[BC] Overcrowding & noise floor on AM

[Gary Peterson]

" this guy runs 375 w. carrier to a 90 degree tower with 120
radials.  every saturday he starts up at around 2 p.m. and signs off  around
12 hours later.   Because no one else tries to use that frequency in north
america while he's operating, the effect is similar to a clear channel.
with only a 90 degree stick and 375 w. he's clearly receivable all over N.
America.  Gave me an idea of what it used to be like to run 50 kw on a
genuinely clear channel back when they were clear.
rob atkinson "

For many years, I would lunch with a fellow, in his 90s, who started in
broadcasting in the 1930s.  (He retired in the mid-1990s)  He told me about
working at a 100 W station that was on a frequency in the 1300s on the dial.
(I don't remember the exact frequency)  They would often sign on after
midnight for external frequency measurements.  They got QSLs from as far
away as Australia.

I remember signing on, after midnight, once a month, in the 60s and having
Commercial Radio Monitoring Company verify/correct our frequency monitor
readings.  We got some QSLs from that, too.  That all went away with
inexpensive, accurate frequency counters.

Gary, K?CX