Appendix AAPPENDIX A
VIR JAMES P. C.
TIMOTHY C. CUTFORTH P.E., DIRECTOR OF ENGINEERING
-BROADCAST ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS
y 965 S. IRVING ST — DENVER, CO • 80219
(303) 937-1900
Mr. Tim Orthameyer
Morrison - Maierle, Inc.
P. 0- Box 6147
Helena, Montana
Dear Mr. Orthameyer;
DI RECTIONAI_ ANTENNAS
AM - FM -TV
APPLICATIONS
PROOFS
FIELD MEASUREMENTS
AUDIO AND RF ENGINEERING
EMERGENCY REPAIR
Concerning radio station KGEZ Kalispell, Montana. Engineer
Timothy Cutforth P.E. traveled to Kalispell to inspect the
KGEZ facility to determine its present condition with the
following results:
KGEZ EQUIPMENT SERVICEABILITY
The present facilities were somewhat dated but quite solid
and in apparent good repair. The transmitter and antenna
phasor system were manufactured in about 1982 and appeared
clean and well maintained. The antenna tuning units at the
tower bases were clean and in good condition. The tower base
tuning enclosures were plywood and wood frame construction,
well painted but very basic. The towers were vintage 1954
solid rod galvanized steel guyed towers with about 25 ft of
tower freestanding above the last guy wire. The guy wires
were very large diameter and were insulated with ceramic
"Johnny ball" type insulators at appropriate intervals as
well as at the tower and the guy wire anchor points. The
antenna feedline cables, sample line cables, and electrical
wiring for the tower lights are installed elevated above the
surface in plastic pipe. In some areas trenches have been dug
and the cables are in the process of being buried. The
antenna feedlines are vintage 1982 heliax style 7/8" cable.
The antenna sample lines are 75 Ohm cable TV type 3/8"
aluminum lines. The antenna ground radials appeared to be
properly buried and in good order with the exception of some
damage adjacent to the west tower caused by recent improper
weed control methods -
Member AFCCE
-2-
The system appeared to be operating within FCC standard
tolerances and the FCC monitor points have a history of good
stability in most weather conditions.
Overall the system appeared to be in good working order and
suitable for continued use for the purpose intended.
PART 77 SURFACE PENETRATIONS
On reviewing the Kalispell City Airport Preliminary Part 77
Airspace drawing it is clear that the existing KGEZ towers
penetrate the horizontal surface for the existing runway and
the present 20:1 approach slope for the existing runway
length. The ultimate runway layout would have the KGEZ
towers penetrating these surfaces by an apparent 108 ft and
173 ft respectively.
PROPOSED REMEDIES
TOWER HEIGHT REDUCTION
Because of the large penetrations of the FAA Part 77 surfaces
a reduction of tower height of greater than 100 ft would be
required for each of the two towers. No standard tower
antenna can achieve FCC standard minimum efficiency at a
frequency of 600 kHz when shortened to the height needed to
clear the FAA designated surfaces. Standard top loading
technology to artificially extend the effective height of the
tower cannot make up for this much tower height reduction.
The Paran antenn is an alternate antenna technology to the
standard tower antenna which have already been proven to be
useable for.nondirectional AM broadcasting use but to date
none have been filed for use in a directional antenna in the
United States. I have requested the FCC staff to provide
additional guidance on whether such new technology antennas
can be reasonably authorized for use with a directional
antenna in the AM broadcast service. The FCC staff has
responded that they will license any antenna that we can show
will work. The FCC construction permit application will
however have to have a full derivation of the antenna
characteristics so it will require about double the work
of preparing a more normal application filing involving
standard towers.
VIR JAMES PC. • BROADCAST ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS. 965 S. !RWNG ST. • DENT . CO =0 i9 • PHONE I v�l �jI ;-
--3-
Construction of a Paran antenna system replacement for the
KGEZ array would require replacement of the present towers
each with•a Paran antenna consisting of four one hundred foot
tall towers located at the corners of a one hundred foot
square. The phasing system should be replaced for efficiency
in installing the new system because of the dramatic
improvements in design predictability since the old one was
built. The tuning houses will need to be replaced since they
will not be located in the right place to feed the Paran
antennas. The ground system will need to be reconfigured
around the new Paran antennas. The cables should likewise be
replaced to minimize interruption of the operation.
•The transmitter and sampling system likewise should be
duplicated to allow initial setup of the new system while the
old system remains operational. Since it will not be
necessary to purchase land this may well be the most cost
effective alternative.
