WSB AM at night

[Greg Strickland]

More to the point-
FM Translators re-broadcast other stations, non-commercial and commercial.
LPFM stations can originate programming, are non-commercial stations and are not licensed to individuals.
The two services are separate and governed under different sections of the FCC rules.

 

[DavidEduardo]

I'm a bit confused, is there a difference between LPFMs and translator stations LPFMs have regular call letters e.g. KFXM LP and translators have signs like w245dk, what is the difference? anyone help me out on this one.

A translator can be up to 250 watts and height is only restricted by protection to other stations. Commercial ones must fit inside an established coverage area of an existing AM or FM HD-2,3,or 4 channel. Non-coms can exist on their own, independent of a local full(er) service station.

FM translators and FM boosters comprise a low power service on the FM broadcast band (88 to 108 MHz) that complements the primary FM service. This service was first created in 1970 to allow FM stations to provide supplementary service to areas in which direct reception of radio service is unsatisfactory due to distance or intervening terrain barriers (for example, a mountain). Most translators or boosters may not originate programming, except for the limited fundraising efforts in the case of translators as explained below. (Exception -- some FM translators relaying AM daytime-only stations may continue to transmit programming when the AM station is off the air at night.) Translator stations rebroadcasting a commercial AM or FM station (the primary station) may be authorized on Channel 221 through 300 (92.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz), while a translator rebroadcasting a noncommercial educational station (the primary station) may be authorized on any FM channel (Channels 201 to 300, or 88.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz). The maximum effective radiated power permitted for any translator station is 250 watts, while the maximum effective radiated power for a booster station is 20% of the main station's maximum class power.

Translator stations simultaneously rebroadcast the signal of a primary AM or FM station on a different frequency. Those translator stations that provide service within the primary station's protected service area are classified as "fill-in" stations. Fill-in translators can be owned by the main station or by an independent entity. Commercial non-fill-in translators are generally owned by independent entities, with certain exceptions, while noncommercial educational non-fill-in translator stations are generally owned by the primary station being rebroadcast.

Booster stations are essentially "fill-in" translator stations on the same frequency as the main station. Booster stations must be owned by the licensee of the primary FM station. Booster stations are also restricted in that the service contour of the booster may not exceed the protected service contour of the primary station at any azimuth.

LPFMs are 100 watts at 100 feet and are strictly non-commercial.

The Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service was created by the Commission in January 2000. LPFM stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts (0.1 kilowatts) or less, with maximum facilities of 100 watts ERP at 30 meters (100 feet) antenna height above average terrain (HAAT). The approximate service range of a 100 watt LPFM station is 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles radius). LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations. A construction permit is required before an LPFM station can be constructed or operated. The mere filing of an LPFM application does not authorize any construction or operation.
LPFM stations are available to noncommercial educational entities and public safety and transportation organizations, but are not available to individuals or for commercial operations. Current broadcast licensees with interests in other media (broadcast or newspapers) are not eligible to obtain LPFM stations.

Low Power FM (LPFM) Broadcast Radio Stations

In the following sections, we provide some basic information about Low Power (LPFM) radio stations (licensed service) and the related application processes. Contents Introduction LPFM Filing Window Periods Find LPFM Records via the FM Query Low Power FM Opportunities Map LPFM...

www.fcc.gov

 

[JoeLouis]

A translator can be up to 250 watts and height is only restricted by protection to other stations. Commercial ones must fit inside an established coverage area of an existing AM or FM HD-2,3,or 4 channel. Non-coms can exist on their own, independent of a local full(er) service station.

FM translators and FM boosters comprise a low power service on the FM broadcast band (88 to 108 MHz) that complements the primary FM service. This service was first created in 1970 to allow FM stations to provide supplementary service to areas in which direct reception of radio service is unsatisfactory due to distance or intervening terrain barriers (for example, a mountain). Most translators or boosters may not originate programming, except for the limited fundraising efforts in the case of translators as explained below. (Exception -- some FM translators relaying AM daytime-only stations may continue to transmit programming when the AM station is off the air at night.) Translator stations rebroadcasting a commercial AM or FM station (the primary station) may be authorized on Channel 221 through 300 (92.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz), while a translator rebroadcasting a noncommercial educational station (the primary station) may be authorized on any FM channel (Channels 201 to 300, or 88.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz). The maximum effective radiated power permitted for any translator station is 250 watts, while the maximum effective radiated power for a booster station is 20% of the main station's maximum class power.

