Red Wave Radio

by **Ron Hardi** » Tue, 21 Aug 2001 23:07:04

WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio is again off frequency, at 1269.92, making
a mess of 1270 but offering the opportunity to pick them up by
detecting a carrier there (much easier than detecting voice).

They were off frequency the same way in March; I wonder why that
happens. Once you've got the right crystal I don't see how it changes.

An engineer is expected in at 2pm, according to the receptionist.
Phone in glowing reception reports to 740 432 5605 to make an
impression on her, if you hear them.
--
Ron Hardin

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Michae** » Wed, 22 Aug 2001 08:38:20

Quote:> WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio is again off frequency, at 1269.92, making
> a mess of 1270 but offering the opportunity to pick them up by
> detecting a carrier there (much easier than detecting voice).

> They were off frequency the same way in March; I wonder why that
> happens. Once you've got the right crystal I don't see how it changes.

> An engineer is expected in at 2pm, according to the receptionist.
> Phone in glowing reception reports to 740 432 5605 to make an
> impression on her, if you hear them.

Hmmm...interesting Ron. I worked at WILE many years ago.

If some of the same management team is still in place, and if they're
having the phone ring off the hook with glowing reports, they'll slide it
down to about 1266 or so probably.

The engineer back then was a good guy tho. Any chance you caught his
(or her) name? I haven't kept in touch and was just curious who's
there now.

Regards,
Michael

by **Ron Hardi** » Wed, 22 Aug 2001 09:33:00

> Hmmm...interesting Ron. I worked at WILE many years ago.

> If some of the same management team is still in place, and if they're
> having the phone ring off the hook with glowing reports, they'll slide it
> down to about 1266 or so probably.

> The engineer back then was a good guy tho. Any chance you caught his
> (or her) name? I haven't kept in touch and was just curious who's
> there now.

No, the phone answerer didn't volunteer any information, though country
manners would have suggested doing so. Give her a call and ask. It's still
Ohio out there.
--
Ron Hardin

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Jeff** » Wed, 22 Aug 2001 10:24:57

I never worked at WILE but visited numorous times and had the rare
opportunity to help the part time engineer at the time, John McCance
do a proof of performance. It was quite an experience! I was going
to college at Muskingum College at the time and was introduced to
commercial broadcasting for the first time. It was where I learned
how to calculate complex formulas to work a Smith Chart and enjoyed
it.

I did call the number and talked to the receptionist who seemed
bewildered that the transmitter might be off frequency. I did tell
her to give John M. my message and she said she will when he comes in.
It looks like John is still there helping out. I left him my work
phone number and e-mail address and hopes he replies with some info.

Jeff Y.

>WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio is again off frequency, at 1269.92, making
>a mess of 1270 but offering the opportunity to pick them up by
>detecting a carrier there (much easier than detecting voice).

>They were off frequency the same way in March; I wonder why that
>happens. Once you've got the right crystal I don't see how it changes.

>An engineer is expected in at 2pm, according to the receptionist.
>Phone in glowing reception reports to 740 432 5605 to make an
>impression on her, if you hear them.
>--
>Ron Hardin

>On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Ron Hardi** » Wed, 22 Aug 2001 23:16:15

> I never worked at WILE but visited numorous times and had the rare
> opportunity to help the part time engineer at the time, John McCance
> do a proof of performance. It was quite an experience! I was going
> to college at Muskingum College at the time and was introduced to
> commercial broadcasting for the first time. It was where I learned
> how to calculate complex formulas to work a Smith Chart and enjoyed
> it.

> I did call the number and talked to the receptionist who seemed
> bewildered that the transmitter might be off frequency. I did tell
> her to give John M. my message and she said she will when he comes in.
> It looks like John is still there helping out. I left him my work
> phone number and e-mail address and hopes he replies with some info.

> Jeff Y.

> >WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio is again off frequency, at 1269.92, making
> >a mess of 1270 but offering the opportunity to pick them up by
> >detecting a carrier there (much easier than detecting voice).

