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KNBR/KGEI

O

OldChicago

I understand the SF station KNBR has their xmtr in Belomt/Redwood City. Sometime
ago, they shared land with a shortwave station called KGEI. I have several questions about this. Before I post any questions, does anyone have any idea about what I am talking about.

Old Chicago
 
> I understand the SF station KNBR has their xmtr in
> Belomt/Redwood City. Sometime ago, they shared land with a shortwave station called KGEI.

> I have several questions about this. Before I post any
> questions, does anyone have any idea about what I am talking
> about.

Old Chi,

Sure. I have a bit of info about KGEI. Ask away.

The "GEI" in the call letters, coincidentally, stood for "General Electric International." The station was built in Belmont by GE around 1940 and went off the air in 1995 after being operated by the Far East Broadcasting Co. (FEBC) for many years as "The Voice of Friendship."

I have a photo of its building on the museum website at http://www.bayarearadio.org/stn_photos/kgei_xmtr-site_1960.shtml

DJ<P ID="signature">______________
<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
> > I understand the SF station KNBR has their xmtr in
> > Belomt/Redwood City. Sometime ago, they shared land with
> a shortwave station called KGEI.
>
> > I have several questions about this. Before I post any
> > questions, does anyone have any idea about what I am
> talking
> > about.
>
> Old Chi,
>
> Sure. I have a bit of info about KGEI. Ask away.
>
> The "GEI" in the call letters, coincidentally, stood for
> "General Electric International." The station was built in
> Belmont by GE around 1940 and went off the air in 1995 after
> being operated by the Far East Broadcasting Co. (FEBC) for
> many years as "The Voice of Friendship."
>
> I have a photo of its building on the museum website at
http> ://www.bayarearadio.org/stn_photos/kgei_xmtr-site_1960.shtml
>
>
> DJ
>
DJ,
Where in Belmont was this building located? Along Industrial? Also, when did they move to the tower now near the San Carlos Airport?
 
nomae asked:

> DJ,
> Where in Belmont was this building located? Along
> Industrial? Also, when did they move to the tower now near
> the San Carlos Airport?


The KGEI facility was located adjacent to the KPO (now KNBR) transmitter building along the bay shore. The location is at the end of Radio Road, off Redwood Shores Parkway; you can see the large KNBR tower from the San Mateo Bridge if you're heading westbound.

If you go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) and enter "Radio Road, Belmont CA," change to "Satellite" mode and zoom in all the way, you can see the KNBR tower and the distinctive "HAZ" markings on the ground right near the edge of the Bay, warning pilots to avoid the tower and the antenna guy wires.

Regarding the tower near the San Carlos Airport, could you be referring to the KYCY (ex-KKHI, etc.) transmitter? Since KNBR has had the same facility since 1933, and since KGEI has been off the air since 1995 -- it didn't move -- I think that may be the one.

There's a picture of it from back in the day on the museum website at http://www.bayarearadio.org/stn_photos/kkhi_xmtr-site-photo.shtml

DJ

<P ID="signature">______________
<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
> nomae asked:
>
> > DJ,
> > Where in Belmont was this building located? Along
> > Industrial? Also, when did they move to the tower now near
>
> > the San Carlos Airport?
>
>
> The KGEI facility was located adjacent to the KPO (now KNBR)
> transmitter building along the bay shore. The location is at
> the end of Radio Road, off Redwood Shores Parkway; you can
> see the large KNBR tower from the San Mateo Bridge if you're
> heading westbound.
>
> If you go to Google Maps (http://maps.google.com) and enter
> "Radio Road, Belmont CA," change to "Satellite" mode and
> zoom in all the way, you can see the KNBR tower and the
> distinctive "HAZ" markings on the ground right near the edge
> of the Bay, warning pilots to avoid the tower and the
> antenna guy wires.
>
> Regarding the tower near the San Carlos Airport, could you
> be referring to the KYCY (ex-KKHI, etc.) transmitter? Since
> KNBR has had the same facility since 1933, and since KGEI
> has been off the air since 1995 -- it didn't move -- I think
> that may be the one.
>
> There's a picture of it from back in the day on the museum
> website at
http:> //www.bayarearadio.org/stn_photos/kkhi_xmtr-site-photo.shtml
>
>
> DJ



What station is this? I tried to read the building but it was painted and repainted over... (wish i could post a pic here)

anyway, its on 80 off to the left at the end of a pond near ashby and bay in oakland.

