Bengalsfan said:
You can also tell your daughter that she can listen to Radio Disney online.
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WDRD 680 "Radio Disney"
- Thread starter radiofan502
- Start date
You can also tell your daughter that she can listen to Radio Disney online.
Has 680 modified their parameters in recent years? Back (what was it, 20 years ago?) when they first came on the air, I could receive them clearly during the day and spottily at night here in the greater Waddy-Peytona metroplex. Now, they barely come in daytime and forget nighttime. Have they powered down, or did I just have better radios back then?
oxford777 said:
Either better radios back then, or they were not operating under their licensed parameters. Bear in mind there is a slight null to the east/southeast to protect WCTT in Corbin.
Bengalsfan said:
Very possibly not operating under licensed parameters. That station was a mess as originally built. The original phaser looked like something a high school kid would have done. A few parts were saved and the rest thrown in the trash.
The southwest tower is in the corner of the lot and they needed permission from 3 adjacent landowners to put in a ground system. The landowners saw $$$ and asked for far more money than it was worth, and it never got done.
I don't remember if it was finally Clarence Henson or Pete Boyce that got it on the air. But it wasn't happening under the guy that built it.
greg.hahn said:
Actually, the "phasor" was mounted to the wall of the transmitter shack. You can still see the holes in the cinder blocks where it was. Both self supporters don't have full ground systems since they are so close to the property lines. Pete finally got it going, He's told me the story about the station before and yep, it's lucky to be alive. Were it not for the low frequency, it would be worthless.
Greg.Hahn, you're right about the sad condition of the original AM 680 RF plant. This doesn't surprise me, because the original licensee was...Archie Dale.
Dale's original station (WDGS-AM 1290 kHz, COL New Albany) went dark in October of 1987 due to his blatant mismanagement, and he had fallen out with the late John Smith, Sr., the engineer who was a whiz at AM DA systems (he built WDGS' excellent DA system).
Since Dale couldn't get Smith to build out AM 680, he got some unknown people to rough in someting resembling a RF plant with a phasor (in other words, making just enough progress to show the FCC to keep them from pulling his CP), got caught up in the Mud Lane tower debacle, and simply pocketed the CP as long as he could until he sold it to a group that launched the station as all-news about 1993.
Dale's original station (WDGS-AM 1290 kHz, COL New Albany) went dark in October of 1987 due to his blatant mismanagement, and he had fallen out with the late John Smith, Sr., the engineer who was a whiz at AM DA systems (he built WDGS' excellent DA system).
Since Dale couldn't get Smith to build out AM 680, he got some unknown people to rough in someting resembling a RF plant with a phasor (in other words, making just enough progress to show the FCC to keep them from pulling his CP), got caught up in the Mud Lane tower debacle, and simply pocketed the CP as long as he could until he sold it to a group that launched the station as all-news about 1993.
The King Bee said:
King, dude, I know you're a big fan of John Smith Sr., and the last thing I want to do is speak ill of the departed, especially since I am friends with the family. So let me just say that I, having followed him at both 620 and 680, don't agree with your opinion.
John did the original engineering on 680, and he was the engineer that had been attempting to put it on the air for the people that owned WLSY, "Sunny 101.7" when they hired me. They held the construction permit for 680, and John had been their engineer for both 680 and 101.7
I took over the FM, but told them honestly that putting that AM on the air was beyond my ability, and I recommended they get Pete Boyce to try to put 680 on the air. (Clarence was also involved at some later point.)
If that phaser, built on 2" x 6" boards with hand wound copper coils and held together with aquarium sealer was built by someone else then it was John's job to point out that it wasn't adequate and would never work. I don't believe he did that as the owners seemed stunned by the realization that it would have to be done. Pete came in and the first thing he told them was that it needed a new phaser. And we had to add on to the building to make room for it.
If Archie Dale was ever involved, that's news to me. It's possible but I don't think it was relevant to what I saw there.
greg.hahn said:
Was this before or after they had to retrieve the phasor cabinets from up around Pittsburg?
So that was the real story behind the missing phasor...did anyone figure out how it ended up in Pennsylvania? Frankly, I'm very surprised that John, Sr. would jury-rig anything like the "phasor" originally hung for AM 680.
And, yes, Dale was the original CP holder for AM 680, filing the 301 in the mid '80s sometime. Believe it or not, he also held the original CP for LPTV station W62BM, which later moved to Channel 24 as W24BW (dba WYCS), when I helped my brilliant friend Virgil Baldon build the station out for new owners Jerome Hutchison, Sr. and Jr. in the spring of 1996 on a short-notice call. The station is now WKYI-CA, owned by the Smith interests of Clarksville.
And, yes, Dale was the original CP holder for AM 680, filing the 301 in the mid '80s sometime. Believe it or not, he also held the original CP for LPTV station W62BM, which later moved to Channel 24 as W24BW (dba WYCS), when I helped my brilliant friend Virgil Baldon build the station out for new owners Jerome Hutchison, Sr. and Jr. in the spring of 1996 on a short-notice call. The station is now WKYI-CA, owned by the Smith interests of Clarksville.
The King Bee said:
Somebody apparently sold it, thinking they had the right to do so. The station was dark at the time, so when someone came and got the phaser, nobody knew about it for awhile.
I have no idea how it was traced down, or even that it went to Pennsylvania. But apparently someone decided it had to come back home.
greg.hahn said:
According to Pete, the lease on the land had not been paid in a long time. The land owner started poking around the building and found the phasor. Sold it to some folks to recoup some of his money. I think the land owner told them who it was sold to. They got a court order and with a marshal, went and retrived it.
In case anyone is interested, the MLB playoffs are being broadcast on 680 WDRD. Even though the ESPN Radio announcers suck, you can listen to the Reds while they are in the playoffs. Better hurry, The Reds are so bad they won't be playing much longer! 
radiofan502 said:In case anyone is interested, the MLB playoffs are being broadcast on 680 WDRD. Even though the ESPN Radio announcers suck, you can listen to the Reds while they are in the playoffs. Better hurry, The Reds are so bad they won't be playing much longer!
I thought 1570 was carrying the Reds, also. And yea, I hate it that the Reds are facing a three and out situation. I think they are a better team than that.
You thought wrong.Bengalsfan said:I thought 1570 was carrying the Reds, also. And yea, I hate it that the Reds are facing a three and out situation. I think they are a better team than that.radiofan502 said:In case anyone is interested, the MLB playoffs are being broadcast on 680 WDRD. Even though the ESPN Radio announcers suck, you can listen to the Reds while they are in the playoffs. Better hurry, The Reds are so bad they won't be playing much longer!
Has someone tweaked the WDRD processor and/or antenna system? Down here at my place near Tyler Park, they're clearer and more solid-sounding day and night. A marked improvement over the first days of the ESPN service! By the way, thanks to the new owners for taking the "B" feed with all the baseball, rather than the general service (talk only) "A" feed.
WOW!!!! You're right. The signal really punches through now doesn't it! Sounds like a real AM radio station now... The Radio Disney signal always sound anemic.
680 does sound a lot better now. I'm glad that the MLB playoffs are on WDRD. The thing I've noticed is that the only station ID's are at the top of the hour. During the games when they pause for station ID, there is none. Doesn't sound very professional. I was also wondering if and when they will change call letters and start a website.The King Bee said:
How long before they add local talent?
Usually PBP is on the "A" Feed. the General Talk only service is on the "B" feed for those in markets that cant carry the games i believe due to the local team broadcasts till the world seriesThe King Bee said:
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