• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Radio Towers Rockwall HWY276 & Hwy 549

R

Raygun99

I am not sure if this is the venue but I have been searching for an answer to the large array of radio towers in Rockwall at the HYW 276 & Hwy 549 intersection. Is there a way to find out their use and when they were set up?
 
That is the "mighty 1190" 5K nighttime pattern...
that one was set up in the late 60's...went on the air in early '70 as I recall.
12 towers...one of the largest number of towers of any AM DA pattern.
It is located just to the southeast of the intersection of 276 and 549 just on the east side of Rockwall.
If you go on Google Earth you can find it just south of the new housing development on the SE corner of the intersection of 276 and 549.
two rows of towers side by side, 6 on each side, 12 total!
32°53'58.70"N lattitude
96°24'47.38"W longitude
put those coordinates in google earth and you're there!
 
That's an awesome array, I've tuned that station at night on 30 coming into Dallas from Texarkana & the pattern is very tight.
 
So the towers are @5K. If 1190 is on the air during the day time is the same output? It is quite impressive array.. I live close by and see the red lights from my backyard. I guess they are all on due to the Rockwall Airport due north.
 
Actually the daytime signal comes from Grand Prairie. It is 50,000 watts into a 4 tower array.

Nighttime sig comes from the 12 towers in Rockwall, with 5,000 watts & pinched pattern.
 
Lancer said:
That's an awesome array, I've tuned that station at night on 30 coming into Dallas from Texarkana & the pattern is very tight.
Click to expand...

The main lobe is broadside from the array at 245 deg true....and very narrow..about 20-30 deg wide at best...(The joke is the signal goes down Commerce St but doesnt touch the curb but thats pretty close ;) The nulls in the array are to protect WOWO and KEX as well as one more....there is a minor lobe SE of the array toward Terrell...but other than that, you're SOL if you are out of the main lobes at night (which explains why N Dallas/Plano doesnt get 1190 at night)...Well constructed broadside array and very stable....takes the 5KW xmtr power and amplifies it to 75kw ERP...not bad...There are some other arays with more towers or more metal in the air (lower freq stations with 8-9 towers) but the Rockwall site is a legend...and will likely stay for some time (even THOUGH CC could open up the array in the NW quadrant since they OWN KEX now and could sign a mutual interference pact.....I doubt the listeners in the Texas panhandle would complain ;)
 
Raygun99 said:
So the towers are @5K. If 1190 is on the air during the day time is the same output? It is quite impressive array.. I live close by and see the red lights from my backyard. I guess they are all on due to the Rockwall Airport due north.
Click to expand...

Any towers over 200 ft are required by the FAA to be painted and/or lit (strobes) during the day, and red lights at night. Regardless of how close they are to an airport.
 
The pattern was constructed during the time the McLendons owned KLIF 1190. 50K daytime, as it is now, from the towers just west of downtown Dallas and a 1000 watt signal at night with the towers just southeast of downtown Dallas until 1970. The original nighttime pattern did not get into Fort Worth very well and ownership spent what at the time was considered a TON of money developing this pattern. Unfortunately, they accomplished getting into Fort Worth at night (and Abilene too most of the time!) but the signal to the expanding communitites to the north that actually could get 1190 at night on the 1K stick, began to have reception issues as it does today.
 
Steve Eberhart said:
The pattern was constructed during the time the McLendons owned KLIF 1190. 50K daytime, as it is now, from the towers just west of downtown Dallas and a 1000 watt signal at night with the towers just southeast of downtown Dallas until 1970. The original nighttime pattern did not get into Fort Worth very well and ownership spent what at the time was considered a TON of money developing this pattern. Unfortunately, they accomplished getting into Fort Worth at night (and Abilene too most of the time!) but the signal to the expanding communitites to the north that actually could get 1190 at night on the 1K stick, began to have reception issues as it does today.
Click to expand...

Talking with Dave Hultsman, former CE of the station during the McLendon era, he told me there had been a study to do ~1kw at night from the current day site and it would have worked EXCEPT for an unbuilt but allocated 1190 in Canada....so the plan was scrapped...seems the CA station never got built :( and with WOWO powering down and KEX also owned by CC, they could possibly look at that again.... but that would mean spending money and CC is probably looking to unload the station after spending $18mill on it just to buy it from Radio One...never got a decent ROI...if ANY!)
 
Look at it this way. A company with many resources, financially and programming - wise, can't think of a single thing worthy of putting on the 50,000 watts during the day. Even with a respectable signal at night, would that change anything?

I've been told 1190 can be purchased for $10 million. Interesting because that is still less than it sold for in 1972.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom