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K 104.7 off the air
- Thread starter djjim6629
- Start date
> I was listening to WNOK inside the Charlotte city limits
> tonight. Anyone know why K is off the air tonight?
>
> P.S. It was nice being able to listen to 2 CHR's in
> Charlotte tonoght!
>
They were off last night, too.
New guy on the air.
He probably didn't have anything to do with it (like hitting the xmtr off button), but, the CE should have fixed it by now.
With the amount of $ Infinity has, they should have an aux xmtr that transmits automatically if the main goes offline.
The 1st thing you should learn that is imperative is to know how to get the xmtr back online ASAP if it goes down.
--Thanks
> tonight. Anyone know why K is off the air tonight?
>
> P.S. It was nice being able to listen to 2 CHR's in
> Charlotte tonoght!
>
They were off last night, too.
New guy on the air.
He probably didn't have anything to do with it (like hitting the xmtr off button), but, the CE should have fixed it by now.
With the amount of $ Infinity has, they should have an aux xmtr that transmits automatically if the main goes offline.
The 1st thing you should learn that is imperative is to know how to get the xmtr back online ASAP if it goes down.
--Thanks
> > I was listening to WNOK inside the Charlotte city limits
> > tonight. Anyone know why K is off the air tonight?
> >
> > P.S. It was nice being able to listen to 2 CHR's in
> > Charlotte tonoght!
> >
>
> They were off last night, too.
>
> New guy on the air.
>
> He probably didn't have anything to do with it (like hitting
> the xmtr off button), but, the CE should have fixed it by
> now.
>
> With the amount of $ Infinity has, they should have an aux
> xmtr that transmits automatically if the main goes offline.
>
> The 1st thing you should learn that is imperative is to know
> how to get the xmtr back online ASAP if it goes down.
>
> --Thanks
>
New guy on the air??? I am sure they are voice tracked at night!
> > tonight. Anyone know why K is off the air tonight?
> >
> > P.S. It was nice being able to listen to 2 CHR's in
> > Charlotte tonoght!
> >
>
> They were off last night, too.
>
> New guy on the air.
>
> He probably didn't have anything to do with it (like hitting
> the xmtr off button), but, the CE should have fixed it by
> now.
>
> With the amount of $ Infinity has, they should have an aux
> xmtr that transmits automatically if the main goes offline.
>
> The 1st thing you should learn that is imperative is to know
> how to get the xmtr back online ASAP if it goes down.
>
> --Thanks
>
New guy on the air??? I am sure they are voice tracked at night!
> > > I was listening to WNOK inside the Charlotte city limits
>
> > > tonight. Anyone know why K is off the air tonight?
> > >
> > > P.S. It was nice being able to listen to 2 CHR's in
> > > Charlotte tonoght!
> > >
> >
> > They were off last night, too.
> >
> > New guy on the air.
> >
> > He probably didn't have anything to do with it (like
> hitting
> > the xmtr off button), but, the CE should have fixed it by
> > now.
> >
> > With the amount of $ Infinity has, they should have an aux
>
> > xmtr that transmits automatically if the main goes
> offline.
> >
> > The 1st thing you should learn that is imperative is to
> know
> > how to get the xmtr back online ASAP if it goes down.
> >
> > --Thanks
> >
>
> New guy on the air??? I am sure they are voice tracked at
> night!
Forget the name of the new guy.
He says his name once in awhile.
T. Edward Benson is on vacation, so Holly Haze is filling in for him, & the new guy is filling in for Holly.
They are only automated overnights (no voicetracking - just sweepers, breakers & music).
>
>
> > > tonight. Anyone know why K is off the air tonight?
> > >
> > > P.S. It was nice being able to listen to 2 CHR's in
> > > Charlotte tonoght!
> > >
> >
> > They were off last night, too.
> >
> > New guy on the air.
> >
> > He probably didn't have anything to do with it (like
> hitting
> > the xmtr off button), but, the CE should have fixed it by
> > now.
> >
> > With the amount of $ Infinity has, they should have an aux
>
> > xmtr that transmits automatically if the main goes
> offline.
