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Re: [IRCA] KDLG-670 now IBOC
Scott Fybush wrote:
As I understand it, it's a question of making use of existing
resources and keeping the engineering as uncomplicated as possible
under the difficult circumstances many of these stations face. Most of
the bush AMs (I believe KBRW is a notable exception) operate studios
and transmitters at a common site. No studio-transmitter links to go
down, no remote transmitter sites to try to get to when something
fails, no big networks of low-power repeaters that have to be
maintained. Just a tower that's already built and paid for, right
there on site. Remember, at a lot of these stations there is no
resident engineer - if something breaks, someone has to be flown in at
great expense. So there's a huge priority put on simplicity, and it's
hard to get much simpler than a non-directional AM that's right there
next to the studio.
There are a few others with separate studio and transmitter sites in the
Alaskan bush. Both Nome stations (KNOM and KICY) I believe are that
way, the latter in part for its DA to beam programs to Russia. KIYU
Galena is another one - it was off the air several months last year
after the STL tower at the studio collapsed (a dump truck backed into
one of the guy wires or some such thing). KOTZ also has a remote tx
site, per a verie from last year. The CE sent me a couple of jpg's of
the station, and I'm now using the pic of the tx site as the wallpaper
on my laptop.
Not only must the stations deal with remoteness, lack of technical
help,and shipping challenges, but the weather is usually downright nasty
during the winter. KAGV-1110, as I recall, was flooded about a month
after it first hit the air, and had to remain silent until the owner (a
missionary group) had the time and money to make the needed repairs.
Bruce
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