> >They were off frequency the same way in March; I wonder why that
> >happens. Once you've got the right crystal I don't see how it changes.

> >An engineer is expected in at 2pm, according to the receptionist.
> >Phone in glowing reception reports to 740 432 5605 to make an
> >impression on her, if you hear them.

They're still off frequency today, so you can still call him and
have interesting information.

It's a little mysterious - there's a carrier at 1269.96 but they have
audio definitely referenced to a zero frequency at 1269.92.

That would put the upper sidebands in exactly the right place, 1270,
but the lower sideband and carrier way off.

I have to make a wild guess, that they're modulating the audio with
400 Hz inadvertantly, and adjusting the transmitter frequency to
get the upper 400 Hz sideband pair in the right place.

If I null away WUCO 1270 which is more local to me yet, I can hear
WILE audio on 1270 as well as at 1269.92 (detecting it as SSB).
--
Ron Hardin

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Michae** » Thu, 23 Aug 2001 09:20:36

>> I never worked at WILE but visited numorous times and had the rare
>> opportunity to help the part time engineer at the time, John McCance
>> do a proof of performance. It was quite an experience! I was going
>> to college at Muskingum College at the time and was introduced to
>> commercial broadcasting for the first time. It was where I learned
>> how to calculate complex formulas to work a Smith Chart and enjoyed it.

>> I did call the number and talked to the receptionist who seemed
>> bewildered that the transmitter might be off frequency. I did tell
>> her to give John M. my message and she said she will when he comes in.
>> It looks like John is still there helping out. I left him my work
>> phone number and e-mail address and hopes he replies with some info.

>> Jeff Y.

Yeah, John McCance was the CE when I was there. Big John was a heck
of a guy. Always went out of his way to help folks who wanted to
learn radio and engineering.

He's just 'part-time' now?? Must be easing into an early retirement
or something.

I recall one night - a bitterly cold winter night - near the FM's midnight
signoff the xmtr readings went to Argentina.

The coax snapped at the top of the tower - there was John at nearly 1am
208 feet up in the air working on the situation with the wind howling and
the wind chills well below zero. He's a better man than I!!

If you should happen to talk with him, tell him 'Big Mike' said hello,
if you would be so kind!!

Thanks Jeff :)

Best regards and thanks for sharing the story!

Michael

by **Jeff** » Thu, 23 Aug 2001 09:36:32

I'll have to copy the info and pass it along when I hear from John.

On Tue, 21 Aug 2001 10:16:15 -0400, Ron Hardin

>> I never worked at WILE but visited numorous times and had the rare
>> opportunity to help the part time engineer at the time, John McCance
>> do a proof of performance. It was quite an experience! I was going
>> to college at Muskingum College at the time and was introduced to
>> commercial broadcasting for the first time. It was where I learned
>> how to calculate complex formulas to work a Smith Chart and enjoyed
>> it.

>> I did call the number and talked to the receptionist who seemed
>> bewildered that the transmitter might be off frequency. I did tell
>> her to give John M. my message and she said she will when he comes in.
>> It looks like John is still there helping out. I left him my work
>> phone number and e-mail address and hopes he replies with some info.

>> Jeff Y.

>> >WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio is again off frequency, at 1269.92, making
>> >a mess of 1270 but offering the opportunity to pick them up by
>> >detecting a carrier there (much easier than detecting voice).

>> >They were off frequency the same way in March; I wonder why that
>> >happens. Once you've got the right crystal I don't see how it changes.

>> >An engineer is expected in at 2pm, according to the receptionist.
>> >Phone in glowing reception reports to 740 432 5605 to make an
>> >impression on her, if you hear them.

>They're still off frequency today, so you can still call him and
>have interesting information.

>It's a little mysterious - there's a carrier at 1269.96 but they have
>audio definitely referenced to a zero frequency at 1269.92.