> >
> > The 1st thing you should learn that is imperative is to
> know
> > how to get the xmtr back online ASAP if it goes down.
> >
> > --Thanks
> >
>
> New guy on the air??? I am sure they are voice tracked at
> night!
Forget the name of the new guy.
He says his name once in awhile.
T. Edward Benson is on vacation, so Holly Haze is filling in for him, & the new guy is filling in for Holly.
They are only automated overnights (no voicetracking - just sweepers, breakers & music).
>
> > K 104.7 was only off the air on Thursday evening for about an hour and ten minutes. There was a problem with the transmitter and the engineers drove to the site to fix the issue. Mike Sheridan was the jock on the air and it was out of his hands. Thanks for listening, paying attention, and posting your messages. It is nice to know people care so passionately about radio.
HHaze
HHaze
WKQC's transmitter site engineer is one of the finest engineers Charlotte radio has ever seen, so the fact it was off the air for that small time means something bad must have happened and the comment about them not having a backup is irrelevent, they do have backups but not everything goes perfect.
> WKQC's transmitter site engineer is one of the finest
> engineers Charlotte radio has ever seen, so the fact it was
> off the air for that small time means something bad must
> have happened and the comment about them not having a backup
> is irrelevent, they do have backups but not everything goes
> perfect.
>
They went off the air twice in two days.
We wanted to know if they had a backup xmtr (you said backup(s)) - do they have more than one? I don't think so. Thank you for clarifying that.
That is what backup xmtrs are for - to get the station back on the air (albeit lower ERP) until the main goes back online.
The CE "is one of the finest CE's Charlotte Radio has ever seen".
First, the station goes off the air twice in two days, & second, the backup xmtr doesn't work?
Doesn't sound like the "best" CE to me.
> engineers Charlotte radio has ever seen, so the fact it was
> off the air for that small time means something bad must
> have happened and the comment about them not having a backup
> is irrelevent, they do have backups but not everything goes
> perfect.
>
They went off the air twice in two days.
We wanted to know if they had a backup xmtr (you said backup(s)) - do they have more than one? I don't think so. Thank you for clarifying that.
That is what backup xmtrs are for - to get the station back on the air (albeit lower ERP) until the main goes back online.
The CE "is one of the finest CE's Charlotte Radio has ever seen".
First, the station goes off the air twice in two days, & second, the backup xmtr doesn't work?
Doesn't sound like the "best" CE to me.
M
mike704
Guest
> They went off the air twice in two days.
It happens and as you probably know there can be lots of reasons. There could be a problem in the transmission line going up the tower which would affect both the main and the aux.
> We wanted to know if they had a backup xmtr (you said
> backup(s)) - do they have more than one? I don't think so.
> Thank you for clarifying that.
Most stations do, and I hope K-104.7 does.
> First, the station goes off the air twice in two days, &
> second, the backup xmtr doesn't work?
>
> Doesn't sound like the "best" CE to me.
I don't know the man but it also depends on what he has to work with. I wouldn't be too quick to form an opinion, especially if it turns out to be a problem in the transmission line.
Another thing most stations aux transmitter is an oldie that sits in the corner, they have a tendency to fail just when you need them. I've seen it lots of times.
Mike
It happens and as you probably know there can be lots of reasons. There could be a problem in the transmission line going up the tower which would affect both the main and the aux.
> We wanted to know if they had a backup xmtr (you said
> backup(s)) - do they have more than one? I don't think so.
> Thank you for clarifying that.
Most stations do, and I hope K-104.7 does.
> First, the station goes off the air twice in two days, &
> second, the backup xmtr doesn't work?
>
> Doesn't sound like the "best" CE to me.
I don't know the man but it also depends on what he has to work with. I wouldn't be too quick to form an opinion, especially if it turns out to be a problem in the transmission line.
Another thing most stations aux transmitter is an oldie that sits in the corner, they have a tendency to fail just when you need them. I've seen it lots of times.
Mike
> > They went off the air twice in two days.
>
> It happens and as you probably know there can be lots of
> reasons. There could be a problem in the transmission line
> going up the tower which would affect both the main and the
> aux.
