WPON WCXI Updates - 2020

[SixPlusOne]

WCXI could have about 10 kW Night, directed North with about six towers, four or five of which are already there. I'd have to look at the tower diagram and spacings again.

The New WCXI-WPON Towers In Wixom

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wixom ... 83.5363268

[SixPlusOne]

Is WPON on right now?

Since I'm about 2-3 miles from the new transmitting site when they are on for testing I get a strong signal so I don't know if they are testing at full power or with reduced power for testing. It is Saturday at 1:55 PM and they're not on. I have noted that they generally don't perform any testing on weekends. I suspect several testing days next week.

[innate-in-you]

How much is industrial land worth in Garden City anyhow? It’s an OK area, but not exactly booming.

1160 will have almost no night power. Actually, 1460 won’t either.

I'm sure if 1090 threw the towel in and tore the towers down, and were able to get the local government to rezone the land R-3, apartments would be built on it.

[CK-722]

WCXI could have about 10 kW Night, directed North with about six towers, four or five of which are already there. I'd have to look at the tower diagram and spacings again.

The New WCXI-WPON Towers In Wixom

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wixom ... 83.5363268

The way the data was entered into the database is different from the diagram, at least on the record I was looking at. From looking at the satellite views, it looks like the diagram. The database seems to show the Night WPON towers on the West tier of the array. Either is OK. The left tier is ready for either an inline or a dogleg middle tower. The Northeast tower could be the North tower of another three tower inline or another dogleg. The WYLL Lockport facility tower layout is shown correctly on fccdata.org, but the coordinates show the Des Plaines location. So if you look at it, don't get confused. Look at the View Towers and View Night Pattern. The layout and pattern are similar to what would be needed for 10 kW Night, and the side lobes to the East and South would be similar. You could deconstruct the WCXI East Night tower and move it, or if some dogleg arrangement allows it there, fine. CFCO was able to use the towers that were already there for very effective and very different Day and Night Patterns. It's amazing what design software can imagine that we can't. Artificial Intelligence is a Child that needs a Parent to guide it through though, or it will do all sorts of weird things.

[innate-in-you]

WCXI could have about 10 kW Night, directed North with about six towers, four or five of which are already there. I'd have to look at the tower diagram and spacings again.

The New WCXI-WPON Towers In Wixom

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Wixom ... 83.5363268

But would that put Fenton within the NIF contour?
I'm thinking there's too much skywave interference to meet NIF in its COL.

[CK-722]

They don't have to anymore, as I think that requirement has already been relaxed. They will have to modify anyway, because it will be a Class B with 215 watts, as WPON had to modify to Class B and upped the night power from 175 watts Class D to 580 watts Class B, which still doesn't put an NIF over Walled Lake. There's not much point for WPON to go more than 580 watts, since it would just go further into places like Independence Township. But the pattern with a 6 tower "near parallelogram" would put a signal quite a ways, looks like the maximum using the NE tower as the North tower of another tier of WCXI Night towers would be to the North Northwest, toward Fenton and Flint.. Id still want to see the Proof of Performance Radial conductivities. I don't know what pattern WYLL has been using, as they were rebuilding both arrays and using an STA at the alternate site during construction. There's supposed to be a null in the Night WJJD/WYLL pattern toward WCXI and other stations. There is no null in the Day pattern, and when WFEN first came on the air, they were still 50 kW with the 2 tower pattern in Des Plaines until KSL Sunset in Salt Lake City. Don Olmstead told me that they got the FCC to order them to go to 5 kW 4 tower Night Pattern during the WJJD Limited Hours.

[CK-722]

The SE Corner of Fenton is 17.5 miles @ 340 degrees true.

IF the conductivity was actually 8 mS/m as on M-3, the FI reaching the SE corner would be 29.5 mVm with the 6 tower pattern similar to the WYLL pattern with a maximum near 340 degrees. At 20 miles, close to the far side of Fenton, the FI be would be 23.6 mV/m. The NIF contour is about 24 mV/m. So theoretically, with 10 kW, 80% at least would be covered, which would be enough, even under old rules. The biggest issue for actual signal would be real conductivity.

It's almost too perfect, at least in theory. But there are a lot of assumptions. Did they design it to retrofit this way? I'm surprised it works this well, even in theory.

[innate-in-you]

I was listening to WPON this afternoon in a stopped car at Bagley and I-75 Service Drive.
I don't have an FSM, but compared to field strength figures of many stations in many places, I sincerely guess that their signal is about .02 mV/m. (that is to say, 1/625th the power needed to deliver a protected signal by day).

[SixPlusOne]

WCXI is off the air today (September 3, 2019). Therefore, I decided to recheck the expiration dates of authorizations of both WCXI and WPON.

