[BC] LPFM vs. AM on FM Translators

[WFIFeng@aol.com]

In a message dated 07/21/2006 08:45:53 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
SBailey at nespower.com writes:

> A. Allow the datytimer to switch frequencies at night to a Class C (Old
>  Class IV), Local Channel at night, 1230,1240,1340,1400,1450, or 1490.
>  What ever will work. With all these stations running 1 KW at night on
>  these channels, what difference does it make about interference?

That sounds an awful lot like what the AM IBUZ proponents must be thinking... 
"With so much interference on AM already, who cares if we run high-power 
white noise generators?! What difference will it make?" The stations already on 
those frequencies would certainly raise a stink, and rightly so. When (if?) WTWP 
fires-up IBUZ, there will be a lot of 1490's affected. The 1510 in Boston 
will, as well, and if they ever fire-up IBUZ, WTWP will have to deal with it, 
too. Urg!

>  B. Allow stations with flea powers to run 125 watts at night, PERIOD.
>  In a case like WFIF (Willie's deal), he could have 125 watts through his
>  directional pattern. Make WTWP (was WTOP) accept what little
>  interference that would cause, which in my mind, it wouldn't bother them.

A nice idea, but in our case, it wouldn't help. WTWP's signal, typically, 
ranges from 1-5mv/m during summer nights. It can peak around 10. In winter, it's 
much higher, averaging 5-10, with peaks to 20. I've seen it happen many times! 
At my home, about 12 air miles from WFIF, in our major lobe, I get 7mv/m when 
we are at 5Kw. When we drop to 500, that goes down to 1/3, about 2.3mv. On 
many winter afternoons at 4:30 when we drop, it's as though we just signed-off. 
Before 4:30 in winter, WTWP already starts battering our signal mercilessly, 
but once we drop to 500watts, it's *completely* buried.

Here's one for our math gurus out there... at 125 watts, what would be the 
distance to a relatively interference-free contour at 1500Khz on a 1.0 ground 
conductivity path, with a 5 to 10mv/m undesired co-channel signal? I'm guessing 
less than 2000 feet. What would be the range at 5Kw? Maybe a mile or so?

As long as WTWP operates full power on 1500, it's hopeless for us at night. A 
new frequency would be our only viable option. Good luck in that regard, 
though. With LI just across the Sound, NYC not far away, and a 1/2 dozen medium 
markets surrounding us, "open" frequencies in this area are like hen's teeth.

Check this out:

http://www.v-soft.com/ZipSignal/zip_answer.asp

Enter 06460 for the ZIP, and you'll see 78 stations. (Oddly, some are listed 
twice. Others seperately for day/night.) That's a lot of signals, but those 
are only part of the story! There are many more with weaker but still very 
listenable signals here. (Last I counted, there are 100 listenable signals, AM & 
FM, on my car radio.)

>  C. Clean up the X-Band, and take aleast two of those channels and make
>  them Class C (Class IV channels for nighttime operation for daytimers.

That would probably be the next most workable, but thus next least likely 
solution.

>     It's not just small o & o's that operated daytime only stations, but
>  Clear Channel has some daytime only stations, as well as Cumulus. Peter
>  Davidson's, Davidson Media operates one here in this market on 880. He
>  has to turn it off at night to protect WCBS-AM in NYC. As much money as
>  Peter's group paid for that 2.5 KW daytimer, I'm sure he would love to
>  see it get some nighttime relief.

His situation is probably quite similar to ours... at night, I am sure that 
WCBS' flamethrower bombards his market with multi-millivolt signals at night.

Willie...