[BC] WTAM/WKYC/WWWE

[peterh5322 at rattlebrain.com]

> There many unusual AM tower feeds around the country.   One of the more
> unique is the Sacramento that had a two tower DA  with two 5/8 wave
> Franklins using open wire feeds to each tower and open wire feed up to the
> center feed point of the two towers.

This is KFBK, which was largely home-built and which constructed,
in-house, the very first Cheriex (later called Ampliphase after its sale
of the design to RCA) Tx-es, one at 50 kW for KFBK/1530 after its license
to go directional and its license power to increase to 50 kW came through,
and one at 5 kW for co-owned KOH/630 in Reno.

The two towers are used at all times (DA-2, one of the few Class As to
operate in this mode).

Both are 180 degrees over 180 degrees, a total of 360 degrees, so these
are true Franklins (only one other exists in the U.S., and it is ND-D).

The efficiency of each is 510 mV/m/kW at 1 km, which is about 99 kW out
from 50 kW in.

The feed system is also home-built, using not the usual, for 50 kW, six
wires (two central wires plus four surrounding wires), but EIGHT wires
(two central wires plus six surrounding wires).

This system is still in place and is used 24/7/365 by one of California's
six Class As.

The feed system incorporates a matching system at the base, horizontal to
the vertical tower, and a vertical run up one-half of  the tower height of
nearly 640 feet to the sectionalizing insulator where a network is
present.

This vertical run is also eight wires.

Legend has it that the FCC inspector demanded that a ground system be
installed, and I guess one was, but it was very soon abandoned.

There is no longer any strap from the bottom of the base insulator to what
would be the "ground".