Post
by Arthur Mometer » Tue Dec 25, 2018 1:48 am
I have done a lot of investigation of this. Many of the studies are online. WYLL is the most restrictive requirement, even more than KSL because of the proximity. The NIF of WYLL is fairly low despite KSL interference, because it is a long ways away. You need to protect the whole 0.5 mV/m 50% skywave contour of KSL in the US. What they want to serve and what they can serve are completely different things. For one, they can't increase much if any to the East and South, because there are now a lot of stations in those directions on 1160. And there is the skywave of WWVA to consider also. You'll see it in the Night studies online. I will post all the relevant ones over the next few days. The pattern would most closely resemble the WYLL Night Pattern. Not exactly, but close. Because of the WYLL restrictions and the Standard Pattern, only about 10 kW would be feasible. The WPON Night array, combined with another row of three in the general Eastern direction about 180 degrees, and steered with phasing to make North the maximum. Some of the protections may change with new proposed rules, but they haven't fully taken effect though, or there would be a ton of applications. I know of one that is going to apply right out of the gate. Salem and WYLL would challenge any clipping of their protected Nighttime Groundwave.
If you have any specifics to challenge, I will investigate further.
If Hall Rd. and Gratiot is where you want to go at Night, you may want to look at the 270 radial that Munn Reese did for WUFL Proof of Performance in 1988 on the more recent three tower application online, and the WMVP Day application which shows the ~20 degree radial of WDEO Proof of Performance. Where those two radials cross, they both show 4 mS/m conductivity.
There is no way they could radiate anywhere near 15 kW directional in the direction of Hall and Gratiot at Night, without removing a lot of other stations. Reversing Munn Reese's radial might give you an idea what the Day signal would be in that general area. But it starts out as 4 according to two POPs run by them. As I recall, it starts to go down near the old WPON site near Square Lake and Telegraph, which is where the soil really starts to change from Clay to Sand, Gravel and Stones if you look at Quaternary Geological Maps. That is one reason why four of the six Detroit AMs have moved from Oakland County, WJR from Sylvan Lake, WWJ from 8 Mile and Meyers, WCAR...WDFN from Square Lake and Telegraph, and WXYZ...WXYT from 20777 10 Mile Rd. Yes, I know there are several other reasons.
If WPON is operating according to the STL parameters of 250 watts nondirectional on 1460, it can't be more than 4 mS/m equivalent over the whole 30 mile path to my RL. I doubt if that direction is as good as 1988 due to all the development within ~10-15 miles of WUFL's site.
The soil in NW Oakland County is similar to the soil in Northern Lower Michigan, perhaps not as extreme, but probably a half dozen or more applications online show radials in the 0.1-3 mS/m range where M-3 shows 8 mS/m. WTCM, WCCW, and WMKT, using measured radials of WKZO, extended POP radials of WOOD, WION, and WKPR are a few to look at. I will say that I believe these areas really are bad for AM, noticing from the time I was a little kid that the AM stations in Northern and Western Michigan didn't get out well at all compared to Major Cities in SE Michigan. 5 kW WHAK vs. 5 kW WWJ is one good example. 5 kW WHGR vs. 1 kW WXOX, 5 kW WXYZ, 1 kW WFYC, and even 0.5 kW WOIB...WLBY are other examples.
The existing CP for WCXI at Night will have to be modified for Class B, as at 215 watts it is now over the Class B threshold. You are correct that it is a ~cardioid pointed East, but with that pattern and changes in rules, not much more than the ~1 kW close to the Licensed WCXI 1 kW would be possible with the existing CP two tower array.
Last edited by
Arthur Mometer on Tue Dec 25, 2018 3:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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