The obvious costs of installing a Paran style antenna as a
replacement for the KGEZ towers and transmitting equipment:
1) 5kW transmitter $42,000
2) Antenna Phasing system $35,000
3) 100 ft towers (8 required), installed $15,000 each
4) buried radial ground system with installation
approx 98,000 ft of wire $23,000
5) control, lighting, RF and monitoring cables
comparable to present layout $45,000
6) RF Monitoring and audio processing equipment $25,000
RELOCATION OF TOWERS
The FCC requires that any relocation of the KGEZ towers be
such that the city'of Kalispell receives a specific defined
signal strength for daytime and nighttime. Because of the
greater daytime power and the high level of interference in
the nighttime, the nighttime city grade coverage requirement
is the most difficult to meet of the two. Anywhere the
nighttime system can provide city grade quality signal over
Kalispell, the daytime system will most certainly meet the
requirements. Therefore I have prepared an allowable site
area map showing where the present nighttime system could be
relocated to meet the FCC city grade coverage requirement for
nighttime. That map is attached as Exhibit E-6B.
I/IR JAMES P.C. • BROADCAST ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS • SF-5 5. #RVING ST. • DENVER. CO 0219 • PHONE !3C3%!
-4-
The siting requirements for an Am directional array include
adequate land to include the buried ground system around each
tower with level land where the tower bases can be
constructed within 10 ft of the same vertical elevation.
Three phase power should be available nearby. A minimum
tower siting land requirement for the present directional
array is attached as Exhibit E--7.
Radio station operations cannot be practically interrupted to
move the existing equipment so it will be necessary to
duplicate the facility to move it without extensive
interruption of the daily broadcast schedule. Costs for
-relocation will include land acquisition, site preparation,
installation of utilities, and duplication of the transmitter
building, transmitting towers and transmitting equipment at
the new site. The obvious costs are estimated below for
basic replacement of the KGEZ towers and transmitting
equipment:
1) 5kW transmitter $42,000
2) Antenna Phasing system $24,000
3) 320 ft towers with lighting, installed $43,000 each
4) buried radial ground system with installation
approx 58,000 ft of wire $23,000
5) control, lighting, RF and monitoring cables
to match present layout $45,000
6) RF Monitoring and audio processing equipment $25,000
SITE SHARING
It may be possible to relocate the KGEZ towers to share an
existing tower site around the Kalispell area. This is known
as diplexing. It will be necessary for the existing tower
site to be within the allowable site areas shown in Exhibit
E-6B. It will also be necessary to have enough land to
accomodate the full ground system and the second tower as
shown in Exhibit E-7. Tower heights need to be near the
present 320 ft. to meet FCC minimum efficiency standards.
Costs for diplexing equipment will vary widely with the
height of the existing tower, the power of the existing
broadcast station:, and the operating frequency of the
existing station at the shared tower location. The diplexing
equipment costs alone might well vary from $15,000 for the
simplest low power station as the host to over $100,000 for a
higher power multitower host station.
VIR JAMES P.C. • BROADCAST ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS • 9c5 S. IRVING ST • DE,`JVER. GC =;D219 • PHONE 3L3) 93+-19CO
--5-
Although nonbroadcast towers might be theoretically useable
for such shared use it is rare that nonbroadcast tower owners
are interested in renting to an AM broadcast station.
Costs of duplication of the KGEZ transmitting facilities
would be similar to simple relocation with the exception of
not requiring construction of one of the towers.
OTHER COSTS
For all options there will be local installation costs,
-permitting costs, FCC filing fees, and required engineering
reports for the FCC application to move and the FCC
application for license after the new facility is constructed
and proved out to meet FCC standards.
I_c
The present KGEZ transmitting plant is suitable forcontinued
use for broadcasting but the existing towers are too tall to
remain in use as is at the present location if the 'Kalispell
airport is to be expanded. The presently available options
are to change the KGEZ facility to Paran type towers, or to
move the KGEZ facility to a new location either colocated
with an existing tower or to a new location on its own. A
more complete cost analysis will be necessary to closely
estimate the total costs of moving KGEZ. Such analysis will
require additional knowledge of the potential sites for such
a move and if to a shared tower location knowledge of the
specific use of the existing tower at the shared site.
Respectfully submitted,
D i, C
Timothy C. Cutforth P.E.
July 30, 1998
�IR JAMES P.C. • BROADCAST ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS • 965 S. IRVING ST • GENVE9. Co 5J2,9 - PHONE 937-"900
EXHEBiT E- 7
PLAT OF TOWER SITE
PROPOSED KGEZ
500 kHz 5 kW-D I kW N DA 2
YALISP= MONTANA
NLY 1998
' � .JT •VJ lll.t 1. +!
V1R J"KS P. C.
TSYOTNY C. CUT/OR7H i.E, OtRECTOR OF iNO1NEEF"a
BROADCAST ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS
965 S. IRVING ST. • SEWER, CO 80219
{303I 937-1900 • (800) 7794198