AM at low power

[Mister B]

My favorite radio station, KWML AM 570 is about 60 miles away but at its daytime power of 5,000 watts I receive it quite well. However, for the past couple of weeks I believe they are leaving it at the nighttime power of 155 watts. I can just barely hear it. They have a 215 watt FM translator but I receive no signal from that. I have sent an email asking about the situation but am not surprised to get no reply.
My question is: can these AM stations that promote themselves as FM cut the AM power to save electricity? I suppose they have to leave the AM version on the air as the FM license is a translator but they only mention the AM version when legally required at the top of the hour.
If I must give up on KWML I need to research Sirius XM or some modern music source.

 

[harshness]

My question is: can these AM stations that promote themselves as FM cut the AM power to save electricity?

No. They have to cut the AM power at night to protect other stations operating on their frequency. AM carries much further at night.

 

[Mister B]

I should clarify: KWML is running at the same low power 24 hours a day. When the sun comes up I hear no sudden increase in reception.
When I was a kid in Florida I loved to listen to my radio at night. I could always pick up New Orleans, Chicago and sometimes New York City.

 

[harshness]

I should clarify: KWML is running at the same low power 24 hours a day.

I got twisted up in my comprehension of what you said.

The FM license (or even necessarily the callsign) don't come into play. In this case they are related as the FM station is a translator of the AM station.

You'll probably have to see if you can get a phone call into the engineer.

In the end, it may be simpler just to stream the feed through Tune-In or similar. I live eight miles from a similar station (oldies/Tesh) and I can't pick it up most days.

KWML, 104.5 AM, Las Cruces, NM | Free Internet Radio | TuneIn

KWML - Las Cruces, NM - Listen to free internet radio, news, sports, music, audiobooks, and podcasts. Stream live CNN, FOX News Radio, and MSNBC. Plus 100,000 AM/FM radio stations featuring music, news, and local sports talk.

tunein.com

 

[Mister B]

I go to Las Cruces quite often. I may just stop by KWML offices if this does not improve.
Yes, I am thinking about digital / wifi radio alternatives. If I have to resort to that I may as well listen to some stations further away. Tucson has a very professional Oldies station on 830 AM as well as Phoenix 1440.

 

[harshness]

If I have to resort to that I may as well listen to some stations further away.

If they aren't willing to support you, there's little reason to support them.

 

[N5XZS]

Try downloading app, from "radio usa" from Google play, you can get KWML AM streaming that way...

 

[TRG]

If I have to resort to that I may as well listen to some stations further away.

Click or tap the following links for a direct stream to the two stations you mentioned.
KAZG 1440 AM Scottsdale, AZ
KDRI 830 AM Tucson, AZ

There are a lot of oldies stations streaming on the internet.
Oldies Radio Stations

I stream radio stations from all over the world from my phone to a Bluetooth speaker. My wife prefers a WiFi Internet radio with her favorite stations preset and a real volume control knob.

 

[telstar_1]

I see the unanwered question as being whether any AM stations are obligated to any certain power levels to remain licensed. Many or most AM's that aren't on designated clear channels must reduce transmitting power at night because AM signals propagate much farther with the sun down, and would interfere with others if left at daytime power. They're obviously mandated to not exceed certain power at night, but are they gov't-mandated not to undershoot a certain power by day? As in so they're adequately serving a given community? Certainly advertisers would be keeping tabs on reach.

 

[harshness]

I see the unanwered question as being whether any AM stations are obligated to any certain power levels to remain licensed.

It may be folly to assume that the station isn't broadcasting at its rated power. There may be other atmospheric issues in play.

I recommend you call them rather than dropping in as modern station engineers tend to cover more than one property.

 

[TRG]

Not sure if it's useful but here is the technical data for the station.

KWML Technical Data

 

[Mister B]

For the past week KWML has been at full power both day and night. I suspect that AM stations have an automated system to turn the power down at sunset and up at sunrise. That may be "stuck". I see on radio-locator that the closest other 570 is in Dallas and that they only have to turn the power down to 2400 watts at night so hopefully they are not receiving interference from Las Cruces, NM.
I have also found that at night AM stations are received better from one's east than west due to the turning of the earth.
It works for me, I can listen to the radio while I do my early morning chores.

 

[harshness]

Alternatively, many stations can be streamed 24/7/365 in FM quality or better.

 

[radio]

My question is: can these AM stations that promote themselves as FM cut the AM power to save electricity? I suppose they have to leave the AM version on the air as the FM license is a translator but they only mention the AM version when legally required at the top of the hour. If I must give up on KWML I need to research Sirius XM or some modern music source.

I realize this is a very old thread, but nobody had answered the author's question.

ALL stations are required to ID at a "convenient point in programming" nearest the top of the hour, by the way. The translator can ID audibly less amounts per day, silently by frequency shift keying, or by morse code.

Most AM's do not talk about their AM''s once they get an FM, which is, in my estimation, WRONG, but it is not illegal.
ALL broadcasters are required to operate at no more than 5 percent OVER licensed power and no less than 10 percent LESS than licensed power. There may be what's called an STA in place for your favorite station, that's a "Special Temporary Authority" to run at reduced power for any number of reasons, but NOT because of having the translator. In fact, unless granted STA, reduced power could affect the legality of operating the translator. Their geographic placement is dependent upon an AM's normal coverage OR a certain amount of miles from the AM, prescribed by the FCC.

