KIKK 650 still broadcasting as of 12:50 AM

[thathoustonradiogeek]

Something must have gone wrong with whatever sort of automation CBS Houston uses to shut down 650's transmitter.

As I write this KIKK is still on. The boys in Nashville are not going to like this.

Unless WSM flipped to CNN Radio.....

EDIT: or maybe KIKK built a directional night site, authorized and everything, without us knowing, but there are much more chances of pigs flying than that happening.

 

[radioguybroadcasting]

Something must have gone wrong with whatever sort of automation CBS Houston uses to shut down 650's transmitter.

As I write this KIKK is still on. The boys in Nashville are not going to like this.

Unless WSM flipped to CNN Radio.....

OOPS, guess someone forgot to turn the lights off when they left!

 

[ChuckTiller]

When I left The Wave in 2007, KIKK still had to be signed on and off manually. many times on the weekend, when nobody showed up on time, I would have to sign it on. In fact, it was the same unit that had been used when KIKK was on Gulfton Street. That may have changed after I left, because of the studio upgrade.

 

[dade921]

Chuck, You mean that same little square remote control with the meter on the left side of it and the buttons on the buttom of it to select what channel you want for power out and to turn it on and off?
That was in the old KIKK building of gulfton street as well in the 1990's.
That is funny. Wonder if it every got pulled out. I miss the old one from the old 1230 KNUZ that had the old telephone dial knob on it with a 1230 KNUZ sticker that said knuz is everywhere, Meaning knuz is everywhere inside the 610 loop.
Have a great holiday Chuck,
Dade

 

[johndavis]

Chuck, You mean that same little square remote control with the meter on the left side of it and the buttons on the buttom of it to select what channel you want for power out and to turn it on and off?
That was in the old KIKK building of gulfton street as well in the 1990's.
That is funny. Wonder if it every got pulled out. I miss the old one from the old 1230 KNUZ that had the old telephone dial knob on it with a 1230 KNUZ sticker that said knuz is everywhere, Meaning knuz is everywhere inside the 610 loop.
Have a great holiday Chuck,
Dade

Yes, the Hallikanen and Friends "Dial A Prayer" remote control... memories indeed.

 

[stan]

Something must have gone wrong with whatever sort of automation CBS Houston uses to shut down 650's transmitter.

As I write this KIKK is still on. The boys in Nashville are not going to like this.

Unless WSM flipped to CNN Radio.....

EDIT: or maybe KIKK built a directional night site, authorized and everything, without us knowing, but there are much more chances of pigs flying than that happening.

No one cares about a Nashville station in Houston. Local stations are more important.

 

[thathoustonradiogeek]

Something must have gone wrong with whatever sort of automation CBS Houston uses to shut down 650's transmitter.

As I write this KIKK is still on. The boys in Nashville are not going to like this.

Unless WSM flipped to CNN Radio.....

EDIT: or maybe KIKK built a directional night site, authorized and everything, without us knowing, but there are much more chances of pigs flying than that happening.

No one cares about a Nashville station in Houston. Local stations are more important.

Heheheheh ;D

 

[scottwmro]

Something must have gone wrong with whatever sort of automation CBS Houston uses to shut down 650's transmitter.

As I write this KIKK is still on. The boys in Nashville are not going to like this.

Unless WSM flipped to CNN Radio.....

EDIT: or maybe KIKK built a directional night site, authorized and everything, without us knowing, but there are much more chances of pigs flying than that happening.

"I posted this on the Nashville Board and I know one of the transmitter operators at WSM in Nashville, I've been to thier transmitter site, and I own a daytime station with low nighttime power."

With all due respect, why are you and all on the Houston Board making such a big deal over it? If it was just one or two nights, it's probably a remote control or computer error. This happened to a station I was taking care of here in Gallatin. WYXE-AM 1130 here in Gallatin is a daytimer and the Sine Systems Remote control went out of wack. WYXE's studios are a little over 20 miles away in North Nashville.

I would call the Sine Systems when I first realized what was going on and turn it off over the phone. Then, the next night or two, it continued. The station was automated after 5 PM and this was during the hot, summertime. I had to go out there and re-program the sine systems remote contol. WYXE protects KWKH, owned by Clear Channel and WBBR in NYC.

Remote Contols are not perfect, because they are man made and we are not perfect. So what, these things just happen.

Now, on the flip side of the coin, if an operator-d.j. was doing it just to be cute, the licensee should be reponsible, IMHO, the operator-d.j. just needs his butt kicked and slapped with the fine personally. But it doesn't work that way with the FCC. They go after the licensee.

Keep in mind clears (Class A stations) have only a 750 mile protection circle of thier transmitter site. I'm fairly sure KIKK falls within WSM's protection circle. I also wonder if KIKK wanted to be on at night, how many towers it would take KIKK to bulid to protect WSM at night?

 

[jd]

I also wonder if KIKK wanted to be on at night, how many towers it would take KIKK to build to protect WSM at night?

How many towers? That's kind of a rhetorical question, since it couldn't be done.

As you mentioned on the Nashville board KIKK is 652 miles from WSM, or about 98 miles within the WSM protected contour. Even if an exception were allowed there's no way KIKK could deliver enough nighttime interference-free coverage over Pasadena without real world interference to WSM and probably a number of other stations in Central or South America.

So the only way KIKK could ever get nighttime operation would be through a frequency change: a theoretical "minor change" would mean moving no more than 30 kilohertz up or down from 650 but that's unlikely (e.g., 640 would hit a brick wall with KILT, KTIB over in Louisiana and others, 660 would run afoul of KSKY in Dallas, and 670 has a number of issues as well, including daytime adjacent channel interference with KKYX 680 in San Antonio). A move to another frequency somewhere else in the band would require waiting for the next AM "major change" filing window which may happen, uh, never. Even if KIKK were able to file for that kind of change it would be a miracle if it got FCC approval.

 

[fredcantu]

Sounds like it would be cheaper for KIKK to buy another AM in the market.
Maybe they could simulcast so they wouldn't give up their low dial position.

 

[ilistentotheradio]

Or we could all just tune over to KKHH-HD3.

Sounds better.

 

[davideduardo]

Even if an exception were allowed there's no way KIKK could deliver enough nighttime interference-free coverage over Pasadena without real world interference to WSM and probably a number of other stations in Central or South America.

The US does not protect any stations or nations in Central or South America, nor do they protect us. This is why WSM is chewed up in many parts of the Gulf by the 50 kw Colombian in Bogotá, and WSB is interferred with by the 100 kw station on 750 in Caracas, to give two examples.

In fact, there used to be a 50 kw station just across the Gulf in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, which did awful things to WSM... but as Central America has reduced the number of AMs a lot as stations moved to FM, this one is gone.

 

[jd]

The US does not protect any stations or nations in Central or South America, nor do they protect us.

I disagree about the protection of stations in Central America. It certainly is a factor in a number of cases of pre- or post-sunset authorizations, for instance. On South America I'd agree with your statement about "protection" but they are considered as a part of the equation in frequency studies, if nothing more than a formality in the filing process. So consider this to be nothing more than a theoretical discussion of the real issue: KIKK's ability to provide sufficient NIF coverage of their COL on 650. That's where skywave contributions from WSM and other stations would come into play, regardless of their location.

 

[jrobert]

You Know, KJOJ AM 880 went dark. Now there's a possibility. 10kw day and a K at night.