Re: [IRCA] Far North Daytime only AMs

[Glenn Hauser <wghauser@xxxxxxxxx>]

** ALASKA. Re DXLD 10-01, KYAK on 630 --- I seem to remember that this whole discussion happened once before, and I sent you some data about it. KYAK went on-air as a daytimer on 630 because the FCC had a freeze on fulltime applications at that time. It moved to 650 as a fulltime station and with 50 kW day 25 kW night when the first clear channel breakdown rulemaking was enacted.

I know the whole history and if you want I will write it up, but I think I did so the last time the question came up!

(I didn't do the original applications on 630 and 650 - Kenneth E. Williams, PE did them, but I was very familiar with all of it because I was DOE of Washington Telecasters (KAYO) which was the leading Seattle country music station, and the owner of KYAK used KAYO programming staff as consultants, and Ken was the consulting engineer to KAYO. I later, when I became a consulting engineer fulltime myself, did the applications to change KYAK over to omni-directional, since the old DA which protected the FCC monitoring station, was no longer necessary. I have a scar on my right elbow from an RF burn sustained from working on the KYAK directional antenna late one night when it was still light in Anchorage and I was more fatigued than I realized.) (Ben Dawson, WA, Jan 8, 2010, DX LISTENING DIGEST 10-02)

Here is the previous thread from April 2008:

** ALASKA. Re 8-040, daytimer [KIMO-1180, a fantasy story for April 1, from Tim Hall, ABDX]: 

Glenn, An amusing piece. But there really was once an Alaskan daytimer! The original operation of what is now KENI, 650, 50 kW NDA [non-direxional antenna], unlimited, was with 5 kW NDA daytime only on 630 kHz! The station was put on the air by our old friend Bob Fleming in 1967, Anchorage's 5th AM station, during a period when the FCC had a freeze on nighttime applications. 

When that freeze and the restrictions on applications on the U.S. I-A clear channels were modified, the station moved to directional operation with 50 kW day 25 kW night on 650 kHz. The directional was to protect the absurdly located FCC monitoring station, and the 25 kW power reduction to protect Nashville. We modified it to 50 kW non-DA fulltime when the FCC changed the propagation algorithm and relaxed the protection requirement to the monitoring station. Oh, and the original call letters were KYAK (Ben Dawson, WA, April 2, DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-041) 

** ALASKA [and non]. Re 8-041, MW daytimer: A daytime mediumwave station on Alaska indeed existed: I'm very curious about its schedule! Something like 2 AM to 12 PM in June/July, 11 AM to 1 PM in December/January? ?? (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 4, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST) 

Anchorage is just 600 km south of the Arctic circle. I'm curious how this 630 kHz operation was run in mid-winter. They must have pre- sunrise and past-sunset authorizations, since running the station strictly from sunrise to sunset only (actually during the period between the sunrise and sunset times on the 15th of each month, as I understand the US "daytime" practice) would have been quite pointless, unless a substantial audience could be kept while cutting back to a short noon service for weeks every year. 

This also makes me think about the northernmost daytime allocation in Europe: It could be Kiel 612 kHz, available 6 AM to 7 PM if I recall correct, not defined to actual sunrise and sunset times. It was on air for the last time in January or February 2004 for a commercial station called Power Radio (which has since been revived as small FM operation around Berlin) from a 10 kW Siemens transmitter at NDR's Kronshagen site which meanwhile no longer exists. Kiel is not so high up, but already enough that around the summer solstice dusk turns into a still quite bright shine, wandering over the northern horizon eastwards and finally becoming the new day's dawn. It's even more impressive on the Sylt island, already close to a real white night (Kai Ludwig, Germany, April 5, dxldyg via DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-041) 

** ALASKA. Re 8-042, Daytimer on 630: Glenn, Indeed, the 630 kHz "daytime only" operation of KYAK in Anchorage did have pretty restricted hours of operation in the winter, but it did have "pre-sunrise" authority. I no longer remember exactly when the rules were changed, but originally U.S. stations with pre-sunrise authority could operate with full daytime power from 4 AM local standard time (but 5 AM "daylight" or "summer" time) or sunrise, whichever was earlier. 

Then sometime in the late 1960's or early 1970's the pre-sunrise operation of most stations (but not including some on U.S. class A "clear channels") was cut back to 6 AM and 500 watts. There were also further restrictions relative to interference to foreign stations, and in the early days even U.S. fulltime stations could object, sometimes with success, to early morning operation which created "real" interference. 

So, indeed, when KYAK went on the air it had pretty early sign off time in the winter. Anchorage is officially at 61 13 05 x 149 54 01, and the FCC on-line program won't find SR/SS times for anything north of 60 degrees, so I can't offhand give you the time in December and January! I used to have a copy of the old license, but I'm not sure it has been retained in the firm's file size management efforts. Oh, and there was no post-sunset operation by U.S. stations in those days (Ben Dawson, WA, April 7, DX LISTENING DIGEST 8-044) 

For 2010y:
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid.html
For 2009y only:
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid9.html
or for 2008y only:
http://www.worldofradio.com/dxldmid8.html


      
_______________________________________________
IRCA mailing list
IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca

Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers

For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org

To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx