Has WBIX finished testing its night signal?

[Dan Strassberg]

Or did the consulting engineer just take today off (either for R&R or to
work on another job--such as WAZN)? Whatever the reason, WBIX appears to be
running full power today. After the first few days of testing, the station
appeared to run its night pattern and power from approximately 8:30 AM until
approximately 6:30 PM (in June) and 6:15 PM this month. Those times mark the
beginning of PM Crtical Hours. Presumably, WBIX's STA allowed use of the
night facilities only during regular daytime hours.

If adjustment of the array is complete, keep an eye on the daily FCC
actions. There should soon be applications for a license to cover and to
augment the night pattern. I don't think applications for program test
authority appear in the daily FCC actions.

There is an apparent advantage to daul-site operation as far as the
listening experience is concerned. Pattern changes (even simple ones like
WBIX's switch between D and CH patterns) usually require a couple of seconds
of dead air. Where I live, WBIX's switch between Mt Wayte Ave (day site) and
Sewell St (night site) is just about inaudible. Yes, the background noise is
a bit more audible when the lower night power is in use and the signal
strength changes when the facilities are switched, but a good receiver's AGC
almost completely compensates for the signal-strength change--at least at my
location. In all likelihood, at a point a couple of miles northwest of the
Sewell St site, you'd notice a BIG difference.

If what I've been hearing for the past few weeks really was the night
signal, I've got to say it isn't bad. I live about 18 miles northeast of
Sewell St and the signal is pretty good for 2.5 kW. Credit the 205-degree
towers, the oversized ground system, and the relatively narrow pattern.
According to the Bob Carpenter's AMSTNS program, the signal in my direction
is the equivalent of about 13.6 kW ND into a minimum-efficiency ND antenna.
Due east of Sewell St, the equivalent power is approximately twice as great,
making the signal stronger than WKOX's 10 kW ND day signal, which emanates
from a tower that is electrically even taller than 205 degrees at 1200.

--
Dan Strassberg, dan.strassberg@att.net
eFax 707-215-6367