KLSD PLANS TO BUILD 6 TOWERS AND RAISE POWER TO 50,000 WATTS

[DavidEduardo]

Why would KLSD need 6 towers for it to broadcast from? If they are all in the same general area anyway what advantage does this type of setup offer over a single tower instead?

A single tower radiates the same power in all directions and is called omnidirectional. 1360 wished to increase power considerably. They could only increase if they sent no more power to the north, east and southeast in the daytime... they have to protect from interference stations in Glendale, AZ, Riverside, CA and Hemet, CA to name a couple. At night, they protect various stations in Mexico and ones in Tacoma, Ft. Worth and other places. So to increase power, thy locate the antenna system to the east of the population, and sent nearly all the signal west, where there are no stations to interfere with. They do this by constructing an array of towers, and feeding different power at different phase relationships into each, causing the power to be "directed" to the west. So, to be directional it takes two up to 10 or 12 towers... in order to steer the power away from other stations that are on the same frequency and ones next to it.

[Media Hack Chris | SDR]

A single tower radiates the same power in all directions and is called omnidirectional. 1360 wished to increase power considerably. They could only increase if they sent no more power to the north, east and southeast in the daytime...

Think of it as a round balloon (fully blown up). Equal from the center. Start pushing in and the balloon expands accordingly. That is the plan, push the signal to the population to have a bigger kick. Besides the dolphins, whales, and those pesky cod are under-served from Point Loma to the Hawaiian Islands.

[RBA]

They need to try and grab that I-15 and the I-215 corridor between San Diego and Riverside.  That is a high growth region, every time I drive it, there's a new housing development/business tract popping up.   I don't however think they will get the clearance for that. 

Maybe this is why Clear Channel is considering flipping formats.  Maybe they think they can get more bang for the buck with something else.  As of now, KLSD is probably doing as well as any other format for their current poor night signal.

[John McNary]

Lopaka: The Pacific Pioneer Broadcasters have 16-inch transcription turntables. Last I heard they were planning to build a museum for their priceless archives in 1000 Oaks. www.pacificpioneerbroadcasters.org

[Lopaka]

Thank you, I appreciate that information.  Its amazing how technology changes.  Whats state of the art one day is an antiquity the next.  Almost like "Antiques Road Show".  Just for art, I would like to have one of the giant water cooled tubes from the old WLW 500kw transmitter--maybe I better check e bay!

[tfcwings]

One thing I don't really like is the trend (it seems) to waste so much over the ocean.  Yes, I know you want to reach the metro, but isn't there some way to do it without putting an almost listenable groundwave signal into Sidney, AU?
If I was building / upgrading a station on a coastal city, I'd prefer, if I was using a directional system, to minimize the signal I put out over water.  For example, going 10-15° counter-clockwise from due west from the Cabrillo lighthouse, I could come to a place where I could still see land off in the distance, but, even with a SuperRadio, I couldn't hear the station at all without one of Bruce Carter's loop antennas.

And, is it still possible these days to have a station some distance away from its COL?  I remember there used to be a 540 licensed to Costa Mesa, but its TX was in Hesperia, and weren't there a few others?  (For example, how about a station licensed to Los Angeles, but with a transmitter in San Ysidro?)

Or, what about multiple COLs for the same station?  I believe KPRZ might be San Marcos-Poway.  What about something like San Diego-Los Angeles-San Bernardino, for example?

Not that I'm thinking of starting one.... it'd be nice if I could (I think) but I don't have the means to do it and don't think I ever will.

[RadeoEngineer]

When you do a project like this one you have to make the pattern fit so that it doesn't cause interference to others.  You can't just rotate it at will.  The reason for the high power at night is to get penetration without noise from distant signals skywave.  Believe me, if they could rotate the pattern for north county coverage they would.

[Bob_Hudson]

One thing I don't really like is the trend (it seems) to waste so much over the ocean.  Yes, I know you want to reach the metro, but isn't there some way to do it without putting an almost listenable groundwave signal into Sidney, AU?

When I worked at the old KUDE AM 1320 Oceanside we used to get letters from people who heard us in Australia, but folks in San Marcos had a tough time. AM 1320 is now operated by Palomar College in San Marcos and I'll bet you can't pick it up on campus, at least at night.

[RBA]

Any update?  Nobody in San Diego is listening to KLSD.  Maybe they would do better broadcasting to the fish in the Pacific Ocean?

[Garrett]

I believe they tried that, on 690. Didn't most of that signal go over the ocean anyway?