FCCInfo.Com lists WFAN New York with a CP to change power to 35 KW day and
night (with "Mode" ND2, non-directional 2 (whatever 2
means...non-directional different patterns day and night...hello???).

Anyway...anybody know why WFAN...with a great signal, best in New York, low
frequency 660 kHz, 50 KW ND, island tower site (multi with WCBS) with
salt-water path to surrounding land...would want to drop to 35 kHz.

Reduce electric bill???

What's the story? Temporary?

The best 50 kw heritage AM signals in New York are...in order...WFAN 660,
WABC 770, WCBS 880, and depending where you live, directional WOR 710.

And, again, depending where you live in relation to patterns...WBBR 1130,
whatever ESPN calls the former WHN WEDW 1050, poor WINS 1010, and signal
poverty-stricken WQEW 1560.

WTIC Hartford, 1080 50 KW is a curious case. Maybe its transmitter site
dates to a time when ground conductivity wasn't appreciated, but it is
located on a rocky mountain ridge, above and west of the flat, Connecticut
River mud flats and plains. Of course today, acquiring a site along the
river is probably impossible, but WTIC's signal suffers when compared to
similar-frequency NYC signals, 1050 or 1130. As for WINS, NYC 1010, nobody
else is that bad.

I never understood why some years ago in the big NYC frequency shuffle, why
Westinghouse didn't plunge into the frey for 1050 when WFAN departed it for
660. WEVD would have done just as well (or poorly) on 1010 as they did 1050,
and WINS would have done much better area-wide on 1050.

As for WINS, NYC 1010, nobody else is that bad.

I never understood why some years ago in the big NYC frequency shuffle, why
Westinghouse didn't plunge into the frey for 1050 when WFAN departed it for
660. WEVD would have done just as well (or poorly) on 1010 as they did 1050,
and WINS would have done much better area-wide on 1050.


Before 1941, neither 1010 nor 1050 existed.

Both were added as Class II-Bs during NARBA.

Of all the DA-1 Class II-Bs, 1050 is the best engineered.

WFAN existed only briefly on 1050. 1050's heritage call is WHN.

"Jim" wrote in message
...
FCCInfo.Com lists WFAN New York with a CP to change power to 35 KW day and
night (with "Mode" ND2, non-directional 2 (whatever 2
means...non-directional different patterns day and night...hello???).

Anyway...anybody know why WFAN...with a great signal, best in New York,
low
frequency 660 kHz, 50 KW ND, island tower site (multi with WCBS) with
salt-water path to surrounding land...would want to drop to 35 kHz.

This is an auxiliary transmitter with a shot tower to use when the shared
WCBS and WFAN tower is being maintained and in case of an emergency.

They are NOT reducing power.

In article , "Jim" wrote:

FCCInfo.Com lists WFAN New York with a CP to change power to 35 KW day and
night (with "Mode" ND2, non-directional 2 (whatever 2
means...non-directional different patterns day and night...hello???).

Anyway...anybody know why WFAN...with a great signal, best in New York, low
frequency 660 kHz, 50 KW ND, island tower site (multi with WCBS) with
salt-water path to surrounding land...would want to drop to 35 kHz.

Reduce electric bill???

What's the story? Temporary?

I assume that 35 kW is for the backup tower, although the question remains
why 35 kW? Did the FCC limit the power because of interference caused by
high angle radiation, or could the backup tower not take full power from
both WFAN and WCBS? Also what is the "2" in ND2 all about, I can't see
any difference day and night?


Regards,

John Byrns


Surf my web pages at, http://users.rcn.com/jbyrns/

FCCInfo.Com lists WFAN New York with a CP to change power to 35 KW day and
night (with "Mode" ND2, non-directional 2 (whatever 2 means...non-directional
different patterns day and night...hello???).


Only for its auxiliary stick, not its main stick.

It's main remains 50 kW, as ALL U.S. Class As must operate, unless
grandfathered (Bakersfield's 1560 only) or a former Class I-N (Alaska only).

ND-2 = non-directional, different "notified" efficiencies day and night.

660 and 880 can also be diplexed into the auxiliary, as they are already
diplexed into the main.

So, these operations are theoretically possible:

1) 660 and 880, each with 50 kW, into the main,

2) 660 with 50 kW into the main and 880 with reduced power into the auxiliary,

3) 660 with reduced power into the auxiliary and 880 with 50 kW into the main,
and

4) 660 and 880, each with their respective reduced powers, into the auxiliary.

I assume that 35 kW is for the backup tower, although the question remains why
35 kW? Did the FCC limit the power because of interference caused by high
angle radiation ...


That is the consensus view ... the high-angle radiation towards co-channel
stations with the short auxiliary and 35 kW was about the same as with the tall
main, and 50 kW.

I guess under a CP case, a Class A is no longer allowed to increase its signal
towards a station of lesser class [ * ] .

Under the old rules, a Class A could not increase its signal towards a station
of the same class.

For this situation, WSAI had to install a DA which protected WWKB/1520 and
ZNS-1/1540, to about 40 kW. Before, it sent more than 50 kW towards those two
Class As.

[ * ] Look at WOR's CP DA ... it must provide substantially greater protection
to CKVM, and CKVM has been dark for some time, although it is still notified.

In article , "Jim"
wrote:

FCCInfo.Com lists WFAN New York with a CP to change power to 35 KW day
and
night (with "Mode" ND2, non-directional 2 (whatever 2
means...non-directional different patterns day and night...hello???).

I've noticed that the CDBS now often has separate day and night listings,
even where the parameters are the same. See the applications for WYCB and
WOL for example. They are both Class C stations.

"John Byrns" wrote in message
...
In article , "Jim"
wrote:

FCCInfo.Com lists WFAN New York with a CP to change power to 35 KW day
and
night (with "Mode" ND2, non-directional 2 (whatever 2
means...non-directional different patterns day and night...hello???).

Anyway...anybody know why WFAN...with a great signal, best in New York,
low
frequency 660 kHz, 50 KW ND, island tower site (multi with WCBS) with
salt-water path to surrounding land...would want to drop to 35 kHz.

Reduce electric bill???

What's the story? Temporary?

I assume that 35 kW is for the backup tower, although the question remains
why 35 kW?

a pretty safe assumption would be that the management and accountants took a
look at the cost of a full power back up and said something like: "figure
out a way to do this for 30% less"

with a 50 kW AM transmitter the power draw will be about 100 kW (maybe a tad
less). if it needs to have generator power the cost would skyrocket. a new
100 kW gen (N gas powered) at this years prices costs from $43,000 to
$60,000 installed (depending on site requirements). deisel would be just a
little less.

Did the FCC limit the power because of interference caused by
high angle radiation, or could the backup tower not take full power from
both WFAN and WCBS? Also what is the "2" in ND2 all about, I can't see
any difference day and night?


Regards,

John Byrns


Surf my web pages at, http://users.rcn.com/jbyrns/

Also what is the "2" in ND2 all about, I can't see
any difference day and night?


It is common, now, to file for ND2 or DA-2 even though the desired mode is
actually ND1 or DA-1.

That way, if one mode proofs OK, yet the other mode doesn't, there are more
options available.

In theory, one could refile for ND1 or DA-1, but that's another Form 301,
another big check to the consultant and another big check to the communications
attorney, and ... in short ... a waste of money.

In the days before dial-a-power, ND2 made some sense for the case where a
station could, say, make 1 kW work days, but just missed 1 kW nights, and it
didn't want to refile for 1 kW-D, 0.5 kW-N.

So ... 1 kW-D and no resistor, and 1 kW-N with a resistor, simulating a less
efficient radiator, was a possibility.

Today ... 1 kW-D and 0.82 kW-N might be one possible example, for a station
with 225 degree stick, which is required to radiate no more than the Class B
minimum efficiency with 1 kW at night.

I think San Diego's ex-KDB (or was it ex-KGB ... both are historic calls in
SoCal) is operated similarly to this.

On 2 Sep 2004 21:29:36 GMT, "Jim" wrote:


Anyway...anybody know why WFAN...with a great signal, best in New York, low
frequency 660 kHz, 50 KW ND, island tower site (multi with WCBS) with
salt-water path to surrounding land...would want to drop to 35 kHz.

I spent 20 years in New York and recall the WFAN signal was one of the
worst. I was in the West Village by the river and could barely receive
it. I couldn't receive it in my office at WOR in Times Square.

I get it better in New England than in NYC.

Rich