• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

BBQ at Transmitter

That would have been my question to you, Kelly. If something like that got started some time back, how could they not have known? Seems that's a lot of power going up there to take chances on.

This would be something you'd want to watch out for at the Stonehenge tower?
 
Grounded Grid said:
That would have been my question to you, Kelly. If something like that got started some time back, how could they not have known? Seems that's a lot of power going up there to take chances on.

This would be something you'd want to watch out for at the Stonehenge tower?
Click to expand...

The master antenna at the Stonehenge tower is different. That's a Jampro spiral. The "Ratelco" master antenna at Cougar is a similar design, but I helped refine it after several years with the Stonehenge antenna. It has three sections, not 24 panels like WTM. Back in the 90's, we actually had a TX line failure in the upper antenna section of the Stonehenge antenna, though it was no where near as dramatic as the WTM2 BBQ. The Stonehenge antenna took a big lightning strike. Usually the transmitters will burp off long enough for the lightning charge to dissipate, then back on. One station had their VSWR protection bypassed because concern over potential nuisance trips. When the lightning hit, that transmitter continued running, sustaining the arcing. In the end we had to replace a 40' section of line inside the antenna pole, but that's about it. I currently (pardon the pun) don't have any stations at Stonehenge, but that antenna design is really good.

I'm not sure how someone didn't notice the upward-creeping reflected power as those upper sections started failing. My guess? The antenna is owned by ATC, and included in the site lease. The station engineers probably just assumed ATC was monitoring the antenna, and because the fancy microprocessor-controlled VSWR fail safe system wasn't indicating a problem, nobody was paying attention.
 
xmtrland said:
As said it could take one to two month to get the parts for the custom master antenna and then good weather will be needed. I too think it will be late winter early spring before they repair and return to the master antenna.
Click to expand...

Based on what I saw today, there isn't anything salvageable of the antenna. It's going to take longer than two months to build a new one. You don't want ERI to hurry something like that either.

xmtrland said:
Right now Entercom. iHeart and Sandusky are most likely figuring out the best way get HD back and make it through the winter.
Click to expand...

You mean Hubbard?

xmtrland said:
One option might be to install a temporary antenna below the burned up master antenna for the HD equipment to use only. keep the analog signals at the Aux site.

2-Remove the HD equipment and transmitters (usually smaller than main) at Tiger before the road gets nasty and install gear at aux site to accommodate the HD. Maybe install an antenna for the HD at the Aux site. However I think the Sandusky stations are using new Nautel transmitters that combine the Analog and HD transmitter in one box. So they would have to bring in (buy or rent) an HD transmitter for the Aux site.
Click to expand...

Hubbard is working on installing a higher power HD-capable TX from Cougar as we type. Dave and Rob should have it on the air by tonight. Doubt ATC is going to let them, let alone have antennas made in time, to get WTC1 back up and running before the snow flies.
 
Kelly A said:
I'm not sure how someone didn't notice the upward-creeping reflected power as those upper sections started failing. My guess? The antenna is owned by ATC, and included in the site lease. The station engineers probably just assumed ATC was monitoring the antenna, and because the fancy microprocessor-controlled VSWR fail safe system wasn't indicating a problem, nobody was paying attention.
Click to expand...

If this was a steadily increasing problem rather than an instantaneous one, wouldn't ATC have liability for the damages based on not monitoring the antenna adequately?
 
I agree the antenna is a loss. I too wonder if the combiner on the ground sustained any damage. I see a long road for the re build and some high level litigating where attorneys will be involved. 6-12 months before the tower is operational for the FM stations, depending how the fingers point. I wonder if some stations/groups will bail on the site.

As for HD. If there is room at the aux site for the equipment that might get the HD on the air faster than waiting to see the outcome of a round of high level finger pointing to re build the burned up master antenna. I think 4 stations were hybrid with separate HD transmitters. And if they don't have a backup transmitter at the "backup" now main site, then the HD transmitter can serve as an analog backup too.

I wonder who will make more, the consultants or the attorneys.
 
DavidEduardo said:


If this was a steadily increasing problem rather than an instantaneous one, wouldn't ATC have liability for the damages based on not monitoring the antenna adequately?
Click to expand...

Not sure if there is any sort of a hold-harmless/binding arbitration clause in the lease, or whether there's a: share the antenna at your own risk..scenario. Like Steve mentioned, I suspect the least of the delay will be removing, building, testing, shipping, and installing a new antenna. Once the lawyers get involved, who knows how much added delay that alone will add.
 
xmtrland said:
As for HD. If there is room at the aux site for the equipment that might get the HD on the air faster than waiting to see the outcome of a round of high level finger pointing to re build the burned up master antenna. I think 4 stations were hybrid with separate HD transmitters. And if they don't have a backup transmitter at the "backup" now main site, then the HD transmitter can serve as an analog backup too.
Click to expand...

Not that many stations are doing high level combining for their HD anymore. Most have just up-sized their transmitters to do both. The new Nautel rig that Hubbard was in the process of installing at Cougar when the antenna flamed at WTM, does HD and analog. They're working to have that on the air tonight.

All my transmitters are single HD/Analog units too. Just add an HD exciter and exporter. Done!
 
anyone know if there are still ports on the other combiner at tiger that some of the stations (other than 106.1 who already did) could move to? I noticed that 96.5 has a CP in for the other tiger site now.

If memory serves all of them were originally on the entracom combiner before ATC went up anyway.

John
 
xmtrland said:
If ERI rebuilds the antenna, it will have fire-retarding plastic radomes. That's an improvement. I wonder if the new improved antenna can cook a turkey on one of those monopole radiating elements?
Click to expand...

What would stop ERI from rebuilding it? Legal action? The lawyers will probably be involved anyway in negotiating who's paying for it since the antenna is nearly 20 years old...
 
xmtrland said:
I wonder if the new improved antenna can cook a turkey on one of those monopole radiating elements?
Click to expand...

I think they need to try that next Thanksgiving. Send up a roast too while they're at it. Radio you can smell......
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.
Back
Top Bottom