News Serving DX’ers since 1933 Volume 80, No. 7● November 12, 2012 ● (ISSN 0737-1639) Inside this issue . 2 … AM Switch 9 … Domestic DX Digest East 19 … Pro Sports Networks (NBA) 4 … Space Weather Forecast 16 ... Musings of the Members 23 … Tower Calendar/e-QSLs 5 … Domestic DX Digest 17 … DX Tool Box 24 … The Fine Print From the Publisher: No IDXD this week, as by frequency, including call letters, state, city, Bruce has been on DXpedition for the last few day/night power, slogans, schedule in days – expect a big IDXD next issue. UTC/GMT, formats, networks and notes. The Eleven stations crossed off our DDXD call letter index gives call, frequency, city and unreported list this week: WFCM‐710, KBBW‐ state. The city index (listed by state, then city) 1010, WNES‐1050, WFKN‐1220, KWNO‐1230, includes frequency, call and day/night power. KGRO‐1230, WQKR‐1270, WNBS‐1340, WJZM‐ The transmitter site index (listed by state, then 1400, WTKM‐1540, WDBL‐1590, plus new CBEF‐ city) tabulates the latitude and longitude of 1550. There are 609 left – can you report one? transmitter sites. This is an indispensable reference for anyone who hears Mexican radio Membership Report stations. Size is 8 1/2ʺ x 11ʺ. Renewing Members – Thanks for the Prices: IRCA/NRC members – $9.50 continued support of Frank Aden, Jr.; John (US/Canada/sea mail), $11.50 (México), $12.50 Callarman; David Cox; George B. Holland Jr.; (rest of the world). Non‐IRCA/NRC members – David Larrabee; Kurt Nelson; Ira Elbert New III; add $2.00. Gary Nuthals; Jay Simon; and Peter V. Taylor. To order from the IRCA Bookstore, send the correct amount to: IRCA BOOKSTORE, 9705 NRC Publications MARY NW, SEATTLE WA 98117‐2334 (PayPal NRC AM Log 33rd Edition: The new NRC [add $1.00] email: [email protected]). AM Radio Log is simply the most comprehensive Please state club affiliation when ordering. listing of AM stations in the United States and Canada. Current for The DX Time Machine this DX season, and 75 YEARS AGO – From the November 16, 1937 with regular updates issue of DX News – KVOX Moorhead, Minn. weekly here in DX (1500 kc/s) expects to begin broadcasting on News. Order it from Thanksgiving Day; new member Boris Kozel of NRC Publications Cleveland will be the Amateur Editor for the today! Contact info on NRC; three television stations are expected to go the back page; prices on the air in Germany in 1938. are: 50 YEARS AGO – From the November 17, 1962 $22.95 to NRC issue of DX News – Henry Tyndall, Jr. of members (USA) Burlington, Vermont reached 6,000 verifications $28.95 to non‐ after 39 years of DXing; Roy Millar reports members (USA) hearing only CMCA, KINY, XENL, and CMBQ $32.00 to Canada (Global Priority mail) and asks “What’s wrong with this season?” and $36.00 outside the USA/Canada Ben Dangerfield says good reception conditions FM Atlas (21st Edition) Close‐Out Sale: The are back after the two worst weeks he’s yet remaining copies of the final edition are recorded, logging Tunisia‐962 for country #61. available from NRC Publications. It’s $15.00 25 YEARS AGO – From the November 16, 1987 postpaid to USA addresses, or $18.50 to issue of DX News – New stations WWLX‐590 Canadian addresses. Quantity is limited to the Lawrenceburg TN and KHTH‐1130 Dillon CO books on hand. are now on the air; Tony Fitzherbert’s “Station NRC Antenna Pattern Book (6th Edition): Is Profiles” column focused on WKRP‐1500 Dallas sold out! A seventh issue will be forthcoming, GA. stay tuned for details! 10 YEARS AGO – From the November 18, 2002 issue of DX News – IDXD included a lengthy IRCA Publication report on changes to Mexican stations by John IRCA Mexican Log 17th Edition: The IRCA Callarman, based on his monitoring during a MEXICAN LOG lists all AM stations in Mexico trip to the Rio Grande Valley on October 25‐27. 2 Info to David Yocis – 1245AM 13th St. NW #105, Switch Washington DC 20005 – [email protected] A slow week at the FCC, which lost two work days to Hurricane Sandy: CALL LETTER CHANGES Old Call New Call 1340 WFRG NH Conway WPQR (CP) ON THE AIR 610 WAGG AL Birmingham – Applies for license to cover CP for U1 5000/610. 1060 WCOK NC Sparta – Applies for license to cover CP for D1 1100. 1250 KZDC TX San Antonio – Applies for program test authority to use CP for U4 25000/920. 1340 WMHZ AL Holt – CP for new station applies for license to cover; should be testing soon. APPLICATION TO AMEND CP 1550 KDCO CO Golden – CP for new station (for U2 5000/250) applies for U2 990/480 from a different site (39‐53‐31/105‐14‐20). COORDINATE ADJUSTMENTS 560 KBLU AZ Yuma – CP to adjust coordinates to 32‐43‐24/114‐38‐34 now fully licensed. 