KKXA-1520 Non-Directional?

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KKXA-1520 Non-Directional?

Postby jon » Mon Dec 26, 2011 11:07 pm

The Portland radio board is reporting that KKXA-1520 in Snohomish has been running 20,000 watts non-directional 24/7, and will continue to do so until sometime in the Spring.

I haven't seen any confirmation of this, but the Portland person claims he got the information from the owner of the station.

If true, it would certainly explain the excellent reception in locations supposedly in a Null in their relevant published directional pattern.
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Re: KKXA-1520 Non-Directional?

Postby Dan Sys » Tue Dec 27, 2011 12:19 am

Kind of strange Jon because I'm only about 75 miles north of KKXA's transmitter and they have a horrible signal here. KGDD 1520 in Oregon City is burying them as I speak and in the daytime they are barely audible. Yet I've been reading reports from Southern Alberta and Northern Vancouver Island where KKXA supposedly booms in like a local. You would think that if they are non-directional they would be booming into the Fraser Valley too. What's your take on it?
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Re: KKXA-1520 Non-Directional?

Postby jon » Tue Dec 27, 2011 8:53 am

The KKXA signal I've been getting here in Edmonton around sunset local time (here) would surprise me even from a 50,000 watt non-directional pattern at that distance. It sounds more like the way I used to get CFUN in the 1980s: off a 50,000 watt pattern that favoured my direction.

So, I'm very skeptical of 20,000 watts non-directional sounding like that. Especially after the kind of reception Dan is reporting.

However, what would make sense to me, based on reports of reception in Spokane and such, is that KKXA is not yet on their published pattern. Perhaps a simpler pattern that just protects Oregon City and Oklahoma City enough to satisfy the FCC, until they finish construction and/or engineering on their final configuration.
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Re: KKXA-1520 Non-Directional?

Postby skyvalleyradio » Tue Dec 27, 2011 12:12 pm

KKXA actually has different patterns & power ratings - they are 50 kW ND during Critical Hours (a two-hour +/- time period centered around sunrise/sunset) KKXA smokes in here, Victoria and right up the east coast of Vancouver Island during daytime & critical hours. Since Dan in Alder-groove can't hear them, but we can, suggests they are indeed on a directional pattern. Driving around Victoria "1520 Classic Country KXA" comes in equally as strong as C-FAX or CJVI. KKXA has now been heard "over-the-pole" as far as Scandinavia where the MW DX hot-shots have received 1520!! :groovy:
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Re: KKXA-1520 Non-Directional?

Postby jon » Tue Dec 27, 2011 12:44 pm

Assuming this site is correct, KKXA is (licensed as) non-directional days, and uses their directional night pattern during critical hours:
http://www.fccinfo.com/CMDProFacLookup.php?sCurrentService=AM&calls=kkxa&tabSearchType=Call+Sign+Search

Here is the 50KW directional pattern that they are licensed to use during critical hours and at night:
Image
For those of you not familiar with these diagrams, it is like a coverage map, with North at the top and South at the bottom. Anyone living anything more than slightly East of North of the transmitter is going to get almost no signal at all.

I can't believe that they are running this pattern when I hear them. My best guess now is that they are running a modified pattern with perhaps two towers that protects South (Oregon) and South East (Oklahoma), still with 50KW.
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