>That would put the upper sidebands in exactly the right place, 1270,
>but the lower sideband and carrier way off.

>I have to make a wild guess, that they're modulating the audio with
>400 Hz inadvertantly, and adjusting the transmitter frequency to
>get the upper 400 Hz sideband pair in the right place.

>If I null away WUCO 1270 which is more local to me yet, I can hear
>WILE audio on 1270 as well as at 1269.92 (detecting it as SSB).
>--
>Ron Hardin

>On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Ron Hardi** » Thu, 23 Aug 2001 09:49:27

> I'll have to copy the info and pass it along when I hear from John.

I'm no longer sure of my theory, but they are in fact at 1269.92

That's 80 Hz low not 800 Hz as I was thinking, so the supposed
carrier at 1296.96 can be explained otherwise (namely when I'm
above it I hear WILE's carrier at 1296.92, and when I'm below it
I hear WUCO's carrier at 1270.00, and there's a sort of audio cutoff
that acts as a zero-beat-effect at 1296.96, misleading me).

So just say they're at 1269.92, 80 Hz low, and skip my ponderings
on why.
--
Ron Hardin

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Jeff** » Thu, 23 Aug 2001 11:55:11

I can't say if he is part time or if he ever was full time. I do know
he contracted out his work and always did a fantastic job on anything
he did. But whatever the situation, he was then, is probably still is
now, a character. Always had a fun time around him. When I do get a
hold of him, I'll let him know you said hello.

Jeff Y.
On Wed, 22 Aug 2001 00:20:36 GMT, Michael

>>> I never worked at WILE but visited numorous times and had the rare
>>> opportunity to help the part time engineer at the time, John McCance
>>> do a proof of performance. It was quite an experience! I was going
>>> to college at Muskingum College at the time and was introduced to
>>> commercial broadcasting for the first time. It was where I learned
>>> how to calculate complex formulas to work a Smith Chart and enjoyed it.

>>> I did call the number and talked to the receptionist who seemed
>>> bewildered that the transmitter might be off frequency. I did tell
>>> her to give John M. my message and she said she will when he comes in.
>>> It looks like John is still there helping out. I left him my work
>>> phone number and e-mail address and hopes he replies with some info.

>>> Jeff Y.

>Yeah, John McCance was the CE when I was there. Big John was a heck
>of a guy. Always went out of his way to help folks who wanted to
>learn radio and engineering.

>He's just 'part-time' now?? Must be easing into an early retirement
>or something.

>I recall one night - a bitterly cold winter night - near the FM's midnight
>signoff the xmtr readings went to Argentina.

>The coax snapped at the top of the tower - there was John at nearly 1am
>208 feet up in the air working on the situation with the wind howling and
>the wind chills well below zero. He's a better man than I!!

>If you should happen to talk with him, tell him 'Big Mike' said hello,
>if you would be so kind!!

>Thanks Jeff :)

>Best regards and thanks for sharing the story!

>Michael

by **Ron Hardi** » Thu, 23 Aug 2001 23:20:30

> So just say they're at 1269.92, 80 Hz low, and skip my ponderings
> on why.

WILE 1270 is back on the correct frequency this morning.
--
Ron Hardin

On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Jeff** » Fri, 24 Aug 2001 10:22:00

As stated by Ron, WILE is back on frequency this morning, 8/22/01. I
did manage to get a hold of John McCance and told him about the posts
and he checked into the problem. It turned out to be a tube in the
oscillator section of the transmitter. Replaced it and is doing well.

For Ron Hardin and Mike, the two gentlemen I'm corresponding with in
these posts, I'm curious to know where your located. I'm about 25
miles south of Pittsburgh in Belle Vernon.

Jeff Y.

>WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio is again off frequency, at 1269.92, making
>a mess of 1270 but offering the opportunity to pick them up by
>detecting a carrier there (much easier than detecting voice).