>
> > We wanted to know if they had a backup xmtr (you said
> > backup(s)) - do they have more than one? I don't think
> so.
> > Thank you for clarifying that.
>
> Most stations do, and I hope K-104.7 does.
>
> > First, the station goes off the air twice in two days, &
> > second, the backup xmtr doesn't work?
> >
> > Doesn't sound like the "best" CE to me.
>
> I don't know the man but it also depends on what he has to
> work with. I wouldn't be too quick to form an opinion,
> especially if it turns out to be a problem in the
> transmission line.
>
> Another thing most stations aux transmitter is an oldie that
> sits in the corner, they have a tendency to fail just when
> you need them. I've seen it lots of times.
>
> Mike
>
As the Boy Scout motto goes: "Be Prepared".
>
> It happens and as you probably know there can be lots of
> reasons. There could be a problem in the transmission line
> going up the tower which would affect both the main and the
> aux.
>
> > We wanted to know if they had a backup xmtr (you said
> > backup(s)) - do they have more than one? I don't think
> so.
> > Thank you for clarifying that.
>
> Most stations do, and I hope K-104.7 does.
>
> > First, the station goes off the air twice in two days, &
> > second, the backup xmtr doesn't work?
> >
> > Doesn't sound like the "best" CE to me.
>
> I don't know the man but it also depends on what he has to
> work with. I wouldn't be too quick to form an opinion,
> especially if it turns out to be a problem in the
> transmission line.
>
> Another thing most stations aux transmitter is an oldie that
> sits in the corner, they have a tendency to fail just when
> you need them. I've seen it lots of times.
>
> Mike
>
As the Boy Scout motto goes: "Be Prepared".
I suppose this would be your response to disater area stations. i.e. NOLA. I mean really, the xmtr site is flooded and the city is in ruins, WTF, you were off the air? Where was your quad-redundant system, up on fifty foot stilts? (BLEEP) happens and if you think CC, Infinity, JP, or any other station hasn't had there backup fail when they needed it most you are pitifully mistaken. Been there done that, stood there with my d*** in my hands because my backup (BLEEP) out on me. Meanwhile the idiot ops manager with his pd are checking out what I had for dinner that night,cuz they was too damn cheap to spend the money I asked them for six months before. We've done so much with so little for so damn long, that maybe a little off-air time could humble a few folks in Charlotte. Five-nines is impossible.
WKQC's XMTR site engineer IS one of the finest engineers that Charlotte has ever seen, my money says you listen to a station he built, or improved on everyday. Being off-air does NOT indicate the quality of the CE, it mearly shows the miracle he pulled out of his ass to get it back on.
WKQC's XMTR site engineer IS one of the finest engineers that Charlotte has ever seen, my money says you listen to a station he built, or improved on everyday. Being off-air does NOT indicate the quality of the CE, it mearly shows the miracle he pulled out of his ass to get it back on.
S
Spindoctor
Guest
> I suppose this would be your response to disater area
> stations. i.e. NOLA. I mean really, the xmtr site is flooded
> and the city is in ruins, WTF, you were off the air? Where
> was your quad-redundant system, up on fifty foot stilts?
> (BLEEP) happens and if you think CC, Infinity, JP, or any
> other station hasn't had there backup fail when they needed
> it most you are pitifully mistaken. Been there done that,
> stood there with my d*** in my hands because my backup
> (BLEEP) out on me. Meanwhile the idiot ops manager with his
> pd are checking out what I had for dinner that night,cuz
> they was too damn cheap to spend the money I asked them for
> six months before. We've done so much with so little for so
> damn long, that maybe a little off-air time could humble a
> few folks in Charlotte. Five-nines is impossible.
>
> WKQC's XMTR site engineer IS one of the finest engineers
> that Charlotte has ever seen, my money says you listen to a
> station he built, or improved on everyday. Being off-air
> does NOT indicate the quality of the CE, it mearly shows the
> miracle he pulled out of his ass to get it back on.
>
Wow, who peed in your bowl of sugar puffs?
Have you ever tried laying off the Jolt Cola?
