WKOX's move from Framingham to Newton has been erroneously announced (albeit not by me) to be on the air so often (here and elsewhere) that any such posting must be regarded with suspicion. I won't bet the farm on it yet--what I'm hearing COULD be WKOX on day power after sunset from Framingham--but I don't think so. (If it were, it would be a first; I have never heard WKOX on day power at night.) In any event, the signal sounds really good AND, if I'm correct, my prediction of when the switch would occur was exactly right; I said it would happen immediately after closure of the sale of CCU to Bain Capital et al. The sale closed yeterday, 7/30/08.
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WKOX on the air from Newton?
- Thread starter DanStrassberg
- Start date
DanStrassberg said:
It certainly sounds better than usual here in Somerville at night, but it doesn't necessarily sound like 50 kW to me. Could they have gone on from Newton, but not yet at full power?
encarta95 said:
It's probably still in Framingham then, maybe they didn't power down for the night. I don't think the Newton 1200 will be excellent in Framingham at night. I believe they will have to null at least somewhat in that direction.
I'll be driving by the Framingham area today on my way out of town for the weekend and check it out (but then I'll be offline for the weekend).
Eli Polonsky said:
The FCC almost always requires new or upgraded directional AMs to operate at power lower than that specified in the CP until proofs of performance that demonstrate complance with the CP are on file. (Usually, this requires filing a separate application to modify the CP to augment the pattern.) The most common reduced power during this initial period is 1/4 of that specifed in the CP because 1/4 the power produces 1/2 of the normal field.
OTOH, I listened for a pattern change at 5:45AM (August sunrise) and I either heard none or what I heard was all in my imagination; if there was a pattern change, it was damned near imperceptible. Also, unlike WRCA right after it moved a month ago and immediately started to ID as WRCA Watertown, WKOX is still IDing as WKOX Framingham.
A possibility, I guess, is that WKOX could now be operating at reduced power from Newton but is using its day pattern 'round the clock. The new day and night patterns are similar except that the day pattern sends considerably more signal to the west--toward Framingham.
L
Laurence Glavin
Guest
Does anybody out there live near Oak Hill Park? The road to the transmitter site, Spiers Street is a left turn just after Mt. Lebanon Cemetery (assuming you are heading west along Baker Street off route 1). The towers are not easily visible, but all youid need to do is tune to WWDJ-AM 1150, and if it's being obliterated by WKOX, that's a signal that the station is operating from there. I live well north of Boston, and only visit there when I'm in the neighborhood anyway.
Eli Polonsky said:
As best I can tell, you guys are correct; my report WAS a false alarm. Sorry! This morning, a FedEx delivery brought me a CC Radio Plus, the replacement for my Super Radio III, which was about 18 years old but performing splendidly--until it stopped about 10 days ago. With the aid of the CC's crude signal strength meter, I satisfied myself that I could minimize the received signal strength from both WBIX and WKOX with roughly the same orientation of the radio and that orientation differs by about 45 degrees from the orientation that minimizes the received strength of WRCA.
Laurence Glavin said:
That's actually Spiers Road, and Baker Street (West Roxbury) becomes Dedham Street (Newton) at the city line just after the cemetery, and immediately before the left turn to Spiers Road, when traveling westbound.
And, the VFW Parkway in West Roxbury (which intersects with Baker Street) is no longer Route 1. The state removed the route number from the road north of the intersection of Providence Highway and Route 95/128 in Dedham, and reassigned it to Route 95/128 south -> Route 93/3 north and the Southeast Expressway/Central Artery through Boston.
L
Laurence Glavin
Guest
Eli Polonsky said:
Other than that, I was perfectly accurate.
DanStrassberg said:
BUT WKOX apparently IS having a problem with its pattern change. I caught it tonight at 7:45. The carrier was cut four times in quick succession. Must have been once to drop power, once to kick the power back up, then again to drop power, and again to kick the power back up. Since I assume that the power/pattern change is controlled by a timer at the Tx site, does the timer wait for the transmitter to send a message confirming that the power/pattern change was completed successfully and if the confirmation is not received does the timer then repeat the process? Certainly such a confirmation should be required if the timer is remote from the transmitter and phasor, but if the timer is at the Tx site, is a confirmation needed? And if the confirmation isn't received, does that cause the process to repeat? Anyhow, I'm pretty sure that, at the end of the four carrier cuts, the transmitter was back up to day power (and presumably the ND day pattern)--apparently for the night.
I suppose this problem might have been caused by some work done in preparation for the move to Newton. For example, could the control point have been moved from Mt Wayte to SawMill Brook Parkway or to the Medford studios?
