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Moving an AM radio station
- Thread starter river radio ranch
- Start date
we relocated a 6 tower array many years ago because we inherited the license with no land. Now a single tower and an STA. Telephone interference to cheap phones. ATU difficulties, etc.
C
craigbaker
Guest
Recently lost a 1/4 wave tower in a storm. Moved to unused grounded tower, with grounded guys and no radials. Hung inverted V and had good results. Switched to shunt feeding the grounded tower and get RF burns from everything you touch. Can't wait to go back to Inverted V, this time with proper balun, until unipole and radials are in place.
I've never moved an AM station but I have built a couple of 50kw AM transmitter sites.
In both cases, the construction went very well. The problems started when we put the transmitters on the air.
RF into our neighbors telephones, TV sets, VCRs, stereos.
We were busy for the first year attempting to resolve these issues.
Most were resolved either by installing filters or, in the case of some of the telephones, replacing them with phones which are designed to operate in a high RF environment.
In one case, the neighbor was only 500' from a tower which was radiating over 30kw. We were able to resolve his issues.
In both cases, the construction went very well. The problems started when we put the transmitters on the air.
RF into our neighbors telephones, TV sets, VCRs, stereos.
We were busy for the first year attempting to resolve these issues.
Most were resolved either by installing filters or, in the case of some of the telephones, replacing them with phones which are designed to operate in a high RF environment.
In one case, the neighbor was only 500' from a tower which was radiating over 30kw. We were able to resolve his issues.
Yeah... 50kw in a neighborhood area can be BIG fun. Been there, done that. It's amazing how many things act up with the presence of high-power AM blasting near it.
I haven't seen what the goal is. There are some nice 75 foot pre made radiators that require no tower. As with the Mullaney unipole design they do require ground radials.
Many are keeping AM stations to rebroadcast on translators. If the only goal is to be "on" the needs for a perfect antenna system become less desirous.
After looking at what Jack's dad designed in WW2 you can look at current uses and make your own using wire (larger the better) and high voltage insulators. Saw a unipole with single strand wire and it didn't work well. Multiple strand does. Since most AM stations looking at this are not 50 kw but are lower power (5 k and lower) this is a simple fix.
IF WSM relocated from the Blaw Knox, the standard tower I would guess would not work as well. WHAS has gone through some tower changes over the years and each successive move or change has made their signal weaker.
Many are keeping AM stations to rebroadcast on translators. If the only goal is to be "on" the needs for a perfect antenna system become less desirous.
After looking at what Jack's dad designed in WW2 you can look at current uses and make your own using wire (larger the better) and high voltage insulators. Saw a unipole with single strand wire and it didn't work well. Multiple strand does. Since most AM stations looking at this are not 50 kw but are lower power (5 k and lower) this is a simple fix.
IF WSM relocated from the Blaw Knox, the standard tower I would guess would not work as well. WHAS has gone through some tower changes over the years and each successive move or change has made their signal weaker.
WHAS has a pretty good signal. They put a great signal into Mid-Michigan.
Before I retired about one year ago, I lived in the Tampa Bay area. WHAS put a nice signal into that area too.
Before I retired about one year ago, I lived in the Tampa Bay area. WHAS put a nice signal into that area too.
WNDE 1260 in Indianapolis lost one of their huge self supporters in the early 90's and their signal is not what it was 30 years ago, but that could be due to more stations on at night. WNDE was #1 in Columbus,IN at night in 1978...now you can't pull it out of the other signals on 1260. The real test is to know what the main lobes at WWVA measured after they rebuilt with guyed towers. I hope they measured them rather than just concentrating on the DA nulls. That will tell the tale.ChiefEngineer said:
On the Unipoles, I've always spec'd that the standoff brackets be longer than standard to make the 'tower' cross section bigger. Costs next to nothing to do it that way...worst case, all you get is better bandwidth.
ChiefEngineer said:
WHAS still has a decent signal. I have taken them into eastern Kentucky (Manchester) during the day. Noisy, but still listenable. Night time, I have heard them strong south of Macon Georgia a couple of weeks ago. I was listening to them when the storm hit Churchill Downs since the Weather Channel no longer sees fit to cover weather events like that when it interferes with their other programming.
WHAS lost their long time tower to a 1985 tornado. The station got back on the air with a long wire. The engineer raised power until the wire glowed and backed it off a bit. There was a temporary situation after that, but until the new tower was built the daytime coverage area was greatly reduced.
I used to carry WHAS all over Southern Indiana GW. Now their Southern Indiana signal is less than the robust signal it was. I compare it to WLS, WONE, WLW, and others who have strong AM signals.
In understand changes in radios so have some other rf which seemingly has no changes. WHAS was the primary audio source for years in place over television audio at my home for Kentucky games. If I have to clarify Kentucky let me say basketball. if that doesn't get it there is no helping. The portable AM radio (usually a General Electric) had a better signal than my current AM radio does today.
I did note over the weekend that WHAS was strong in the Evansville area. Even though it is seeming closer to parts of Southern Indiana the signal S of I 70 is not great.Programming leaves a lot to be desired also.
In understand changes in radios so have some other rf which seemingly has no changes. WHAS was the primary audio source for years in place over television audio at my home for Kentucky games. If I have to clarify Kentucky let me say basketball. if that doesn't get it there is no helping. The portable AM radio (usually a General Electric) had a better signal than my current AM radio does today.
I did note over the weekend that WHAS was strong in the Evansville area. Even though it is seeming closer to parts of Southern Indiana the signal S of I 70 is not great.Programming leaves a lot to be desired also.
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