Has 1550 CBEF Windsor Has Boosted Its Power?

[Gregg.]

1550 CBEF Windsor (previously CBE) has been an odd Class A radio station. It's one of about 100 AM stations in North America with Class A (originally Class I-B) status, but unlike most Class As that run 50,000 watts, it's always been at 10,000 watts.

In the U.S. and Canada, there are only four Class A stations that aren't at the full 50 kw... 990 CBW Winnipeg, which slightly reduces its nighttime power to 46 kw, 1560 KNZR Bakersfield, which runs 25 kw by day/10 kw by night, 1570 CKOO Oshawa, 10 kw around the clock, and CBE/CBEF. Several Mexican Class A stations also run less than 50 kw by night.

The last few nights, CBEF has been coming in strong at my location in NJ, near NYC. And considering we have a 50,000 watt station next door at 1560, WFME, that's a pretty good signal. WFME's transmitter is in Queens, so that's probably why I can hear CBEF in NJ. It's almost impossible to hear 760 WJR Detroit in my locality with 770 WABC's Lodi NJ transmitter only a few miles away.

I have been catching other Midwest stations along with CBEF, such as 1530 WCKY Cincinnati. But WCKY is 50,000 watts. CBEF (and CBE before it, using the same transmitter, before moving to FM) was always VERY hard to hear. So I wonder if the CBC finally boosted CBEF's wattage to 50 kw. Some years ago, 1570 CBJ Chicoutimi, Quebec, which had also been a Class A running only 10,000 watts, boosted its power to the full 50 kw, before the CBC moved it to FM a few years ago.

Isn't it funny that in the Northeastern U.S., we can hear two Radio-Canada stations in French at night, 860 CJBC Toronto and 1550 CBEF Windsor. But all the 50 kw CBC English stations have switched to FM, CBL Toronto, CBM Montreal, CBA Moncton. So there's no English language CBC station available to DXers in the East.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

The CBC wanted to get away from complex multitower arrays, which would be necessary to increase the power on 1550. They may have put their 540 budget into fixing up the two tower 1550 array, phasor, ground system, etc. Beyond that, it was probably Auroral effects that brought the signal in stronger. I have had that experience with 1500-1600 kHz range stations during Auroral conditions. Daytime groundwave conditions could be present below 1500, and I would hear stations like WLAC, WWKB, and WCKY punching through, even off the back of the WWKB pattern. WQXR/WQEW/WFME changes to night pattern at sunset at KNZR Bakersfield, and throws a null across Manhattan and New Jersey with the night pattern. It's augmented, but still quite a deep null.

 

[cyberdad]

Gregg.... I always stand to be corrected, but I believe you may be slightly off on a couple of points. Oshawa is CKDO on 1580...which is also the former frequency of the former CBJ. I believe CKDO made their move when CBJ vacated the channel. CKDO is a rather easy catch here in the Chicago area. CBE/CBEF on 1550 not so much....although it's definitely do-able.

We were talking a couple of years ago, essentially about some of the CBC/SRC's big French-language sticks in primarily English speaking areas. My theory...and I have no idea if it's correct....is that the CBC may have decided it's cheaper and more efficient to try to cover a wide area where francophones are sparse with one big stick than attempt to do the job with a bunch of little ones reaching very small populations each.

 

[mimo]

I think you're correct, Cyberdad. One tower reaching a wide area is more efficient. I thought there were no Francophones in Windsor but I've discovered there is actually a sizeable community. I don't know when CBJ left 1580, but I have never heard it. It must have been in the 90's.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Here's the CBE/CBEF pattern.

It's always been 10 kW day and night. They probably repaired the antenna system to improve the signal, plus the Auroral conditions have probably made it better in your area. There are just two towers. CBEF 540 had four towers. The ground wave on 540 was better toward Canada. CBEF has THREE FM repeaters. The only advantage of the 1550 kHz is the protected skywave, and noise and interference is much worse now than in the past.

As you can see, the signal should be stronger toward New Jersey than toward Chicago. The 0.5 mV/m 50% skywave is only protected in Canada. The old skywave curves are used, which makes the contours go out further, and they are protected under the treaty.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

WQEW/WFME 1560 Night Pattern

 

[cyberdad]

Thanks for posting those patterns. One thing these two stations (CBE/CBEF and WQEW/WFME) have in common is that they usually have a marginal night signal at best in the Chicago area. But every now and then, if conditions are just exactly right, each one is capabile of taking over their channel with a very listenable signal. WQEW/WFME generally does better than CBE/CBEF, at least from the standpoint of being reliable.