Translator stations simultaneously rebroadcast the signal of a primary AM or FM station on a different frequency. Those translator stations that provide service within the primary station's protected service area are classified as "fill-in" stations. Fill-in translators can be owned by the main station or by an independent entity. Commercial non-fill-in translators are generally owned by independent entities, with certain exceptions, while noncommercial educational non-fill-in translator stations are generally owned by the primary station being rebroadcast.

Booster stations are essentially "fill-in" translator stations on the same frequency as the main station. Booster stations must be owned by the licensee of the primary FM station. Booster stations are also restricted in that the service contour of the booster may not exceed the protected service contour of the primary station at any azimuth.

LPFMs are 100 watts at 50 feet and are strictly non-commercial.

The Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service was created by the Commission in January 2000. LPFM stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts (0.1 kilowatts) or less, with maximum facilities of 100 watts ERP at 30 meters (100 feet) antenna height above average terrain (HAAT). The approximate service range of a 100 watt LPFM station is 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles radius). LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations. A construction permit is required before an LPFM station can be constructed or operated. The mere filing of an LPFM application does not authorize any construction or operation.
LPFM stations are available to noncommercial educational entities and public safety and transportation organizations, but are not available to individuals or for commercial operations. Current broadcast licensees with interests in other media (broadcast or newspapers) are not eligible to obtain LPFM stations.

Low Power FM (LPFM) Broadcast Radio Stations

In the following sections, we provide some basic information about Low Power (LPFM) radio stations (licensed service) and the related application processes. Contents Introduction LPFM Filing Window Periods Find LPFM Records via the FM Query Low Power FM Opportunities Map LPFM...

www.fcc.gov

Fantastic explanation, thanks David.

 

[Battenkill50]

Getting back to AM....
WBT is the most dependable distant AM station heard here at night. Most of the others (WSM, WPTF, WLW etc. are not heard every night. WFED - 1500 is usually good in the early evening here with sports)

kw - Melbourne FL (30 miles south of KSC)

 

[DavidEduardo]

Getting back to AM....
WBT is the most dependable distant AM station heard here at night. Most of the others (WSM, WPTF, WLW etc. are not heard every night. WFED - 1500 is usually good in the early evening here with sports)

Makes sense, as both have night patterns aimed at you that are the equivalent of over 100 kw in your direction.

 

[JoeLouis]

What is the maximum wattage allowed in Canada I thought I've seen some stations in rural areas of 100kw, as far as Mexico, is XEX still running, I believe at one time they were 500kw (730AM)

 

[frankberry]

What is the maximum wattage allowed in Canada I thought I've seen some stations in rural areas of 100kw, as far as Mexico, is XEX still running, I believe at one time they were 500kw (730AM)

Maximum AM power in Canada is 50kW.

 

[DavidEduardo]

What is the maximum wattage allowed in Canada I thought I've seen some stations in rural areas of 100kw, as far as Mexico, is XEX still running, I believe at one time they were 500kw (730AM)

On AM, it is 50,000 watts in Canada. Never been higher, either.

Mexico's highest power AMs were XEW-900 and XERF-1570 at 250 kw each. XERF scaled back about 20-some years ago, and is now 100 kw but running lower power in reality. XEW went to 100 kw when they made a soccer field complex out of the site, and they may be running much less in reality.

730, XEX, was never more than 100 kw and is now 60 kw.

I have actually been inside the XEW and XEX transmitter sites, back when they actually ran their highest power.

All the other ones that were over 100 kw (1050, 540) are now at 100 kw or below.

 

[Kent]

In my travels, I can usually get WSB-AM anywhere east of the Rockies. Once I have traveled west of the Rockies, I cannot receive it.

In much of Texas and Oklahoma, you won’t get WSB either because of KRMG and KTRH.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Before one of their 3 towers fell, the most dependable, strongest most dependable most distant signal here was 2800 mile distant XEPRS 1090

Getting back to AM....
WBT is the most dependable distant AM station heard here at night. Most of the others (WSM, WPTF, WLW etc. are not heard every night. WFED - 1500 is usually good in the early evening here with sports)

kw - Melbourne FL (30 miles south of KSC)

 

[RadioDoogie]

A translator can be up to 250 watts and height is only restricted by protection to other stations. Commercial ones must fit inside an established coverage area of an existing AM or FM HD-2,3,or 4 channel. Non-coms can exist on their own, independent of a local full(er) service station.

