low-power Lexington TV station with such a poor signal that it often can't be viewed has been sold to a global Christian network.
WBLU-62 was among a group of 16 stations that Daystar Television purchased for $7.4 million from bankrupt former owner Equity Media Holdings.
Arnold Torres, Daystar's business administrator, said the company plans to convert WBLU's analog signal into digital so it can be viewed more easily. Low-powered stations were not required under federal law to convert from analog to digital, but now might struggle to find viewers in the digital world.
http://www.kentucky.com/101/story/799327.html
WBLU was destined to have a poor signal because about half of its antenna, on the 200' Fifth Third (Webb) building in downtown Lexington, is shielded by the metal-faced wall around the roof. The building beacons are mounted on the roof, and therefore nothing can protrude significantly above them.
ReplyDeleteThe antenna has a theoretically high gain tied to a 5 KW Acrodyne transmitter (150 KW ERP if memory serves) but little goes near the intended vertical pattern because of shielding.
The transmitter has 64 final transistors, and at any time rarely are more than 48 functional. Five (yes, five) of the four 28 Volt power supplies have failed, that I replaced. Despite designer claims to me, the transmitter cannot manage 5 KW at such a high channel.
When owned by the Smiths and Powlys, there was a CP for channel 10 (maybe 8)but I see that no longer exists in the FCC database. On the (existing) TV tower they intended, the coverage would have been realistic.
Even on 62, I received a clean signal at the Frankfort Plant Board head end with a 4' broadband yagi on a tripod. A high VHF would make this a useful station.