Re: Expanded Band questions

[Garrett Wollman <wollman>]

<<On Mon, 15 Feb 1999 12:31:52 -0500 (EST), Sven Weil <sven@gord.isdn.lightning.net> said:

> WBAH (the new calls for the ex-WJDM) on 1660 has a weird directional
> array.

No they don't.  No ex-band station is directional.

1660 uses two transmitter sites -- the day site is at WKDM on route
120 in the Meadowlands.  In order to put a legal signal over the city
of license (Elizabeth) with only a kilowatt, the night site remains at
the WJDM site in Elizabeth.

> Who's bright idea was it to require these stations to drop power so
> drastically at night

If all stations have equal facilities -- one of the basic tenets of
the expanded band -- then it does not matter at what power the
stations operate.  Since increasing night power increases the noise
floor throughout the band, then it is appropriate for the power levels
to be set at the minimum possible levels necessary to exceed that
floor.

> so that they are - for all purposes-  
> unlistenable in their primary service area?

1660 is licensed to Elizabeth.  As you said, you can hear it at night
in Elizabeth -- that's precisely the area the station is supposed to
be serving.  The fact that the day signal also covers New York City is
totally irrelevant to the FCC.

> Also, hasn't anyone noticed that the programming on these stations isn't  
> the most imaginative? WBAH is a 24/7 satellite relay of the Radio Unica
> network, and there is also that station that only pumps out ESPN Sports
> Radio. 

Programming is irrelevant.  Resistance is useless.  You will be
assimilated.

- -GAWollman

- --
Garrett A. Wollman   | O Siem / We are all family / O Siem / We're all the same
wollman@lcs.mit.edu  | O Siem / The fires of freedom 
Opinions not those of| Dance in the burning flame
MIT, LCS, CRS, or NSA|                     - Susan Aglukark and Chad Irschick

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