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Progress ReportMt. Soledad Community Antenna Project Moving AlongGary Stigall, CSTE Here's a photo of the FM combiner project at the Midwest Television transmitter site on Mount Soledad in San Diego. In the foreground, the KFMB-DT transmitter. In the ceiling behind the transmitter are the 84 black painted aluminum FM cavities, each 14" x 14" x 48", making up the combiner. The combiner, custom made by Dielectric Communications of Maine, consists of tuned station input ports, each fed by a transmitter and inline filters consisting of between eight and ten reject notch cavities, depending on spacing to neighboring frequencies. At the output of the combiner, a split is made to two four-inch hardlines that will feed redundant antennas on the tower. Each "station module" occupies about 9' x 4' x 4', and weighs about 900 pounds. KFMB will start operation with six tuned modules with the capability of expanding to nine tuned modules. The assembly sits on steel channel hanging from the ceiling with a carefully distributed total load of 10,000 pounds.
Since KFMB-FM must sacrifice its old antenna on the main tower in favor of the new one, it will be the first to move. Jefferson-Pilot's KBZT 94.9 and KIFM 98.1 MHz will soon follow. KBZT is the first to move from another site, in this case the KGTV site across the street. Tenants KIOZ and KYXY are in negotiations. As reported before, it was deemed desirable to add KPBS to the site, but their frequency was too far from the pack to make it technically feasible. Midwest has gutted the interior of the original 1949 studio/transmitter building to make room for tenant FM transmitters. RF Supervisor Rick Bosscher says he hopes to have the first signals on the community antenna by late April. |
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