If WMKK becomes WEEI

[Dan.Strassberg]

A visit to the FCC's FM Query page reveals that WMKK's only active CP
(it was granted just a month ago--on August 5) will have zero effect
on the signal; the sole purpose of that CP is to correct the
geographic coordinates of the tower, which is owned by American Tower
Systems. It seems that ATS inadvertently submitted duplicate
applications to the FAA for registration of the tower. The FAA had
granted both applications--both the one that specified the correct
coordinates and the one that specified coordinates four seconds of arc
away (can't remember whether the error was in latitude or longitude).
In any event, when the 93.7 facility was built on the tower, the
specified location was, of course, on the registration with the
incorrect coordinates (Murphy's law). ATS has since had the FAA delete
the registration with the incorrect coordinates, thus putting WMKK on
a "no-longer-existent" tower. The CP moves the station to the
still-registered tower with the correct coordinates. The coordinate
change necessitated a recalculation of the HAAT, which will now be one
meter lower than before. As a result, WMKK's 34 kW ERP will now be
equivalent to ever-so slightly less than the Class B maximum of 50 kW
@ 150m AAT. Were it not for the short-spaced co-channel station in
Hartford, WMKK could probably be granted a CP to increase its ERP by a
tiny amount, but because of the short spacing, that is not likely to
be permitted--and it would have no meaningful effect on the signal if
it did happen.

As for WKAF, that CP is real. I think WKAF has been operating at about
80% of the Class A maximum of the equivalent of 6 kW @ 100m AAT. I
believe that the limitation to less than full Class A power was
imposed by the former WINQ (don't know the current calls), the
co-channel station that used to be licensed to Winchendon MA but is
now (I think) licensed to Keene NH. In any event, I think that the
move of the co-channel station further from WKAF's location on Great
Blue Hill has enabled WKAF to increase to the Class A maximum. Since
WKAF's antenna is above the 100m Class A maximum height, the station
will operate with something like 2.05 kW vs the 1.7 kW it had been
running. In all probability, no physical changes are required in
WKAF's facilities--just an adjustment to the output power of the
existing transmitter--and no change at all to the antenna. My
understanding is that, since the Boston market is geographically too
large for any Class A station to deliver 60 dBu (the minimum
city-grade signal) to all of it, this ~20% power increase will not
alter WKAF's situation as a less-than full-market signal (along with
WFNX and WHRB, not to mention non-comms, such as WMBR, WZBC, and
WUMB), but it probably will help incrementally--though nowhere near as
much as returning WAAF to the place where it belongs--Asnebumskit Hill
in Paxton.

-----
Dan Strassberg (dan.strassberg@att.net)
eFax 1-707-215-6367

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Bob Nelson" <raccoonradio@mail.com>
To: "Dave Tomm" <nostaticatall@charter.net>; "Don A"
<donald_astelle@yahoo.com>
Cc: "Bob Nelson" <raccoonradio@mail.com>; "Boston Radio Interest"
<boston-radio-interest@rolinin.bostonradio.org>; "Dan.Strassberg"
<dan.strassberg@att.net>
Sent: Sunday, September 13, 2009 6:51 AM
Subject: Re: If WMKK becomes WEEI


Note that WMKK has a CP that would give it a very solid signal in most
directions... WKAF may also have a CP in the works.