D
Deleted member 64531
Guest
OK boys and girls! I found this while checking out the FCC CDBS early this morning. It should clear up some matters concerning WKOX.
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...xt=25&appn=101260441&formid=911&fac_num=20441
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws...xt=25&appn=101260441&formid=911&fac_num=20441
(The Other) Big John said:
Thanks! The STA was applied for on 7/31. When was it granted--or has it yet been granted? On 7/31, I reported (apparently erroneously) that WKOX appeared to be operating from Newton. What does not appear to have been erroneous in my report was that WKOX was running higher night power than it had previously used. That continues to be the case.
It is interesting that a number of questions on the STA application were not answered--for example, what power WKOX will use while testing. As I have stated in an earlier post in this thread, it is very common for the FCC to permit 1/4 of the CP power during the test period. For WKOX, that would be 12.5 kW. If the STA application has not yet been granted, I imagine that the STA grant will answer some of those unanswered question. In other words, Media Bureau Engineering will supply the answers.
DanStrassberg said:
I drove through Framingham last night around 11 PM. WKOX was still definitely transmitting from there.
(The Other) Big John said:
A little probing and a computer crash later, I have the answers to my own questions:
WKOX's application for an STA was apparently tendered for filing last Thursday, 7/31/08, the day after Bain Capital et al closed on the purchase of Clear Channel.
The FCC accepted the the application for filing today, Monday 8/4/08. Note that the FCC's acceptance of an application for filing DOES NOT mean that the application has been granted.
When the FCC grants the application for an STA, WKOX can legally begin testing from the Newton site.
Given how rapidly WRCA was able to begin testing from the site after its application for an STA was granted, WKOX may begin transmitting from Newton almost immediately after its STA application is granted.
How long will it take for the FCC to grant the application? I don't know, but my guess is that it won't take very long--I think the FCC is likely to act this week.
D
Deleted member 64531
Guest
The WKOX STA that was "Accepted for Filing" 8/4/2008 was also "Granted" the same day according to the FCC CDBS this morning (8/5/08). However, no transmitting power parameters have been listed so far that I could find.
I think it safe to assume though, that any further reports of WKOX transmitting from their new facility may not be "erronious".
I think it safe to assume though, that any further reports of WKOX transmitting from their new facility may not be "erronious".
D
Deleted member 64531
Guest
Here are the WKOX STA parameters that were added today (08/07/2008).
Actually, they are a reissue from last years.
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=9769
Actually, they are a reissue from last years.
http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=9769
(The Other) Big John said:
So if I read it correctly, they can operate from Newton with their full CP power and new patterns both day and night BUT ONLY while they are making proof of performance measurements. At other times, they can operate from Newton with their new patterns using the currently licensed powers of 10 kW-D/1 kW-N.
It will be interesting to see if I can tell the difference between 1 kW with the old DA pattern from Framingham vs 1 k kW using the new night pattern from Newton. Newton is closer to me than Framingham is, but I am right in front of the Framingham night pattern whereas I am off to the side of the Newton patterns. Also, the old Framingham antenna system, with its electrically 214-degree towers, is substantially more efficient than the new Newton antenna system whose towers are only about 84 degrees.
L
Laurence Glavin
Guest
If WKOX-AM can operate with its full CP power while doing a proof of performance, why isn't this true of WUNR-AM? Since they apparently stopped running 5KW DA-1 with two of the five towers, the signal has been utterly dismal where I live (and when I'm on the road, out of range of WNNW-AM octave interference, WUNR still sounds as though it's barely transmitting. In the one-month-plus since WUNR practically disappeared, there has not been one instance when I've observed them testing the 20K facility...unless, after they switch to 20K, the due north signal will be negligible.
Laurence Glavin said:
I read the corresponding section of the WUNR STA a few weeks ago and I don't recall a similar exception. IIRC (and I may not), while operating under the STA, WUNR is allowed to use 1.25 kW-ND day or night and 5 kW DA-1 using the new full-time pattern. I have no clue why WKOX would be allowed to use its full CP power while making proof of performance measurements and WUNR would be allowed to use only 25% of its full CP power. Both stations can receive co-channel daytime-skywave interference that would mess up the measurements and whose effects would be mitigated by the use of higher power during testing. The principal interferer to WUNR is probably WWRL; interference to WKOX comes mainly from CFGO but also perhaps from WTLA and maybe also WAGE. I don't think WJGK, which will be the closest AM 1200, has yet been constructed, and I think that WAGE, which has applied to move to 1190, hasn't been granted a CP for the frequency change.
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