After going dark in March 2010, due to FCC violations, unpaid rent, and a padlocked studio, the license for WZUM AM 1590, Carnegie PA, was automatically cancelled March 22nd.
It's three directional towers, which were on land leased by the Borough of Crafton (PA), have been dismantled. (Damn! They would have been great on 160!)
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11084/1134537-67.stm
Last edited by W3WN; 03-26-2011 at 04:51 PM.
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. 90% of the people don’t care, the other 10% are glad it happened.” — Clint Hurdle, 2019
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Fudd's First Law of Opposition: If you push something hard enough, it WILL fall down.
Teslacle's Deviant to Fudd's Law: It goes in, it must go out.
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I wonder what else is left on the site. Like the phaser, tuning houses, ect. Them towers would worked great on 80/75 also.
[SIGPIC] 73
Maybe some really heavy copper radials...Originally Posted by N8GAV
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
Most radials are 12 gauge. The ground system is probably non-existent anyway, since they do erode over time and have to be replaced every 30 to 40 years or so. Replacing a ground system for a 3 tower array is pretty costly and even the big companies like Entercom who can afford to replace them rarely do anymore, so the chances of finding much salvageable copper left in the ground at that 1590 site is probably pretty slim. Another one bites the dust.
Good info, Kelli. I had no idea that a broadcast station could get by with 12 gauge radials; I figured with all that wattage they'd need something heavier. Thanks.
All the world’s a stage, but obviously the play is unrehearsed and everybody is ad-libbing his lines. Maybe that’s why it’s hard to tell if we’re living in a tragedy or a farce.
I don't know if they've actually taken the towers or transmitter building out yet. They may be waiting for better weather, and I don't live in that part of town anymore.
An article on the Pittsburgh Radio & TV Blog dated back in January indicated that the former CE was able to salvage the transmitter and some equipment; what happened to it afterwards, I'm not certain.
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. 90% of the people don’t care, the other 10% are glad it happened.” — Clint Hurdle, 2019
BAN THE DH!
Fudd's First Law of Opposition: If you push something hard enough, it WILL fall down.
Teslacle's Deviant to Fudd's Law: It goes in, it must go out.
Just remember: Abraham Lincoln didn't die in vain. He died in Washington, DC
Cutch 300!!!!!
“Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfed.” — Bernie Sanders
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
Don't fret. WAKR is on 1590 and will now be audible over yonder.
"Everyone wants to be an AM Gangsta until it's time to start doing AM Gangsta shit."
What kind of power do they run ? If it's low power > 5000 watts I would see if they auction off that transmitter and bid on it. If you win it haul it into your shack and rework it for 160. Roll the power back and you've got a nice hi-fi am rig. Some of the AM'ers have been going that route of late. Nothing like having some broadcast iron in the chack. Esp if it glows in the dark.
I keep my 2 feet on the ground, and my head in the twilight zone.
Kell, I know they were a low power AM'er -- I think night time wasn't more than 250 W, and not more than 5K daytime.
As a one-time broadcaster myself (remind me sometime to start a thread on Carey Simpson, WGMR and his Allegheny Mountain Radio Network), I sure wouldn't mind having a transmitter like that. Not sure where I'd put it, there is literally no room in the basement right now, but that's another matter. But there's been no word on what happened to the transmitter & such after removal. I can check with a few local hams who are still in the business and see if they've heard anything.
I used to work around the corner from the antenna array. The three towers were on some municipal-owned land adjacent to the local golf course (I don't know if it was a public or private one, I think it was private) down near Chartiers Creek. NOT ideal for HF, they were down in a hole, but for MW groundwave, I guess they were OK.
on edit: The engineer who bought the WZUM transmitter and rack is the CE of WORD-FM (see http://www.pbrtv.com/blog/entry_1468.php). So it was a nice thought Kell, but I suspect that the equipment is destined or ordained for a higher purpose than 160.
Last edited by W3WN; 03-28-2011 at 03:01 PM.
“Nobody is going to feel sorry for us. 90% of the people don’t care, the other 10% are glad it happened.” — Clint Hurdle, 2019
BAN THE DH!
Fudd's First Law of Opposition: If you push something hard enough, it WILL fall down.
Teslacle's Deviant to Fudd's Law: It goes in, it must go out.
Just remember: Abraham Lincoln didn't die in vain. He died in Washington, DC
Cutch 300!!!!!
“Nero fiddled while Rome burned. Trump golfed.” — Bernie Sanders
Quando Omni Flunkus Moritati
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