Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

I know AM stations can go to "critical hours" during an emergent
event. The question is, is it normal for AM stations to transmit in
critical hours power during a huge snow storm event?

I'm figuring there might be some really good AM dxing from the
northeast if this is the case tomorrow night.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 18, 3:43*pm, wrote:
I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Critical Hours is a term for the period just after sunrise and just
before sunset, when a very few stations reduce power to keep from
interfering with other stations.

An example would be a station that is 50 kw day, 25 kw critical hours,
and 2.5 kw night.

When there is an emergency, a station can operate on its daytime
facility or, if directional, in non-directional mode to provide
community service. It is not permitted to run commercials.

A very bad blizzard, like a tornado, flood, hurricane or such event is
reason to consider such operations.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

OK, Thanks for explaning that.
cuhulin

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 18, 6:19*pm, radiodavid wrote:
On Dec 18, 3:43*pm, wrote:

I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Critical Hours is a term for the period just after sunrise and just
before sunset, when a very few stations reduce power to keep from
interfering with other stations.

An example would be a station that is 50 kw day, 25 kw critical hours,
and 2.5 kw night.

When there is an emergency, a station can operate on its daytime
facility or, if directional, in non-directional mode to provide
community service. It is not permitted to run commercials.

A very bad blizzard, like a tornado, flood, hurricane or such event is
reason to consider such operations.

I knew about the period before and after sunrise - but I hadn't heard
of that term
"Critical Hours" before.

I know WLW hasn't ever done that that I know about, if they ever did
that that during a
storm for whatever reason it had to have happened before I was around
ten yrs. of age.

I would think that WLW or any of the 50,000watt stations wouldn't
decrease power during an emergency. {?} Interesting thread though.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 18, 6:19*pm, radiodavid wrote:
On Dec 18, 3:43*pm, wrote:

I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Critical Hours is a term for the period just after sunrise and just
before sunset, when a very few stations reduce power to keep from
interfering with other stations.

An example would be a station that is 50 kw day, 25 kw critical hours,
and 2.5 kw night.

When there is an emergency, a station can operate on its daytime
facility or, if directional, in non-directional mode to provide
community service. It is not permitted to run commercials.

A very bad blizzard, like a tornado, flood, hurricane or such event is
reason to consider such operations.

I forgot to mention the part about "not permitted to run commercials."
That's pretty
interesting, I don't think I have ever heard that before (no
commercials.)

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 18, 9:19*pm, radiodavid wrote:

Thanks for a great explanation. I am hoping for some real good dxing.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

Gregg wrote:


I knew about the period before and after sunrise - but I hadn't heard
of that term
"Critical Hours" before.


It's usually to protect a station to the East.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

radiodavid wrote:


Critical Hours operation is required of only a very few stations in
the US, mostly ones that wanted high powers and were willing to
sacrifice some of that in the post sunrise and pre sunset hours.
Critical Hours is a recent development, and I can't remember when it
started being allowed but it was likely it was in the 80's,


When I was a kid, KYND Tempe, 1580, was 50 KW ND from 10 AM to 3 PM,
from Sunrise to 10 A and from 3P to Sunset they were 10 KW. This would
have been 1964.

Buck Owens owned the station for a while. Dick Gilbert put it on the air.

We used to do pirate radio on it after midnight, on full power, during
the "Experimental Period". (look that up)

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 19, 6:22*am, dave wrote:


When I was a kid, KYND Tempe, 1580, was 50 KW ND from 10 AM to 3 PM,
from Sunrise to 10 A and from 3P to Sunset they were 10 KW. *This would
have been 1964.

Buck Owens owned the station for a while. *Dick Gilbert put it on the air.


Owens bought it in 1967 and sold it in 1998, so he had it for 31
years, and I believe it had calls includeing KCWW, KNIX, KTUF and was
for some time the originating station for the classic country
satellite net that Owens had.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

"dave" wrote in message
.. .
wrote:
I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin



Doesn't affect actual transmission from the tower site, but it sure affects
groundwave coverage. During a snowstorm back in about 1995, I could listen,
on my pocket transistor radio, to 620 KGW, 1080 KWJJ and 1190 KEX from
Portland, OR from my home in Lewiston, ID (about 370 miles). This was in the
late morning hours, BTW. No skip. The storm was extant the entire
distance.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 19, 6:17*am, dave wrote:
Gregg wrote:

I knew about the period before and after sunrise - but I hadn't heard
of that term
"Critical Hours" before.

It's usually to protect a station to the East.

Didn't know that either David. Can you tell me why specifically only
stations to the east? :-)

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 19, 4:46*pm, "Brenda Ann"
wrote:
"dave" wrote in message

.. .

wrote:
I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Doesn't affect actual transmission from the tower site, but it sure affects
groundwave coverage. During a snowstorm back in about 1995, I could listen,
on my pocket transistor radio, to 620 KGW, 1080 KWJJ and 1190 KEX from
Portland, OR from my home in Lewiston, ID (about 370 miles). This was in the
late morning hours, BTW. *No skip. *The storm was extant the entire
distance.

OK, then it does or can aid into your DXing.

I never really knew if the snow itself did, I always had the belief it
did in some
ways, if for anything else but to allow a more distant signal to be
heard more
clearly for lack of any static or hiss. That's the way it was last
night when I copied
the station in Long Island, it was as clear as hearing something here
local, not the signal
strength itself but understanding what I was hearing.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

"Gregg" wrote in message
...
On Dec 19, 6:17 am, dave wrote:
Gregg wrote:

I knew about the period before and after sunrise - but I hadn't heard
of that term
"Critical Hours" before.

It's usually to protect a station to the East.

Didn't know that either David. Can you tell me why specifically only
stations to the east? :-)

I would think this would be because of gray line skip. Points east will have
already begun receiving skip by the time a station considerably to the west
will have seen sunset.

Question about AM and critical hours, does snow count?
 

On Dec 20, 3:08*am, "Brenda Ann"
wrote:
"Gregg" wrote in message

...
On Dec 19, 6:17 am, dave wrote:

Gregg wrote:

I knew about the period before and after sunrise - but I hadn't heard
of that term
"Critical Hours" before.

It's usually to protect a station to the East.

Didn't know that either David. Can you tell me why specifically only
stations to the east? :-)

I would think this would be because of gray line skip. Points east will have
already begun receiving skip by the time a station considerably to the west
will have seen sunset.

Ah. I see. I should have figured that out on my own. Thanks BA