Maybe you might want to spend a little more time
on your grammar and punctuation, not to mention
spelling. If you spent as much time on posting
as you did on engineering maybe you'd actually get
some work done. By the way, how DO you get anything
done with a cheese-dipped sausage and bacon burger
in one hand and a sweet tea in the other?
The above paragraph was brought to you by sarcasm.
You go Media Tech dude.
The Spindoctor
> stations. i.e. NOLA. I mean really, the xmtr site is flooded
> and the city is in ruins, WTF, you were off the air? Where
> was your quad-redundant system, up on fifty foot stilts?
> (BLEEP) happens and if you think CC, Infinity, JP, or any
> other station hasn't had there backup fail when they needed
> it most you are pitifully mistaken. Been there done that,
> stood there with my d*** in my hands because my backup
> (BLEEP) out on me. Meanwhile the idiot ops manager with his
> pd are checking out what I had for dinner that night,cuz
> they was too damn cheap to spend the money I asked them for
> six months before. We've done so much with so little for so
> damn long, that maybe a little off-air time could humble a
> few folks in Charlotte. Five-nines is impossible.
>
> WKQC's XMTR site engineer IS one of the finest engineers
> that Charlotte has ever seen, my money says you listen to a
> station he built, or improved on everyday. Being off-air
> does NOT indicate the quality of the CE, it mearly shows the
> miracle he pulled out of his ass to get it back on.
>
Wow, who peed in your bowl of sugar puffs?
Have you ever tried laying off the Jolt Cola?
Maybe you might want to spend a little more time
on your grammar and punctuation, not to mention
spelling. If you spent as much time on posting
as you did on engineering maybe you'd actually get
some work done. By the way, how DO you get anything
done with a cheese-dipped sausage and bacon burger
in one hand and a sweet tea in the other?
The above paragraph was brought to you by sarcasm.
You go Media Tech dude.
The Spindoctor
M
mike704
Guest
Let's hear it for the Engineers
Engineers have it tough. Management often wants to cut expenses and doesn't understand why the CE needs equipment or staff. The good enginner explains it in a way management can understand I know. Then there are jocks who seem to delight in tearing up equipment blowing speakers etc. Today's engineer has to do everything from computer support to transmitter. I don't know how or why they do it. One thing is sure, the good ones are becomming rare. They can find other jobs which pay better while not being on call 24/7.
The engineers really don't get the respect they deserve and when the do get noticed it's because something has failed and then the stress to get everything going falls on the shoulders of the engineers.
So here's to you guys, thanks for all you do!
Engineers have it tough. Management often wants to cut expenses and doesn't understand why the CE needs equipment or staff. The good enginner explains it in a way management can understand I know. Then there are jocks who seem to delight in tearing up equipment blowing speakers etc. Today's engineer has to do everything from computer support to transmitter. I don't know how or why they do it. One thing is sure, the good ones are becomming rare. They can find other jobs which pay better while not being on call 24/7.
The engineers really don't get the respect they deserve and when the do get noticed it's because something has failed and then the stress to get everything going falls on the shoulders of the engineers.
So here's to you guys, thanks for all you do!
> I suppose this would be your response to disater area
> stations. i.e. NOLA. I mean really, the xmtr site is flooded
> and the city is in ruins, WTF, you were off the air? Where
> was your quad-redundant system, up on fifty foot stilts?
> (BLEEP) happens and if you think CC, Infinity, JP, or any
> other station hasn't had there backup fail when they needed
> it most you are pitifully mistaken. Been there done that,
> stood there with my d*** in my hands because my backup
> (BLEEP) out on me. Meanwhile the idiot ops manager with his
> pd are checking out what I had for dinner that night,cuz
> they was too damn cheap to spend the money I asked them for
> six months before. We've done so much with so little for so
> damn long, that maybe a little off-air time could humble a
> few folks in Charlotte. Five-nines is impossible.
>
> WKQC's XMTR site engineer IS one of the finest engineers
> that Charlotte has ever seen, my money says you listen to a
> station he built, or improved on everyday. Being off-air
> does NOT indicate the quality of the CE, it mearly shows the
> miracle he pulled out of his ass to get it back on.
