WREK 100kW update

[ssnake]

Updating the news from last fall:

WREK has filed an amended pattern with the FCC with a minor change to get out of an MX group with WCGN. Since the first application, the FCC dismissed the two several-years-old MXed applications for Cedartown because they both would have created prohibited overlap with WREK's already-licensed facility. Removal of the Cedartown applications eliminated the need for a large null to the west. Thus, WREK is now seeking a simpler 100kW DA pattern with greatly expanded Paulding County coverage over the first application.

Also, WREK is now operating with a 25kW FM+HD transmitter (currently at 6.6kW TPO), which should give us plenty of headroom to make 100kW ERP for whatever antenna system we use.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Are they planning to keep that 12-bay thing?

 

[amlover]

It would be nice if they upgraded the programing to something worth listening too
then the better signal would be worth all the fuss. ;D

 

[lipripper]

I SOO agree with you, amlover.

 

[ssnake]

Are they planning to keep that 12-bay thing?

No, the current antenna is 30 years old, and though it holds pressure, we know it ought to be replaced.

We're looking probably at an 8-bay with director elements.

 

[jabba17]

Is WREK going to continue to carry night Tech games? Now maybe we can get a decent signal OTP...

How does 790 feel about this move re: Tech coverage? Seems to me that 100kW of FM beats the 28k day/1000 directional night AM that WQXI puts out any day...

 

[ssnake]

Is WREK going to continue to carry night Tech games? Now maybe we can get a decent signal OTP...

How does 790 feel about this move re: Tech coverage? Seems to me that 100kW of FM beats the 28k day/1000 directional night AM that WQXI puts out any day...

It is anticipated that WREK will continue to carry night games. 790 doesn't have much say in the matter -- they simply do not offer metro-wide coverage at night. We're adding coverage toward 107.1 too, so toward the northwest, one should be able to get either 107.1 or 91.1 clearly. Remember, Tech sports is essentially paid programming on the commercial stations...

 

[taylorengineer]

Any news on moving to American Tower? Getting the antenna height will broaden the radio horizon - that would help greatly.
And to AMlover and the other posters with negative comments about WREK.....WREK/WRAS/WRFG are stations who serve niches - not the masses. We have commercial stations to do that. These stations have been the "sandbox" for quite a few of the major talents on the air today and offer programming choices which are not commercially viable but still have artistic merit. True - most of the kids are not "polished".....they certainly are not seasoned professionals like AMLover who has been on air since Adam and Eve opened the apple farm....but they are doing their first radio gig. I like the youthful inexperience - I find it refreshing. It's nice to hear radio done by people who are not jaded and tired from all the years of "up and down the dial."
A few alumni of college radio:

Ross "B for Boogie" Brittain - WREK
Steve "Southside Steve" - WRAS
Ryan Cameron - WWGC - West Georgia Colege
Richard Belcher - WRAS
Willard - WRAS

I'm sure there are many others-these just immediately came to mind.
The non comm part of the dial is where I do 95% of my listening-it is also the cultural leading edge in radio. These are the future jocks, PDs. GSMs and VP/GMs.
And don't prejudicially sell them short.....occasionally you run across some really talented kids doing radio "outside the box".
Also remember......one of those stuttering, stammering kids may be your boss one day!

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Amlover is a friend of mine, a talented personality and one of the true experts on radio. But, I think Tom really hit the nail on the head regarding the value of stations like WREK and WRAS. Other college stations have produced enormous talent also. (Mine, WMUC at the University of Maryland, was the training ground for Connie Chung and half of Washington radio over the years.)

By the way, Tom, American Tower owns tons of towers. Which tower are you referring to?

 

[taylorengineer]

I agree Roddy concerning AMlover-he is a great guy and a very good jock. And I think he probably sees where college radio could be better - that is probably the basis of his comment.
I guess the imperfections are what give college radio it's charm. I like the unpredicatabilty, the mistakes, the nervous, wavering voices....I love the freshness of it all.
I sometimes feel like I should pay the school for allowing me the privilage of working for the station I work with. Everyone who is "sick of the business" should go spend some time at WRFG and fellowship with people who will do radio for free. There is a facet of radio which is not all about money and is still somewhat magical....and it is mostly at the non comm part of the dial.

 

[taylorengineer]

Roddy: The American Tower site is the tall one, just east of downtown, on the city property. I'm not sure if they were seriously pursuing or just "kicking the tires."
WREK's signal would be helped by getting the antenna height up and getting rid of the 12 bay beastie.....I would rather have 10,000 watts at 1000 feet than 100,000 watts at 300 feet. But there is always the braggin' rights....I have run into that issue before myself.
We should be proud of all the guys at WREK who work hard to present a quality student managed operation - Atlanta has some great non commercial radio and I, for one, am thankful.

 

[RoddyFreeman]

Roddy: The American Tower site is the tall one, just east of downtown, on the city property. I'm not sure if they were seriously pursuing or just "kicking the tires."
WREK's signal would be helped by getting the antenna height up and getting rid of the 12 bay beastie.....I would rather have 10,000 watts at 1000 feet than 100,000 watts at 300 feet. But there is always the braggin' rights....I have run into that issue before myself.
We should be proud of all the guys at WREK who work hard to present a quality student managed operation - Atlanta has some great non commercial radio and I, for one, am thankful.

You mean the WUPA-TV candelabra, correct?

 

[ssnake]

Roddy: The American Tower site is the tall one, just east of downtown, on the city property. I'm not sure if they were seriously pursuing or just "kicking the tires."
WREK's signal would be helped by getting the antenna height up and getting rid of the 12 bay beastie.....I would rather have 10,000 watts at 1000 feet than 100,000 watts at 300 feet. But there is always the braggin' rights....I have run into that issue before myself.
We should be proud of all the guys at WREK who work hard to present a quality student managed operation - Atlanta has some great non commercial radio and I, for one, am thankful.

Yeah, we've been looking into alternative tower sites, and even the possibility of building a new tower on the current site. We don't have additional land for a larger self-supporter, but we might be able to guy a tower there when they take out Tech Parkway in a few years.

It's best politically and practically (for student engineers) if the transmitter stays on campus. Moreover, we just invested a lot of money in upgrading the electrical service at the current shack to handle the 25kW load.

BTW, WREK's HD signal works really well on campus at least. We started testing an HD-2 channel yesterday, and we can pick it up fine on a tabletop HD radio at the studio even without the antenna extended. Interestingly, I am hearing a lot less analog bleedover on the adjacent channels when I am parked in front of the tower than with the old BE FM-10A.

 

[taylorengineer]

I can pick up the HD for WREK at the home base in Douglasville if I wrap the antenna with tin foil and the youngest child holds it 10 paces from the left potted plant while the two cats sit 2 1/2 cat paws away.
I did not hear the HD2 - it must have been off the air at 7:30 Sunday night. What is on the HD2 channel?

 

[ssnake]

I can pick up the HD for WREK at the home base in Douglasville if I wrap the antenna with tin foil and the youngest child holds it 10 paces from the left potted plant while the two cats sit 2 1/2 cat paws away.
I did not hear the HD2 - it must have been off the air at 7:30 Sunday night. What is on the HD2 channel?

Haha. Sounds like me trying to receive Atlanta DTV stations in Athens. Great to know WREK's HD gets outside the perimeter though.

Yeah, we've just been playing with HD2 and feeding test audio. We hope to have the automation scheduler set up for it this week.

 

[amlover]

Amlover is a friend of mine, a talented personality and one of the true experts on radio. But, I think Tom really hit the nail on the head regarding the value of stations like WREK and WRAS. Other college stations have produced enormous talent also. (Mine, WMUC at the University of Maryland, was the training ground for Connie Chung and half of Washington radio over the years.)

By the way, Tom, American Tower owns tons of towers. Which tower are you referring to?

Thanks Roddy and Tom for the kind words but it wasn't so much the jocks but the music programing on WREK I was refering too. I do like all, (well most) kinds of music but some of the stuff is just horrid on WREK and WRAS. I do tune across the dial a lot and some of the shows I've heard are ok. I enjoy the blues programs I've heard for instance on WRFG and BBJ "Big Band Jump" with my buddy Don Kennedy on WRAS. BTW from what I gather by the FCC Database WREK will keep it's current tower site.

 

[taylorengineer]

I know what you mean AMlover - one of the programs on WRAS is "artistically shaped" noise. Even the manager, a PHD candidate, says he doesn't quite get it. Ah.....but to each his/her on!
When I was in school, in order to qualify as intellectually and culturally superior, I attempted to digest improvisational jazz. Mushroom tea and a genuine Indian guru couldn't even help me get in touch with my Coltrane. It seems there is a musical dimension beyond rhythm and melody which only a few hear.
Being a member of the great unwashed I find the melodic and rhythmic much more pleasing....but I'm glad there are venues for extra-dimensional musical renderings (i.e.noise.)

 

[ssnake]

I enjoy the blues programs I've heard for instance on WRFG and BBJ "Big Band Jump" with my buddy Don Kennedy on WRAS. BTW from what I gather by the FCC Database WREK will keep it's current tower site.

Tune in for the DeSoto Hour and the Saturday Night Cocktail Lounge on WREK Saturday nights 6-10. Big band jazz and adult standards, of which I know you are a fan.

Yeah, our apps are at the existing site with the same HAAT. That's still the plan, but we needed to get the app in before the NCE FM window last year, otherwise we'd get more MX troubles.

 

[w9wi]

it up fine on a tabletop HD radio at the studio even without the antenna extended. Interestingly, I am hearing a lot less analog bleedover on the adjacent channels when I am parked in front of the tower than with the old BE FM-10A.

I might suggest that's because the HD carriers are clobbering the bleedover... Seriously, that's what I've observed up here: the easiest way to tell a given station is running HD is that despite a strong signal, the two adjacent channels are completely clear, no sign of modulation splash.

 

[tshanks]

Hey all- 'bout time I joined the forum with you guys and chimed in.

As far as HD in Douglasville goes, can you get stereo? Are you using a wire antenna (cheap twinlead T that comes with the radio) or a telescoping whip? Wire works better at a distance, a whip better nearby under multipath. (Seems obvious, but it does ring true in my tests.)

Our existing antenna probably isn't too good on bandwidth, either. It's ancient, and these are notchy antennas, I'm told.
And with 12 bays.... a tiny electrical or physical lean will put the "sheet" of coverage/power over/under our heads. In 30 years, I'm sure it's not perfect. And noone has really checked it in that long, AFAIK.
New antenna in a couple years ought to help, shouldn't it?

As far as going off-campus goes... we need to have something good (not 30 years old) on campus, at least as a backup, so that we're not at the mercy of some other tower owner to stay on the air. We can nail most of this "100kW" of coverage down, as far as the FCC is concerned, from here. It just doesn't make sense today to look at off campus. Maybe five years down the road, when the budgets are less tight, when we've had time to get this built out, and we're ready for more complexity.

No sense in making the future of WREK dependent on contracts that can only last a maximum of a year with four additional renewals before rebidding. The rules for signing contracts like this are not too helpful. It wouldn't be a good thing to leave that kind of complexity as an ongoing problem, I would think.

BTW, Taylor (et al), I could use some help writing out the bid spec for the Tower Structural Assessment and Inspection, navigating the EIA tower standards, etc. Send me a message off the board?

I'm always behind in classes because this stuff is more interesting. Why can't I get paid for this like you guys? *sigh*
Yet, my arse is still on the line whenever something goes wrong.... Why do I do this for free?

-tas