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Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Discussion pertaining to the Tri-Cities, Flint, Mt. Pleasant, and Bad Axe
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Colonel Flagg
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Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Post by Colonel Flagg » Wed May 29, 2019 6:35 pm

This pitiful station has only 300 followers on Facebook, and posts are quite rare. Very little local content. Is anyone listening anymore? In certain markets, Cumulus seems to be basically running on fumes.


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CK-722
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Re: Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Post by CK-722 » Thu May 30, 2019 3:57 am

Strangely enough though, WWCK 1570 is often the most reliable AM signal from Genesee County to the SE, S, SW, and W during noncritical Daytime hours. With all the IBOC, translators, and Canadian drop ins interfering on FM, it's often the easiest to tune of any Genesee County station from Metro Detroit. I think some of the other stations are having transmitter or antenna problems.


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Ed Joseph
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Re: Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Post by Ed Joseph » Thu May 30, 2019 2:24 pm

1570 has always had an impressive footprint for what it is. I haven't been in that building since the 90's, I have no idea if the old transmitter has been replaced or not. I think it was a Gates. The door covering the tubes was like a roll-top desk door turned sideways.

I know, back then, it wouldn't do much in the way of positive modulation. It sounds like it could still be the same transmitter Over the years I somehow ended up with the previous CBS Volumax that was on it in the 70's and 80's, so I'm guessing they must have replaced it with something else at some point. Back then, one of the old Multimax units from 105 was put before the Volumax when they upgraded the chain to run Prisms before the Optimod 8100. Said Volumax was found in the back room of WOAP when I helped Tony get it back to life, complete with the "Stick-On" NRSC units Mark Meyer installed. I'd be interested in knowing if there have been any "improvements" on the 1570 system since I was last in the building. It really doesn't sound like it to my ears.


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CK-722
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Re: Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Post by CK-722 » Fri May 31, 2019 9:33 am

As I recall, there was a recurrent problem with the IPAs (807s?), which were always going bad. The power would gradually decrease as the tubes went bad. Bill Sanderson suspected that there was a problem with the circuitry which made them burn out faster. I wonder if they replaced that stage with solid state. When Chris Olson worked there in High School, he told his brother the transmitter was water cooled, or perhaps the backup was???

I wonder if they did radials when they went from 250 to 500 watts, and then 1000 (750) watts. I wonder if they coordinated it with when WFUR went to a 5/8 wavelength tower and put an FM antenna on it, and some kind of proofs exist showing real conductivities.


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

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tvbobn
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Re: Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Post by tvbobn » Fri May 31, 2019 12:49 pm

I like the "pitiful" station when I'm in the Flint area. It's a radio station, who cares if it only has 300 FB followers? What difference does that make?

Earlier this year their signal was poor at best. Coming south on I-75, it wasn't good until Clio exit, but last week, I started listening by Bay City.

Two reasons come to mind. All the rain may have helped the ground system, but IMO I would guess some new tubes might be the reason.

It's filled with the top national hosts which is why I tune in. I'm not listening to it for local info.

When I worked there back in the day, the signal really got out, but that was before AM was crushed with man made noise!


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CK-722
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Re: Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Post by CK-722 » Fri May 31, 2019 6:40 pm

I remember Ed Berryman doing a Flint Radio Consortium on WTRX on Flint Feedback with Dave Barber circa 1980. He talked about how well the 1510 signal got out with just 250 watts when he worked there after the war. They got DX QSL letter requests from all over when they tested in 1946. There are some of them online, signed by Chief Engineer Homer Blumerich. They also had the first ever female First Class Radiotelephone License holder in Michigan, Donna Shick Rice, working there at the beginning as an Assistant CE. She became the first female CE in the state later at WAJL 107.1. As part of the WJBK move from 1490 to 1500 and from 250 to 10000 watts, they moved to 1570 and upped the power to 500 watts and then 1000 watts circa 1956, that for years burned off 250 watts to reduce the efficiency to 175 mV/m @ mile with a linear resistor, probably so it didn't overlap WFUR, which was still on a short tower in the Butterworth Dump with full 1000 watts input. They must have proofed the radials circa 1965 when WFUR went to a 5/8 wavelength tower, on which they also increased the HAAT of WFUR-FM from 57 feet to 255 feet circa 1965. This is the shorter 400 foot tower in the Butterworth Dump, that went from 200 feet to 400 feet. The circa 633 foot tower next to it was put up later for WFUR-FM. This information comes from coordination of several History Cards.


Is THAT where they got the idea for the 486-SX?

Same (x, y, z), different (t)

Your bullet missed my trial balloon.

RTN Price. Not guaranteed. As of 12:30, 157.71 Down 0.22.

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Colonel Flagg
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Re: Supertalk 1570, WWCK

Post by Colonel Flagg » Sat Jun 01, 2019 12:32 pm

tvbobn wrote:
Fri May 31, 2019 12:49 pm
I like the "pitiful" station when I'm in the Flint area. It's a radio station, who cares if it only has 300 FB followers? What difference does that make?

Earlier this year their signal was poor at best. Coming south on I-75, it wasn't good until Clio exit, but last week, I started listening by Bay City.

Two reasons come to mind. All the rain may have helped the ground system, but IMO I would guess some new tubes might be the reason.

It's filled with the top national hosts which is why I tune in. I'm not listening to it for local info.

When I worked there back in the day, the signal really got out, but that was before AM was crushed with man made noise!
You and I probably listen to a similar line-up of syndicated talkers. That's beautiful, but it doesn't mean a damned thing if you can't sell it. Or worse yet, if the AE's don't even TRY to sell it. Cumulus can do better, and Flint deserves better. Rip & read newscasts piped in from Detroit don't count.


"Pretty soon, every kid in America will wish he were me"

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