Make way for 1480!

[The New Chico]

Radio U got out to much of Snohomish county, and they had a Cougar mtn. translator as well. Just a super niche market within the CCM genre. I think if you are into it, you are into it, but it would have to be a pretty dedicated and specific listener.

 

[boombox4]

^^^^^^ I never even heard of RadioU, and if the translator was on Cougar, I never have heard it, and probably within eyeshot of Cougar.

 

[Grounded Grid]

Val, it appears you did uncover an issue, though I suspect the source wasn't anything devious.

K20NF-D is on the KOMO tower, translating an LD on the KING tower. Somewhere in the paperwork sequence, KING's ASR and coordinates got entered instead of KOMO's.

I'm not sure how far back this goes, so I sent a note off to their comms atty this evening, asking them to work out how to fix the problem.

 

[Grounded Grid]

As for the End Times, according to some, we're already living in the End Times. One prominent politician says we only have 12 years to fix all the environmental problems on the planet or we're all doomed to die The oceans are going to start rising more than the present 1-2 mm a year and NYC and Miami and even parts of Seattle and Tacoma will be completely underwater, and we're already in the opening stages of the Sixth Mass Extinction Event. The Greenland icecap is melting, and we're all going to drown. This I don't hear from religious broadcasters. I hear that from politicians. And of course, politicians never beg for money, do they.

I occasionally fly over the Ocean Shores and Westport coastlines, look at how far the ocean has receded from the hotels there, and wonder about the "oceans rising" claims.

 

[The New Chico]

^^^^^^ I never even heard of RadioU, and if the translator was on Cougar, I never have heard it, and probably within eyeshot of Cougar.

Radio U Issaquah Translator It's a crowded dial in that area and at that massive 7 watts of power...not exactly shocking you didn;t lock onto this one! 🤣

 

[bobdavcav]

Do they still have the 106.5 in Orting? I picked that up over KWPZ one Christmas day probably 10 years ago. That was my only encounter with Radio U, and I've been meaning to check them out again.

 

[Kent]

And that's what a lot of old style "Christian" radio networks amounted-to: 'End of the world programming.' I had the opportunity to converse with one of those radio preachers years ago. He claimed that End Of World programming brought in the most revenue, because believers figured they had nothing to lose. That money won't be needed in the afterlife. Pretty slimy stuff.

Unscrupulous preachers have known that for a long time. That's been going on for well over a thousand years. The Catholic church in Europe repeatedly issued doomsday predictions with heavy implications that giving the church all your money would save you from a torturous eternity.

If those predictions just harmed the people who bought into them, I might be able to take the attitude of, "Sorry. You should've known better. You're a grown adult of sound mind, and you can do whatever you want, wise or foolish, with your own money." The problem, however, is that those actions usually cause a ripple effect that impacts more than just the person who buys into the sham. I remember reading the story of the family who blew its money, including emptying out the high school aged kids' college accounts, because "we're not going to need it" after Family Radio's 2011 prediction. To the parents' extremely limited credit, I suppose we can at least say they gave little, if any, of that money to Camping and Family Radio. The father quit his well-paying job (I believe in engineering) so he could spend the rest of his days with his family, and they blew their money on experiences, like trips to Disney World. Of course, on May 22, 2011, the family was short on money, the primary breadwinner had no job, and I'm sure the kids had to go into crippling debt if they decided to go to college at all.

 

[Kelly A]

I remember reading the story of the family who blew its money, including emptying out the high school aged kids' college accounts, because "we're not going to need it" after Family Radio's 2011 prediction. To the parents' extremely limited credit, I suppose we can at least say they gave little, if any, of that money to Camping and Family Radio. The father quit his well-paying job (I believe in engineering) so he could spend the rest of his days with his family, and they blew their money on experiences, like trips to Disney World. Of course, on May 22, 2011, the family was short on money, the primary breadwinner had no job, and I'm sure the kids had to go into crippling debt if they decided to go to college at all.

Not religious based; but I personally knew someone who did something similar around Y2K. This guy was an amazing radio sales exec, but was entirely wrapped around the Y2K doomsday axle. He ended up selling their home, I believe on Mercer Island, quitting a very lucrative gig, and moving to a Y2K community in Utah. This place had hardened walls around it and all the homes in the community ran off of big diesel generators. Of course when Y2K was a nothing-burger, here they are, having spent all their savings and home proceeds on this community, no job, sitting in a desert in Utah. The family split, and he was beating the pavement looking for sales gigs that was never as good as what he gave up.

