WAMG gets night power increase

[Dan Strassberg]

Today's FCC actions indicate that WAMG has been granted an increase in night
power from 3.4 kW to 6 kW. No tower construction is involved--only
electrical changes. Given the stories that have been floating around about
Jessamy Tang's erratic managment style and fear of spending money on
anything (apparently lest she draw the ire of the investors), I wonder
whether she will ever spring for the cost of the new phasing unit. If she
does, how long will it take to get the unit built, installed, adjusted, and
proofed? Lead times for these custom-built items are unbelievably long.
Don't hold your breath for the improved night signal to go on the air, but
if it is built, there will be a dramatic improvement over two narrow arcs to
the north and south of the transmitter site (the northern of these two arcs
covers a lot of the Town of Framingham) and more subtle improvements over
wider arcs to the northeast and southeast. Depending on how accurate the
augmentations are on the existing night pattern, there will either be only a
slight improvement due east or a slight reduction in signal strength in that
direction that not many people are likely to notice.

Because there is no change in the requirements for protecting WLS, there
will be no change at all in the signal to the west. WAMG's night signal does
not now and will not reach such places as Southborough or Marlborough.

The application also specifies that there will be minor adjustments to the
day pattern, further reducing the signal in the broad minima to the north
and south. This minor change may somewhat reduce interference to 900 in
Nashua but the effect will be minimal, most likely noticeable as slight
increases in the width of the regions to the north and south of the array
where phasing so badly distorts the signal that it is unlistenable.

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