it went to 50/10 fulltime. By 1975 (Broadcasting Yearbook) it was 50 kw fulltime, up from the 10 kw at night. So it's been fulltime since the late 60's (in fact, urban legend has it that the station was so directional it entertained the troops in Vietnam at night. The fact is that it was often listened to on bases in Hawaii.)
That's funny. The value of 120 radials, assuming #12 copper, would be a few thousand dollars.
Retuning the tower with a reduced ground would cost much more, especially since a filing for changed efficiency with the FCC would take costly legal time.
But that's how urban legends get started, isn't it!
Of course, the reason 1210 has less overage than 560 or 610 is, simply, because it is 1210. 5k on the very low part of the band should equal or better 50 kw at 1210.
DavidEduardo said:
I missed the edit window on this... the paragraph should have read,
In 1970 it was listed as 50 kw day, 10 kw night. In 1965, it was listed as a 50 kw daytimer. So somewhere in the middle it got a CP to go 50/10 fulltime. But by 1973, it was listed as 50 day with a 5 kw night CP, so the 10 apparently never got built.
By 1975 (Broadcasting Yearbook) it was 50 kw fulltime, and not listed as a CP. So it's been fulltime since sometime in the mid 70's (in fact, urban legend has it that the station was so directional it entertained the troops in Vietnam at night. The fact is that it was often listened to on bases in Hawaii.) Of course, it looks like the US was pretty much out of Vietnam by the time the nigt power facility was built.
By the way, there are Broadcasting Yearbooks for mpost years from 1940 to 1980 at www.americanradiohistory.com where you can check any station over the years.
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