WUNR-AM 1600 Signal Strength

[Laurence Glavin]

Almost a year ago, I surmised that WKOX-AM 1200 had nade the switch to its authorized
50,000-watt signal because it appeared that the signal strength at my location 30
miles north of Boston had increased markedly.  This turned out not to be the case...
it's possible that Clear Channel began to believe that the CP to build out the new facilities
in the Oak Park neighborhood of Newton, MA would never happen, and they therefore
rebuilt or replaced their venerable 10 KW transmitter in Framingham.  I had ignored 
WKOX ever since they dropped the "Boston's Progressive Talk" format, and anyway before
that happened I tended to listen to WXKS-AM 1430 which was stronger.  Fast forward nearly
a year, and now it appears that WUNR-AM 1600's signal is WEAKER than it has been while
it broadcast with 5 KW DA-1.  Until Thursday, it had about the same strength as WSMN-AM 1590 im
Nashua, NH...at this moment, it registers about 75% of that station's reading on my radio
that displays relative signal strength.  According to the FCC website's facilities page,
WUNR's 5 KW two-tower signal is supposed to send 1212 mV/m at zero degrees azimuth 
(in my general direction) but only 949 with the 5-tower 20,000-watt signal operating.
It's interesting that along a more northeasterly heading, WUNR's field intensity doesn't
jump much until about 20 degrees, reaching its maximum at 80 degrees.  It appears that
they want to max out toward some Boston neighborhoods.  Places like Revere, Chelsea
and Lynn may get no increase at all...IF they are in fact running 20 KW with 5 towers. 


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