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Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

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Ben Zonia
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:14 pm

This CKLW coverage map does not correspond very well with the Radio Locator one. In some directions, it corresponds more to the 0.5 mV/m (center) contour, and in others it corresponds to the 0.1 mV/m (0.15 is the outer contour on R-L). This is quite apparent in the direction where the null toward Grand Rapids is. It seems to be much shallower than the R-L Map. Too bad Ed Buterbaugh isn't around to ask if and when the pattern changed. I wonder it if was when they broadbanded the towers in anticipation of going AM Stereo.

The tower arrangement and original pattern were reportedly designed by the late Carl E. Smith, and is quite a a versatile arrangement to change to very different patterns. The original DA was from 1947-1949 from application to licensing. The four tower outer parallelogram arrangement is the same as WTAC 600 (now WSNL from a new TL and very different pattern), designed in 1946, without the center tower, and rotated about 27 degrees clockwise. It was also apparently designed by Carl E. Smith.

In another historical perspective, the date on the QSL Card signed by Ed is from the night before "The Day The Music Died" when WCFL went from Top 40 to Beautiful Music on March 15, 1976.

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Last edited by Ben Zonia on Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:27 pm, edited 4 times in total.


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Turkeytop
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Turkeytop » Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:37 pm

For the biggest part of my life I lived up in the area I have indicated with a red dot. CKLW pounds in there like a local, day and night.

Image


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Ben Zonia
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:54 pm

CKLW 800 tower arrangement from 1947-1949.

https://fccinfo.com/towerimage.php?Show ... 5%2C140%2C

WTAC 600 (demolished) tower arrangement from 1946.

https://fccinfo.com/towerimage.php?Show ... C%2A300%2C


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Ben Zonia
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Feb 06, 2021 3:15 pm

Turkeytop wrote:
Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:37 pm
For the biggest part of my life I lived up in the area I have indicated with a red dot. CKLW pounds in there like a local, day and night.

Image
I remember J.P. McCarthy and John McMurray talking about Tobermory and stopping off in Tobermory Harbor with their boats. They talked about listening to WJR there, and beyond.


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Turkeytop
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Turkeytop » Sat Feb 06, 2021 3:33 pm

Ben Zonia wrote:
Sat Feb 06, 2021 3:15 pm
Turkeytop wrote:
Sat Feb 06, 2021 1:37 pm
For the biggest part of my life I lived up in the area I have indicated with a red dot. CKLW pounds in there like a local, day and night.

Image
I remember J.P. McCarthy and John McMurray talking about Tobermory and stopping off in Tobermory Harbor with their boats. They talked about listening to WJR there, and beyond.

Yes, WJR is a blowtorch up there too. I have fond memories of Tobermory. Haven't been there in at least a decade. That will be a nice trip to take whenever this disease is rid of.


I started out with nothing and I still have most of it.

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Ben Zonia
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:13 pm

WJR 760 0.5 mV/m and 0.1 mV/m contours. Years ago, one of the old-timer engineers told me he had done some measured field intensities for this map.

Image


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Ben Zonia
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Feb 06, 2021 4:25 pm

Bigger image.

Image


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matt1
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by matt1 » Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:12 pm

I still can hear AM 630 CFCO Country station (Chatham, Ontario) in Sanford, MI!!!!



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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Deleted User 14896 » Sat Feb 06, 2021 9:04 pm

Thanks for the info on CKLW.
I spent my summers growing up near Belle River.
Always thought that the tower on the river was the 800AM transmitter tower.
Drove past that at least a dozen times every year.
Guess I was wrong all these years.



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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by Turkeytop » Sat Feb 06, 2021 9:07 pm

Mike Oxlong wrote:
Sat Feb 06, 2021 9:04 pm
Thanks for the info on CKLW.
I spent my summers growing up near Belle River.
Always thought that the tower on the river was the 800AM transmitter tower.
Drove past that at least a dozen times every year.
Guess I was wrong all these years.

Is that Belle River ON?

During my career I did business around that community.


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kc8yqq
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by kc8yqq » Mon Feb 08, 2021 6:28 am

matt1 wrote:
Sat Feb 06, 2021 7:12 pm
I still can hear AM 630 CFCO Country station (Chatham, Ontario) in Sanford, MI!!!!
When I worked in Niles, MI, I would get CFCO in stereo in the morning in Three Rivers. Shortly west of there, they would drop out. At that point, I would switch over to WGTO 910 (Cassopolis) and listen to oldies in stereo.



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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by k8jd » Sun Feb 21, 2021 12:48 pm

Today, this late morning , Around 15:00 UT , I was hearing Toronto, Columbus, Chicago stations well in broad daylight (from Oakland county)
.



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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by matt1 » Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:51 pm

Does the AM station on the last dial in Tawas City still plays former game show host Wink Martindale's 30's to early 60's music?? Did that station doesn't serve beautiful music anymore??



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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by bmw » Tue Mar 09, 2021 11:53 pm

matt1 wrote:
Mon Feb 22, 2021 11:51 pm
Does the AM station on the last dial in Tawas City still plays former game show host Wink Martindale's 30's to early 60's music?? Did that station doesn't serve beautiful music anymore??
1480 WIOS? Nope, they're mostly conservative talk now. For a time they were music during the day and talk at night, but then they went all talk. Also now on a translator on 106.9 FM.



matt1
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Re: Partial daytime AM Band Scan during power outage in Tawas City

Post by matt1 » Wed Mar 10, 2021 1:16 am

OK thanks.



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