 

[The New Chico]

Do they still have the 106.5 in Orting? I picked that up over KWPZ one Christmas day probably 10 years ago. That was my only encounter with Radio U, and I've been meaning to check them out again.

That one got sold to the folks behind KACS in Centralia. Family Christian Network or some such. Still God but no metal or punk I am afraid.

 

[bobdavcav]

I'll have to hear that when I'm up that way next. Sunset Lake isn't far from there, so if I decide to go again next summer, I'll have to take a radio just for that DX. Generally I don't take a radio there because the DX wouldn't be that different from what I'd get in Edmonds. Speaking of KACS, last time I heard that station they had extremely bad audio. Is that still the case? Sounded like it was being fed from a low quality internet stream.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

I'll have to hear that when I'm up that way next. Sunset Lake isn't far from there, so if I decide to go again next summer, I'll have to take a radio just for that DX. Generally I don't take a radio there because the DX wouldn't be that different from what I'd get in Edmonds. Speaking of KACS, last time I heard that station they had extremely bad audio. Is that still the case? Sounded like it was being fed from a low quality internet stream.

theyve had some technical issues, depends on when you were there.. over the winter they had a few issues.
When i heard 90.5 once from Wy.. and have listened online, it sounded ok to me

 

[valvashon]

Val, I took some time to look into your view of K20NF-D. I didn't install it, but I did do some initial work toward getting internet to the transmitter location, so I am generally aware of the project.

I spoke to an engineer out of Miami, who did some of the work. He spoke with the Florida company that sold and installed the transmitter and proofed the installation.

Short of actually going to the site, it looks to me like everything is OK.

Seems to me an installation at the tower of a major Seattle station would be an odd place to fake a license to cover, especially with all the binoculars and union engineering talent up there.

So, I haven't actually laid eyes on it, but I'm told it is on the air, is compliant and is leased to another broadcaster. The license (and preceding LTC app) specifies the KING Galer St. location, which everyone I've spoken to insists is exactly where the installation should be.

Would you care to elaborate on what, specifically, you feel is wrong with the translator or its location? Like I said, I don't work on their TV, but I'd be happy to go over there to see if your claims can be validated.

When I was working at a certain broadcast facility on Westlake Ave N, I was put in charge of scanning frequencies for a soon to be expanded number of wireless microphones. Putting existing TV channels into the Lectrosonics Wireless Designer application and scanning (off line with the program) the open frequencies in an effort to pack in all of the microphones and IFB's was part of the job. When I saw the L2C for K20NF-D I realized that one more 6 MHz slice of spectrum was going to disappear. I put the spectrum analyzer on the OTA antenna pointed at Queen Anne hill to pull in the Next Gen channels and there was nothing on RF 20. I looked several times until I left last month and never saw any signal on RF 20.
I do not have access to the e-mail I sent to the KING engineering team (they hosted our Next Gen channels) but I asked them if the Iglesia organization was authorized to build a station at their Galer Street tower. They said, no, no such transmitter or antenna was on their tower or authorized to be there.
In addition, I just asked a friend over at KOMO if there was a channel 20 on their tower and was told no, only KOMO and KUNS. I believe you may have edited the above quoted post; I was certain that you said that channel 20 was on the KOMO tower and the KING authorization was in error.
Finally, some empirical evidence. While channel 20 is authorized to operate at 5Kw and channels 35 and 32 are authorized at 15 Kw, you would think that there would be some hint of a signal at my West Seattle location. I have a large 8 panel UHF antenna on my house on a rotor and peaked it up in the general direction of Queen Anne for these pictures you see here. As you can see, zero signal on RF 20, good usable signals on RF 32 and 35.
Until I see some hard evidence that this transmitter, antenna and signal exist I maintain that the station was never built, never authorized to be at it's licensed location and that the License to Cover was filed in an effort to deceive the FCC.

 

[crainbebo]

^^^^^^ I never even heard of RadioU, and if the translator was on Cougar, I never have heard it, and probably within eyeshot of Cougar.

It was on 89.1. K206CJ. They were never strong in Bothell and mixed with the CSN translator in Granite Falls, but they had an interesting Christian rock format. KQXI-91.5 Granite Falls came on around 2013 and the signal was also sketchy, especially in my low-elevation spot in Monroe.

