[BC] XETRA - MIGHTY 690 Los Angeles.

[Rich Wood]

------ At 09:44 AM 2/18/2010, Dave Hultsman wrote: -------

>The transmitter power output of XETRA was 50 kW.   Glenn Callison 
>and Ralph Dippel of the George C. Davis firm. came up with the new 
>Roserita beach pattern and the 5 tower array DA-2 for 50 kW.  The 50 
>kW. was the input power on day pattern across the salt water from 
>the beach to LA.  Of course San Diego got plenty of signal but the 
>signal in the major lobe was toward LA. The major lobe was in excess 
>of 50 kW and with the new pattern reduced the signal toward the 
>Canadian station by moving the lobe slightly west.  So on day 
>pattern the signal toward LA was greater than a 50 kW. Non-D signal equivalent.

Unless you're talking about the newest array with 77kW, I don't ever 
recall having problems with KFI. KMPC, on the other hand, was a 
problem in the valley. We also wanted to try the opposite sideband 
approach with KMPC (710) but Gene Autry wouldn't hear of it. Shortly 
after I got there we hired a Consulting Engineer. I believe it was 
Glenn Callison. He repaired the deteriorating array and broadbanded 
it for Kahn Stereo. It really sounded great. I remember getting a 
call from the GM of KHJ, Los Angeles, telling me how great our stereo 
was in his office in LA with two radios tuned slightly off in each 
direction to get stereo.

>I am certain that Peter Haas can come up with the power in the major 
>radiated lobe toward LA.

When it comes to antennas and patterns I'll gladly defer to Peter. 
He's the man for that. I think I remember the pattern as claimed on 
some promotional material which made it look like a figure 8 with the 
Southern lobe pulled in.

The new owners have returned it to being a Mexican service station 
and don't care, after all these years, about reaching Los Angeles. So 
it makes sense that the new array favors Baja.

>One of the other projects I worked on while with The McLendon's, was 
>the proposed XETRA-FM which would have been 1,000,000 Watts erp 
>toward Los Angeles in the educational band. We actually had an 
>equipment package arranged with RCA for a 40 kW. FM transmitter and 
>were going to use a bill board style panel antenna with one major 
>lobe off the mountain toward LA.  The paperwork progressed well in 
>Mexico but hit the rocks when the FCC put out something about it to 
>Southern California educational stations. Then between their filings 
>and other Southern California commercial filings it was quashed.

The FM was finally put on the air at 91.1 with 100kW from Mt. San 
Antonio. Our big problem wasn't with the noncomms, it was with an 
organized group of San Diego Commercial stations that filed against 
us and started a campaign to discourage advertisers from going with 
us. We filed a $39 million lawsuit against them. We either won the 
suit or settled with the San Diego stations admitting we had the 
right to sell in San Diego. Under Noble Los Angeles wasn't our 
primary target. So far as I know no money changed hands. We were also 
unable to get the 325B authorization to originate in San Diego. 
Initially the FM was taped in San Diego and driven to Tijuana and 
Rosarito by Sr. Gallegos in a VW bug a few times a day. The FM (91X) 
wasn't competitive with that arrangement so the Jocks had to drive to 
Tijuana to do their shows and sit for hours at the border on weekends 
to get back into the US.The AM always originated (automated) from 
Rosarito. The Wikipedia entry for XETRA-FM is quite inaccurate and 
less than objective. It claims the Easy Listening format was changed 
to AOR. 91X signed on with AOR and, obviously, never had Easy 
Listening. The station didn't exist. Easy Listening was on the AM. 
The listing is riddled with opinions, not demonstrable facts.

I always wondered how XETV (ABC CH 6) was able to originate in San 
Diego. I understand XETV is now CW, after a time as an independent, 
because a San Diego station wanted the ABC affiliation.

Mexico would let us do almost anything. That may have been due to the 
friendship between Ed Noble, who lived in Mexico City, and President 
Jose Lopez Portillo. As I recall, we figured it would be cheaper to 
run our generator 24/7 than pay the Pemex price. At the time, I'm 
told, it was illegal to take yourself off the grid for more than 
emergencies. Even the President didn't go for that one.

I've gotta tell ya, it was a fun time.

Rich