Re: [IRCA] AM Station Lists?

[Scott Fybush <scott@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Tim Hall wrote:
> One word of caution:  don't trust the FCC site for data about Mexican
> stations.  Their Mexican information is frequently inaccurate and they won't
> accept corrections from anyone but the Mexican government.  For a Mexican
> list, go to mexicoradiotv.com

There's a point that I make every time this question comes up, and it's 
worth making again:

It's VERY important to understand what the FCC's database is, and is 
not, supposed to be.

Anything on the FCC database that's outside the US is there for one 
reason and one reason only: because it's entitled to protection from 
interference from US-licensed stations.

It matters not one bit whether the international station record is 
"accurate" in the sense that we as DXers would like it to be (correct 
call letters, for instance, or even on-air status). As long as Canada 
reports to the US that there's a station on 1190 in Charlottetown, PEI, 
for instance, US stations are required by international treaty to 
protect that "station" - never mind that it migrated to 720 two decades 
ago and then to FM a couple of years back.

Nor does the FCC care whether 1150 in Hamilton, ON appears in its 
records as "CKMO" or "CKOC" or "PAUL ESTHER BLODGETT WALKER" - as long 
as the technical record correctly reflects the station's parameters as 
reported to the FCC by Industry Canada, that's all that matters.

That's why the FCC won't accept "corrections" to the list from DXers, 
and it's also why web-based directories that treat the FCC data as 
gospel for stations outside the US (I'm talking to YOU, 
radio-locator.com!) are so untrustworthy for our purposes as DXers.

There are three sources I trust as gospel for Canadian stations: the 
Industry Canada BASERAD database, which is unwieldy and not accessible 
via a direct web interface; Barry McLarnon's list, which is based on the 
BASERAD data and DXers' observations; and the NRC AM Log, which is also 
based on a combination of BASERAD and DXers' notes.

As many - but probably not all - on the list know, I am the news editor 
of yet another station-directory site. 100000watts.com is not a free 
site (it's really meant for broadcast industry professionals, but access 
for DX club members is available for a discount rate of $44.95 a year), 
but I and my colleagues there take pride in our level of accuracy. It's 
a complete list of all US-licensed stations, checked directly with each 
station on an annual basis for accuracy. It's NOT a complete list of 
Canadian stations - just the big-market border ones - but those are 
checked directly with the stations, too.

s
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