another WPON update

[SolarMax]

One of the moderators of the "I Love AM Radio" page on Facebook has posted this:

"For the first time in over a month, WPON was noted on the air today, 29 October. First heard at about 1145. Same as before -- cycling through mostly Motown Gold, and IDs every few records with female computer voice. Coming in poor but steady on the rig at [...]; I listened for about an hour while I cleaned the control room. They're currently on as I type this at 1400 EDT.
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...looking at the FCC Database, it appears that they have ironed out the snag with their CP and one has been issued -- though it's a little different from the previous ones. This one is for 670 watts days, 580 watts nights, DA-2. It looks like it was granted 10 October."

In NW Detroit, I could also catch a weak, fluttery signal on 1460 with content as described.

[Arthur Mometer]

I think they no longer have to put an NIF contour over Walled Lake, so they can be Class B as before. Too bad they couldn't have had that rule before all those other stations had to change Community of License.

I'm 30 miles away and it barely comes in with 250 watts nondirectional.

[innate-in-you]

I'm wondering if they may be able to increase their nighttime operation power further.

Their nighttime pattern will be three towers, nearly all of it beamed north. that 580w night figure may be their limit to WBRN in Big Rapids. However, WBRN, long ago, took out a CP to remove two of their three towers and change from Class B to class D (like so many AMs these days, cutting expenses by using only one tower day and night).

The catch is, that (per the FCC site), WBRN is still licensed as Class B DA-N for 2500w at night.

[WOHO]

Why don't they file for a higher power directional? (besides cost)? They don't have to worry about 1st adjacent 1470 in Toledo anymore since Cumulus snuffed it out, although Jackson might still be an issue??

[Arthur Mometer]

You forgot WFNT. Have to maintain or reduce groundwave overlap. Low NIF. It was only 30 miles from Square Lake and Telegraph. Really packed them in then. 1470 was first licensed in 1947 as WWOK. Relicensed in 1953 as WKMF. WPON and WOHO were in 1954-1955.

[innate-in-you]

I am curious as to WFNT's NIF is.

It doesn't have any strong signals beamed directly at it, but WMBD is a 5kW "senior regional" without any true nulls (and is likely FNT's major source of nighttime QRM).

The only station on 1470 with a CP is WTTR in Maryland, which has a nighttime study in its app, which mentions WMBD, but does not provide the NIFs for the stations on 1470.

Neither WFNT nor WMBD have submitted anything on changes in many years.

[Arthur Mometer]

At slightly <5.5 mV/m NIF, it's at the level of most former III-Bs under the new model. WMBD is slightly <2.7, it's at the level of most III-As under the new model. There is a null from WMBD to WFNT in the horizontal, but it becomes shallower at the slant angle. Probably protected CHOW Welland, ON or WLAM Lewiston, Maine mainly. I figure the NIFs are typically SQRT 2 * Class interference standard from previous models.

The thing is, there is not much point in shooting the WPON signal North much more, and increasing power would make it hard to protect the other directions, more towers necessary and other directions become critical.

https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Att ... &exhcnum=1

[innate-in-you]

Yeah, Just realized that I had been looking at WMBD's day pattern, instead of the night.
Interesting that MBD had a deep null right at FNT, even though MBD was there some twenty years before FNT.

Guess WMBD did an upgrade after WFNT was already in place.

MBD isn't the only blaster regional in Peoria. DXers tell me WIRL 1290 packs a wallop in Ontario.

[Arthur Mometer]

The thing that throws the elevation pattern off for WMBD is the taller tower. It was used for WMBD-FM and or WMBD-TV.

[k8jd]

I have not tuned to 1460 in a while and today at 19:15 UT, I tried and heard Rush Limbaugh and Spanish Mexican music in and out ! This was with a 250 foot dipole antenna. I am located 5.4 miles from where the new towers were supposed to go up for WPON !

[innate-in-you]

The Regional mex is WKAM in Goshen, IN. They often have a good signal into SE Michigan before sunset.
This summer, a few months ago, the towers for WPON/WCXI were standing (I mentioned it on the BCB DX logger). I hope the landlord didn't have a change of heart and order them back down.

[k8jd]

It has been a few months since I was near enough to the site to see if towers were up yet. With the trees and houses It's hard to see well. I could climb the fence and walk a half mile to get to the site., maybe walk down the RR tracks

[k8jd]

Looks like WKAM has a pretty good null toward the Detroit area on the night time pattern !! How can they get that pattern with only two towers ?
OK now I see the towers are on an E/W line.

[Arthur Mometer]

WBNS comes in a lot on 1460 in CH, from its Blaw Knox tower with 5 kW nondirectional.