[BC] AM on translator becomes new FM station...

[Keith Hammond]

These guys are licensed 1kw. full-time on the AM and - even at night - don't
have any coverage issues in (or near) the city of license. I'm oh so
familiar with the requirement of an STA to operate for prolonged periods at
reduced power. They just really *want* to be an FM and they seem to feel
that being identified with (or as) an AM is not a good thing. They want to
be an FM so badly that they run a stereo pilot with their mono console and
telephone loops. I just wish that I could get them to replace the Behringer
processing! It's nice and loud but, as it doesn't take pre-emphasis into
account, when I look at their FM signal on my mod monitor, the thing pops
completely off the scale which stops at 150%. (I wish I had a spectrum
analyzer to see what they're really doing.) I've even had someone offer to
help them with that but, they seem to feel that "setting it by ear to be the
same level as the Birmingham stations" is just as good and refuse
assistance. They told my friend that, the last time they let an engineer set
up their "processing" with a modulation monitor, their station sounded like
it was "way down in a hole" and they don't want that, again. I just get
tickled at thinking about what an inspector would do over there. The fence
(at the base of the tower at the AM site) fell many years ago and anyone can
walk right up to the tower and touch it. There's a tree (approximately 8
inches in diameter) that has engulfed the guy-wires on one side and the
entire ground system must be gone as the tower is (literally) in a forest
with trees of 30 to 50 feet in height within 25 feet of the tower which is
badly rusted. I'm amazed that it's still standing.

I need to take my digital camera out and get some pics of it and post them
somewhere but, as I've said before, it's more entertaining to watch the
thing deteriorate than to do something that might get them busted so that
they might actually have to try to fix it. Honestly, I'm just curious as to
whether or not they'll actually get away with helping to create a new "250
watt @ 300 feet HAAT commercial LPFM". (We can call it a "Mini-Class-A" if
it works for them.)

Keith Hammond
MonsterFM.com / Broadcast Technical Services
830 Hillsdale Road
Jasper, Alabama 35504


Tom Spencer said:

As to flea-power... if they're running night power during the day, that also
needs a STA.