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WQAM power increase nixed
- Thread starter Ai4i
- Start date
I'm not a big fan of directional AM's. They can end up being very complicated and it seems like most of them have coverage holes. That was the problem with a lot of South Florida AM's as the population moved West.
If WQAM could find a nice tower site that was close to the Dade/Browad line the could probably serve the market very well. The old site behind the Herald building worked well until the signal was hemmed in by the development of the tall buildings in the area. I remember hearing WQAM as we were moving to Florida. They had a great signal with just 1,000 watts since it was at night.
If WQAM could find a nice tower site that was close to the Dade/Browad line the could probably serve the market very well. The old site behind the Herald building worked well until the signal was hemmed in by the development of the tall buildings in the area. I remember hearing WQAM as we were moving to Florida. They had a great signal with just 1,000 watts since it was at night.
I love driving through directional nulls.
Many years ago, we left Dallas, heading northeast on I-30, and must have heard DSB-SC for half an hour at highway speed after we passed the dozen night sticks of whomever 1190 was at the time. BTW...scrutinizeded the web for the FCC abbreviation of this modulation type, but was unsuccessful
Many years ago, we left Dallas, heading northeast on I-30, and must have heard DSB-SC for half an hour at highway speed after we passed the dozen night sticks of whomever 1190 was at the time. BTW...scrutinizeded the web for the FCC abbreviation of this modulation type, but was unsuccessful
C
cd637299
Guest
I missed this thread! How could I.....
Wellllll.....so much for hearing WQAM better in Bermuda. (Indeed I heard it there in 2005, in the daytime, with Ken Malden's voice. Strong it wasn't, but I heard it.)
They'll have to keep plugging their WPOW HD3 I guess.
cd
Wellllll.....so much for hearing WQAM better in Bermuda. (Indeed I heard it there in 2005, in the daytime, with Ken Malden's voice. Strong it wasn't, but I heard it.)
They'll have to keep plugging their WPOW HD3 I guess.
cd
Mike Sheridan said:
Any number of directionals have been designed to improve coverage. Originally, WOR was set up to cover NY and Philadelphia, and its advertising in the 30's and 40's all pointed that out. Similarly, there are a number of intentional directionals like WBZ and WWL that don't need to be directional, but prefer to push more power over the market.
My favorite is 710 in Buenos Aires. It is licensed at 100 kw, and the site is on the NW outskirts of the metro (17 million). Seeing that the 50 kw non-directionals had terrible signals in the dense central areas of the city, they directionalized to push about 150 kw over downtown, thus making it the only listenable signal in many areas. The directional was not critical, and never needed any adjustment.
WQAM died the death of a thousand knives. First, in 1981 the SFBA voted to have Arbitron add Broward to the metro, thus killing a dozen AMs in the process. Then, gradually, Broward grew in population (Can you say "WFTL" boys and girls?). Dade became less and less non-Hispanic white, so the balance for English stations swung some more. Then, over the last 30 years devices like computers, computer controlled devices, CFLs and dimmers have raised the noise level significantly making a 5 kw signal cover usefully what 1 kw covered in the 60's. Finally, the PPM showed most English language talkers to be generating too little cume to create share, and that pretty much was the end...
At the same time, the metro grew. In the 60's I recall Jerry Starr complaining about the growth outside the WFUN pattern when the QAM-FUN battle was going on... and FUN was down at 72nd near the Turnpike. The same thing happened to WQBA, in that same general area. Even WWOK, way out at 137th and 8th next to Rinker shot over the city nicely for a while... until the growth south of Kendall and in the Miami Springs area where even in Dade they missed the population.
And that is without discussing programming, Mr. Rogers, etc.
A bit off topic here but since you brought up WFTL (which for me will always be 1400). I was in Hollywood back in May and I was amazed at how well 1400 came in. Much better with 1,000 watts than the 250 watt might time power we had to deal with when I worked there. Not all reception is worse than it was.
A graveyarder with 1000 watts has a 6db s/n advantage over natural noise, but as the vast majority of stations increased from 250 at the same rime, their interferrence free contours stayed precisely the same. This is my argument for allowing, with all due respect to TIR stataions and part 15'ers out there, all expanded band stations to run 10kw full time.
ai4i said:
True, but I can tell you it was coming in much better with 1,000 watts than it ever did with 250 watts, believe it!
Why was this turned down? Did the FCC reject it or did WAXY suddenly wise up and realize it would not be a good idea to give their prime competitor a leg up by letting them use their transmitter site?
Yes, they would be 6db stronger everywhere and 6db more resistant to natural and artificial noise, all I meant to say was that their *db of quieting from other stations would be at the same places. If all stations on 1400 transmitted with one megawatt, they would all be 30db stronger than they are now, and would get into tunnels and buildings with the receive antennæ disconnected and would come out of bedsprings and tooth fillings, but they would have the same night coverage as they do now. This is my argument for allowing all expanded band stations to stay at 10KW full time.Mike Sheridan said:
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