[BC] Franklin Antenna - KTTO (ex-KREM)

[ACN]

Hi Bill.

You need to look up Franklin Antennas on the web.    KFBK in Sacramento =
still uses a true Franklin.   They are too expensive to build or =
maintain today.

I don't know if is was designed by a person named Franklin.

A true Franklin, has three equal sections.   They are tuned and work =
together to give the station a greater efficiency that with a non =
Franklin.

The KREM tower is not a true Franklin but a modified Franklin.

It has three sections but they are not equal in height.

There are matching coils and switching relays at the 300 foot level and =
the 487 foot level.   I assume 487 is correct, I know the first section =
is at the 300 foot level.

During the day, the entire tower is used.    When going directional, the =
tower is opened at the 300 foot level so you now have two 300 foot =
towers for the directional pattern.

That is how KREM was first designed, two 300 foot towers for night.

The Channel 2 TV antenna, a butterfly, is still mounted on the top and =
is part of the tower.   The transmission lines, two, still connect the =
TV antenna down and into the building.    The original GE transmitter =
was in the basement.   There is still one section of the GE TV =
transmitter sitting in place but you are correct, the antenna cannot be =
used as a stand by for Channel 2 now.

The multi bay FM antenna for KREM FM also has a still existing =
transmission line that comes down to the building.   The FM transmitter =
was in the basement with the TV transmitter.

I am not sure that your figure for the total height of the tower is =
correct.   I was always told is was 705 feet.    I never heard of 663 =
feet for the 970 day time.

When Read Broadcasting acquired KTRW 970, it was being operated daytime =
with only the first 300 feet of the tall tower.    The coverage was not =
what it should have been.

After extensive technical upgrading, the RF antenna switches at the two =
levels were repaired and we started operating daytime with the full tall =
tower which improved the coverage to a point where we were significantly =
better than KGA and as good and in some areas better than 920 at 5000 =
watts day.

KREM needed the height for the TV but could not make the night =
directional work with one 705 foot tower and one 300 foot.    I =
investigated doing just that so we could get right of all of the =
switching equipment on the tower but we could not give the necessary =
protection to the 970 in Portland.

So KREM had devise a way to make a 300 tower out of the 705 foot tower =
for the night directional operation.

I even tried to see if we could change the night from 1000 watts to 250 =
watts, non directional using only the tall tower but that would still =
put too much signal toward Portland.

It is interesting that the FCC allowed us to operate with a STA while =
working on the directional system at night with 250 watts on the tall =
tower and not one person complained KTRW was interfering with Portland.  =
   It makes you wonder that our night AM protection rules are too strict.

While the tall day tower does give 970 better coverage, for the long =
run, I would remove the top of the tower down to the 300 foot level and =
it would be much more stable.

Another reason that no one builds a Franklin today is that they are not =
stable.    Everything tends to change with the wind and the temperature.

What else do you need on that tower?

Tom



   ----- Original Message -----=20
   From: Bill Harms=20


   I am trying to figure out what is going on with KTTO's (ex KREM-970)=20
   taller antenna. It has three insulated sections.  The lowest section =
is=20
   305 feet tall and at night the upper portion of the tower is used with =
a=20
   second tower also at 305 feet to make a directional array. However, =
the=20
   upper portion is sectionalized twice. (maybe three times depending how =