FM translators and FM boosters comprise a low power service on the FM broadcast band (88 to 108 MHz) that complements the primary FM service. This service was first created in 1970 to allow FM stations to provide supplementary service to areas in which direct reception of radio service is unsatisfactory due to distance or intervening terrain barriers (for example, a mountain). Most translators or boosters may not originate programming, except for the limited fundraising efforts in the case of translators as explained below. (Exception -- some FM translators relaying AM daytime-only stations may continue to transmit programming when the AM station is off the air at night.) Translator stations rebroadcasting a commercial AM or FM station (the primary station) may be authorized on Channel 221 through 300 (92.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz), while a translator rebroadcasting a noncommercial educational station (the primary station) may be authorized on any FM channel (Channels 201 to 300, or 88.1 MHz to 107.9 MHz). The maximum effective radiated power permitted for any translator station is 250 watts, while the maximum effective radiated power for a booster station is 20% of the main station's maximum class power.

Translator stations simultaneously rebroadcast the signal of a primary AM or FM station on a different frequency. Those translator stations that provide service within the primary station's protected service area are classified as "fill-in" stations. Fill-in translators can be owned by the main station or by an independent entity. Commercial non-fill-in translators are generally owned by independent entities, with certain exceptions, while noncommercial educational non-fill-in translator stations are generally owned by the primary station being rebroadcast.

Booster stations are essentially "fill-in" translator stations on the same frequency as the main station. Booster stations must be owned by the licensee of the primary FM station. Booster stations are also restricted in that the service contour of the booster may not exceed the protected service contour of the primary station at any azimuth.

LPFMs are 100 watts at 100 feet and are strictly non-commercial.

The Low Power FM (LPFM) radio service was created by the Commission in January 2000. LPFM stations are authorized for noncommercial educational broadcasting only (no commercial operation) and operate with an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100 watts (0.1 kilowatts) or less, with maximum facilities of 100 watts ERP at 30 meters (100 feet) antenna height above average terrain (HAAT). The approximate service range of a 100 watt LPFM station is 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles radius). LPFM stations are not protected from interference that may be received from other classes of FM stations. A construction permit is required before an LPFM station can be constructed or operated. The mere filing of an LPFM application does not authorize any construction or operation.
LPFM stations are available to noncommercial educational entities and public safety and transportation organizations, but are not available to individuals or for commercial operations. Current broadcast licensees with interests in other media (broadcast or newspapers) are not eligible to obtain LPFM stations.

Low Power FM (LPFM) Broadcast Radio Stations

In the following sections, we provide some basic information about Low Power (LPFM) radio stations (licensed service) and the related application processes. Contents Introduction LPFM Filing Window Periods Find LPFM Records via the FM Query Low Power FM Opportunities Map LPFM...

www.fcc.gov

Didn’t translators explode in the 2000s with the development of HD Radio?

 

[Gregg.]

To be fair about Wikipedia's article on Clear Channel Stations, Joe Lewis, who cited it, is a bit confused. The chart on the Wikipedia page is for ALL clear channel stations, now known as Class A. It includes the old Class I-A and I-B as well as those stations in the Canadian Maritimes that recently got promoted to Class A status. There is a separate chart for the Alaskan Class I-N stations.

Perhaps the Wikipedia page should have an * next to the non-directional, former Class I-A stations. Even though the FCC has lumped the I-As, I-Bs, I-Ns and Maritime As into the current Class A category, we know the original I-As are the cream of the crop.

 

[Greg Strickland]

AM Station Classes, and Clear, Regional, and Local Channels

Contents Introduction Classes for U.S. AM Broadcast Stations Clear, Regional, and Local Channels; Steps to Follow to Determine the Domestic Class The Region 2 Class Old to New Class Conversions Introduction There are two fields in the CDBS database and the AM Query search results that involve...

www.fcc.gov

 

[secondchoice]

I'm in Atlanta, and in the car (a 2013 Accord--its AM section is really good; in the 2019 Odyssey, not so much; it barely pulls in 680 and 750) when I was commuting before dawn (before COVID) I would sometimes listen to WLS or KMOX or WLW in the morning. I could also get WHO, WGN, WOR, WABC, WSM, KDKA, WTAM. If I'm on the west side of town I can sometimes get WSM during the day. I need to start logging these receptions.