Thanks!
<P ID="signature">______________
Perfection is overrated...
www.marinifamily.org</P>
 
Re: What station is this? (Subject Change!)

TimmyWA asked:

> What station is this? I tried to read the building but it
> was painted and repainted over... (wish i could post a pic
> here)
>
> anyway, its on 80 off to the left at the end of a pond near
> ashby and bay in oakland.

Ah! We just changed subjects didn't we?

I'm betting the station that you are talking about is the old KRE building over at Berkeley Aquatic Park. It housed the studios and transmitter for KRE/1400 (which later became KPAT, KBLX, KBFN, KVTO ... did I get them all?) and the transmitter for KFRC (now KEAR/610). Incidenatally, the studios, which are no longer used, served as Wolfman Jack's studios in "American Graffiti."

The building fell into disrepair, but has been wonderfully restored by Steve Kushman and the California Historical Radio Society (http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com) to serve as a museum space. It still houses the transmitters for KVTO and KEAR.

Photograph of the building in 1999 at http://www.bayarearadio.org/schneider/kre-today.shtml

...and today at http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/KRErestoration.html

History of KRE at http://www.bayarearadio.org//schneider/kre.shtml

DJ<P ID="signature">______________
<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
> > I understand the SF station KNBR has their xmtr in
> > Belomt/Redwood City. Sometime ago, they shared land with
> a shortwave station called KGEI.
>
> > I have several questions about this. Before I post any
> > questions, does anyone have any idea about what I am
> talking
> > about.
>
> Old Chi,
>
> Sure. I have a bit of info about KGEI. Ask away.
>

I know that KGEI is no longer on the air, but I am curious if the XMTR building is still there, and if any of the old antennas are still there. Also, with KGEI being so close to the XMTR for KNBR, if they has problems with RF getting into each others equpment. KGEI for a while also had a 250-KW XMTR. Wonder if that caused KNBR any problems.

Old Chicago
 
Re: What station is this? (Subject Change!)

> Ah! We just changed subjects didn't we?
>
> I'm betting the station that you are talking about is the
> old KRE building over at Berkeley Aquatic Park. It housed
> the studios and transmitter for KRE/1400 (which later became
> KPAT, KBLX, KBFN, KVTO ... did I get them all?) and the
> transmitter for KFRC (now KEAR/610). Incidenatally, the
> studios, which are no longer used, served as Wolfman Jack's
> studios in "American Graffiti."
>
> The building fell into disrepair, but has been wonderfully
> restored by Steve Kushman and the California Historical
> Radio Society (http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com) to
> serve as a museum space. It still houses the transmitters
> for KVTO and KEAR.
>
> Photograph of the building in 1999 at
> http://www.bayarearadio.org/schneider/kre-today.shtml
>
> ...and today at
> http://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/KRErestoration.html
>
>
> History of KRE at
> http://www.bayarearadio.org//schneider/kre.shtml
>
> DJ


Thanks, DJ! So would I be correct in saying these stations are diplexed on this one tower? Interesting... Is this common for AMs?

Thanks Again!

-Timmy<P ID="signature">______________
Perfection is overrated...
www.marinifamily.org</P>
 
Re: KNBR/KGEI Transmitter Site

Old Chi wrote:

> I know that KGEI is no longer on the air, but I am curious
> if the XMTR building is still there, and if any of the old
> antennas are still there. Also, with KGEI being so close to
> the XMTR for KNBR, if they has problems with RF getting into
> each others equpment. KGEI for a while also had a 250-KW
> XMTR. Wonder if that caused KNBR any problems.

The transmitter building is still there ... but I don't know what it is used for. The three KGEI towers are gone, but the concrete support bases are still there.

The Belmont KNBR/KGEI site was originally the home of KPO's old flat-top antenna (the kind that was supported between two towers) back in the early 1930s. The base for one of the towers is still visible on the site.

Aerial view of the KGEI Belmont site (2004):
http://www.bayarearadio.org/stn_photos/kgei_xmtr-site_2004.shtml

DJ<P ID="signature">______________
<center>
Bay Area Radio Museum | Bay Area Radio Digest
</center></P>
 
www.smdailyjournal.com

KGEI: A forgotten WWII radio story

Sometimes history is hidden in plain sight or site — as is the case of a blockhouse-shaped building located, appropriately, on Radio Road in the Redwood Shores area of Redwood
www.smdailyjournal.com www.smdailyjournal.com

Here is the former KGEI building as last seen in 2017. In this article the building was used as a wastewater plant for Redwood City and San Carlos.
 
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