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KFMB towers, 2

B

Big 121

After Santee mandated a southern route through the city, CalTrans had 2 obstacles in the path of the Hwy 52 extension. The 2 tower transmitting
site of KFMB; and approx. 45 small birds living in the path of the river crossing. A rather complex project for the KFMB engineer, a task that req-
ired erecting 3 new towers,a TX building, and demo and land restoration of the old towers- while still on the air. When the dust settled,KFMB
had a first class TX facility; the birds had been moved 1/2 mile west, at a taxpayer cost of $55,000 ( Per Bird).
And, after all his hard work,the KFMB engineer was rewarded....with his dismissal.
 
Big 121 said:
After Santee mandated a southern route through the city, CalTrans had 2 obstacles in the path of the Hwy 52 extension. The 2 tower transmitting
site of KFMB; and approx. 45 small birds living in the path of the river crossing. A rather complex project for the KFMB engineer, a task that req-
ired erecting 3 new towers,a TX building, and demo and land restoration of the old towers- while still on the air. When the dust settled,KFMB
had a first class TX facility; the birds had been moved 1/2 mile west, at a taxpayer cost of $55,000 ( Per Bird).
And, after all his hard work,the KFMB engineer was rewarded....with his dismissal.
Click to expand...


Why are you so obsessed about the KFMB towers?
 
Garrett said:
Why are you so obsessed about the KFMB towers?
Click to expand...

Some of us find this stuff fascinating. If you don't, there's a convenient "BACK" button at the top of your browser that will take you elsewhere...
 
Scott Fybush said:
Some of us find this stuff fascinating. If you don't, there's a convenient "BACK" button at the top of your browser that will take you elsewhere...
Click to expand...

Oh you get a double w00t w00t for that Scott! How ya liking that snow ???? ???
 
It wasn't any of the mentioned three, although Wiegand was the DE at the time as I recall. He left for another gig. The real hero of that project was probably Rick Bossher.
 
Media Hack Chris | SDR said:
h you get a double w00t w00t for that Scott! How ya liking that snow ???? ???
Click to expand...

You must have us confused with Chicago or Boston! The storm pretty much fizzled here...a little ice on the roads this morning, a couple of inches of new accumulation, but nothing we can't shrug off.

(And yes, I'd rather be in Sandy Eggo...) :D
 
Scott Fybush said:
(And yes, I'd rather be in Sandy Eggo...) :D
Click to expand...

Next time here; let me know. Hey if you readers want a neat calendar for this year, visit Scott's web site!!
 
Scott Fybush said:
Garrett said:
Why are you so obsessed about the KFMB towers?
Click to expand...

Some of us find this stuff fascinating. If you don't, there's a convenient "BACK" button at the top
of your browser that will take you elsewhere...
Click to expand...

Somehow I don't think he'd be impressed with the Lumberyard either.
Maybe if we threw in an old lamptimer. ;D
 
Scott Fybush said:
Garrett said:
Why are you so obsessed about the KFMB towers?
Click to expand...

Some of us find this stuff fascinating. If you don't, there's a convenient "BACK" button at the top of your browser that will take you elsewhere...
Click to expand...

I do too. I was specifically talking about KFMB.
 
The fascination with those towers is understandable. It went from being a 2 tower guyed directional to 3 towers- self supporting towers. Plus it is one of the few stations that gets to power up at night from 5 kw NDA to 50KW DA. And the whole upgrade courtesy of your tax dollars!

The only thing cooler than a Blaw Knox tower is a self support AM tower! Although in San Diego the really impressive towers and the oldest are the twin 416 foot self supported Ideco towers at Emerald Hills...better known as KOGO. Although if KFMB was older it would be cooler!

As San Diego transmitter sites go the list in order of neat stuff to see is KOGO, KGB, Mt. Soledad, KFMB, KDEO/KECR/KCBQ, KSON, Mt. Miguel.

In the old days the places to have seen would have been KOGO/KFSD, KCBQ, KGB/KBKB, KFMB, KDEO, KSON, Mt. Soledad (not much would have been on Mt. Miguel).

As I recall and I will refer to my esteemed coleague Mr. Fybush or Mr. Bufaloe that the old KSON tower was originally a 1930's Blaw Knox tower that was moved there from elsewhere (Colorado as I heard the story). And that the Rabell's when they signed KSON on the air originally bought a used tower to save money??
 
All I know for certain is that the KSON tower was the top 442 feet of a TV tower in CO that was shipped to San Diego in pieces by railroad. I believe it was Dan McKinnon that put it up as a San Diego landmark. I also know the ground system was truncated at the outer fence line, making some radials as short as 86' and the longest at 200+. It was shunt fed from the beginning and changed to series fed after the collapse of the top half. At it's best it never functioned very well as it was highly capacitive and very narrow bandwidth. The impedance would change with moisture and knock the Nautel off the air. The old Gates would always work even if you fed it into the fence. The diplexing with KURS was a nightmare but we made it work.
 
The KSON tower with the call letters was indeed a landmark. But before that tower, the older, shorter one-using 250 watts (later 1kw), was only audible out to Grossmont at night. Also KGB/KBKB pre-'71 tower was well inferior to the combo now in use.
As long as we're discussing towers- what unusual 3 day occurence happened when KMJC/KDEO signed on at the Morena Ave. location?
 
From my understanding the 200+ foot tall tower at KGB actually had a better signal. It was actually better tuned to the right frequency. The current tower is very complicated, but as I recall it is a 5/8ths wave radiator. (according to a former engineer), but due to the skirting and such it has been very proned to problems due to the vacumm variable capacitors. If the caps short out (due to lightning, age, or whatever) (as I recall the conversation) the tower becomes a full wave radiator and is nice to listen to the station at the transmitter site's parking lot! The problems with the tower were convincing reason to keep and maintain the drop wire that was installed at the site when the tower was remodeled and the FM antenna was replaced. The drop wire was also the temporary home of KCBQ.
 
Its not segmented per-say it has a skirting system for the main 1360 then another skirt tuned to 600 for a filter to keep it out. The bottom skirt is 1360 the top skirt is 600 filter.
 
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