WQAM

[tanner]

What is the purpose of WQAM going through the expense of upgrading to 50kw, moving their towers inland and having to add more towers, thereby in effect not increasing coverage?

 

[cd637299]

Listenership in Bermuda? They need a sports station there... ;D

cd

 

[tanner]

Yea Right!!!

 

[Boberator]

The purpose is to put a stronger signal over their market area to overcome Cuban interference.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

Actually they won't have to move any towers. They will share the 790 towers. Stations have been doing that for years. They will have to move their transmitters and phasor. There will also need to be some tuning done to keep the 560 signal and 790 signal separate.

 

[cd637299]

I forgot about the Cuban interference...

However, I believe WQAM will be sending their "fiddy" straight east, hence the Bermuda comment.

I actually did hear WQAM----in the day----from Bermuda, when I was there in June 2005. Strong? Absolutely not, but I barely heard the late Ken Malden saying "Q! A! M!".

670, 850 and 940 were also heard in the day there.

cd

 

[Stormychuck]

Regarding WQAM'S signal here's couple for you. When I working for WQAM in 1980 I received a post-card addressed to me from an American couple who was vacationing and living on a sail boat off the coast of Belfast Ireland and they wanted to let me know they were tuned in and listening loud and clear to WQAM, go figure. WQAM'S tower at the time was located behind the Miami-Herald building 5KW day 1KW night. WQAM'S current tower location's where about's is unknown to me.

Cuban interference you bet, 560 was a constant target of the Cuban government as was WIOD-610
and as rumor had it at the time, WQAM was the number #2 listened to radio station in Cuba.

 

[Stormychuck]

Something additional, regarding WQAM'S signal, late 60's early 70's their on-air ID some enclosed with doughnut jingle's was this "From Vero Beach to Key West your listening to South Florida's WQAM Miami", and it's really true they covered a vast array of real-estate with their tower planted in salt water.......

 

[Leebo65]

back a few years I could pick up WQAM nice and clear during the day in Bonita Springs and even at night with a little noise. Back when they were worth listening to.

 

[tanner]

Precisely my point their tower is currently over salt water and they have a great signal up and down the coast. When they upgrade so to speak they will have more towers inland. So what if they share with WAXY. A similar situation ocurred in Orlando with 540. They moved their tower from the Green Swamp to share with 740 and they lost a lot of their coverage area. They had a city grade day and night signal over Tampa and when they changed tower arrays they had to cancel the nighttime signal over Tampa. Now you cannot even pick it up 10 miles to the west from their tower sight.

 

[Mike Sheridan]

790 improved a lot when they moved back into the swamp. I'm convinced that you never know how it's going to work out till you try it. They can do studies and computer models all day. Sometimes it works out better than expected and sometimes worse.

There is of course bragging rights to being a 50KW station. Along with a bit bigger power bill of course.

 

[cd637299]

WAXY was caught from Australia many years back, during their brokered phase---the guy who had a "30s, 40s & non rock 50s" show---Bob Caudill I believe.

When 790 was WNWS, they applied for 780....dunno why they abandoned that idea, but I suppose approval for 25k at 790 was cheaper (I think it was gonna be 25k/10k nights on 780).

I do remember as a kid in the 60s, how WQAM was still coming in, over Cocoa Beach I think, on the car radio. If they get the fiddy, and their signal goes the way I expect, (and if I have the moola,) I wanna try a trip to Bermuda again!

cd

 

[nutballgazette]

Wqam still comes in pretty good in Brevard, But not with the driving around, WIOD also is the same, 790 WNWS came in in South Brevard, Palm Bay in the late 70s and 80s, WGBS 690 has a great signal