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KSDO scrambles to relocate

KSDO planning to switch to KLSD/KGB tower site either today, Sunday (the 1st), or Monday.
Strata Equity bought property from Citicasters for $3.5 million, flipped it to Watts Co. for $10 million.
 
2.5kw non-directional from a drop wire at the KLSD site. It's an STA, so eventually they'll have to have a permanent site. Question is, why don't they just diplex with KLSD?
 
They've been directional as long as I remember. If they were to diplex with KLSD permanently, that would mean a switch to non-directional operation. Sure, that'd make things simpler, but wouldn't being directional have advantages so that they could focus the signal where they want it, while minimizing signal toward other stations that need to be protected?

And if they went directional, what stations could they maybe diplex with? I'm thinking...

910/KECR and 1170/KCBQ - the 2nd of those stations is a bit close in frequency, but if they could use that site, they could focus all their signal west/southwest. There isn't much population density, relatively speaking, east of the site, so they could effectively protect KWKH. Also this site has 7 towers.

760 KFMB - only 3 towers (instead of the 6 that KSDO currently has), but maybe would be an alternative to the KECR/KCBQ site? And it's not very far from their current site.

600 KOGO - only 2 towers, and in the middle of San Diego, so some communities to the east like Lemon Grove, La Mesa, El Cajon, Santee, etc. might have to have a reduced signal. (Personally, I wouldn't mind, being a couple miles south of El Cajon, so I can receive 1110 KDIS better, but I'm not the one calling the shots.)

1210 KPRZ - not sure if this is too far north, but would it possibly work? In this case, they'd beam the signal south, protecting CKWX. They could also maybe have a notch to the east to also protect KWKH. It might weaken the signal over I think Rancho Bernardo or north Poway, but could the side of the lobe, heading south, still hit Lakeside, Santee, El Cajon, etc?
 
^ 6 cars sighted inside the fence at the Santee tower site. Hi-Favor is , well, extremely cheap about doing things, and these guys probably drove down from L.A. for
the tear-down. Capable, available locals are considered too expensive. (Crawford the same with KNSN's setup.)
When KSDO left the Msn. Valley location, it was to be 50kw in the Santee location. "It would have been a costly upgrade with a really tight pattern that
would require a lot of effort to keep in compliance. Extra estimated cost for 50kw in 1978 dollars exceeded $100,000." (J.M.)
Consider 1170's 6 tower array; never could get the nighttime pattern fixed from day 1. Forced to go to, what..1400 watts night?
Daytime had difficulties too. Extensive field measurements and adjustments did little to help; FCC gave continuous wavers on that.

KLSD @5kw just 1db higher reading than 1130's 2.5 kw , measured here in East county.
 
Methinks KSDO (and a bunch of other Ancient Modulation stations) will consider downgrades of power and be less directional in the future...especially if the land under their towers goes away. 2.5kw non-D covers what needs to be covered just fine, and investing in multi-tower night patterns makes no sense. In Phoenix, 15~Eighty downgraded their 50kw night signal with six sticks to 95 watts non-D, going from Class B to Class D. They're still 50kw day, but what's the point at night with a brokered format?
 
DrAkbar said:
Methinks KSDO (and a bunch of other Ancient Modulation stations) will consider downgrades of power and be less directional in the future...especially if the land under their towers goes away. 2.5kw non-D covers what needs to be covered just fine, and investing in multi-tower night patterns makes no sense. In Phoenix, 15~Eighty downgraded their 50kw night signal with six sticks to 95 watts non-D, going from Class B to Class D. They're still 50kw day, but what's the point at night with a brokered format?
Click to expand...

How can 2.5KW cover just fine if you need at least 50KW to overcome all the noise?
 
semoochie said:
How can 2.5KW cover just fine if you need at least 50KW to overcome all the noise?
Click to expand...

The 10 mV/m signal, which is what the ITU now considers the minimum usable AM signal in metro areas, covers less than half the metro population at this 2.5 kw operational level.
 
The STA provides day and night coverage (5mV/m) to over 80% of the COL, and that's fine per the FCC. Looking at their consulting engineer's coverage maps, daytime at 2.5kw shows signal loss to the north and east. However, night coverage as a non D is better than their 10kw thru six sticks! It's a temporary authorization...but we all know how STA's (like STD's) go on and on. YIKES!
 
I drove by KSDO's site on the 67 yesterday late afternoon, and the towers are still standing. Any ideas how long before they're taken down? (Does anyone remember how soon KCBQ's towers were taken down after their signal moved from Santee?)

And David, your mentioning the 10 mV/m minimum signal level reminds me of something I've thought of. One of the things proposed in AM Revitalization, I think, is increasing the protected contour to 2 mV/m (from 0.5 mV/m). I'm assuming the protection ratio (26 dB) would stay the same.
I was thinking, what kind of impact might it have if the protected contour was set at 10 mV/m, but the ratio significantly increased, to like 60 or 70 dB?

Ideally I'd like to see the FCC crack down on man-made noise, so we could have signals of 25-50 µV/m in downtown L.A. be usable, but I think we all know how likely the FCC is to do anything about that. :( And of course a thunderstorm nearby would raise the noise floor. Speaking of which, any ideas what field strength you'd theoretically need in order to mask the static from a lightning strike close enough so the flash and bang are perceived simultaneously (like within 10 meters or so)?
 
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The last KSDO tower fell Tuesday around 3:30 pm. Just a large pile of crumpled, 38 year old towers. At the old 2 tower S.D. location ( a 24 Hour Fitness resides there now) by I-15 & I-8
the towers were dropped, and a Boy Scout Troop was allowed to dismantle & haul the everything away for scrap dollars.
 
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