 

[schmave]

If they have increased their power, it has not been evident in at least some parts of Ohio. I did not hear Windsor on 1550 earlier today in St. Marys, Ohio, about 130 miles south-southwest of Detroit, nor have I heard it causing any interference to WDLR from Delaware, Ohio, which has a decent signal in most if not all of Columbus at all hours.

 

[Gregg.]

1560 WFME has been off the air for repairs for a few days. I noticed I could hear 1550 CBEF this morning around 7:15am, something I'm sure would not be possible if WFME were broadcasting. And I like that theory that CBC engineers in Windsor, no longer having to service or make repairs on AM 540, may have more time and resources to devote to AM 1550, which may explain why I hear it more often these days.

BTW, I was also able to pick up 860 CJBC Toronto this morning at the same time as CBEF. They had separate programs in morning drive, even though most of of the day, they run the same SRC (Societé Radio-Canada) programs.

 

[cyberdad]

As always, I stand to be corrected. But my understanding is CBC/SRC stations are live and local for their respective markets during drive times, but rebroadcasty network content in most other dayparts.

 

[mimo]

That is right. Sometimes the stations are even different overnights. I can get CBEF, CJBC plus local CBOF overnights and sometimes all 3 stations have different programmes.

 

[cyberdad]

That is right. Sometimes the stations are even different overnights. I can get CBEF, CJBC plus local CBOF overnights and sometimes all 3 stations have different programmes.

Is that the rule for CBC English services as well? The only reliable CBC English that's audible here is CBW. CBK is semi-regular but usually covered up by WAUK from the Milwaukee area. CBW overnights consists primarily of relays from international broadcasters....stuff that used to also be available on shortwave.

 

[Gregg.]

I haven't checked the CBC website recently. But I think all CBC stations, English and French, even in the small cities, have their own morning show. The afternoon show is usually supplied by the station in that province's largest city. And maybe a few stations in the largest markets, like Toronto, Vancouver, etc. have a call-in show at noon. But I always thought the rest of the schedule was standard across the network.

Considering how small the French-speaking community in Windsor is, I'm surprised CBEF's schedule differs from CJBC, outside morning drive. I believe Windsor's French SRC TV station, CBEFT, simply simulcasts Toronto's CBLFT.

 

[mimo]

All English CBC's run the same schedule overnight. The show you hear at 2 am in Atlantic Canada will play at 2 am in B.C. I think that since the French station is all music with announcers overnight, there's a bit more leeway. More often than not, CBEF and CJSB are the same, but every once in a while there's a difference.

 

[1L6E6VHF]

<snip>

Considering how small the French-speaking community in Windsor is, I'm surprised CBEF's schedule differs from CJBC, outside morning drive. I believe Windsor's French SRC TV station, CBEFT, simply simulcasts Toronto's CBLFT.

Does not anymore. CBEFT did not survive the digital transition. While CBC CBET (9) made a flash-cut to digital on channel 9, and probably has the best TV picture I've seen, CBEFT signed off their channel 54 transmitter, and replaced it with an analog transmitter on channel 35, much weaker than 54 had been, and that did not even last a year.

Now, if you want to watch Ici (SRC changed its name) in Windsor, you'll have to pay for it. If you're in the US, you can't see it at all, unless you have a good tropo opening to a city with an Ici OTA station (such as Toronto).

The sad thing is, they can't argue that they couldn't afford the expense of providing an OTA signal from Windsor. They could have put SRC/Ici on subchannel 9.2.

 

[Gregg.]

I don't understand why the CBC is so reluctant to use subchannels on its TV stations. You're right that CBEFT could have continued as a subchannel on CBET 9. In some U.S. markets, TV owners are putting major networks on subchannels of their existing stations to save the cost of running two different towers and transmitters. So the local Fox station piggybacks on the CBS station, or ABC piggybacks on the NBC station's signal.

Canadian TV stations don't permit subchannels, so nobody can run a subchannel of classic TV. I'm sure the CBC and Ici have plenty of past TV shows that could be another revenue stream, similar to Me-TV, Antenna, Cozi, etc. in U.S. Or putting CBC News or RDI on a subchannel.