According to Fybush.com, the FCC has indicated that WTIC AM 1080 should bend over and grab its ankles 'cause here it comes. I'm not sure I understand the whole thing, so I'd really appreciate some qualified explanations to this FCC brainchild.
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FCC's Messin' Around With AM 1080
- Thread starter DJ Jim Wayne
- Start date
Re: FCC's Messin' Around With AM 1080 (a bit long & technical, sorry!)
Most AM stations that have more than trivial nighttime power are required to go directional and/or reduce power at sunset. WTIC is among them; it's required to go directional to protect KRLD Dallas, also on 1080. (and KRLD is required to go directional to protect WTIC)
In almost all cases, stations are required to go directional/reduce power at sunset at the station's tower(s). However, WTIC is an exception. (Scott lists some other exceptions in his article) WTIC is allowed to remain on non-directional daytime facilities until sunset at KRLD. Since Dallas is well west of Hartford, sunset in Dallas is much later than sunset in Hartford - WTIC is allowed nearly two extra hours of non-directional operation.
AM stations have a "groundwave" coverage area, and a "skywave" coverage area. Skywave only exists at night, but it can go out for hundreds of miles. (if it didn't, there would be no need for KRLD and WTIC to protect each other - the stations' groundwave coverage areas don't come anywhere near intersecting)
For the vast majority of AM stations, skywave coverage is not protected from interference. Only the groundwave coverage - extending out to 100 miles or so - is protected. Only Class A stations get protected skywave - not counting Alaska and Hawaii, there are only 58 such stations. But WTIC and KRLD are two of them.
What the FCC has decided, is that the extra skywave coverage that WTIC gets from being allowed to operate non-directional from Hartford sunset until Dallas sunset, is not protected from interference.
I wouldn't really say WTIC is getting "screwed". If they were treated like just about every other AM station, their nighttime skywave coverage wouldn't be protected at all. If they were treated like just about every other Class A AM station, they would be required to go directional immediately at Hartford sunset, and the skywave coverage area that's losing protection wouldn't even exist.
I would suggest this whole situation comes out of something that happened way back in 1935. There were FAR more stations than there were available frequencies; the FCC had to figure out what to do with them.
WTIC was stuck sharing time on 1060 with Baltimore's WBAL. And KRLD was sharing 1040 with KTHS in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (KTHS would eventually become today's KAAY-1090, Little Rock) Hartford and Baltimore couldn't operate on the same frequency at the same time, even during the day, without ruinous interference. Likewise, Dallas and Hot Springs couldn't operate simultaneously without interference. WTIC had to go off the air when WBAL was on, and vice-versa.
Sometime in 1934 or 1935, the situation was solved by having WTIC and KTHS swap frequencies. Hartford and Dallas could operate at the same time on the same frequency during the day without interference; likewise for Hot Springs and Baltimore. But at night, there would still be interference. So all four stations were required to switch to directional antennas at night.
I would speculate the special dispensation to operate non-directional until Dallas sunset came because WTIC had been operating non-directionally (albeit going off the air entirely at times to allow Baltimore to operate) full-time and had an audience west of Hartford that expected service.
(the whole dial got shifted up by varying amounts early in 1941; both 1060 stations got moved to 1090 where they are now; both 1040 stations got moved to 1080.)
DJ Jim Wayne said:According to Fybush.com, the FCC has indicated that WTIC AM 1080 should bend over and grab its ankles 'cause here it comes. I'm not sure I understand the whole thing, so I'd really appreciate some qualified explanations to this FCC brainchild.
Most AM stations that have more than trivial nighttime power are required to go directional and/or reduce power at sunset. WTIC is among them; it's required to go directional to protect KRLD Dallas, also on 1080. (and KRLD is required to go directional to protect WTIC)
In almost all cases, stations are required to go directional/reduce power at sunset at the station's tower(s). However, WTIC is an exception. (Scott lists some other exceptions in his article) WTIC is allowed to remain on non-directional daytime facilities until sunset at KRLD. Since Dallas is well west of Hartford, sunset in Dallas is much later than sunset in Hartford - WTIC is allowed nearly two extra hours of non-directional operation.