 

[Mister B]

Thanks "Radio" for the reply. I had actually forgotten about this item. KWML did return to full daytime power with the drastic reduction at night. Unfortunately, they have switched to a type of music that I am not interested in.

 

[telstar_1]

I realize this is a very old thread, but nobody had answered the author's question.

ALL stations are required to ID at a "convenient point in programming" nearest the top of the hour, by the way. The translator can ID audibly less amounts per day, silently by frequency shift keying, or by morse code.

Most AM's do not talk about their AM''s once they get an FM, which is, in my estimation, WRONG, but it is not illegal.
ALL broadcasters are required to operate at no more than 5 percent OVER licensed power and no less than 10 percent LESS than licensed power. There may be what's called an STA in place for your favorite station, that's a "Special Temporary Authority" to run at reduced power for any number of reasons, but NOT because of having the translator. In fact, unless granted STA, reduced power could affect the legality of operating the translator. Their geographic placement is dependent upon an AM's normal coverage OR a certain amount of miles from the AM, prescribed by the FCC.

Thanks also. These rules would go along with the original mandate for station operators to serve the public. When license is granted there is an expected coverage.

For the past week KWML has been at full power both day and night. I suspect that AM stations have an automated system to turn the power down at sunset and up at sunrise. That may be "stuck". I see on radio-locator that the closest other 570 is in Dallas and that they only have to turn the power down to 2400 watts at night so hopefully they are not receiving interference from Las Cruces, NM.
I have also found that at night AM stations are received better from one's east than west due to the turning of the earth.
It works for me, I can listen to the radio while I do my early morning chores.

Interesting observation- In IL I could also say that I seem to receive better from the east (and south) than west (and north), particularly at night on skip, but I had always just put it down to there being more clear-channel stations in the east. How does earth rotation affect?

 

[N5XZS]

I think it's has to do with Earth's daylight west side moving away and incoming nighttime from the east. Normally around sunset the skips signals comes in pretty good, but as soon at least 2 to 3 hours after the sunset skips signal will settle down to normal levels, but may vary from night to night just like weather better or worse.

All it's depending on D and F2 layers ionosphere conditions from the solar winds from our star.

Interesting to see in winter time you might get some daytime skips since nighttime hours are longer and tends to have spillover effects!

While summertime can be pretty crappy on AM signal with higher noise floor and not only that static crash from the thunderstorms!

Maybe someday if more AM radio broadcasters and radio manufacturers will try to promote AM digital using MA3 digital mode over river of time and yes it's may takes some time to build it up for the next 10 to 20 years at the most.

 

[radio]

https://publicfiles.fcc.gov/about

The FCC most certainly, today and since Day One, tell broadcasters what to do.

Maybe someday if more AM radio broadcasters and radio manufacturers will try to promote AM digital using MA3 digital mode over river of time and yes it's may takes some time to build it up for the next 10 to 20 years at the most.

All that will happen in this scenario is "digital noise" fighting with other "digitnal noise" at night. This is why when HYBRID DIGITAL (notice it's not "high definition) came out, many AM's were not allowed to use it at night because of their (hash noise) sidebands interfering with other stations far away,. Digital bouncing all over at night will not help the band at all. It'll still be signal vs. signal. Think about it. The ONLY reason the public bought digital TV was a "mandate"..or nothing. Then, the gov't decided theyd subsidize converter boxes. "extra" boxes for radio won't exist, and the governmet that sends trillions of dollars overseas will NOT help "look out for" AM broadcasters by aiding in cost of converting to digital. The Government doesn't even help us pay for the things they demand we have at our studios and transmitter sites. "All digital" is an expensive toy for big market stations that want to look good to stockholders and those who donate to them in the case of "public" stations. What we need are operators that care about their PROGRAMMING FIRST, then their QUALITY OF TRANSMISSION so the listener gets a good sounding AM. You don't NEED digital to sound GREAT. We can rival FM in many ways if we utilize excellent engineering in our physical plants.

 

[llokey]

Would it surprise anyone that some AM stations go silent while keeping the translator working? Where I live there has been more than one incident of this happening. My guess is that they are betting on the FCC not caring or having enough people to check out adherence to the requirements.

 

[radio]

Would it surprise anyone that some AM stations go silent while keeping the translator working? Where I live there has been more than one incident of this happening. My guess is that they are betting on the FCC not caring or having enough people to check out adherence to the requirements.

Totally illegal, but we hear of it in the industry. It's a bad gamble. Translators are NOT allowed to "originate programming." Many of the FCC "field offices" are now closed so their monitoring in the course of normal day to day operation is not happening. The public doesn't know the "rules" of this, they only hear about the FM signal, and piss poor broadcasters have contributed to this by "discounting" the name of their parent AM, only burying the legal ID once an hour, like an AM is a disgrace and the public won't listen to it. Instead....they COULD take pride in their AM and bring people over TO it. When you consider today's phone-intense audience listens on flat speakers in a phone that have limited frequency response, a decent AM station on a half-decent radio sounds better than that. To your origial post....CORRECT. The translator must be shut down if the AM is not on the air. I hope the operators that violate this eventually get their fines and FCC slaps. Its hard enough to be compliant already.....and NO operator ever is 100 percent that way for any number of reasons, breakdowns, emergencies, or situations.