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Need some help with a tower array

Discussion pertaining to Detroit, Ann Arbor, Port Huron, and SW Ontario
Mega Hertz
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Need some help with a tower array

Post by Mega Hertz » Wed Jun 16, 2021 7:14 pm

I did some construction work at Ford Rd (153) and Farmington Road in Westland the other day. I saw what looked to be about 10 towers (could be wrong on that) right behind the Ford dealership. Does anyone know off the top of their head what station those towers belong to? Thanks.


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Captain Rock
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by Captain Rock » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:41 pm

The transmitter site for WCAR 1090 is in the area, about a mile or mile and a half North of Ford Road, and they have a bunch of towers.



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SolarMax
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by SolarMax » Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:45 pm

WCAR 1090
The "FCC Info" .kml for Google Earth reveals all.



Mega Hertz
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by Mega Hertz » Wed Jun 16, 2021 9:24 pm

Thanks, guys!


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Ben Zonia
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by Ben Zonia » Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:18 pm

Originally, WERB, then as WTAK, had four towers with 250 watts Day. One of their talk show hosts, later much better known, but can't remember which one, talked about how great WTAK's signal was for 250 watts. And it did seem to get out quite well. Circa 1980, they put up 6 more towers for a a Night array surrounding the 4 tower Day array, with 500 watts. I want to say it was Mark Scott or Russ Gibb that said that, but not sure.


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ZenithCKLW
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by ZenithCKLW » Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:24 pm

1090 is a nuisance to me as I live 2 miles north of the towers. DX’ing can be tough.

Wish it had some worthwhile programming and some better audio quality. Audio sounds overmodulated for what the audio chain can handle. Or maybe I’m so close it sounds like Charlie Brown’s teacher.



Deleted User 15502

Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by Deleted User 15502 » Thu Jun 17, 2021 1:01 am

Total waste of electricity. I was up in the Detroit area a couple years and the audio was awful, one of the worst I've ever heard.



Mega Hertz
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by Mega Hertz » Thu Jun 17, 2021 4:59 am

Zenith, next time I'm down there, let's meet at the Chicken Shack/Little Caesars for lunch 😉 lol


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SixPlusOne
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by SixPlusOne » Thu Jun 17, 2021 2:39 pm

SolarMax wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 8:45 pm
WCAR 1090. The "FCC Info" .kml for Google Earth reveals all.
WCAR-AM

https://www.google.com/maps/place/WCAR/ ... -83.363516



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SolarMax
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by SolarMax » Thu Jun 17, 2021 9:09 pm

Ben Zonia wrote:
Wed Jun 16, 2021 10:18 pm
Originally, WERB, then as WTAK, had four towers with 250 watts Day. One of their talk show hosts, later much better known, but can't remember which one, talked about how great WTAK's signal was for 250 watts. And it did seem to get out quite well. Circa 1980, they put up 6 more towers for a a Night array surrounding the 4 tower Day array, with 500 watts. I want to say it was Mark Scott or Russ Gibb that said that, but not sure.
WTAK was the market's first "all-talk" station, a novel format here and elsewhere.
I used to listen to it in northeast Detroit (mostly I liked Paul Winter's show). Never had a problem with the signal; sometimes it was better than WKMH/WKNR.



innate-in-you
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by innate-in-you » Fri Jun 18, 2021 9:01 am

IIRC, WERB was built as a companion of the long defunct WBRB in Mount Clemens. WBRB had been started by Malrite in 1958, and WERB came a few years later (I'm not sure if Malrite owned WERB).

I'm guessing that they wanted to offer a targeted service to suburban listeners, but both of their signals were poor. WERB changed their format to talk as WIID, at this time daytime-only, and not simulcasting WBRB. At this point, they may have had separate owners.

Both started as daytimers. WBRB added two towers to the array circa 1980 for nighttime service, but they were blasted by VERY strong CCI from CJCL and from what is now WXNT.

WIID had less interference at night than WBRB had, I believe that they had only WBAL causing CCI.

WBRB went silent for a few years, but did return circa 1990, only to be sold for it's land (possibly to profit from the Real Estate Investment Trust legislation).

They did submit another app to build an identical array further east near 14 Mile, but it was never built.



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Ben Zonia
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Re: Need some help with a tower array

Post by Ben Zonia » Wed Jun 23, 2021 2:56 pm

The Night signal wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. For one thing, it swung the Night pattern from NNE to NNW, and was good in the Utica area. I'm guessing the NIF was in the 25 mV/m range, and that went out for several miles. Once you got to Oakland County on M-59, it was almost gone as I recall.


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