AM stations have a "groundwave" coverage area, and a "skywave" coverage area. Skywave only exists at night, but it can go out for hundreds of miles. (if it didn't, there would be no need for KRLD and WTIC to protect each other - the stations' groundwave coverage areas don't come anywhere near intersecting)
For the vast majority of AM stations, skywave coverage is not protected from interference. Only the groundwave coverage - extending out to 100 miles or so - is protected. Only Class A stations get protected skywave - not counting Alaska and Hawaii, there are only 58 such stations. But WTIC and KRLD are two of them.
What the FCC has decided, is that the extra skywave coverage that WTIC gets from being allowed to operate non-directional from Hartford sunset until Dallas sunset, is not protected from interference.
I wouldn't really say WTIC is getting "screwed". If they were treated like just about every other AM station, their nighttime skywave coverage wouldn't be protected at all. If they were treated like just about every other Class A AM station, they would be required to go directional immediately at Hartford sunset, and the skywave coverage area that's losing protection wouldn't even exist.
I would suggest this whole situation comes out of something that happened way back in 1935. There were FAR more stations than there were available frequencies; the FCC had to figure out what to do with them.
WTIC was stuck sharing time on 1060 with Baltimore's WBAL. And KRLD was sharing 1040 with KTHS in Hot Springs, Arkansas. (KTHS would eventually become today's KAAY-1090, Little Rock) Hartford and Baltimore couldn't operate on the same frequency at the same time, even during the day, without ruinous interference. Likewise, Dallas and Hot Springs couldn't operate simultaneously without interference. WTIC had to go off the air when WBAL was on, and vice-versa.
Sometime in 1934 or 1935, the situation was solved by having WTIC and KTHS swap frequencies. Hartford and Dallas could operate at the same time on the same frequency during the day without interference; likewise for Hot Springs and Baltimore. But at night, there would still be interference. So all four stations were required to switch to directional antennas at night.
I would speculate the special dispensation to operate non-directional until Dallas sunset came because WTIC had been operating non-directionally (albeit going off the air entirely at times to allow Baltimore to operate) full-time and had an audience west of Hartford that expected service.
(the whole dial got shifted up by varying amounts early in 1941; both 1060 stations got moved to 1090 where they are now; both 1040 stations got moved to 1080.)
Would the Dallas station be audible in any part of Connecticut if it were non-directional?
Likewise, would the Hartford station be audible in any part of Texas if it were also non-directional?
If the answer is no to both questions, do the stations care about skywave interference between CT and TX?
Likewise, would the Hartford station be audible in any part of Texas if it were also non-directional?
If the answer is no to both questions, do the stations care about skywave interference between CT and TX?
Nick said:Would the Dallas station be audible in any part of Connecticut if it were non-directional?
Likewise, would the Hartford station be audible in any part of Texas if it were also non-directional?
To the degree where anyone would listen, probably not. To the degree where it would cause noticable interference, yes. (in both cases)
If the answer is no to both questions, do the stations care about skywave interference between CT and TX?
I'm sure KRLD would be displeased with skywave interference from WTIC in areas like Sherman-Denison, Paris, Sulphur Springs, etc...
Likewise WTIC with skywave interference from KRLD in areas like Bridgeport and Danbury.
Stations cause interference at much greater distances than that at which they provide useful service. Nobody would be listening to KRLD in Danbury if WTIC didn't exist, but KRLD is certainly capable of causing interference there.
W
WTIC
Guest
W9WI-
Good posts
but before you pass final opinion: note one distinction-
The Commission specified (essentially parroting the wording of the consultant for petitioner WOAP) WTIC NDA extended operation is entitled to local daytime 'groundwave protection' only- during the interval after Hartford sunset (nighttime) and Dallas sunset. This is more severe than if the directional nighttime 0.5mv 20:1 contour was simply recognized as protected and not the NDA 0.5mv/m (extends much further west) which incidentally, the WOAP proposed facility does not overlap.
big difference. actually many hundreds of miles difference.
Good posts
but before you pass final opinion: note one distinction-
The Commission specified (essentially parroting the wording of the consultant for petitioner WOAP) WTIC NDA extended operation is entitled to local daytime 'groundwave protection' only- during the interval after Hartford sunset (nighttime) and Dallas sunset. This is more severe than if the directional nighttime 0.5mv 20:1 contour was simply recognized as protected and not the NDA 0.5mv/m (extends much further west) which incidentally, the WOAP proposed facility does not overlap.
big difference. actually many hundreds of miles difference.
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