Mystery Station on 89.9

[deltas69]

Once in the summer when out engineer went out to the transmitter shack to check on the 104.5 transmitter..he opened the storm door and a rather large rattlesnake had crawled in between the storm door and entry door on the cool concrete..long story short..engineer one..snake zero.. game over.. ;D

 

[kc4rae]

I know the county has/had antenna or three on a tower on the left once up the drive. The last I was up there was in the 2000s.

There's stuff still up there, but the trees block views that I had once in years past.

 

[CDG]

Is the relay WBKO used to get their ABC programing from WKRN still up there?

 

[PirateJohnny]

Is the relay WBKO used to get their ABC programing from WKRN still up there?

How old are you? That hasn't been used for decades.

 

[firepoint525]

I can now pick up WAY-FM on three different frequencies, 88.3, 88.7, and now 89.9.

 

[BuzzCam]

I saw an entry on an East Nashville Google Group identifying who are old friend, the 89.9 pirate, is. The person said he was transmitting from a 50 watt antenna. Not sure how much power the transmitter was running  ??? The person who made the entry said he was transmitting from their house on Eastland Ave., and was a DJ from Boston in his earlier days.

Since WAY-FM covers so well on 89.9, I wish they could drop the power on 88.7, to cut down on interference to WVCP-FM, 88.5, in the Nashville area.

 

[secondchoice]

Is the relay WBKO used to get their ABC programing from WKRN still up there?

How old are you? That hasn't been used for decades.

IIRC there was the "old" short original tower right next to the building, and the "microwave tower" that used in the 1970's for 104.5 and I assume the 1980's too. I forget what the original call letters (WFMG?) before WHIN-FM when Mr. Jones owned it but at one time the studios were up there too.

 

[CommoChief]

Great banter, folks... Way came on in '92, just before Gospel Music Week.. I move into Nashville to be the eyes and contact for the expansion off the original WAYJ in Fort Myers, FL (est. 1987).... We had a rimshot from Bill Kincade's tower south of Franklin and east of I-65 (just north of where 840 is)... We were class "A" and licensed to Columbia for the first years... Our great engineering crew and kept working on it, over time.. DA and to a C-3, I think?, Off that tower, and then south to a tower that was off 31 and 102.9 was on.....Then to where it is, now.....330m at 5kw... Directional to protect 88.5 in Gallitan and third channel for Fisk U.'s little dorm antenna... Also, to protect their DA full power 88.3 (Way's) in Clarksville-Dickson.... The 60dBU goes up to Briley and the 54 hits well until you get to the Vet exchange on I-65 and that's where the northland will be helped by 89.9... Way rented 99.3 from WAMB for years with 3 watts off Donelson hill, and tried 98.9 off the WSIX tower for a short while, until bumped by the new FM that came in the east metro.... The 250 is allowed by taking the feed from a leased HD facility.. We have one in my home town of Evansville, now.... Was 10 watts at 800 or so feet on the WEVV tower in Henderson, KY at 91.9... Moved to 92.1 at 150 watts, at the same height, but too much interference from the Class "A" 45 air miles north.. Went back to 91.9 and leased the 106.1 HD from Townsquare and got the two hundred and fifty watts at the high point on the WEVV-TV tower (which Henderson's AM did at WSON-AM) and BOOM! If they could of had a clearer signal on 92.1, they would be able to 'local program' with non-restrictive commercial sales (even as a 501(c)3), but,they can locally program, if they decide too... Instead of a satellite repeater.... They could only do underwriting, and non-profit group call to action, if they choose. But, a good move there.. In Nashville, since they are established and a signal that come within about a mile of a Class "A" at 100 meter city grade, It will power their commuter listeners and homes West-Northwest and Northeast of town.... Fish (Salem) has done well in Christian AC with the two frequencies that are close by..... I am sure they will image, when they get through the testing and fine tuning.. The Columbia translator at 99.3 has some bugs, but will be worked out... Oh, the Clarksville project, back years ago... I worked on that.. 99.5 was our licensed translator and 88.1 was WNAZ's (89.1).... We got too much breakage from 99.5 in Henderson, KY (100kw) that we traded with WNAZ and then later got the DA-FM-Low C Class off a tower south, toward Dickson on 88.3.... We first rented a licensed low watt translator in Clarksville at 96.7 for a couple of years.... Except for a 20 mile streach up 41-Pennyrile Parkway in KY, I can listen to it on the Madisonville, KY translator and then Evansville-Henderson's 91.9 comes in at Hanson, KY (Just North of Madisonville.... Goes to about Princeton, IN, north of Evansville....

The 99.5 signal in Clarksville is back on the air broadcasting Moody Radio. The antenna is positioned only 1/2 way up a small tower located in wooded neighborhood on the edge of town. I really wished they would relocate it to a more central area because it is barely listenable a couple miles from the tower.

