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[IRCA] WBEY 1370 Calera, AL "Fallen Flags"
- Subject: [IRCA] WBEY 1370 Calera, AL "Fallen Flags"
- From: Les Rayburn <les@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 14 May 2015 09:02:18 -0500
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Out driving yesterday, when my wife and I passed a run-down sign that
was so sun-bleached as to almost be unreadable. But a quick glance at
the business associated with the sign made me realize that I was looking
at W-B-E-Y, 1370 AM.
I turned around and went back for a closer look. A quick turn of the
dial told me that the station was off the air...and I couldn't recall if
it was in my log book at home. I took a few pictures using my cell phone
camera, as we had a look around.
In back of the building was a large fiberglass C-Band satellite dish,
that I imagined had once received programming from some other source.
But no evidence of an STL link. Instead, I found a tall telephone pole
with what looked like the remains of a 40 meter dipole mounted near the
top. 50 ohm coax ran from inside the building to the top of the pole.
Could someone had loaded up
this for use as the stations antenna?
The large faded letters on the front of the building were almost like
the voice of a ghost. It was sad, and nostalgic---all at the same time.
Railroad fans use the term "fallen flags" to refer to railroads that no
longer exist. Think of companies like Conrail, or Southern. Their
boxcars can still be seen on trains today, echoes from railroads past. I
couldn't help but thinking of the term "Fallen Flag" when it came to
this station. Had it once been a hometown hero, reporting on local
happenings, lost dogs, and obituaries. Or was it one of the many
gospel/religious stations that seem to dot the southern landscape more
than any other?
A quick check of Wikipedia revealed a little more, but not much. It
looks like the station went off the air in 2002---but it's absent from
my logbook. How could I have missed a 1,000 watt daytime only station,
less than 15 miles from my home? Hmmm....
I wonder if anyone out there logged this station? And I can't help but
wonder how many more stations like this we'll lose in the years ahead.
--
73,
Les Rayburn, N1LF
Maylene, AL
EM63
Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle
Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA
Elad FDM-S2 SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, Clifton
Lab Active Whip,
Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector
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