Re: WSRO

[Mike Thomas <nostatic@earthlink.net>]

The weakened WSRO signal has been running for quite some time now, and I
haven't noticed too much improvement recently.  Also, WSRO sister WRPT
seems to be sounding a bit weaker lately, particularly early evenings
before sunset.  Normally, they  boom in where I am during that time, but
now they seem to be battling the skywave more than usual.  Do they have
to step down during "critical hours?"  I've never noticed them doing
this before.  Can anyone clarify??

Mike Thomas
WXLO & Mediabase 24/7

Dan.Strassberg@worldnet.att.net wrote:

> After an absence of several months, WSRO was once again
> present on my Super Radio III yesterday. I think the
> signal is noticeably weaker than it was from the old
> Fitchburg St site, but I suspect that WSRO is probably
> back to running 5 kW ND-D as it did from the old site.
> The new site in Hudson is further west than was the old
> site and the new tower is only 97' high but is top
> loaded, whereas the old towers, which were of
> conventional design, were about 50% higher--a full
> quarter wave at 1470. Therefore. the new antenna is less
> efficient than the old one. Both the location and the
> reduced efficiency explain the poorer signal. Since
> there is no directional array yet, the night signal is
> at very low power and is completely inaudible where I
> live.
>
> Based on listening that I did on two recent trips to the
> Marlboro area, I suspect that WSRO had been running
> between 300 and 400W from its new site. This is the
> equivalent power in the deepest null of the proposed new
> 7 kW day pattern. I think that this proposal most likely
> resulted from a misinterpretation of FCC rules. WSRO's 5
> kW DA-N operation from Fitchburg St produced prohibited
> overlap with WBET during the day. Because that overlap
> existed for so long, I believe it is allowed to continue
> from WSRO's new site. At least WSRO's 0.5 mV/m daytime
> contour should be permitted to come as close to WBET as
> would have been permitted had the Fitchburg St facility
> been designed in compliance with the rules that existed
> at the time.

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