>
That would not be my response to disaster area stations.
Being off the air & the aux xmtr not working in that scenario would be understandable.
But, this was day-to-day normal operating parameters for WKQC.
They have an aux xmtr.
Failure is not an option.
It should have been operational.
> stations. i.e. NOLA. I mean really, the xmtr site is flooded
> and the city is in ruins, WTF, you were off the air? Where
> was your quad-redundant system, up on fifty foot stilts?
> (BLEEP) happens and if you think CC, Infinity, JP, or any
> other station hasn't had there backup fail when they needed
> it most you are pitifully mistaken. Been there done that,
> stood there with my d*** in my hands because my backup
> (BLEEP) out on me. Meanwhile the idiot ops manager with his
> pd are checking out what I had for dinner that night,cuz
> they was too damn cheap to spend the money I asked them for
> six months before. We've done so much with so little for so
> damn long, that maybe a little off-air time could humble a
> few folks in Charlotte. Five-nines is impossible.
>
> WKQC's XMTR site engineer IS one of the finest engineers
> that Charlotte has ever seen, my money says you listen to a
> station he built, or improved on everyday. Being off-air
> does NOT indicate the quality of the CE, it mearly shows the
> miracle he pulled out of his ass to get it back on.
>
That would not be my response to disaster area stations.
Being off the air & the aux xmtr not working in that scenario would be understandable.
But, this was day-to-day normal operating parameters for WKQC.
They have an aux xmtr.
Failure is not an option.
It should have been operational.
M
miataalan
Guest
> That would not be my response to disaster area stations.
>
> Being off the air & the aux xmtr not working in that
> scenario would be understandable.
>
> But, this was day-to-day normal operating parameters for
> WKQC.
>
> They have an aux xmtr.
>
> Failure is not an option.
>
> It should have been operational.
>
The failure was with the transmitter remote control system, not the transmitters, antenna, or line. It's very rare for any station to have redundant remote control systems as the expense is usually hard to justify to station management. Nothing could have been done in this situation until someone was on site. I am not aware of the station being off twice in two days as you posted.
Yes, the station has a backup transmitter, antenna and feed line. The transmitter is a vintage 1973 Gates and it does work. It's tested on a regular basis.
Failures do happen in any complex system. When you consider there are literally hundreds of individual components between the microphone and antenna, it's amazing everything works as well as it does. Even with an hour off the air in two years, WKQC has a 99.99% uptime.
Engineering is a thankless job. Those of us who must make ourselves available 24/7 just in case anything technical happens somewhere in a cluster of 7 stations make frequent, unacknowledged sacrifices in our personal lives to keep things running.
Thank you to those who have posted support for the engineers. We really appreciate hearing those things from time to time. For the others who've been too quick to point fingers at someone supposedly not doing their job, think twice before posting next time. The situation may not be what you assume.
-al
>
> Being off the air & the aux xmtr not working in that
> scenario would be understandable.
>
> But, this was day-to-day normal operating parameters for
> WKQC.
>
> They have an aux xmtr.
>
> Failure is not an option.
>
> It should have been operational.
>
The failure was with the transmitter remote control system, not the transmitters, antenna, or line. It's very rare for any station to have redundant remote control systems as the expense is usually hard to justify to station management. Nothing could have been done in this situation until someone was on site. I am not aware of the station being off twice in two days as you posted.
Yes, the station has a backup transmitter, antenna and feed line. The transmitter is a vintage 1973 Gates and it does work. It's tested on a regular basis.
Failures do happen in any complex system. When you consider there are literally hundreds of individual components between the microphone and antenna, it's amazing everything works as well as it does. Even with an hour off the air in two years, WKQC has a 99.99% uptime.
Engineering is a thankless job. Those of us who must make ourselves available 24/7 just in case anything technical happens somewhere in a cluster of 7 stations make frequent, unacknowledged sacrifices in our personal lives to keep things running.
Thank you to those who have posted support for the engineers. We really appreciate hearing those things from time to time. For the others who've been too quick to point fingers at someone supposedly not doing their job, think twice before posting next time. The situation may not be what you assume.
-al
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