Scott, Thank you for this. I'm at work right now, so I have to remember my priorities, but I will try a few examples on the FCC site tonight when I have time. I have tracked almost all of the AM stations that have existed in US and Canada (its well over 20,000 entries), keeping track of changes in call/freq/COL. The 1950-1978 period is messy because FCC had nothing available before 1978. I have tons of docs covering up to 1950. I find it interesting that all of the docs I have are not on David Gleason's lists. If he could NOT kill the docs in the process, I would let him scan and add them to the collection. More later...
Mike On Tue, Jan 18, 2011 at 11:59 AM, Scott Fybush <sc...@fybush.com> wrote: > Mike Hawkins wrote: > > I used your reply as a reference here because it addresses two things. >> First is that FCC's website has so little information on it that is >> accessible outside the FCC that its rather useless. Tracking applications >> always results in "major change", "minor change", STA or license. I have >> not been able to view an authorization for many moons. There is little if >> any correspondence, and legal action is rare. >> > > Two things here: > > First, the FCC will soon be abandoning the CDBS database in favor of a new, > more versatile database system that's being billed as having more direct > public access. So much of what I'm about to explain will soon be obsolete. > > That said: there's actually lots of information accessible there. You just > have to know where to look. Here are a few basic tips; I'm happy to go into > greater detail either on- or off-list if there's interest. > > I find the quickest way into CDBS is through FCCInfo.com. It's a > privately-operated site, and it's free. The basic searches are right at the > top of the front page: search by callsign, COL, distance from a given > community or set of coordinates, FCC facility ID number, etc. > > KTRB offers a good example. Plug those calls into the "callsign" search > box, be sure you've checked the "AM" radio button to the left, and be sure > you've checked the "Include Archive Records" box beneath the callsign. > > What comes up is this (watch for word wrap): > > > http://fccinfo.com/CMDProFacLookup.php?sCurrentService=AM&calls=ktrb&ArchiveRecords=Y&tabSearchType=Call+Sign+Search > > There's a lot of chaff here, but also a lot of good information. Ignore all > the "0 kW" power entries for now - they represent FCC records with no > engineering data attached. Ignore anything with a blank space or "App" in > the "Status" column on the left. > > What matters to us are actual license records and construction permit > records...and here's what turns up: there's a set of license records for the > old Modesto facility, with 50 kW days and 10 kW nights. We know that's no > longer active, because it shows up as an archived record. Then we see > another set of licenses for the former 50/50 San Francisco-licensed > facility. Those show up as "archive records," too...but we can get at the > engineering data for those, or for the Modesto facility, by clicking on the > callsign for each entry. > > Then we have the current license. Unless the database records are screwy > (and occasionally they are), there should only be one active set of > "license" records for any given station. Click on those and we learn more > about the current KTRB 50/50 facility - location (with a link to a Google > map), tower layout, directional pattern and more. > > This page also gives us a link called "Other KTRB Applications," which > returns us to the FCC's own website, to the "Application Search Page" that > can also be accessed directly from the FCC's AM Query: > > > http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_list.pl?Facility_id=66246 > > This page links us to all the applications that are in CDBS; generally, > that will include at least some information about anything filed after 1978, > though detailed electronic applications only exist from the last decade or > so. > > If the application was filed electronically (look for the "E" in the > "Paper/Elect" column), you can see it by clicking the "application" list. > > Which brings us to the complex system of prefixes the FCC uses for apps. > The ones that matter to us as DXers are BL-, which indicates an AM station's > application for a license, BP-, an application for a construction permit, > BMP-, an app to modify an existing construction permit, BMJP-, an > application for a major modification (change COL, change frequency more than > 30 kHz) and BSTA/BLSTA-, an application for special temporary authority. > > What you get when you click on the application link is the application > itself, which often includes a full engineering narrative that explains in > detail what the application intends to do. A good example is in the KTRB app > to move from Modesto to San Francisco, which appears on the application list > as BMJP-20020910AAB. The first part of the application consists of a bunch > of form entries that are filled out by the applicant, but the meat is in the > attachments. Keep scrolling down to the section marked "exhibits," and > here's your meat - a link marked "ENGINEERING STATEMENT." > > That brings up this: > > > https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS_Attachment/getattachment.jsp?appn=100662136&qnum=5110©num=1&exhcnum=1 > > which in turn tells us this: > > "The application appended to this Statement proposes relocation of the > transmitting site of > AM Radio Station KTRB, pursuant to Commission Decision (Reference > 1800B3-TSN, > copy attached), which authorizes reassignment of community of license from > Modesto, > California to San Francisco, California. > The transmitting site proposed herein is on Jersey Island within the delta > region of the > San Joaquin River. From this site predicted signal strength over all the > City of San > Francisco will exceed the required level of 5 mV/m day and 11.01 at night. > Separate > directional radiation patterns are proposed for day and night. > As proposed, the day operation will not cause interference to nor receive > interference > from any other existing station or proposals now before the Commission. > Nighttime > operation will not increase interference to any other station beyond > presently existing > values. The interference- free contour from the re- located site is > slightly lower than > interference- free service from the presently licensed KTRB Modesto > operation." > > In KTRB's case, the proposal ended up being massively modified before the > station went on the air, so you have to keep reading through a bunch of > modified CPs to learn that the plan changed to dual-site operation (daytime > at Jersey Island/nighttime in the hills above the Sunol Grade), then to > single-site operation at the Sunol site, then back to dual-site operation > with daytime at the KFAX site in Hayward and nighttime at Sunol. > > This one is an unusually complex application; most stations have a much > shorter trail of applications, CPs and licenses that's easier to follow. > > So...the information is indeed there, if not always in the most accessible > form. > > > Second is that I asked the question from the perspective of documenting >> radio history without any regard for logging of stations. DXers would be >> interested in history to varying degrees, but the perspective may be >> radically different. The two examples I gave - as well as the one Mike >> Sanburn mentioned - really highlight two different perspectives ... the >> listener noticing two frequency changes, and the FCC noting two call >> changes. Please note that I am not at all dismissing the DXer point of >> view >> (and obviously welcome that point of view since I asked the question >> here), >> but I am trying to consider as many different perspectives as >> possible...as >> long as they hold water. >> > > I'm passionate about documenting radio history, too, of course - and to > that end I'd suggest another really useful resource. > > David Gleason has done the radio community a tremendous favor by acquiring > and scanning a nearly complete run of Broadcasting Yearbooks, White's Logs, > RADEXes and much more, which he's sharing with the world - for free - at > americanbroadcastinghistory.com. It's a great way to track information > that predates what's now in CDBS, and I use it constantly. > > > s > _______________________________________________ > IRCA mailing list > IRCA@hard-core-dx.com > http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca > > Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the > original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the > IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers > > For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org > > To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com > > _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com
