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Post by CAwasinNJ on Jan 9, 2018 3:57:59 GMT -6
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Post by David on Jan 9, 2018 11:45:57 GMT -6
Looks like they're planning to erect a good old sloping dipole at the former 1230 tower site. With the ground system described, an antenna tuner, and 90 watts power, the antenna radiation pattern should provide KNIT with 30-35 miles groundwave coverage in all directions. It will be interesting to see if they receive any DX reports with the skywave propagation at night, and what format the station will be airing. I'm going to take a shot in the dark and guess they'll be doing a simulcast of KRRF until the new tower is built and a permanent format is chosen. The description of the temporary operation has to be one of the longest tomes I've ever read.  Also, it's interesting that the environmental statement for the tower site indicates that it's "not open to the public", but the photo in exhibit 2 appears to show some faded (sandblasted?) gang graffiti on the transmitter building. Maybe that's why there's razor wire surrounding the top of the fence, although a radio transmitter building seems like a pretty odd place to be tagged. |
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Post by amanuensis on Jan 9, 2018 12:04:14 GMT -6
The request made a big point about the antenna being at least 10 feet off the ground, and thus not able to be accidentally touched. To satisfy my morbid curiosity, what would happen if someone were to touch it while in use?
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Post by David on Jan 9, 2018 15:51:48 GMT -6
The request made a big point about the antenna being at least 10 feet off the ground, and thus not able to be accidentally touched. To satisfy my morbid curiosity, what would happen if someone were to touch it while in use? Most likely they would get an RF (radio frequency) burn that would be very painful and probably be classified as a 1st degree burn, but it's not likely that touching the antenna would cause permanent damage except if the transmitter was running more than a couple hundred watts. You might compare the RF burn from a 100 watt transmitter to the type of burn you'd receive from touching a 100 watt light bulb for more than a few seconds. The severity of an RF burn also depends on how much of your body comes in contact with the antenna while it's transmitting. Touching the antenna with just your fingertip would result in a higher concentration of RF energy in your body than if you were to grab the antenna with the palm of your hand. RF burn severity also depends on how well grounded you are. If you were standing barefoot in a puddle of water when touching an energized antenna, you'd get a more severe burn than if you were standing on dry ground wearing leather work boots with rubber soles. When I took the test to get my amateur radio license, I had to answer several questions about the effects of RF energy on the human body and RF safety when transmitting; because my license class allows me to transmit with up to 1,500 watts. The link below has some good information on the effects of RF burns if you're interested: www.hamradioschool.com/t0c07-rf-burn/ |
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Jan 10, 2018 0:11:00 GMT -6
There are requirements that the FCC has for protecting passers-by from getting zapped by a live antenna or RF and things like that. I'm not that familiar with the specifics, but I'm pretty sure that's why that stuff is mentioned. If they don't show that the antenna is "safe" by FCC standards then it probably won't be approved.
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Jan 10, 2018 0:13:29 GMT -6
And if they wanted an appropriate format to match the callsign they could do a comedy radio show format and call it KNIT-WITS. Hey, who threw that tomato?  |
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Post by David on Jan 10, 2018 0:35:14 GMT -6
And if they wanted an appropriate format to match the callsign they could do a comedy radio show format and call it KNIT-WITS. Hey, who threw that tomato? A comedy format on KNIT might not be a bad idea. Aside from classic country, comedy is one of the few AM formats outside of sports and news/talk that's been reasonably successful. Besides, the Salt Lake market doesn't really need another Spanish language or second rate talk format AM station. |
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Post by David on Jan 23, 2018 19:44:17 GMT -6
The for sale listing for KNIT at the RadioTVDeals site has been updated to include the following info: "An existing tower site has been acquired for a new diplex operation." So it appears that Kona Coast will be diplexing both KRRF (1230) and KNIT (1320) from the site of the previously collapsed KRRF tower. The asking price has also increased to $300,000, although there's no indication in the ad that KRRF is included for the extra $100 K. www.radiotvdeals.com/35.html?m8:search[group]=934018;search[nested]=1 (listing #4) |
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Post by David on Feb 14, 2018 12:58:04 GMT -6
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Feb 15, 2018 5:27:39 GMT -6
It isn't odd to me at all. The only reason this STA request exists is to make sure they can get back on the air long enough to prevent the station license from being deleted. I would have to guess that STA's for night operation would require additional proofs showing that it wouldn't cause skywave interference to other licensed stations, so why bother?
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Post by David on Feb 15, 2018 12:44:07 GMT -6
It isn't odd to me at all. The only reason this STA request exists is to make sure they can get back on the air long enough to prevent the station license from being deleted. I would have to guess that STA's for night operation would require additional proofs showing that it wouldn't cause skywave interference to other licensed stations, so why bother? My thought is that if Kona Coast bought KNIT/KRRF from Cumulus with the intention of returning the stations to the air full time, then it would be best to have the signal on 24/7 to make people aware there's a radio station on 1320 again. However, if Vic Michael bought 1320 & 1230 with the sole intention of re-selling them at a profit, then he's probably only interested in getting KNIT on the air long enough to keep the license from being deleted. Judging by the speed at which Michael put KNIT up for sale at 2x what he paid for it after the deal with Cumulus closed, I suspect the latter scenario is (unfortunately) the most likely one. |
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Feb 16, 2018 14:51:44 GMT -6
It would be utterly insane to launch a new station with a measly 90 watts. That isn't going to cover much of anything. When a new permanent format is launched a station can only count on one chance at getting a new listener. If the potential listener tries and the signal is crap, you're done.
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Post by David on Feb 16, 2018 17:30:31 GMT -6
I get your point CA. However, based on the research I've done about Vic Michael and Kona Coast Radio, I'm beginning to doubt that he bought 1230 & 1320 from Cumulus for any other reason than reselling them at a profit. Without getting into specifics, let's just say that Mr. Michael has a reputation in the industry for being a bit eccentric.
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Post by David on Feb 23, 2018 17:20:14 GMT -6
1320 is on the air now: I heard a TOH ID at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, which gave the KNIT call along with mentioning a couple other stations in Colorado & Wyoming. The format is something called "the sound of the Rockies", and it's an eclectic mix of contemporary country and oldies from the 70's & 80's. The 90 watt signal is pretty weak in Ogden; not much stronger than 1230 AM @ 20 watts.
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Feb 26, 2018 1:04:35 GMT -6
Thanks for the update. I'll have to check that out.
FYI power increases aren't linear, so we shouldn't expect a 90 watts signal to have 4.5x the range of a 20 watt one. You observation makes sense to me.
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Also, it's interesting that the environmental statement for the tower site indicates that it's "not open to the public", but the photo in exhibit 2 appears to show some faded (sandblasted?) gang graffiti on the transmitter building. Maybe that's why there's razor wire surrounding the top of the fence, although a radio transmitter building seems like a pretty odd place to be tagged. 
