The KSIQ power question

[Big 121]

From the beginning, KSIQ's wheezer signal has been a topic. Is it's signal blocked by geographic obstacles, or is it running at
lower than authorized power? It does have Lyons, Lawson,Gaskill,Corte Madera,and Long Valley Pk. blocking the westward
signal, not to mention Morena Butte which its nestled into the side of.They are 300-1600' higher than the antenna!
So, is KSIQ 25KW? To get a ballpark figure, I have speculated the equipment, and it's power consumption @KSIQ.
TX (Harris)= 8600w
cooling fan= 600w
rack(processor, monitor, Telco, etc.)= 250w
2 ton a/c, 25% duty= 750w
2 rough service lamps (150w)= 300w
Buzz Lightyear nightlight= 5w
total est. power consumption= 10,505w
Next, a beginning reading was taken at the SDG&E smart meter,@11:05pm(display function 10). 1 hr. later, the ending reading
was taken.The difference was 10kw consumed in 1 hour; pretty much in the ballpark..
So, it sure looks like Travis is truthful, and KSIQ is at full rated power. It's just in one of the worst locations ever for an FM station...a hole.

(Performed April, 2012)

 

[sdwulfdawg]

No worse than KNSJ with their incredibly bad signal in San Diego.

 

[johndavis]

Of course it's in a hole. That's what makes the power booster closer to town legal (and for that matter, what makes it work in practice).

One might say they put it there on purpose.

 

[JFox]

KSIQ was never really intended to be a San Diego player. It's a move-in of an unsuccessful Imperial Valley station ... the kind of hopscotching the FCC is trying to put a stop to. It's strictly a move by owner Cherry Valley to boost the value of an underperforming asset so it can be sold for more than the 99 cents it was worth in El Centro. The East County transmitter location is as close to San Diego as they could get without seeking a new channel allocation. The class D booster licensed to Santee but built on Mt. Miguel was the real objective. The tradeoff of running a station off a booster is, even though engineered to pass muster, if the actual class D signal interferes with a full class station, the D has to modify or shut down. The Campo main transmitter was either the best solution they could engineer or the best they could afford. That last thousand or more feet of elevation can come at a high price. But at only about 100 feet above average terrain, yeah, that Campo location sucks. Seems like a couple hundred watts powered by solar on a "developed" peak would have worked better and at a reasonable cost.

KNSJ faced some of the same issues, requiring the remote East County main transmitter location, though it's a new license, not a move-in. They did go for the highest peak they could find with a power trade off. For a shoestring operation, that lower electric bill makes a difference. Based on FCC documents, it appears both KSIQ and KNSJ are licensed for the full allowable power for their elevation and class.