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Orange County Local AM Radio Coverage

R

rtetro

I was in the area over the weekend and listening to some local radio. I first tuned to WGNY-AM to see how their new coverage was compared to what I remember from their old site behind the old Lloyds on Union Ave. Their signal from that location was always spectacular and could be heard cleanly even in western Orange County. With the new system, their signal does not appear to be nearly what it was many years ago. Are they operating under the new 10,000 watt CP?

Also, I tuned to WALL when I got to Sussex, NJ on my trip from Philly, expecting them to blast in there as they did when I worked at WALL in the 70s. It was barely listenable. I was shocked. Listening to WDLC, their signal was about what it has always been. The same with WLNA and WBNR. Also the jump from 250 watts to 500 watts at WTBQ a few years back doesn't seem to have made a great deal of difference, even though it should be about 1.4 times as powerful by doubling its power.

It makes me wonder what has transpired to change things so dramatically. Ground system deterioration and WALL and WTBQ? And why would WGNY seem to be weaker in the Middletown area than it was from their old directional site? Aside from the new transmitter site being several miles closer, Middletown is right in WGNY's main lobe (just as it was in the 60s and 70s). Atmospheric and man-made noise? That could explain WALL and WGNY, but not the relatively stable WLNA, WBNR, and WDLC. I wish I had brought my field strength meter with me to do some actual readings. I remember pretty much what readings used to be. Maybe on my next trip up.

Any ideas?
 
1340 WALL always had a pretty second rate signal. You lost is south on the Quickway a little past Goshen, I want to say the Florida exit. It didn't make it to Montgomery on 211, and you lost it buy Fair Oaks north on 17. That was the strong area. There were exceptions, but it was very shaky outside of the City.

WGNY wasn't too bad on 1220. Barring the roto-tiller to the ground radials episode in the 80's which took a few years to replace. I noticed the 1200 is crap too.

WDLC used to come in sort of in Middletown. Enough to listen to, it has fallen off the wagon too.

My guess is that there is so much RF in the county now that these little pea shooters just can't compete.

Funny though, on Route 6 through Minisink Valley, they all come in decent. So does 1260 WBNR, 1230 WFAS and some others. Must be the cows work at antennas! LOL
 
I lived in Montgomery in the late '60s and early 70s. WALL daytime was very usuable in Montgomery, and was usuable in the cars in Newburg. WGNY had the 3 tower behind Lloyds, aimed west and 5KW. It was super good into Port Jervis and beyond. WBNR always was a good signal, almost to Middletown. I also had the priviledge of working at WBNR mid 70's. I had that old Gates 1KW modulating real well, beat the pants off WGNY and the old BC5 they had. My predecessor at WBNR made some mods to the Gates, and I worked it just a bit furthur. AM was fun then. I was back in the area in 2000 and found coverages were down from what I remebered. Probably noise limiting the usuable signals.
 
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