• 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

Update From The North End......

Bongwater

Bongwater

- CFRO is apparently testing the new 100,000 watt transmitter for CKPK at 102.7. CFRO and CKPK will swap frequencies next Monday at 1pm. They're coming in loud and clear in Skagit County, how's the reception further south? Any interference with KZOK?

- The translator for KBRC at 102.1 is simulcasting KAPS.
 
They have totally destroyed reception of KZOK 102.5 and KNBQ 102.9 in the Aldergrove area. Both stations had excellent signals up here when CFRO was only operating with 5,500 watts. We're slowly losing access to all the terrestrial FM signals from Seattle-Tacoma.

For the record power at CKPK 102.7 has been downgraded to 34,000 watts average ERP and 70,000 watts maximum ERP. However the transmitter site is now located about 250 feet higher than the original proposal so the coverage remains approximately the same:
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-421.htm
 
Hey Bong-

SO K-Brick finally got the FM sounding good, just in time to move the translator over to country? Swell. Ah, well, guess they probably have some market research that says it will make them a few more bucks this way.

BTW, for a 10000 watt at 660 am, that is sure a terrible signal for KAPS. Think they got sold a bill of goods on the unique "PARAN system" they installed when they got their power increase.
 
That will be good news for The Peak, but not for KZOK listeners in Marysville. It will destroy reception N of Downtown Everett on a cheap radio! I'm surprised the FM sardine can is not bursting yet. This is crazy!

-crainbebo
 
Reducing power is not, in and of itself, a downgrade. It's necessary, when increasing tower height. It's a matter of physics. Trust me, you're better off with 12,000 watts @ 600 meters than 100,000 @ -50 meters.
 
IndigoCoyote said:
Hey Bong-

SO K-Brick finally got the FM sounding good, just in time to move the translator over to country? Swell. Ah, well, guess they probably have some market research that says it will make them a few more bucks this way.

BTW, for a 10000 watt at 660 am, that is sure a terrible signal for KAPS. Think they got sold a bill of goods on the unique "PARAN system" they installed when they got their power increase.
Click to expand...

KAPS's signal is REALLY bad for a 10,000 watt station that low on the dial. 10,000 watts on 660 kHz should NOT sound THIS weak. PARANs allegedly are supposed to be really efficient. Not here.
 
Reducing power is not, in and of itself, a downgrade. It's necessary, when increasing tower height. It's a matter of physics. Trust me, you're better off with 12,000 watts @ 600 meters than 100,000 @ -50 meters.
Click to expand...

Good point Semoochie.....guess I should have said "the power has been modified" or something along those lines.
 
Dan said:
Reducing power is not, in and of itself, a downgrade. It's necessary, when increasing tower height. It's a matter of physics. Trust me, you're better off with 12,000 watts @ 600 meters than 100,000 @ -50 meters.
Click to expand...

Good point Semoochie.....guess I should have said "the power has been modified" or something along those lines.
Click to expand...

But 100,000 watts at 600 meters is KICKASS coverage!!
 
The paran-antenna at KAPS is one of two in the United States, the other being in Hawaii (and possibly retired now.) The antenna was designed by George Frese, an engineer from Wenatchee. The antenna was not efficient at all. In fact, it proved that nothing short is as efficient as a quarter-wavelength piece of steel at any frequency, and preferably it would be a 202 degree radiator instead (at 660 kHz, 202 degrees = a piece of steel that is 836 feet tall...along the lines of several AM stations in the Los Angeles area. 375 feet is a 90 degree radiator at 660 and would be substantially better than what they have now. The paran antenna is a maintainance headache given a feed point hanging in mid-air, and the antenna is worse than the Kintronic Kinstar antenna http://www.kintronic.com/resources/brochures/40.pdf The Kinstar is only useable in the upper portion of the AM band, and while it theoretically produces 98% of the groundwave of a standard vertical tower, my understanding is that the result is somewhat less in practice...and it isn't approved to be used in a directional antenna system. 660 still gets out reasonably well, though perhaps not as well as in the past. There was a time they had transmitter issues and needed to make some bigger repairs to get back to full power, but John DiMeo probably corrected that. I think the world of John, by the way...he is a great broadcaster.
 
Thanks Mr, Skotdal. I imagine by now you pretty well know every possible AM transmission solution out there, huh?

John might be stuck with what he has, given the NIMBYness of Skagit County. You think YOU had problems getting a decent sized tower up in your situation? ;D
 
IndigoCoyote said:
Thanks Mr, Skotdal. I imagine by now you pretty well know every possible AM transmission solution out there, huh?

John might be stuck with what he has, given the NIMBYness of Skagit County. You think YOU had problems getting a decent sized tower up in your situation? ;D
Click to expand...

LOL! I also think some of the box stores (a Lowe's on one end, a Walmart Supercenter on the other) also might eat into the daytime signal, I can barely hear them in Lynnwood anymore and often CISL comes in better....
 
Well, the CFRO/CKPK frequency switcheroo happened without a hitch. Was anybody rolling tape? I totally missed it this afternoon......
 
102.7 will probably sound a lot stronger up in Marysville/Arlington etc. now that CKPK has taken over. KZOK listeners in Marysville: Beware!

-crainbebo
 
Bongwater said:
Dan said:
Well, the CFRO/CKPK frequency switcheroo happened without a hitch. Was anybody rolling tape? I totally missed it this afternoon......
Click to expand...

Ask and you shall receive Mr. Bongwater:
http://rwcrn.com/ckpkcfro-frequency-swap-audio

(courtesy of Radiofan & the Radio West site)
Click to expand...

DAN! YOU THE MAN! THANK YOU!!!
Click to expand...
I enjoyed that a lot too. Sounds like Co-Op radio got a great deal. Sometimes it's too bad our commercial broadcasters can't suggest swapping with non-comm's down here. (I guess someone could try to switch with KUOW, but I don't think anyone sees their transmitter site as superior)
 
Their heritage full power dial positions in the commercial end of the dial are very valuable to KUOW and KING-FM. They're not going to settle for an inferior signal (I think KUOW can still be upgraded.)

Certainly without at least one hell of a compensation package. And if so, a FAR BIGGER one than CFRO got. KUOW, being a top rated station has the muscle to demand that. And KING-FM likely doesn't want to have a mess of lower power repeater stations and translators everywhere (there's no place left anywhere on the dial to put them even if they did.)

And the compensation would likely be prohibitively long and expensive for any conglomerate to put up with. So I just don't see that happening......
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom