Re: 590 Re: Alex Beam column

[Dan Strassberg <dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net>]

At 11:33 PM 6/4/99 -0400, you wrote:
>correct me if I am wrong, but isn't 590 limited to a 5kw max as a regional?

You are wrong. I'm not sure how long ago it happened, but with the
replacement of the NARBA treaty with the Rio De Janeiro treaty, the old
classes of AM stations became history. All Class II and Class III full-time
stations (that is, those that operate at night with an rms field strength of
141 mV/m or more--equivalent to 250W into an antenna having the minimum
efficiency for the class) became Class B stations. (Daytimers or those with
nighttime field strength below the minimum were reclassified as Class D.)
Canada had long ago permitted 50 kW on the former Class III channels and
Mexico had allowed 10 kW. The first US ex-Class III to increase to 50 kW was
WTMJ Milwaukee on 620, which now runs 50 kW-D/10 kW-N DA-2. Nearly all of
the Los Angeles ex-Class IIIs are now either running 50 kW-U or hold CPs to
do so. Altogether, there must be nearly 100 ex-Class III AMs that are now
running more than 5 kW or that hold CPs for increases beyond 5 kW. 

>----- Original Message ----- 
>From: A. Joseph Ross <lawyer@world.std.com>
>To: BostonRadio <boston-radio-interest@bostonradio.org>
>Sent: Friday, June 04, 1999 10:32 PM
>Subject: Re: Alex Beam column
>
>
>> On 4 Jun 99,  Dan.Strassberg@worldnet.att.n wrote:
>> 
>> The real beneficiary might 
>> > be WEZE, however. If 680 were gone from the Burlington 
>> > site, WEZE could probably use the site and could 
>> > probably increase its daytime power to 50 kW and get 
>> > some sort of increase in night power as well. 
>> 
I doubt whether WEZE would have a problem with either WTAG or WROW. Remember
that there are three towers at the WRKO site, whereas the WEZE site at
Wellington Circle has only two. WEZE's signal to the west is equivalent to
about 300W ND. WRKO's night signal to the west is equivalent to much less
than 300W ND. Although the Burlington site is mostly north of Wellington
Circle, it is also slightly west, so if WEZE were to operate from the
Burlington site, its signal toward Worcester would be limited to slightly
less than the equivalent of 300W. Still, Boston's close-in western suburbs
would get a better signal than what they currently get from the Wellington
site. And interference to WTAG would be no more of a problem than it is now.
Any current interference is grandfathered and the FCC would not allow that
interference to increase, but the operation would not have to meet current
interference standards.

What might be a problem, and what would limit the daytime power that WEZE
would be allowed, is WGIR. No overlap of WEZE's and WGIR's 5 mV/m contours
is allowed. WGIR is directionalized to the north-northwest during the day,
but still puts a substantial signal to the south. I believe that with 50 kW,
WEZE's 5 mv/m contour would lie approximately 25 miles north of Burlington.
If that fell within WGIR's 5 mV/m contour, WEZE would be limited to
something less than 50 kw-D, but probably could still get a lot more than 5
kW. At night, protection to co-channel Canadian stations (even ones no
longer on the air) would limit WEZE's power.

- -------------------------------
Dan Strassberg (Note: Address is CASE SENSITIVE!)
ALL _LOWER_ CASE!!!--> dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
(617) 558-4205; Fax (617) 928-4205

------------------------------