-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
DX Alert: CKLW off air due to transmitter fire
- Thread starter gr8oldies
- Start date
CKLW is back on 800, but at low power. Not sure about the DA, but like someone pointed out, the phasor might also be damaged. I'd say 1 kW DA, or 5 kW nondirectional. Seems like DA though, as it was really weak until one got more directly North. WGY's IBOC was really making it noisy, in areas where the signal is normally 5-10 mV/m.
Last edited:
As posted in another thread, I heard about twenty minutes of CKLW last night/this morning. Signal was about what it normally is....weak to fair, but steady. Religious broadcast mixing with it, but mostly underneath. My first thought was "business as usual", but then I realized that it could be reduced power non-directional.
My best guess right now is 10 kW nondirectional. Signal is down about 12 dB from usual, and I'm guessing 7 dB from power and 5 dB from no DA gain in my direction.
More Music for the Motor City!
Last edited:
What is your location?
If they're at 10kw ND, they should be doing better here northwest of Chicago. But that said, conditions last night weren't all that great at my location.
It's about 35 miles straight North. When I had a borrowed FI meter, it was 18 mV/m Day and 23 mV/m Night.
Actually, before someone starts doing calculations, it's closer to 40 miles.
If the transmitter area was involved, it's likely that any nearby phasor and transmission line was affected also, at least water that needs to be dried out completely. I'm hearing that a lot of transmitter buildings are developing leaky roofs that are creating hazards also.
I know that they ran 10 kW or 12.5 kW on STA when they rebuilt the DA.
I know that they ran 10 kW or 12.5 kW on STA when they rebuilt the DA.
Ah OK. I remember one night many years ago, close to 20 now, that I was in Pontiac and checked CKLW only to hear a much less robust signal than I was expecting. That hinted to me how directional CKLW is. I'd say their night signal in Toledo is (or at least was) equal or to better than what I heard in Pontiac that night.
Update: CKLW was booming in here this morning about an hour before sunrise. Much stronger than a little over 24 hours previous. And for that matter, stronger than what's usually the case for CKLW here even on a good night. So my initial impression notwithstanding, 10KW Non directional definitely seems plausible. It should be noted, however, that the skywave path to the east was better overall than usual, and certainly better than the night before. CFCO, WJR, WTAM, and WSPD were also all present with good signals. WTAM in particular was a monster.
So....I'm still not certain what's happening. I wonder if what I was hearing this morning was simply optimum conditions. Or, if perhaps CKLW initially came back on with a non-directional STA at lower than authorized power, and was subseqently able to raise it. Whatever was going on, it may also be worth noting that the audio quality of the signal was very good.
So....I'm still not certain what's happening. I wonder if what I was hearing this morning was simply optimum conditions. Or, if perhaps CKLW initially came back on with a non-directional STA at lower than authorized power, and was subseqently able to raise it. Whatever was going on, it may also be worth noting that the audio quality of the signal was very good.
I'm going to check the signal meter again. OK, CKLW is still about 12 dB down from the normal reading. The meter does seem to be a pretty good indicator on the PL-390. Also checked some skywaves in Northern Michigan last week, that peak around 10 mV/m, and they were peaking a little less than 60 dB, actually the upper 50s, but this isn't the best time of year for skywave. WJR with a 20 mV/m groundwave signal reads about 66 dB groundwave in SE Michigan. So my fudge factor is 20 dB near the bottom of the band below 1000 kHz. I will see if the fudge factor varies with frequency, and come up with a better "calibration" curve with frequency and signal strength range, even better if I get an FI meter to compare it with. I know the limitations, but it's so handy. And on FM, you are just measuring a statistical F(L,T) anyway. Interesting that most of the FM translators were near 15 dB on the meter, and fell below the sensitivity threshold with antenna adjustment. This tells me that even 250 watt AM translators, though useful, are not the complete solution.
Last edited:
Update-2: I checked 800 again this morning about an hour before sunrise, and things were completely different. It took about five minutes on the channel before CKLW finally broke through. Mostly I was hearing a mix of stations with CKLW and what I assume was XEROK each occasionally rising to the top. (I never was able to positively identify XEROK, but it was regional Mexican interrupted by an announcer and commercials....as I've been hearing from them recently).
For reference, I checked CKLW's "neighboring" big signals. CFCO, WJR, and WTAM were all weaker than the previous morning. (I didn't check WSPD). Yesterday, I was leaning toward the conclusion that CKLW was running 10kw ND. Now I'm stumped once again. What I heard this morning didn't sound like 10kw ND, even with less than ideal conditions.
For reference, I checked CKLW's "neighboring" big signals. CFCO, WJR, and WTAM were all weaker than the previous morning. (I didn't check WSPD). Yesterday, I was leaning toward the conclusion that CKLW was running 10kw ND. Now I'm stumped once again. What I heard this morning didn't sound like 10kw ND, even with less than ideal conditions.
CKLW 800 is still down 10-12 dB at my location, about 40 miles North of the site near Harrow. CKWW 580 is only 3-4 dB below CKLW. But we don't have a good graph of fudge factor vs. frequency. Overall gain typically varies with frequency, though not as much as those old tube model FI meters with the 1.5 V filaments. Yes, I know the limitations, and a Tecsun PL-3XX is not an FI meter.
I meant to listen for a pattern change last night, but missed it. Probably around 8:45 PM EDT in May.
I meant to listen for a pattern change last night, but missed it. Probably around 8:45 PM EDT in May.
Update-3. I didn't get the chance to check out CKLW last night/this morning. But the night/morning before last CKLW's signal at my location northwest of Chicago was slightly better than the previous night, but not as good as the night before that. Mixing with a couple of other UNID stations. I didn't hear what sounded like music or preaching of any sort, so I guess that means I can rule out PJB or XERF!
To summarize, that means it doesn't sound like 10KW-ND, but it does sound fairly similar to what it's been historically. Yet I'm still not comfortable hazarding a guess as to what's going on in the aftermath of the xmtr fire.
To summarize, that means it doesn't sound like 10KW-ND, but it does sound fairly similar to what it's been historically. Yet I'm still not comfortable hazarding a guess as to what's going on in the aftermath of the xmtr fire.
Update-3. I didn't get the chance to check out CKLW last night/this morning. But the night/morning before last CKLW's signal at my location northwest of Chicago was slightly better than the previous night. But still not as good as the night before that. Mixing with a couple of other UNID stations. I didn't hear what sounded like music or preaching of any sort, so I guess that means I can rule out PJB or XERF!
To summarize, that means it doesn't sound like 10KW-ND, but it does sound fairly similar to what it's been historically. Yet I'm still not comfortable hazarding a guess as to what's going on in the aftermath of the xmtr fire.
To summarize, that means it doesn't sound like 10KW-ND, but it does sound fairly similar to what it's been historically. Yet I'm still not comfortable hazarding a guess as to what's going on in the aftermath of the xmtr fire.
I keep missing the pattern change, but the signal is still down about 10-12 dB when I just checked. A carrier drop out at Sunrise or Sunset would confirm they are operating DA-2, and a change in signal strength would also support that.
Last edited:
CKLW was totally missing when I checked 800 about an hour before sunrise this morning. Maybe they were off to continue repair/cleanup from the fire. Conditions appeared to be fairly normal for the most part. Except for a very good path to the south. On 800 I was hearing mostly regional Mexican (XEROK?) mixing with religion (PJB?). If indeed the relgion I was hearing was PJB, the path from the south could explain it. One thing that I WAS able to positively ID from points south was R. Reloj on top of 570. I've heard them here at home a number of times, but not recently. It was only in for a few minutes, then disappeared into the mess.
- Status