I know AM stations can go to "critical hours" during an emergent
event. The question is, is it normal for AM stations to transmit in
critical hours power during a huge snow storm event?

I'm figuring there might be some really good AM dxing from the
northeast if this is the case tomorrow night.

I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

On Dec 18, 3:43*pm, wrote:
I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Critical Hours is a term for the period just after sunrise and just
before sunset, when a very few stations reduce power to keep from
interfering with other stations.

An example would be a station that is 50 kw day, 25 kw critical hours,
and 2.5 kw night.

When there is an emergency, a station can operate on its daytime
facility or, if directional, in non-directional mode to provide
community service. It is not permitted to run commercials.

A very bad blizzard, like a tornado, flood, hurricane or such event is
reason to consider such operations.

OK, Thanks for explaning that.
cuhulin

On Dec 18, 6:19*pm, radiodavid wrote:
On Dec 18, 3:43*pm, wrote:

I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Critical Hours is a term for the period just after sunrise and just
before sunset, when a very few stations reduce power to keep from
interfering with other stations.

An example would be a station that is 50 kw day, 25 kw critical hours,
and 2.5 kw night.

When there is an emergency, a station can operate on its daytime
facility or, if directional, in non-directional mode to provide
community service. It is not permitted to run commercials.

A very bad blizzard, like a tornado, flood, hurricane or such event is
reason to consider such operations.

I knew about the period before and after sunrise - but I hadn't heard
of that term
"Critical Hours" before.

I know WLW hasn't ever done that that I know about, if they ever did
that that during a
storm for whatever reason it had to have happened before I was around
ten yrs. of age.

I would think that WLW or any of the 50,000watt stations wouldn't
decrease power during an emergency. {?} Interesting thread though.

On Dec 18, 6:19*pm, radiodavid wrote:
On Dec 18, 3:43*pm, wrote:

I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin

Critical Hours is a term for the period just after sunrise and just
before sunset, when a very few stations reduce power to keep from
interfering with other stations.

An example would be a station that is 50 kw day, 25 kw critical hours,
and 2.5 kw night.

When there is an emergency, a station can operate on its daytime
facility or, if directional, in non-directional mode to provide
community service. It is not permitted to run commercials.

A very bad blizzard, like a tornado, flood, hurricane or such event is
reason to consider such operations.

I forgot to mention the part about "not permitted to run commercials."
That's pretty
interesting, I don't think I have ever heard that before (no
commercials.)

On Dec 18, 9:19*pm, radiodavid wrote:

Thanks for a great explanation. I am hoping for some real good dxing.

wrote:
I think snow doesn't have any effect on AM transmitting.Too much ice
buildup though can, and sometimes does pull down towers and wires.
cuhulin


Even if ice doesn't cause structural failure, it can fall off in huge
hunks that can tear stuff up around the base of the tower. An iced
tower is a dangerous beast.

Gregg wrote:


I knew about the period before and after sunrise - but I hadn't heard
of that term
"Critical Hours" before.


It's usually to protect a station to the East.

radiodavid wrote:


Critical Hours operation is required of only a very few stations in
the US, mostly ones that wanted high powers and were willing to
sacrifice some of that in the post sunrise and pre sunset hours.
Critical Hours is a recent development, and I can't remember when it
started being allowed but it was likely it was in the 80's,


When I was a kid, KYND Tempe, 1580, was 50 KW ND from 10 AM to 3 PM,
from Sunrise to 10 A and from 3P to Sunset they were 10 KW. This would
have been 1964.

Buck Owens owned the station for a while. Dick Gilbert put it on the air.

We used to do pirate radio on it after midnight, on full power, during
the "Experimental Period". (look that up)