1080 KGVY AZ Green Valley – Granted CP to adjust coordinates to 31‐55‐45/110‐59‐47. 1420 WIMS IN Michigan City – Granted CP to adjust coordinates to 41‐40‐40/86‐56‐10. Writes to ask – what’s up with these coordinate adjustments? Well, if a station discovers that its licensed coordinates are off by more than 3 seconds, they have to go through the full construction permit process – application, construction permit, then a “license to cover” with all the testing that requires – to relicense at the correct coordinates, even if no “construction” is involved. Smaller changes just appear unannounced in the FCC database. So where do the changes come from? I asked Musings editor Dave Schmidt, who notes that with GPS devices it’s much easier than it used to be to accurately calculate one’s coordinates. In his engineering days, he discovered some real whoppers of errors in station licenses. Also, because the earth is not perfectly spherical, there are multiple methodologies for accounting for this. The FCC still uses the “NAD‐27” methodology, even as most of the U.S. government (and GPS systems) have moved to the “NAD‐83” methodology. For more details, see this 1992 FCC announcement: http://transition.fcc.gov/ftp/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Databases/documents_collection/da92‐1188.pdf SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY 570 WMCA NY New York – Granted STA to be silent and then to operate at reduced power; transmitter was destroyed in Hurricane Sandy and a new one has been ordered. 900 WNMB SC North Myrtle Beach – Requests STA to operate without two employees during business hours; one co‐owner died suddenly and the other co‐owner, his wife, is grieving, and so this “mom and pop” station can’t follow the rules for now. 960 WDLM IL East Moline – Granted STA for U1 500/102 during antenna work. 970 WNYM NJ Hackensack – Granted STA to operate night transmitter at lower power 24 hours; transmitter site flooded in Hurricane Sandy and day transmitter is inoperable. Also extensions were granted for these STAs: KFXD‐630 (Boise ID) for minor pattern variance; WENR‐1090 (Englewood TN) for D1 300 from a temporary longwire antenna; WINK‐1200 (Pine Island Center FL) for U4 50000/2200 to overcome Cuban interference; KOLT‐1320 (Scottsbluff NE) for U1 1000/1000; WFNN‐1330 (Erie PA) for “reduced power” (unspecified); WWCL‐1440 (Lehigh Acres FL) for U4 9900/4700 to overcome Cuban interference (first granted in 1989); and WALG‐1590 (Albany GA) for U1 “reduced power” (probably U1 1250/200). Also these requests were filed to extend existing STAs: KJCB‐770 (Lafayette LA) to use longwire antenna at temporary site; WAXY‐790 (South Miami FL) with U4 25000/25000 to overcome Cuban interference (has existed since 1981); KTRB‐860 (San Francisco CA) with U1 50000/5000 from the day site (generator problems at night site); WHIM‐1080 (Coral Gables FL) with U4 50000/20000 to overcome Cuban interference (since 1989); WSRQ‐1220 (Sarasota FL) with U1 150/150 at temporary 3 site; KYPA‐1230 (Los Angeles CA) with U1 681/681 at the CP site; WKDM‐1380 (New York NY) and WWRU‐1660 (Jersey City NJ) to operate with CPs even though final tests can’t be completed. SILENT STA 1360 WHNR FL Cypress Gardens – Was off the air from 10/23 to 10/25 but is back on. NORTH OF THE BORDER 750 CBFA‐3 QC Weymontachie – Granted request to relay CBFG‐103.5 Chiasibi QC (instead of CBF‐95.1 Montreal), still CBC French “Première Chaîne” but also with 12 hours of local aboriginal programming in Cree and Inuktitut. 1230 CFFB NU Iqaluit – Granted 50‐watt relays in Inukjuak, Kuujjuaq, Kuujjuarapik, Puvirnituq, and Salluit (all QC) on 103.5 MHz FM; these to replace “CKCX‐ SW” (CBC Radio North on 9625 kHz) which was to sign off permanently on November 1 (but reportedly still on the air as of 11/2 by GH and others). 1550 CBEF ON Windsor – Per DDXD reports this issue, CBEF is on the air testing here (and still on 540 kHz too for the time being; will move to 1550 permanently). Our Canadian news is via Shawn Axelrod and Dan Sys. And here are AM Radio Log updates from Wayne Heinen: 570 WFNL NC Raleigh – Adds Networks CM (See CM Note). 660 WFAN NY New York – Adds // WRXP‐101.9. 690 KCEE AZ Tucson – Adds SRN news. 730 WMNA VA Gretna – Format: SPT (was C&W/TLK) Networks: ESPN/PRN (was PRN). 790 KJRB WA Spokane – New Slogan: ʺNews Radio 790.” 800 KBFP CA Bakersfield – Format: Comedy (was SS:NOS) Slogan: ʺComedy 800ʺ (was ʺLa Preciosaʺ) Adds Network: CM Drops // KBFP‐FM‐105.3.