 

[deltas69]

WFMG 104.5 went on the air in 1961..the original studio and tower was right uptown on North Water street in the old arcade that used to be there..the tower is still standing out back behind the building now...When E.F. Jones, aka 'Bigfoot' was approached about using his property on the ridge to locate the Microwave tower..he said sure..you put it up and let me put my FM antenna on it..an we got a deal..so he went from uptown at 250 watts I believe at the time..to the ridge, and copy writed the name "Music Mountain" U.S.A , built an office building and a separate studio up there and went to 50K..The studio looked out over highway 109..and had three rooms, a production room that looked directly into the control room through a glass window..and a bathroom behind the control room..and right outside the control room window was the backup tower..you could open the window and touch it..it was that close to the wall..had a family of lizards that lived under the tower base..the board was a small six channel Sparta i think..and the mics were ev 635's..two of them..they were pointed at each other at an angle..and you spoke between them..one was for the right channel..the other for the left..There were two turntables on the left side on the console..and two cart decks mounted flat in the console...which were replaced with a 5 rack Spotmaster when WHIN bought it..now here's kicker..when sold..the property consisted of the two buildings, the tower and transmitter...beneath the transmitter was a 40K home with in ground pool overlooking Gallatin with a great view..especially at night...all sitting on 88 acres of land on top of the ridge..and two cars that went with the deal..selling price $161,000..for all of it..WHIN AM wrote a check for it..didn't borrow a penny..sweet..lol

 

[PirateJohnny]

Is the relay WBKO used to get their ABC programing from WKRN still up there?

How old are you? That hasn't been used for decades.

IIRC there was the "old" short original tower right next to the building, and the "microwave tower" that used in the 1970's for 104.5 and I assume the 1980's too. I forget what the original call letters (WFMG?) before WHIN-FM when Mr. Jones owned it but at one time the studios were up there too.

Actually the receiving antenna is still up in Bowling Green at the old studio site of WBKO/WLTV. There is no safe way to bring the tower down as it's mounted on the roof of a building on Chestnut Street.

 

[ADAMKY]

Actually the receiving antenna is still up in Bowling Green at the old studio site of WBKO/WLTV. There is no safe way to bring the tower down as it's mounted on the roof of a building on Chestnut Street.

Before the tower was erected the back corner of the building was dismantled. Steel reinforced concrete pilings were poured penetrating the floor. Once the tower was erected the back corner room was reconstructed and made into a shop. The tower can be removed safely by using a crane which was the way it was erected circa 1969. The reason the tower was constructed inside the building foot print was the lack of land space to do otherwise.

- Walt

 

[radio guy 1951]

WFMG 104.5 went on the air in 1961..the original studio and tower was right uptown on North Water street in the old arcade that used to be there..the tower is still standing out back behind the building now...When E.F. Jones, aka 'Bigfoot' was approached about using his property on the ridge to locate the Microwave tower..he said sure..you put it up and let me put my FM antenna on it..an we got a deal..so he went from uptown at 250 watts I believe at the time..to the ridge, and copy writed the name "Music Mountain" U.S.A , built an office building and a separate studio up there and went to 50K..The studio looked out over highway 109..and had three rooms, a production room that looked directly into the control room through a glass window..and a bathroom behind the control room..and right outside the control room window was the backup tower..you could open the window and touch it..it was that close to the wall..had a family of lizards that lived under the tower base..the board was a small six channel Sparta i think..and the mics were ev 635's..two of them..they were pointed at each other at an angle..and you spoke between them..one was for the right channel..the other for the left..There were two turntables on the left side on the console..and two cart decks mounted flat in the console...which were replaced with a 5 rack Spotmaster when WHIN bought it..now here's kicker..when sold..the property consisted of the two buildings, the tower and transmitter...beneath the transmitter was a 40K home with in ground pool overlooking Gallatin with a great view..especially at night...all sitting on 88 acres of land on top of the ridge..and two cars that went with the deal..selling price $161,000..for all of it..WHIN AM wrote a check for it..didn't borrow a penny..sweet..lol

The original WFMG control room on Music Mountain was the front room behind the hall. It contained a homemade board and 3 turntables and cart machines flush with the counter top. If I'm not mistaken there was a reel to reel in there. Jerry Pond told me that one of the turntables came out of the WLAC control room. I don't know when the control room with the remote board came into use. When I went to work there in spring of 73 they were using the Sparta remote board for on-air which was in the middle room.

 

[jwhite6069]

That particular tower on Chestnut in Bowling Green will probably never be removed because Bluegrass Cellular's equipment on the tower. That particular site has Bluegrass Cellular's MTSO for the Bowling Green area.

 

[romer979fm]

the 89.9 signal seems to have moved to 92.5 with classic country...
not accusing...just observing.

 

[romer979fm]

one more try at posting this (site has reverted back to an older server it appears):

and now the 92.5 signal has dropped the classic country...with the Live 365 "ballroom dance station"
format previously heard on 89.9...complete with spots and PSAs. same Boston accent on occasional
back sells from 89.9...just a frequency swap. power greatly increased, too...reaching areas where it was
unlistenable before. gotta be causing havoc to WBKR and the WMOT translator in Cannon County.

ahoy!

 

[w9wi]

Heard while stuck in traffic on I-24 east trying to merge with I-65 south this morning.

Not very well though, usually WBKR still owns the frequency up there.