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#11
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AM Commercial radio reception
snip
In the meantime, the basic groundwave radiation patterns of mediumwave broadcast antennas are either simple circles with the antenna at their centres, or heart-shaped with the antenna at the null. The first occurs when the antenna is a single vertical mast located near the centre of a large populated area. The second occurs when the antenna consists of a pair of masts, which radiate a very broad heart-shaped beam, located on one side of the populated area to be covered. snip ---- Reg. Reg: I'm afraid you're way behind the practice on this one. In the US, there are many 4, 5 and 6 tower arrays providing as many nulls to protect co-channel stations. The UK got off easy with nationalized broadcasting, where the frequency and location was dictated by the government, and none of that nasty capitalism interfered. Here, the commercial interests are still fighting it out. Check and see if the KLIF website shows their pattern from a linear array of 5 towers just outside Dallas. -- Crazy George W5VPQ My real address is my ham call atARRL.NET The ATTGlobal is a SPAM trap. |
#12
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AM Commercial radio reception
"Tom Ring" wrote in message .. . Richard Harrison wrote: very well. Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI Slight change of subject, WCCO 830 and a couple others I've noticed, now have a tremendous amount of digital sounding crap around them that completely obscures stations such as KOA. Is this the new digital radio wonder weapon that I'm supposed to love? tom K0TAR You bet!!!! -- Crazy George W5VPQ My real address is my ham call atARRL.NET The ATTGlobal is a SPAM trap. |
#13
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AM Commercial radio reception
Thanks to you all for your excellent information
DP "Dave Pitzer" wrote in message ... Why is it that I can received WCBS @ 880kc fairly well at night but WABC @ 770kc suffers from phase distortion like you wouldn't believe! (I'm about 175 miles from both transmitters.) They are both 50 kwatt stations. And why is it that both WBZ (Boston), WBT (Charlotte, NC), WJR (Detroit) and WBBM (Chicago) come in better than either of the New York City stations? Dave P. |
#14
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AM Commercial radio reception
"Crazy George" wrote I'm afraid you're way behind the practice on this one. In the US, there are many 4, 5 and 6 tower arrays providing as many nulls to protect co-channel stations. ================================= What proportion of US MF broadcasting stations have antennas consisting of more than two towers ? ---- Reg. |
#15
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AM Commercial radio reception
Reg, G4FGQ wrote:
"What proportions of U.S. broadcasting stations have antennas consisting of more than two towers?" I don`t know but from my own experience, the number is large. A new applicant for a station must show he will not interfere with existing stations by limiting his radiation in the directions of the existing stations while providing minimum field intensity, 0.5 to 50 mV, depending on population, in the new service area. A two-tower array cannot satisfy some complicated pattern requirements. Most broadcasters want to provide more than 1 KW radiation in their areas. Well over one hundred channels in the medium wave broadcast band in North America allow that. There are well over 1000 regional medium wave broadcasters in North America. It is difficult to fit a new broadcaster in when he wants to use real power. Best regards, Richard Harrison, KB5WZI |
#16
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AM Commercial radio reception
Richard Harrison wrote:
I don`t know but from my own experience, the number is large. I would guess that the majority of US AM antennas that I have seen with my own eyes have more than one element. -- 73, Cecil http://www.qsl.net/w5dxp |
#17
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AM Commercial radio reception
"Dave Pitzer" wrote
... Is there any place I can find polar graphs of commercial broadcast station's antenna patterns? ___________________ Dave, Here http://www.radio-locator.com/ is a link to a website with calculated coverage areas/contours for US AM broadcast stations. The contours are based on their licensed radiation patterns (directional or not), AND ground conductivities for the geographic regions concerned. The polar radiation patterns of these stations most probably don't look much like these plots, because of the heavy influence that ground conductivity has on received field strength along the various azimuth bearings. Even the real coverage contours of AM broadcast stations using omni antennas usually are anything but omni, due to the effects of varying ground conductivities around their various azimuth sectors and ranges. Have fun. RF |
