WAMS had to protect a little share timer on 1380 in Zarepheth NJ., WAWZ, which shared time with WBNX, (Bronx N.Y.). 1380/WAWZ generally had specific broadcast hours on 1380, 6am-9am, daily. All other hours were generally WBNX’s broadcast time, 9am until midnight. WAMS had to critically protect the Zarepheth 1380, so when WAWZ signed on, WAMS was relegated to a critical directional antenna pattern. That is what most of the 5 towers were for, the Zarepheth protected contour array. Sundays were really a gas, when WAWZ signed on midday’s 12-2 and in the afternoons 4pm-6pm, in addition to mornings. So for example, in the winter, on Sunday, you would have to switch from 1kw-DA-N to 1kw-DA day protected contour at 6am, then to 5kw-DA day signal protected contour at sunrise, then at 9am 5kw-DA liberal, then at noon, 5kw-DA protected, then at 2, 5kw-DA liberal, then at 4pm, 5kw-DA protected, then at sundown 1kw-DA protected, then at 6pm, 1kw-DA night. It may have been even more at some point in the frequency's history.
As we all remember, up until relatively recent rule changes, the licensed on duty transmitter operator, which was usually the DJ, must have his eyes in view of the transmitter readings, variable base current and phase loop meters, etc., when in the air studio. That was made possible at WAMS with numerous television monitors across the ceiling perimeter directly in front of the on air board, with the connecting cameras fixed on the transmission equipment. So all you had to do was look up, and you could take a meter reading, watch the clock, and change to the applicable antenna pattern then raise or lower the power, which ever is applicable. Power, and antenna phase loop readings, for each tower, at every change, usually took the better of the equivalent of two segue-way’s, if you were lucky. There was very little tolerance on being late with the pattern change, or phase loops being out of whack on the applicable time sensitive pattern. As you might imagine, top 40 rock, was a little hard to digest over WAWZ’s signal area.
Hy was on WAMS in 1973, and we will be playing many of those broadcast moments, along with other historical radio content, and narration description of these stations later this month on HyLitRadio.com.
