As the LBA Antenna Turns

In 1974, WTAW (now KZNE) in Bryan – College Station, Texas – home of the Texas Aggies – was 50 years old, an original Texas radio station!

For all its years, it had remained a single tower 1000 watt daytime station on 1150 kHz. That was, until owner Rodger (Bill) Watkins resolved to increase coverage and add night operation. There were multiple problems to surmount including a very small site, bad location for city coverage, and seemingly impossible protections to other stations. In fact, his then consulting engineer said it couldn’t be done.

Bill contacted Lawrence Behr Associates, Inc. (LBA). Lawrence Behr and his engineering staff, pioneering users of computer antenna design, concluded that it could be done with careful engineering and careful construction. LBA was retained for the project engineering and construction management, and by 1976, the new facilities were on the air!

Bill is now retired from radio, and he and Lawrence have become close friends over the subsequent years. This past October, the two friends visited in College Station and returned to the WTAW (now KZNE) site where the directional system is still in great shape and working with the original equipment designed and installed by Behr 33 years go!

The snapshot shows one of the LBA Technology TuniPole™ folded unipoles installed on a very short tower in the three tower directional antenna.  Among the unique features of this antennas system is the use of folded unipoles on all three towers, two of the towers about 45 degrees high and closely spaced, and a site under five acres.

After 45 years, LBA still performs challenging broadcast system designs and fabricates AM antenna systems of all types for installation worldwide. Contact us to help on your project via email or call 252-757-0279.

The FCC has released two free map books showing in detail the impact of the digital conversion on every US TV station. Most stations come out winners, with 89% gaining net coverage, and 11% losing.

Stations losing coverage area can regain it using several methods, according to the FCC. Options include changing channels or antenna patterns, translators within a single frequency distributed transmission system (DTS), or conventional translators and fill in stations.

The FCC study doesn’t take into account cable TV carriage or existing translators. The Commission has pledged every resource to help stations mitigate coverage loss. It also released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to create a replacement digital translator service for full service stations. STA’s will be available while the rulemaking is pending.

Providing optimum digital TV signals through the transmission chain, including translators and cable systems will be a high priority for broadcasters. The Kathrein MSK-200, available through LBA, is a premier instrument for analyzing the entire digital signal path. Contact Paulo Fernandes to discuss your transport stream and RF monitoring needs.

The map book of all TV station coverage changes is at http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/, and that of stations only loosing coverage is at http://www.fcc.gov/dtv/markets/report2.html.

A member of the Broadcast Pioneers, Bill Roberson was indeed a pioneering figure in North Carolina broadcasting. His roots ran first to AM radio WRRF in Washington, NC in 1942, and WRRZ, Clinton, in 1943. Then he founded the first Eastern North Carolina television station WITN, Channel 7 in 1955, followed by powerhouse WITN-FM!

Bill was more than a broadcaster. He gave freely of himself in public service, serving as a NC state representative and NC Secretary of Transportation. He and his wife were champions of the arts, and he established an endowment at the NC Museum of Art in her memory.

Bill was responsible for a couple of generations of managers, talent, and technical people, many who went on to populate the networks and major broadcast outlets far beyond their Eastern Carolina origins.

Bill touched me as a young man as well, and now my wife and I have been honored to call him our next door neighbor for the past ten years. I shared a drink with Bill on New Years Eve. He proclaimed “to another year!”

Well, Bill made that “another year” – 2009. Regrettably, he will not see it through, as he passed away gently on the morning of January 3rd at 90 years of age.

One of the delights of this great Tar Heel gentleman was the sunset over the Tar River in front of his home. So this sunset is for you, old friend – and if you look carefully, you can see your tower lights just coming on!

Lawrence Behr