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WCDC 1540
- Thread starter PHIL Z
- Start date
PHIL Z said:
I would think that the principal limitations on WNWR at night would be KXEL and ZNS-1, not WCDC (WPTR) or whatever we're calling it this week. Anyhow, the Albany station is supposed to resurface, however briefly and with however little power, sometime during the next 10 days. Just enough to keep the FCC from pulling the license.
1540 is a Bahamian clear. ZNS-1 is the primary. That's why WPTR/WCDC has night power and WNWR doesn't. WNWR's day pattern is aimed east toward the shore, and I'm guessing they couldn't design a night pattern at a power level that made it worth doing that didn't interfere with ZNS-1.
I remember them being licensed for 2 watts night, not 500.
Bill
I remember them being licensed for 2 watts night, not 500.
Bill
WNWR is listed now as only having 50 kW daytime. The FCC had a a 7 watt night power listed for it a while ago. As WPGR, the station did have 500 watts at night, with the night setup done by the late Mike Venditti.
He pulled it after the then owner refused to pay for it upon hearing the coverage. 1540 Albany's call is WDCD; WCDC is assigned to a UHF TV station in Western Mass.Quite surprised WADK Newport RI hasn't tried to build out a CP it had.
He pulled it after the then owner refused to pay for it upon hearing the coverage. 1540 Albany's call is WDCD; WCDC is assigned to a UHF TV station in Western Mass.Quite surprised WADK Newport RI hasn't tried to build out a CP it had.
I can't imagine that Crawford will allow the 1540 license in Albany to expire. They have been saying in recent weeks that it will be back on the air. Despite its recent history of changing formats and dwindling numbers, a 50KW fulltime station that covers almost all of New England and Eastern Canada at night is way to valuable to let it just go away "gently into that good night." I also read recently somewhere that there had been a fire at the station several months ago which has contributed to slowing things up in returning to the air.
As a cost cutting move, I would also suggest they install MDCL on their main transmitter, which saves about 30% on the electrical bill each month - no small change when you're dealing with 50KW.
As a cost cutting move, I would also suggest they install MDCL on their main transmitter, which saves about 30% on the electrical bill each month - no small change when you're dealing with 50KW.
DG is correct. WPGR night power was indeed 500 watts. I was there at the time. Mike got it by changing the COL from Philly and bringing first service to Bala Cynwyd. He got hold of a used MW-1 for night use. For 500 watts, the coverage was good for Philly and Camden proper. But Mike loved pushing modulation limits, and skirting NRSC filters. It kept the MW-1 on edge, blowing modulation stacks. The MW-50 could handle it, the baby wouldn't. When night would fall, not only would coverage drop, so would modulation, not allowing the program level to cover "night chatter".
The expenses went through the roof. Between rebuilt mod cards from Harris, 'round the clock electric bills for the plant and studio, we now had to have talent 24/7. No computer "Chip Icon" to run the boards back then, live humans. Hell, we were still using turntables and CD's.
The expenses went through the roof. Between rebuilt mod cards from Harris, 'round the clock electric bills for the plant and studio, we now had to have talent 24/7. No computer "Chip Icon" to run the boards back then, live humans. Hell, we were still using turntables and CD's.
If WDCD-1540 Albany does go off the air and have it's license expire, wouldn't WNWR-1540 need to build a directional array south of Philly for nighttime service and beam their nighttime signal to the north in order to protect ZNS-1 in the Bahamas??
Additionally, I thought WDCD's signal (it's no longer listed on Radio-Locator.com) was beamed to the East with little signal being beamed due south.
Additionally, I thought WDCD's signal (it's no longer listed on Radio-Locator.com) was beamed to the East with little signal being beamed due south.
An old National Radio Club nighttime coverage map book had 'WPTR' tucking it in big-time away from Iowa and the Bahamas, and sending this splooshy NW-SE signal into most of New England and Montreal.
With about 50,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, where it conveniently pre-heated various forms of seafood.
In that same Albany market (and on another Philly phrequency), WCKL 560 Catskill,directional north to serve Albany, used to fire up their signal just often enough to keep their license, as well.
And iIrc, on still another metro Philadelphia channel (740) WGSM/WNYH on Long Island kept their license for a spell by trudging out to do the annual log duty.
With about 50,000 miles of the Atlantic Ocean, where it conveniently pre-heated various forms of seafood.
In that same Albany market (and on another Philly phrequency), WCKL 560 Catskill,directional north to serve Albany, used to fire up their signal just often enough to keep their license, as well.
And iIrc, on still another metro Philadelphia channel (740) WGSM/WNYH on Long Island kept their license for a spell by trudging out to do the annual log duty.
Joseph_Gallant said:
WDCD's main pattern lobe is generally SE and NW...almost peanut shaped. I worked there in the late 70s before coming to Philly. We had very, very deep nulls to the south and the west, protecting ZNS-1 in the Bahamas and KXEL in Waterloo, IA. The null to the south was SO deep that I could stand on a hill in Guilderland, about three miles south of the transmitter, see the towers and yet be listening to KXEL. It was also frustrating driving south on the Thruway and losing the station south of Selkirk/Ravena. On the other hand, the signal towards Western MA, towards Glens Falls/Saratoga, and toward Amsterdam/Gloversville was excellent. You can see a plot of their pattern at: http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/MB/Databases/AM_DA_patterns/23459-22937.pdf .
