Hmmm ... FOX6 with 4/1 approaching.

[Todd Wiedemann]

From their website:

 

Even though WITI FOX6 usually telecasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, occasionally we must go off the air to do maintenance work on our transmitter and tower. We will sign off the air at 12:05 a.m. Friday, April 19, and Saturday, April 20. We will return to the air at 5:00 a.m. Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20. The programs that normally air during those hours will be preempted this week only.Also, on Thursday, April 18 and Friday, April 19, MASH will not air at 11:35 p.m. To make room for the sign-off time, 3RD ROCK FROM THE SUN will air at 11:35 p.m. on those two dates only. We regret any inconvenience these changes may cause you.

Think this has anything to do with 4/1 ?

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Todd.
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Mitsubishi 55819
Panasonic TU-HDS20
Apex AD-600A

[Gregg Lengling]

I think you had a typo and meant 5/1 the deadline.  I doubt if much of this has to do with the digital transmitter as they applied for an STA to run it from their studio tower until their current tower is modified to add the antenna.  At least this is the official story in the STA request with the FCC.

I think they are just doing transmitter or antenna/feedline repairs on 6


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Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
gregg@camelcomm.com

[Tom Snyder]

Hypothetical Question:

If someone is going to go up on the studio tower to install a Digital antenna, would they need to switch off the power to their studio antenna to keep that install tech from getting sterilized? Does the microwave generate any dangerous radiation, or is it low power and too directional?

BTW.. how high is their studio antenna? High enough for anyone outside Brown Deer to pick up their digital signal?

[This message has been edited by Tom Snyder (edited 04-16-2002).]

[Gregg Lengling]

I'm not sure of the Studio Antenna height, I think it is just under 200 feet as they didnt' add a light on the top until they put the weather radar dome on with the new doppler radar.   And in theory they would have to have side marker lights also, so I think they just put the light on their for help in navigation with the heli-pad in the lot.  As far as the microwave links go, no they would not have to turn them off, because any workman would not be in front of the dishes where the actual radiation is, it is a very narrow beamwidth.  The microwave links also run only a couple of watts.  However there is a US Cellular site on the tower and with the new FCC and OSHA rules regarding radiation hazards, they may have to turn off the cellsite.  Even though cellsites usually run 20 to 50 watts per channel, you can have 20 or more channels at a site and the power is additive.  Also I would imagine they would not energize the Weather Radar because the pulse power of that could be in the KiloWatts.  
There were stories of the techs working on the Empire State Building back in the 50's and 60's, going and standing in front of the microwave dishes to warm up when they were cold.   I'm sure there were some long term health issues with that.
We have a lot of high power 900MHz paging transmitters on towers that I own (300 to 500 watt transmitters).  Anytime someone goes to work on the tower in the area of those antennas or has to climb past those antennas, the crew locks out the circuit breakers on those stations.
  Enough info?


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Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
gregg@camelcomm.com

[Todd Wiedemann]

D'oh !

I am an idiot. You're right Gregg. *5*/1 deadline.

I need to use four fingers *and* my thumb when I'm counting the months.

 


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Todd.
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Mitsubishi 55819
Panasonic TU-HDS20
Apex AD-600A

[Tom Snyder]

Thanks for the info... it's good to know... (and good to have an engineeer here!)..

So now, getting back to 6's temporary Digital coverage high atop this HUGE studio antenna...

I'm assuming that, like FM, TV is line of site. A 200 ft tower is not very tall. And that is 200 actual feet above the channel 6 parking lot, not HAAT. I can guarantee that I can't see that flashing light from Germantown. Even if (and that's probably a big "if") they pumped full power through that antenna at that height, what would their city service contour be?

[Gregg Lengling]

I'd have to do a plot with my propogation software to get an idea.  But I would think if you had an outdoor antenna in Germantown it wouldn't be a problem...of course if I remember correctly you are using rabbit-ears indoors...so it might be iffy.  However I guess we shouldn't jump to anything yet as the FCC apparently hasn't acted on the STA request, as a matter of fact I can't find a filing at the FCC for the request.  But then again they may not post STA filings until they make a determination.


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Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
gregg@camelcomm.com

[Tom Snyder]

Good memory.. I have rabbit ears. (The choice was between having a rooftop or having a wife, and I chose the latter).  

Fortunately I have a couple things working in my favor:

1.)Germantown is pretty high
2.)We're at least on the same side of Brown Deer Road
3.) Besides Packer football, Fox 6 has virtually nothing that I ever watch.  

[Gregg Lengling]

I would imagine that you have attic space or garage attic space to put a better antenna up and reduce multipath (multipath can even be caused by person or animals walking around in your house).  I wonder what part of G'town you are in...if you don't want to say here just send me a private e-mail...One of those ugly towers (joke) in Germantown that everyone doesn't want but needs for their cell phones and everything is mine.


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Gregg R. Lengling
RCA P61310 61" 16x9
gregg@camelcomm.com