Re: Magic 850 WYLF dunks WEEI

["Dan Strassberg" <Dan.Strassberg@att.net>]

Well, my understanding had been that if a station opts to become a
full-timer, it loses the option of using the higher PSSA power. The station
is still operating legally if it stays on only for the two post-sunset hours
(as long as it operates after local sunset with its night facilities), or,
for that matter, if it signs off at local sunset. However, my impression is
that a station that holds a license to operate full time can't use the
higher PSSA power after sunset. Class D fulltime stations are unique in not
being _required_ to operate at night.

The situatation with PSRAs is different. A full-time station can hold a PSRA
and use it or not at its discretion. WXKS (AM) is an example. The 500W ND
PSRA provides much better coverage of the market than does the 1 kW DA-N
facility. So when whoever (if anyone) is in charge of the AM at 99
RevereBeach Parkway remembers to switch to ND with 500W at 6:00 AM at this
time of year, the station operates that way. And if nobody remembers, the
station remains on DA with 1 kW until sunrise--that is, if, at the previous
sunset, they remembered to go to DA and reduce power and also if they didn't
screw up and switch to the PSRA facilities instead of the night facilities
the previous evening.

Now, if a major-market station owned by America's largest radio group can't
get _that_ drill straight, imagine how few daytimers on Class A channels
manage to get _their_ PSSA operations straight. Such stations are authorized
different post-sunset powers in each month! That's 12 different power levels
(all of which are usually in the single digits--to the left of the decimal
point). Moreover, the last-time I corresponded on this issue with LPB (the
leading manufacturer of the low-power transmitters that most of these
stations use after sunset), the company had not implemented a scheme to
allow the power levels to be remotely programmed. Such a scheme is
absolutely within the state of the art and wouldn't be all that expensive.

--

Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@worldnet.att.net
Phone: 1-617-558-4205, eFax: 1-707-215-6367

-----Original Message-----
From: Martin J. Waters <mwaters@mail.wesleyan.edu>
To: dan.strassberg@att.net <dan.strassberg@att.net>
Cc: bri@bostonradio.org <bri@bostonradio.org>
Date: Tuesday, October 24, 2000 9:55 PM
Subject: RE: Magic 850 WYLF dunks WEEI


>        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.
>
>
>
>