First WPON received this authorization on March 11, 2019:

"THE LICENSEE RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS AN EXTENSION ITS CURRENT STA (COPY ATTACHED). AT THIS TIME, THE ENGINEERING WORK ON THIS PROJECT IS STILL ONGOING. THE LICENSEE HOPES THAT THIS PROJECT AND ASSOCIATED 302-AM WILL BE COMPLETED IN THE NEXT 90 DAYS, BUT OUT OF AN ABUNDANCE OF CAUTION, 180 DAYS IS REQUESTED."

Details of that authorization:

File Number: BESTA-20190208AAV
Call Sign: WPON
Facility Id: 22045
FRN: 0003766847
Applicant Name: BIRACH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
Frequency:
Channel:
Community of License: WALLED LAKE, MI
Application Type: EXTENSION OF STA
Status: GRANTED
Status Date: 03/11/2019
Expiration Date: 09/10/2019
Tolling Code:
Application Service: AM
Disposed Date: 03/11/2019
Accepted Date: 02/11/2019

Secondly WCXI received this authorization on June 26, 2019:

"ON SUNDAY, JUNE 23, 2019, WCXI EXPERIENCED A FAILURE OF ITS MAIN TRANSMITTER AT ITS LICENSED LOCATION. THE LICENSED LOCATION DOES NOT HAVE AN AUXILIARY OR BACKUP TRANSMITTER. THE MAIN TRANSMITTER IS AN OLDER MODEL AND THE FAILED COMPONENT IS SCARCE AND DIFFICULT TO OBTAIN.

WCXI HOLDS AN AUTHORIZATION FOR CONSTRUCTION OF AN IMPROVED FACILITY WITH A POWER INCREASE. ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THE CONSTRUCTION FOR THE NEW FACILITY HAS BEEN COMPLETED, IT IS NOT YET READY FOR LICENSING. IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN SERVICE TO THE PUBLIC, WCXI IS REQUESTING SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY TO OPERATE IN NON-DIRECTIONAL MODE FROM ONE OF THE TOWERS AT THE AUTHORIZED CONSTRUCTION PERMIT SITE. IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 73.1615(B)(3), AUTHORITY IS REQUESTED TO OPERATE DAY AND NIGHT AT 25% OF THE LICENSED POWER.

AS DISCUSSED WITH FCC STAFF, THE TRANSMITTER AT THE CURRENT LICENSED SITE FOR WCXI HAS FAILED. THE STATION IS IN THE PROCESS OF RELOCATING AND THE NEW SITE IS FUNCTIONAL FOR THE STA OPERATIONS. THE LICENSEE RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS OPERATIONS AT 250 WATTS NON-DIRECTIONAL FOR A PERIOD OF 180 DAYS. WITHIN THAT TIME PERIOD A LICENSE TO COVER THE NEW TRANSMITTER SITE WILL HAVE BEEN FILED AND THIS STA WILL BECOME MOOT."

Details of that authorization:

File Number: BSTA-20190625ABA
Call Sign: WCXI
Facility Id: 10475
FRN: 0003766847
Applicant Name: BIRACH BROADCASTING CORPORATION
Frequency:
Channel:
Community of License: FENTON, MI
Application Type: SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY
Status: GRANTED
Status Date: 06/26/2019
Expiration Date: 12/23/2019
Tolling Code:
Application Service: AM
Disposed Date: 06/26/2019
Accepted Date: 06/26/2019

Therefore it would appear that WPON has until next Tuesday, September 10, 2019 to get their entire act together. WCXI appears to have a few more months to finish their work at the same site with the deadline of December 23, 2019. With WCXI off today I couldn't help wondering if with WPON's deadline just around the corner that maybe it was necessary to shut off WCXI to finish any last minute work for WPON. This is all speculation I have to admit however the deadlines are specific.

[SixPlusOne]

Why in this day and age with other broadcasting platforms do we need to build brand new AM facilities...

Ask Simi Birsch:

http://www.birach.com/

[SixPlusOne]

Both stations are on today although WPON is back to playing Motown and announcing that they are testing. I am expecting another 20 year STA extension from WPON by the end of this week.

[CK-722]

WCXI 1160 has yet to stop the scan, and it's difficult to hear at my RL. I really don't think the 250 watt STA is even as strong as the signal from Fenton at full power at my RL.

I can barely tell that WPON 1460 is even on the air, as it is receiving GROUNDWAVE interference from some other stations more than 100 miles away.

[SolarMax]

Copying 1160 S9 this morning in NW Detroit. Sounds like Indian music, no Oldies today.
Other closer-in local Birach properties 690, 1090 around S9+10,
No signal whatever on 1460.

[fuzzpower]

WCXI has brokered Indian programming weekends during part of the day. It’s a carryover from WPON. I don’t know if they have anything else. I know during the day a board op (usually Jimmy James) acts as a DJ.

690/680 still seems to be full of cash for Sima.