The location of the towers in Colonie was actually almost perfect for the pattern, with the main lobe directed right at Albany to the SE and Schenectady to the NW. The big problem with WDCD/WPTR is that the ground conductivity at their location is horrible. The ground is almost entirely sand. When WPTR first signed on in 1947, it was licensed for 10KW. The conductivity was so bad compared to what was expected by the M3 map in the planning stages, that the station couldn't even put the required signal over their city of license, Albany. The fix was to get a power boost to 50kw.
If they go dark, WNWR would still have to protect ZNS-1 and KXEL, as well as several others that have gone on since 1947 like CHIN in Toronto. It would be a tight pattern in any event, except to the NE (and to a lesser extent the SW). There is most likely no way they could ever get 50kw night, though.
Is WNWR even interested in a limited nighttime signal? I admit I haven't figured them out. According to the 2000 census, the Chinese-American population of Philadelphia was 17,783 or 1.17%. What percent of THAT number is interested in a radio station broadcasting news & features about China in English on an AM station? Most likely the majority of the younger Chinese-Americans in the area listen to the same FM music stations as anyone else their age. The station reminds me of 1960's shortwave radio. Maybe someone can explain who the audience is that keeps this format going here & elsewhere (I think they are in DC which has a higher Asian population).
I remember trying to hear the post-sunset programming on WPGR those few months Jerry Blavat tried it; and it was unlistenable Montgomery County, drowned out by a mix of signals. I also remember trying to listen to WPTR (WCDC) when WRCP-WPGR was signed off but there was always a lot of clutter on 1540.
I remember trying to hear the post-sunset programming on WPGR those few months Jerry Blavat tried it; and it was unlistenable Montgomery County, drowned out by a mix of signals. I also remember trying to listen to WPTR (WCDC) when WRCP-WPGR was signed off but there was always a lot of clutter on 1540.
Joseph_Gallant said:
The Albany 1540 is DA-1 (same pattern day and night). Pattern is a modified cardioid (three half-wave towers) centered on the northeast with two deep minima (one to the west to protect KXEL and one to the south to protect ZNS-1). There is a small lobe behind the array--centered on the southwest, between the west and south minima. There is an anomaly in the Capital District soil conductivity that results is the station--despite the high power and efficient antenna system--having a rather poor signal in downtown Albany. The signal is a killer (>75 mV/m) in Schenectady and Troy but doesn't meet 25 mV/m in much of Albany. On paper, it looks like the transmitter is well situated (distances to all three cities iare roughly equal), but because of the previously mentioned anomaly, the site was not well chosen. The right place would be near WROW, which was originally in Glenmont. The New York Thruway took the original WROW site but the current site is not far from the original site.
Dan,
WDCD's towers are 206 deg high. Here's the FCC data:
http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=833
WDCD's towers are 206 deg high. Here's the FCC data:
http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/amq?list=0&facid=833
Ya just jogged my memory. Speaking of 1540 towers...
The COL and night power were only part of the total changes planned for WPGR by Mike Venditti. Part of it's HUGE problem is its' quarter wave antenna system. Signal goes up, down, and out at the bottom causing excessive skywave waste of signal. It was built on the cheap. Mike had proposed on another CP to extend the tower height just a few feet to make them elecrtical equivilent of 5/8 wave, releasing the signal closer from the center of each of the 3 sticks. The thinking was to stop skywave bounce and up to triple groundwave rf for building penetration. But again, owners balked at the expense.
Mike was a master of AM.
The COL and night power were only part of the total changes planned for WPGR by Mike Venditti. Part of it's HUGE problem is its' quarter wave antenna system. Signal goes up, down, and out at the bottom causing excessive skywave waste of signal. It was built on the cheap. Mike had proposed on another CP to extend the tower height just a few feet to make them elecrtical equivilent of 5/8 wave, releasing the signal closer from the center of each of the 3 sticks. The thinking was to stop skywave bounce and up to triple groundwave rf for building penetration. But again, owners balked at the expense.
Mike was a master of AM.
According to fybush.com, WDCD was back on the air last Monday, simulcasting its co-owned FM, to keep the license alive.
Bill
Bill
DG02816 said:
5/9 wavelength (200 degrees) is more popular than 5/8 wavelength (225 degrees) even though the groundwave at 225 degrees is greater for a given power than is the groundwave at 200 degrees. The reason 200 degrees is more popular than 225 degrees is that 225 degrees produces a rather strong high-angle lobe (in the vertical radiation pattern) which makes for poor fading characteristics. (Groundwave and skywave interact producing lots of fading close to the transmitter, especially at night and during critical hours.) 200 degrees also produces a high-angle lobe but it is much smaller than the 225-degree high-angle lobe. So 200 degrees does not have a bad fading problem. Nevertheless, the high-angle lobe doesn't disappear entirely until the antenna height is reduced to half-wave (180 degrees). Below 180 degrees, the vertical pattern becomes increasingly "tall" as the tower gets shorter. So both short and very tall towers have self-interference (fading) problems. However, in many cases, the self-interference is not very obvious because of skywave from stations a couple of hundred miles away.
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