I also have a 1962 RCA console stereo, and as typical of something of that vintage the AM section is really good (once I turn off the computer, LED lights, and other sources of RFI). I can get all of those as well.

The one class A I can't get, for being as close as it is, is WBT. However, it is highly directional at night. WBT-AM Radio Station Coverage Map WWL out of NOLA is also iffy--it's also highly directional at night. I can easily get WWL at the beach during the day, but no dice in the ATL at night.

Any of the class A's at 1500 kHz and above--fuggedaboudit. Even WLAC.

WLAC was a viable signal east of the Mississippi except areas that had adjacent channel stations (the old KOMA 1520 Oklahoma City) and KSTP 1500 Twin Cities and the Northeast where it was really hammered by the old 1510 Boston, 1520 Buffalo and 1500 Washington. Plus, and there were more than a few 1490 class C’s that occasionally had a little extra bandwidth.

But if you were Black (or liked blues with some soul mixed in) and lived in the Southeast, and most of the Midwest it was your “station” at night thru the mid 1970’s. They sold a lot of per inquiry merchandise at night.

 

[DavidEduardo]

I have actually been inside the XEW and XEX transmitter sites, back when they actually ran their highest power.

In fact, here I am in 1963 inside one of the 3 XEW 250,000 watt transmitter.

 

[JoeLouis]

In fact, here I am in 1963 inside one of the 3 XEW 250,000 watt transmitter.

That's a lot of wattage for sure for an AM station, are shortwave stations (some) 500kw or higher?

 

[DavidEduardo]

That's a lot of wattage for sure for an AM station, are shortwave stations (some) 500kw or higher?

In most of the rest of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa) powers up to 2,000,000 watts on Medium Wave (what we incorrectly call "AM" in the Americas) are common, although most such stations are government operated and are slowly disappearing.

Shortwave has two kinds of service: local/regional on frequencies around 6 MHz or below with powers in the 250 watt to 10 kw range usually and international with powers up to a million watts. Most of those are also gone.

Any kind of amplitude modulated radio today is obsolete. It is subject to man-made noise and usually has limited quality compared to FM, HD, DAB, etc. That is why in many nations, from Mexico to Switzerland, "AM" has been eliminated or significantly phased out.

 

[JoeLouis]

In most of the rest of the world (Europe, Asia, Africa) powers up to 2,000,000 watts on Medium Wave (what we incorrectly call "AM" in the Americas) are common, although most such stations are government operated and are slowly disappearing.

Shortwave has two kinds of service: local/regional on frequencies around 6 MHz or below with powers in the 250 watt to 10 kw range usually and international with powers up to a million watts. Most of those are also gone.

Any kind of amplitude modulated radio today is obsolete. It is subject to man-made noise and usually has limited quality compared to FM, HD, DAB, etc. That is why in many nations, from Mexico to Switzerland, "AM" has been eliminated or significantly phased out.

I remember a shortwave outlet for 2 Canadian stations, one being CFRB (they called it CFRX for shortwave at 6070khz) and it was only 250 watts, yet came in great 500 miles away, it was before the internet and I really liked it and it came into the northeast during daylight hours (the other was CFCF in Montreal)

 

[jabba17]

To be fair about Wikipedia's article on Clear Channel Stations, Joe Lewis, who cited it, is a bit confused. The chart on the Wikipedia page is for ALL clear channel stations, now known as Class A. It includes the old Class I-A and I-B as well as those stations in the Canadian Maritimes that recently got promoted to Class A status. There is a separate chart for the Alaskan Class I-N stations.

Perhaps the Wikipedia page should have an * next to the non-directional, former Class I-A stations. Even though the FCC has lumped the I-As, I-Bs, I-Ns and Maritime As into the current Class A category, we know the original I-As are the cream of the crop.

Thank you. That was my point about the stations in the 1500-1580 kHz range. The FCC today calls them Class A.
And, like you said, the stations further down the dial carry much better (day or night) than the ones in the 1500s, which was my point about not being able to DX them.

 

[jabba17]

Didn’t translators explode in the 2000s with the development of HD Radio?

IIRC, the FCC did change their rules to allow FM analog translators of HD signals, as well as AM signals. It used to be that you could only have a translator for an FM (analog) signal, and it had to be within the contour of the parent FM. This made it impossible for those wanting to get additional FM analog programming on the air.