 

[boombox4]

When I was working at a certain broadcast facility on Westlake Ave N, I was put in charge of scanning frequencies for a soon to be expanded number of wireless microphones. Putting existing TV channels into the Lectrosonics Wireless Designer application and scanning (off line with the program) the open frequencies in an effort to pack in all of the microphones and IFB's was part of the job. When I saw the L2C for K20NF-D I realized that one more 6 MHz slice of spectrum was going to disappear. I put the spectrum analyzer on the OTA antenna pointed at Queen Anne hill to pull in the Next Gen channels and there was nothing on RF 20. I looked several times until I left last month and never saw any signal on RF 20.
I do not have access to the e-mail I sent to the KING engineering team (they hosted our Next Gen channels) but I asked them if the Iglesia organization was authorized to build a station at their Galer Street tower. They said, no, no such transmitter or antenna was on their tower or authorized to be there.
In addition, I just asked a friend over at KOMO if there was a channel 20 on their tower and was told no, only KOMO and KUNS. I believe you may have edited the above quoted post; I was certain that you said that channel 20 was on the KOMO tower and the KING authorization was in error.
Finally, some empirical evidence. While channel 20 is authorized to operate at 5Kw and channels 35 and 32 are authorized at 15 Kw, you would think that there would be some hint of a signal at my West Seattle location. I have a large 8 panel UHF antenna on my house on a rotor and peaked it up in the general direction of Queen Anne for these pictures you see here. As you can see, zero signal on RF 20, good usable signals on RF 32 and 35.
Until I see some hard evidence that this transmitter, antenna and signal exist I maintain that the station was never built, never authorized to be at it's licensed location and that the License to Cover was filed in an effort to deceive the FCC.View attachment 3416View attachment 3417View attachment 3418

OK, so if they're not on the air, or never were on the air (?) please explain to this layman why it is an issue? Not all of us are engineering types or thoroughly acquainted with FCC regs.

 

[Kelly A]

OK, so if they're not on the air, or never were on the air (?) please explain to this layman why it is an issue? Not all of us are engineering types or thoroughly acquainted with FCC regs.

For radio or TV; a granted Construction Permit is only allowed three years to construct, test, and apply for the license. Once a station is constructed and tested in accordance with the CP within the three year limit, they file an FCC Form to apply for the permanent license.
What Val is claiming; that the LPTV in question was never constructed, let alone according to the requirements of the CP. It's kind of rare that grantee's of a CP would fraudulently file a license to cover form without ever having built the station, but it does happen.
For example: I can't remember the church name, (believe it had something to do with Calvary-something ) but there was a religious organization that hired a consulting engineering firm to look for opportunities all across the country to essentially shoe-horn new applications like Johnny Appleseed, then file paperwork for CP's to build these stations. Once the CP's were issued, they paid contract engineer's around the country to buy transmission gear and construct the stations. Let's just say that some of the less than scrupulous so-called 'contract engineers' took the money, claimed the stations were constructed, but had never actually picked up a screwdriver. License applications were filed to cover the CP, but there was no actual station ever built.

 

[boombox4]

Ah, it's clearer now. Thanks for the explanation Kelly.

 

[Kento]

I believe KKDZ is still running at their original 5kW daytime location. Several years ago, after losing the night-time directional site that they and KARR shared, KKDZ went to full-time operation at the day site, running on an STA at 25% power from local sunset until 12 midnight, when they return to full, nondirectional power. This month, that amounts to only 4.5 hours of reduced night-time operation.

Disney bought a new transmitter and took the station stereo. When the station sold and I took maintenance duties, I turned the stereo off. I think it may have been the last Seattle AM to have their stereo equipment running.

1250 has a CP to move to the former Auburn night site of KMIA. They have an STA to operate a single stick there under further reduced power. However, last I checked (very informally from the deck of a passing ferry), they were still at the location that has hosted that frequency for many years.

KZIZ 1560 is back on the air on very low power at KMIA old night towers. They were supposed to diplex on 1210 day towers. 1560 signal only comes in mostly in Auburn not far from the tower site. Their signal doesn’t even come in Sumner where they are licensed out of. I think they are violating FCC rules because they don’t have a CP to operate in the site they are using.

 

[Kelly A]

Their signal doesn’t even come in Sumner where they are licensed out of. I think they are violating FCC rules because they don’t have a CP to operate in the site they are using.

Haven't had the time to look, but they may be operating under an STA (Special Temporary Authority).

 

[KilowattKat]

Another Puget Sound AM bites the dust...KITZ 1400 Silverdale, due to loss of transmitter site. Gun bearing pro-Trumpers will likely be the only ones up in arms over the loss of this one.

 

[Kelly A]

Another Puget Sound AM bites the dust...KITZ 1400 Silverdale, due to loss of transmitter site. Gun bearing pro-Trumpers will likely be the only ones up in arms over the loss of this one.

Doubt anyone would notice. All the gun nuts and MAGA's are plotting their next moves on line.