>They were off frequency the same way in March; I wonder why that
>happens. Once you've got the right crystal I don't see how it changes.

>An engineer is expected in at 2pm, according to the receptionist.
>Phone in glowing reception reports to 740 432 5605 to make an
>impression on her, if you hear them.
>--
>Ron Hardin

>On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **lpptj** » Sat, 25 Aug 2001 00:23:18

Hi Jeff Y! I live in New Orleans, LA now ( for the past 4 years), but I grew
up in New Eagle/Monongahela, PA! It's not too often I run into another
Valley boy or girl on the Internet. This has nothing to do with radio or
WILE, of course, but I just wanted to say hello to an old "neighbor". I have
the good fortune to be able to fly back up and visit every few months- 4-5
times a year. My first year living here I was so homesick that I flew up 6
times! The Valley will always be home to me...My favorite stations are
Channel 97 and 'DVE. I was there last month and was glad to see they are
still going strong. I was very upset by the WESA/Froggy thing- I guess it's
not WESA anymore- they have some other callsign now. Are they still
simulcasting that "Froggy" format baloney? WESA was nice and local, and I
have many friends and acquaintances who advertised their businesses ( such
as Hitch's Hut in Mon City) on the station all the time.

Anyhow, just wanted to say hello ( I even got a little on-topic radio talk
in there!) If you'd like to reply privately, please feel free to do so. My

Belle Vernon area Pritchards, some of whom I understand are less than
upstanding citizens. Perhaps we can meet on my next trip back ( probably
sometime in mid to late October). I graduated from Ringgold in 1980. Some of
my favorite football games in those days were against the arch-rival Leps.
Maybe we know some of the same people. Anyway, it's great to see another Mon
Valley radio nut here on Usenet! Hope to hear from you.

Cordially (Live From New Orleans),

Larry Pritchard

> As stated by Ron, WILE is back on frequency this morning, 8/22/01. I
> did manage to get a hold of John McCance and told him about the posts
> and he checked into the problem. It turned out to be a tube in the
> oscillator section of the transmitter. Replaced it and is doing well.

> For Ron Hardin and Mike, the two gentlemen I'm corresponding with in
> these posts, I'm curious to know where your located. I'm about 25
> miles south of Pittsburgh in Belle Vernon.

> Jeff Y.

> >WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio is again off frequency, at 1269.92, making
> >a mess of 1270 but offering the opportunity to pick them up by
> >detecting a carrier there (much easier than detecting voice).

> >They were off frequency the same way in March; I wonder why that
> >happens. Once you've got the right crystal I don't see how it changes.

> >An engineer is expected in at 2pm, according to the receptionist.
> >Phone in glowing reception reports to 740 432 5605 to make an
> >impression on her, if you hear them.
> >--
> >Ron Hardin

> >On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

by **Michae** » Sat, 25 Aug 2001 19:09:55

Quote:> As stated by Ron, WILE is back on frequency this morning, 8/22/01. I
> did manage to get a hold of John McCance and told him about the posts
> and he checked into the problem. It turned out to be a tube in the
> oscillator section of the transmitter. Replaced it and is doing well.

> For Ron Hardin and Mike, the two gentlemen I'm corresponding with in
> these posts, I'm curious to know where your located. I'm about 25
> miles south of Pittsburgh in Belle Vernon.

> Jeff Y.

I tuned in here and all seems to be smack dab on frequency once again.

Jeff, I'm in Canton, OH. Used to live pretty close to you a few years
back, tho. Over in Canonsburg. Worked at Vitac - the firm that does
closed captioning for many tv shows.

Loved the area and really miss it!

Had a chance to at least visit a couple times this year to see the
new PNC Park and actually saw the Pirates WIN!! A rarity.

And, to keep it radio-oriented, that KDKA really puts a great signal
throughout much of America!!

Best regards Jeff,
Michael

Red Wave Radio

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency

Daytime DX opportunity WILE 1270 Cambridge Ohio off frequency