WWZN and Kinstar antennas

[markwa1ion@aol.com]

<<
So my guess is that if you ignore the first adjacents, WWZN has a 
really, really low NIF (maybe less than 3 mV/m). But since WTWP and 
WWKB don't protect WWZN at all, they together might easily raise WWZN's 
NIF to 25 mV/m or more.
>>

What happens to WWZN's NIF if night IBOC (HD) is authorized for 
WTWP-1500 or WWKB-1520 ?

It won't be a pretty picture.  The frequency will sound like an 
unlubricated Ronco Shred-O-Matic.

A move of WWZN to the WMKI site will put it within a mile of its old 
Squantum St. home.  Certainly 50 kW ND day from there would be better 
than what they have now.  Since southwest towards Nashville is the 
major night null direction, listeners in places like the Norwood 
Automile would get a much poorer signal after sunset.

I think that if there was a way to get WWZN into the Oak Park (Newton) 
tower complex, that would even make more sense.  It's wet marshy flat 
land (admittedly fresh water) and close to the city.  A convincing case 
could be made to get 890, 1060, 1150, 1470, and 1550 in there too.  
Maybe throw in little 650 while we're at it.  Downside: neighbors 
wouldn't be too happy about the site turning into Boston's version of 
the NJ Meadowlands.

The 1150/1470 Lexington site is even poorer than 1510's site: Belmont 
Hill (a.k.a. Wellington Hill) and Turkey Hill - Arlington are in front 
of it on bearings east and northeast.  Try to get either 1150 or 1470 
in somewhere like Danvers at night ... forget about it.  At least 
1510's profile going east is fairly flat and somewhat damp.  It's 
hideous to the west and northwest though, right through rocky ledge.  
890 and 1060 are Boston station wannabe's, might as well get them into 
1200's new Newton home: closer to downtown while still hitting some of 
MetroWest too.

If those Kinstar antennas didn't need the full-book ground radials, 
they could be installed atop large water tanks or skyscrapers.  I guess 
height doesn't do that much for AM, but a Kinstar atop the Hancock 
Tower or Pru would probably still make some noise if some of the 
building metal could act as a sort of ground.  I suppose the antenna 
still wouldn't do as if it was in a salt-marsh though.  Too bad nobody 
ever grabbed that perfect location at the mouth of the North River 
where 3A crosses from Marshfield into Scituate.  Signals really pick up 
when you drive through there.

Mark Connelly - Billerica, MA