#18
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AM Commercial radio reception
Reg:
I don't have an accurate number for the entire country, but here in the local area, there is one clear channel station with a single radiator, a half dozen two tower arrays, two 3 tower arrays, five 4 tower arrays that I can recall off the top of my head. If you had asked a dozen years ago, I could have been more accurate. I don't think we have any 5 or 6 radiator arrays here locally, if so, I don't remember them. If my math is correct, that is a 50-50 split, so maybe half have more than 2 towers. -- Crazy George W5VPQ My real address is my ham call atARRL.NET The ATTGlobal is a SPAM trap. "Reg Edwards" wrote in message ... "Crazy George" wrote I'm afraid you're way behind the practice on this one. In the US, there are many 4, 5 and 6 tower arrays providing as many nulls to protect co-channel stations. ================================= What proportion of US MF broadcasting stations have antennas consisting of more than two towers ? ---- Reg. |
#19
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AM Commercial radio reception
"Crazy George" wrote I don't have an accurate number for the entire country, but here in the local area, there is one clear channel station with a single radiator, a half dozen two tower arrays, two 3 tower arrays, five 4 tower arrays that I can recall off the top of my head. If you had asked a dozen years ago, I could have been more accurate. I don't think we have any 5 or 6 radiator arrays here locally, if so, I don't remember them. If my math is correct, that is a 50-50 split, so maybe half have more than 2 towers. ======================================= Thanks George, I am amazed at the number of multi-tower MF antennas in the US. As you say, they are necessary to prevent co-channel interference, day and night, between a large number of broadcasters in the more densely populated regions of your vast country. ( Antenna salesmen have had a field day.) It is also interesting that the whole system is technically regulated by State and/or Central Government. It is not just a free-for-all for newcomers. I imagine the revenue comes solely from advertisers. Which makes me wonder what percentage of program time is allocated to adverts. Are such matters also regulated? Are any broadcast stations State or City owned? In this (UK) relatively densely populated country things settled down about 20 years ago. Few MF antennas have more than one tower (or masts as we call them). Although there is much broadcasting at MF for individual cities, most broadcasting takes place at FM VHF where 'capture effects' reduce interference from co-channel transmitters. It may be of interest that the BBC, still the World's finest broadcasting system, including its overseas services, no longer owns any transmitting stations, Mrs Thatcher quietly sold them off to a private party. Do some Googles for who the eventual owners are? ---- Reg. |
#20
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AM Commercial radio reception
Reg Edwards wrote:
SNIPPED I imagine the revenue comes solely from advertisers. Which makes me wonder what percentage of program time is allocated to adverts. Are such matters also regulated? Are any broadcast stations State or City owned? $$$ from advertisers ... YEP! Amount of advertising time is regulated. I can't state with any authority, but it seems to be 15 to 20 minutes per hour. Ownership is generally private. International propaganda, err news, may be indirectly government controlled through a straw man corporation. Certain public service stations, e.g. WWV, are government 'owned'. An several additional non sequitor comments. In the USA, although we claim FREE ENTERPRISE, it is a government influenced economy via interest rates, international treaties, anti-trust regulations, etc. Finally, the USA is succumbing to a creeping Socialism. This is contrary to the words of John F Kennedy: "Ask NOT what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country." Forty-five years after that statement from President Kennedy a large portion of the population want the government to do everything for them. A Keag In this (UK) relatively densely populated country things settled down about 20 years ago. Few MF antennas have more than one tower (or masts as we call them). Although there is much broadcasting at MF for individual cities, most broadcasting takes place at FM VHF where 'capture effects' reduce interference from co-channel transmitters. It may be of interest that the BBC, still the World's finest broadcasting system, including its overseas services, no longer owns any transmitting stations, Mrs Thatcher quietly sold them off to a private party. Do some Googles for who the eventual owners are? ---- Reg. |
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