post-sunset authorization query

[Dan Strassberg]

The FCC is supposed to enforce AM operational changes at sunrise, sunset,
and other times of day. But the rules on PSSAs are so complicated, the only
way I can see most stations doing it--and getting it right--is by use of
computer-based timers. If a station changes power at 6:00 AM local time (if
6:00 is before local sunrise), sunrise, two hours later, two hours before
local sunset, sunset, sunset somewhere else (location of the dominant
co-channel Class A station), and two hours after sunset, and the power used
in the two stages between local sunset and two hours afterward is different
in each month, how can any human possibly be expected to keep track of it
all and get each change right 365 days a year (366 in leap years) without a
computer? If I've counted correctly, that's SEVEN power changes a day during
the winter, and six per day at other times of the year. The PSRA rules must
have gone into effect in the sixties, when it was not reasonable to expect
small stations to have computers. But the rules then were simple enough that
a computer wasn't essential. I think the PSSA rules went into effect in the
early 80s. Not too long after that, somebody might have written an Apple
Basic program to look after all of these changes and could have run the
program on an Apple II. Might have worked, too. But it sounds a little too
kludgey to use in running a commercial enterprise.

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

----- Original Message -----
From: "Donna Halper" <dlh@donnahalper.com>
To: "Dan Strassberg" <dan.strassberg@att.net>
Cc: <boston-radio-interest@rolinin.BostonRadio.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 16, 2005 1:05 PM
Subject: Re: post-sunset authorization query


>
> >Dan wrote--
> >Well, Donna, that's it in a very large nutshell. More, I'm sure than you
> >ever wanted to know--but not quite all you wanted to know, because the
> >information for answering the "how much power" part of your question is
just
> >not available.
>
> Actually, I'm glad you elaborated-- it seems the enforcement of this is
> quite arbitrary and I was puzzled by it... perhaps it's not enforced
> because there is not one official standard for compliance?  Or is this
just
> one more thing the FCC isn't concerned about?
>