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KKOB proposes downgrade

K6JHU said:
Saw the video.
https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=646683538499811
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Great video, showing that guyed towers generally fall vertically, not horizontally. NIMBY neighbors think that they fall like trees; trees don't have multiple sets of guy wires at spaced intervals on the tower.

In 1975 I had to remove an abandoned 500 foot TV tower that was in the middle of our WQII four tower parallelogram AM array. With amazing coordination, it came down without affecting any of the towers. We had not been able to take it down by sections as the prior owner had let it rust to the point that it was near collapse.
 
Mark Roberts said:
KKOB is giving up on its Alameda site on the north side of Albuquerque after the balloon crash that took down its main tower last year. It has filed for a CP to diplex* with co-owned KTBL southwest of Albuquerque near the Pajarito neighborhood. Under the proposal, while KKOB will continue with 50 kw daytime non-directional, it will do so from an antenna height of 53.5° rather than the 180° of the former tower.

Nighttime power would go down to 5 kw, directional to the southwest. The Santa Fe synchronous booster apparently will remain. I would anticipate that both daytime and nighttime coverage would be reduced from what they were before the previous KKOB tower was destroyed. I suspect that daytime coverage would be reduced even from the present temporary operation using the 90° tower that had been used only at night.

It's worth noting that KKOB has simulcasted on FM for five years.

While not entirely surprising that KKOB would choose to downgrade instead of rebuild, given today's economic circumstances for radio, it's still sad to see such a historic facility end up diminished.

Full details: Draft Copy « Licensing and Management System « FCC

* = technically, triplexing, since KOAZ is also on the KTBL array.
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kevtronics said:
Are you sure? As of September 5th, KKOB has an STA for temporary operation at 1 kW using a wire skirt on the KABQ-FM tower.
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KKOB filed today to renew that STA. From the explanatory exhibit:

"Currently, RLH-CBC is waiting for Vertical Bridge to finish construction of KKOB’s facilities
at its new tower site referenced in its application for a minor change in its licensed
facilities, file number 0000275409, granted on January 23, 2026.

"For this reason, RLH-CBC respectfully requests an extension of its STA to continue to
operate with reduced power from an alternate site with a temporary antenna until Vertical
Bridge completes construction of its new facilities."

Draft Copy « Licensing and Management System « FCC

Licensing and Management System
enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov enterpriseefiling.fcc.gov
 
With the KKOB nighttime downgrade I’ve been curious if other stations on 770 might be able to loosen up their night directional patterns. The currently silent KCBI in DFW is designing a new diplexed transmitter facility which possibly could take advantage of the change in Albuquerque.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
With the KKOB nighttime downgrade I’ve been curious if other stations on 770 might be able to loosen up their night directional patterns. The currently silent KCBI in DFW is designing a new diplexed transmitter facility which possibly could take advantage of the change in Albuquerque.
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The old KKOB pattern was a bog-simple cardioid with a null to the east-northeast. I doubt if anyone in an easterly direction from Albuquerque will be much affected by the downgrade.

Aside from KKOB and its synchronous booster, there are six other U.S. stations on that frequency at night, including WABC, of course. Of the three stations in the West (besides KKOB) at night:
KTTH Seattle (5 kw)
KATL Miles City, MT (1 kw)
KCBC Manteca, CA (4.1 kw)

When I lived in the Bay Area, KCBC was always the signal that prevented reception of KKOB. (KKOB came in great in Paso Robles, though.) I suspect KCBC is more interested in shooting its signal toward the Bay Area at night (HD splatter and all) than in picking up more of the Central Valley. I don't see any kind of economic case for the other two to make changes.
 
Back in the 70's when 770 in Seattle was KXA and was daytime only with 1000 watts. You could get KOB at night when KXA singed off at sunset.
 
xmtrland said:
Back in the 70's when 770 in Seattle was KXA and was daytime only with 1000 watts. You could get KOB at night when KXA singed off at sunset.
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From traveling in the 1960s and 70s I recall KOB had awesome nighttime coverage across the intermountain west. Never heard any sign of WABC in those areas. This was long before the additional stations popped up on 770.
 
I recall one of our seasoned posters saying that KOB 770 Albuquerque popped in as soon as WABC-AM's signal was knocked off air in the 1965 NYC blackout. I believe he was in nearby New Jersey.
More likely to hear KCBC Manteca now on 770 (and non-auroral nights bring very strong CHQR here). Oh for WABC...someday. Even KUOM would be nice on early morning sunrise skip.
 


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