RE: Magic 850 WYLF dunks WEEI

[mwaters@mail.wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

>Dan Strassberg wrote:
><snip>
Most east-
>coast 850 daytimers with extended daytime hours probably
>aren't supposed to use full day power after local
>sunset, however. WREF, for example, is licensed for 2.5-
>kW D, I believe, and should be running no more than 500W
>(and maybe less) for the two hours after local sunset.

        The maximum PSSA would be 500 watts in any case, I think. Although
the FCC database on-line is still screwed up, I do know that WREF got its
license for regular nighttime power of 500 watts a year or two ago and is
on at night full-time, remaining 2.5 kW daytime. So, its signal after
sunset does have to protect WEEI.
>
>As far as I know, Class B full-time stations, such as
>WEEI (and the many others on 850 in the East) receive no
>protection from interference from the daytimers
>operating extended hours. Many daytimers on Class A
>channels (at least the ones on 850 in the east) are
>entitled to full-time operation as Class Ds, because
>they are well outside of the protected 0.5 mV/m 50%-
>skywave contour of the co-channel Class A. But if they
>receive full-time authority, they must begin protecting
>the co-channel Class A and Class B stations such as WEEI
>at local sunset. In many cases, the daytimers find the
>higher power they can get for the two hours after local
>sunset to be preferable to full-time authority, so they
>remain daytimers.

        Which brings us to WYLF, which is listed on the FCC as 1 kW day, 4
watts night, licensed. You gotta wonder about using 4 watts at night as
well as how accurate the FCC database is. I've seen other cases where very
low night power is listed as licensed for former daytimers and it seems to
be incorrect or at least not used. This could be a case of WYLF using the
much higher PSSA, which might have been what was heard in N.H., although
two hours after local sunset at WYLF this month should be around 2030 or
so, at the very latest, I'm guesstimating.