Topband: 1610 KHz AM Channel in USA

[m.r.c.]

I have observed that airport related TIS seem to be going away for lack of public interest. The one for 
LAX was decommissioned more than 10 years ago.  It takes regular daily time and effort from a duty person 
to record updates and current useful information.  The vast majority of travelers get the information on 
their cell phones and or traffic displays on their vehicular GPS device

The most neglected function in the FCC licensing process is reporting termination of use.  In a 
bureaucratic system like a county or airport management operation, they have many licenses in many 
categories, and the safest action a clerk can take is to renew all licenses unless receiving a written 
directive to notify the FCC to cancel a license.  The station itself could have been gone for a decade 
and the license is current.  They are not like broadcast licenses where non use gets a termination 
notice.

Its also likely a smaller number are operating "outside" the licensed terms - likely due to a transfer of 
responsibility for facilities that was incomplete in this respect and the license did not get renewed by 
the prior agency.

AND, so few people are listening, who is going to report that a TIS is not transmitting when it is 
supposed to?  Many TIS are not continuous transmissions,. They are only activated with there is snow or a 
fire or whatever the purpose of the TIS occurs  - and there usually isn't anyone whose job it is to 
notice if the TIS is not transmitting

If you can hear it, you probably can identify it if you listen long enough.  County road condition TIS 
may not get updated very often.  The recorded information is SUPPOSED to include the callsign every 15 
minutes or less.  you can work backwards from the specifics on the recording in many cases

study some of the "low Power" AM broadcast frequencies and see what you can hear, and select on your 
directional array, then make note of it along with time of day.  (remember that MANY AM stations make a 
radical change in power and antenna pattern at sunset/sunrise.  that is LOCAL sunset/sunrise.  5KW day 
Omni and 250W night directional is not unusual.  One station in my area is 50KW directional daytime and 
TEN WATTS directional in the opposite direction at night

what you can count on is consistency (usually).  whatever a station is required to do, they actually do 
every night/day transition

Robin WA6CDR





----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tree" <tree at kkn.net>
To: "Nick Hall-Patch" <nhp at ieee.org>
Cc: "160" <topband at contesting.com>; "Frank Donovan" <donovanf at starpower.net>
Sent: Sunday, July 05, 2020 14:49
Subject: Re: Topband: 1610 KHz AM Channel in USA


> Nick - very nice list!!
>
> However, once again, it doesn't seem to list the one near me.  Seems like
> some of these might be operating without a proper license?
>
> Tree
>
> On Sun, Jul 5, 2020 at 2:04 PM Nick Hall-Patch <nhp at ieee.org> wrote:
>
>> You might also check:
>>
>> https://www.ircaonline.org/editor_upload/File/TIS_2020.pdf
>>
>> IRCA is a MW DXers' club with a number of people
>> who actively try to receive these flea power stations.
>>
>> 73
>>
>> Nick
>> VE7DXR
>>
>>
>>
>> At 20:43 2020-07-05, donovanf at starpower.net wrote:
>>
>>
>> >Hi Hank,
>> >
>> >
>> >You can search for licensed TIS stations by state and frequency here,
>> >but just because they're licensed doesn't mean they're on the air...
>> >
>> >
>> >www.fcc.gov/media/radio/travelers-information-stations-search
>> >
>> >Callsign: WXK790 Licensee: PHOENIX, CITY OF
>> >Radio Service: Public Safety Pool, Conventional (PW)
>> >City: PHOENIX, AZ Status: Active
>> >Grant Date: 09/09/2014 Expiration: 12/06/2024
>> >Site: 1 Address: 3400 E SKY HARBOR BLVD City: PHOENIX, AZ
>> >County: MARICOPA Coordinates: 33° 26' 7.2" N, 112° 0' 30.5" W
>> >Frequency: 1.6100000 0
>> >
>> >
>> >73
>> >Frank
>> >W3LPL
>> >
>> >On Sun, Jul 5, 2020, 3:16 PM HP <pfizenmayer at q.com> wrote:
>> >
>> > > Where is the place to see active 1610 stations - I used to hear the one
>> > > for Sky Harbour A/P
>> > > here in Phoenix - but no more -hope not just further evidence of
>> > > incredible increase in noise
>> > > in last 5 years or so.
>> > >
>> > > Hank K7HP
>> > >
>> >_________________
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>> >
>> >_________________
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>>
>> Nick Hall-Patch
>> Victoria, BC
>> Canada
>>
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