• 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

WGST Power Change Questions

taylorengineer said:
They only operate with 490 watts/night because around 20 years ago they increased the height of the tower which made the tower radiate the signal more efficiently. This was, in effect, a power increase. The night power could not be increased so the output power was reduced to keep the same "coverage."
Click to expand...

Where did you hear that ??? I've never heard of an AM station required to drop power because of tower height change. Was it a deal for the daytime power increase? (The only thing I could find was a conflict with WIIN/970 - FCC case - which didn't say anything about 920 having to decrease nighttime power.)

BarryATL said:
640 had no stations on the frequency nationwide as it was the civil defense frequency. Radios used to have that frequency and another frequency in large print. Something about stations were supposed to change frequency or something so missles could not home in on the transmitter.
Click to expand...

CONELRAD (or CONLERAD) (?) Check older AM car radios with the little triangles on 640 and 1240. (I believe it was replaced by EBS.)

I was listening in the car one afternoon when EVERY station (including WSB) signed off with instructions to tune the test on 640 and 1240 (which lasted about 30 min. or an hour). Every station in the nation was supposed to do it at the same time. The signal was clear on both frequencies and the teat was local. I've always wondered where the transmitting towers were located and what power was being used on each frequency. I don't think the test was ever repeated, and 640 wasn't used again until WPBD. This happened in the early '60's during the Cuban Missle Crisis.
 
Without getting too technical and boring - the height of an AM tower affects the signal intensity on the ground. Some AM towers are more efficient at radiating signals than others.
Google AM broadcast transmission(or something similar) if you would like to learn more.......
 
taylorengineer said:
Without getting too technical and boring - the height of an AM tower affects the signal intensity on the ground. Some AM towers are more efficient at radiating signals than others.
Click to expand...

Station owner I used to work for had his 50-year lease come up for renewal over 10 years ago; landowners went WAAAYYY up on what would've been a new lease. Thus, the owner moved the AM signal to the hilltop FM tower behind the station. The leased property had 4 towers to achieve a 1kw night DA -- it was 5kw non-directional days. When the AM signal moved to the FM tower, all of us knew the night signal would die (46w). But, us staffers were surprised that the day signal would also drop from 5kw to 2.75kw. We couldn't understand that, but were told that it would still be "effective" 5kw ??? I guess this a similar scenario to what's been discussed here?
 
I would like to bring out the "NEW" Taylorengineer format just like eacalhoun!
My 590+ posts are getting stale....my P1 readers are aging and my P2's are bored.
Where can I hire a consultant?
 
You got that right! The old N. Druid Hills 590 signal was terrific-as big as WSB's 50,000 watt signal....at least in the daytime.
That deal made Summit a ton o' cash. But it did take away a great AM signal......
 
taylorengineer said:
Without getting too technical and boring - the height of an AM tower affects the signal intensity on the ground. Some AM towers are more efficient at radiating signals than others.
Google AM broadcast transmission(or something similar) if you would like to learn more.......
Click to expand...
I appreciate the info. When did the 920 power reduction happen? Was it an order from the FCC?
 
The 640 and 1240 signals belonged to CONELRAD (Maybe one of the old poots can decipher it), a system of civil defense use wherein all AM stations would cease broadcasting. Then only a few chosen stations would broadcast emergency information on 640 and 1240, and would swap transmitters (and locations) on a frequent basis. The idea was, the Russkies would not be able to home on them using the ADF technology of the day because they would keep shifting location. I suspect the frequencies were chosen a) bercause there were few or no uisers to chase off them; and b) At almost any AM array, one tower could be tuned to radiate at either 640 0r 1240. Old radios even had a Civil Defense triangle on the dial at each point. One place I worked had an old Harris P seriesm, with a second RF cabionet set for 1240 adjacent to the regular final(s). Swap a contactor and a couple of relays, and it ran on 1240. One tower had two tuning units. Once the Russkies scammed a couple of GM Carousel inertial nav units, the idea lost its value. All of this was PEBS (Pre EBS) and VVPEAS (Very VERY pre EAS).
Control of Emergency Radiation sounds familiar for the acronym, but I'm not positive. Anyone??
 
littlejohn said:
The 640 and 1240 signals belonged to CONELRAD (Maybe one of the old poots can decipher it), a system of civil defense use wherein all AM stations would cease broadcasting.
Click to expand...

"CONtrol of ELectronic RADiation"

--- from an old poot who knows how to Google..........
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom