Yes it's across the border from El Paso, but its weak signal out here in Houston at night leads me to wonder is it back up to full power? I've been reading on here and other places for four years that it was running as low as 500 watts at one time (sad for a station that once ran 150K). Anyone know what its signal issues are now, if indeed there are any?
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XEROK
- Thread starter schmave
- Start date
I'd heard that XEROK was operating at 50 kw using a Harris transmitter. I couldn't tell you when it started, but I was under the impression that it had been operating at 50 kw for some time. After all, Harris transmitters practically never fail and are some of the most reliable around.
I don't remember the days of it being a top-40 station, but my father told me we'd listen to KOMA and a "Rock station from El Paso" when we lived in Albuquerque in '76 and part of '77. I'm guessing the rock station from El Paso was, in fact, XEROK. Dad just doesn't remember call letters like I do, but he remembers KOMA because my mother was born and raised in Oklahoma, and he moved to Oklahoma from Pennsylvania in 5th grade!
I don't remember the days of it being a top-40 station, but my father told me we'd listen to KOMA and a "Rock station from El Paso" when we lived in Albuquerque in '76 and part of '77. I'm guessing the rock station from El Paso was, in fact, XEROK. Dad just doesn't remember call letters like I do, but he remembers KOMA because my mother was born and raised in Oklahoma, and he moved to Oklahoma from Pennsylvania in 5th grade!
I believe XELO 800 ''The Gospel Station'' became XEROK in the early 1970s when it went top 40 as ''X-Rock 80.'' The only thing I recall about their programming is that they speeded up their music a bit too much. Some artists ended up sounding live Alvin and the Chipmunks. Their top 40 days didn't last long because FM was starting to catch on in El Paso and across the USA.
schmave said:
When X>EROK dropped Top 40 and became a local station as Radio Cañon, it abandoned the Bruce Earl-rebuilt 150 kw transmitter and startex running 50 kw, which is what it is doing today. A couple of years ago, an engineer was hired to combine several Harris 50's to get the licensed 150 kw, but the power grid in the area was so overburdened by growth in the neighborhood that it could not provide for the transmitters, so just a new 50 went in, which they use today.
My dad listened to XELO when he was in the Phillipines during WWII and was excited when I started doing weekends there as XEROK. I saw the x-mitter only once. Bruce Earl gave us a tour and turned his radio OFF as we got near the towers. The closer we got, the more we could hear the station getting louder. I think the elements in the car speakers picked it up. Skull & crossbones signs along the fenceline. RF making the arm on your arms and the back of your neck standing up. Pretty cool.
XELO became XEROK in '72, but the first XEROK format was not a pure top 40. Rather, it was a mish-mash of brokered programs, religion, intersperesed with some top 40, most memorably with market legend Steve Crosno. However, the American operation (there were always two operating companies, one in Mexico and one in the U.S.) was sold by Garrett Haston to "World Broadcasting" (a consortium of EP businesmen), and they brought in the staff that converted it into the more memorable X-ROK 80 in late '73. Spring '74 Arbitron book was stellar...about a 21 share.
T
txrad
Guest
One slight correction to David Eduardo's posting: Bruce Miller Earle was the technical consultant to the station, but he did not rebuild the transmitter. At about the time of the change from XELO to XEROK, the original water-cooled 150kw transmitter built by Mr. Branch was replaced with a new Continental 150,000 watt unit, serial number 00002. However, Bruce oversaw the Chief Engineer, Sergio Cortez, and personally did much of the xmitter maintaince. He also designed the audio chain...both for period the station was on tape delay from El Paso, and later when it was live from the transmitter site on the Porvenir Highway near Waterfill, Chihuahua. Bruce also was responsible for reinstalling and upgrading the ground system. As a souvenir, he kept one of the old final tubes from the water cooled unit....it stood about 7 feet high.
fredcantu said:
That can happen at any high powered AM transmitter site, generally the big 50KW'ers
How far back in time did the Bruce Earle transmitter go? I recall the blowtorch XELO signal during the 60's, complete with all the "animal friends"...anyone remember the names they used with the sound effects? Chuck Rooster and Joe Stallion come to mind, but there were others...maybe a lion and a dog? Long time ago, memory is getting fuzzy.
Of course, XELO/XEROK took major signal grief when Trans World Radio launched their half-megawatt monster on Bonaire.
Sure enjoyed XEROK during the 70's...was a nice big-market sounding station that kept me company on long trips, when I just had an AM radio in the car.
Of course, XELO/XEROK took major signal grief when Trans World Radio launched their half-megawatt monster on Bonaire.
Sure enjoyed XEROK during the 70's...was a nice big-market sounding station that kept me company on long trips, when I just had an AM radio in the car.
Does anyone have an mp3 of the X-ROCK 80 shotgun jingle
in the clear? Now that's a collector's item.
Earlier it was stated X-ROCK 80 speeded up the music by 3%.
45 (rpm) X 3% = 1.35, or 46.35 rpm on the TT when the songs
were dubbed to cart?
A number of AM Top 40s did run the tables 46 or 47 rpm, which
was done to make the competitor sound "sluggish." The topper
may have been KCBQ San Diego, which according to legend,
ran at 48 rpm.
Pitching up music just doesn't sound good on FM, or at least from
what I recall hearing in the early 90s in Phoenix. Incumbent oldies
KOOL-FM (who didn't go all Xmas back then :
) was challenged by
newcomer KPSN(FM) and at one point KOOL pitched up their CD
players a bit. Sounded terrible. Can't remember what the overplayed
oldie du jour was back then, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was
Brown Eyed Girl. ;D
in the clear? Now that's a collector's item.
Earlier it was stated X-ROCK 80 speeded up the music by 3%.
45 (rpm) X 3% = 1.35, or 46.35 rpm on the TT when the songs
were dubbed to cart?
A number of AM Top 40s did run the tables 46 or 47 rpm, which
was done to make the competitor sound "sluggish." The topper
may have been KCBQ San Diego, which according to legend,
ran at 48 rpm.
Pitching up music just doesn't sound good on FM, or at least from
what I recall hearing in the early 90s in Phoenix. Incumbent oldies
KOOL-FM (who didn't go all Xmas back then :
) was challenged bynewcomer KPSN(FM) and at one point KOOL pitched up their CD
players a bit. Sounded terrible. Can't remember what the overplayed
oldie du jour was back then, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was
Brown Eyed Girl. ;D
Mediafrog+ said:
Has anybody ever seen a half-magawatt one eyed monster?
Fybush has photos of TWR's 500kw facility in Bonaire:
http://www.fybush.com/sites/2006/site-060526.html
He notes it has powered down since the photos were taken. A recent job posting on their site seeks an engineer to work on 100kw AM transmitter. It's also apparently directional. Consequently it should be less of a problem to XEROK.
http://www.fybush.com/sites/2006/site-060526.html
He notes it has powered down since the photos were taken. A recent job posting on their site seeks an engineer to work on 100kw AM transmitter. It's also apparently directional. Consequently it should be less of a problem to XEROK.
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