Pattern for FM Profits:

6: TRANSMITTERS
Planning, Construction, and Equipment for Rural Radio Network,
A Regional System Operated Without the Use of Wire Lines

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Two years have moved over the horizon of New York’s hills since the technical planning of the Rural Radio Network first started to take form. Now. with our six stations operating, I can say that this has been one of those dream jobs of the sort that every engineer hopes to do at some time in his career.

On this project, the engineers were in at the start, instead of being called upon to find a way to make the system work in spite of the way it had been set up, we took part in the initial planning. Now, with the system in operation, there is no conflict between management objectives and policies and the engineering and operation of the system.

Here, then, is the first example of an idealistic plan for providing primary-coverage radio signals to rural listeners, where table-talk progressed to the planning board and finally into execution in the form of a highly integrated regional network. Looking back on what has been accomplished, we can see that the technical work was just as much a pioneer broadcasting job as the organization, promotion, and programming.

With our prospective listeners scattered throughout New York State, and because our primary objective was to deliver a quality signal free of fading, interference and static, AM was out of the question. Even if the frequencies had been available, and they weren’t, AM would not provide the required quality of reception. Another vital consideration was the absolute need in the type of operation we were planning to have consistent, day-and-night coverage, and dependable service under extreme weather conditions which might cut off our listeners from all other sources of outside information.

So Rural Radio Network went FM. In fact, it was decided that RRN would go FM all the way, thus eliminating all wire-line interconnections. This decision defined the choice of transmitter locations, for it was necessary to choose sites that would give 1) maximum broadcast service areas, and 2) line-of-sight communications between adjacent stations. Thus it has come about that RRN is the first all-radio, no-line network in the world.

The practical reason for planning operation without wires was that, in rural areas, existing telephone facilities are generally limited to party lines. Obviously, such service is inadequate for broadcast station purposes. Then, too, the result of picking transmitter sites by topographical considerations was to spot our stations at points far remote from telephone lines. Linking the network by lines would have been prohibitively expensive for both installation and rental, while FM networking represented a substantial economy that could be reflected in operating costs and rates to advertisers.

Distances between stations and the frequency assignments are as follows, starting at the western end of the system:
WFNF Wethersfield 107.7 mc. elevation:2040' 46 miles to;
WVBT Bristol Center 101.9 mc. elevation: 2140' 46 miles to;
WYFC Ithaca 93.1 mc. elevation: 2095' 52 miles to;
WVCN De Ruyter 105.1 mc. elevation: 2003' 56 miles to;
WVCV Cherry Valley 101.9 mc. elevation:2250' 72 miles to;
WVBN Turin 107.7 mc. elevation:2080' 75 miles to;
WSLB Ogdensburg 106.1 mc.

All networking to these stations is by radio, including our Ogdensburg affiliate WSLB, but affiliate WGHF New York City is connected to the Ithaca studio by wire line, over a distance of approximately 170 miles.

The actual construction of the transmitter buildings and the erection of the antennas involved some real headaches. Each site was at an elevation of more than 2,000 ft. In most cases, there were neither roads nor utilities. Construction would have been difficult enough in the summer and fall, but we could not start the work until October 15, 1947, following the granting of our CP’s by the FCC. So, in addition to facing the usual hazards, we had to contend with extreme winter cold and deep snow, as well as the mud which developed during the spring thaw. Nevertheless, five of the stations were on the air in June, 1948, and the sixth, although delayed by wintertime difficulties, was ready two months later.

One of our prime needs during the period of construction was dependable communications between each site, our Ithaca headquarters, and our four jeep field vehicles. Even now that we have telephone service, some of the stations are number 15 on rural party lines. But at the beginning, with no phone connections at all, we were confronted with the problem of getting things done without an incredibly expensive waste of time.

Once again, the answer was radio, in the form of an intercom system that very successfully coordinated the movement of the jeeps and tractors with activities at the separate sites and the main office.

Within the protection of tarpaper and tarpaulins held against the wind by slats, foundations were dug and the shell of the building erected. When the work had progressed, with the windows and doors in place and heating equipment installed, the outer wraps were removed.

As for our faithful jeeps, we now use them for transporting trouble-shooters and maintenance crews. While the space available is small, we found room for the speaker on the dashboard,and tucked the transmitter-receiver at the side, behind the right hand seat. Thus, by radio, the jeeps are always within reach wherever an engineer or a spare part is needed in a hurry.

All six stations are identical in design. The buildings are of cinder-block construction, with wood frames and shingle roofs. Each has a 100-ft. steel tower supporting a 4-section RCA Pylon antenna. In addition, there is a wooden tower and platform for the special antennas to be described later. The communications antenna is mounted separately on a wooden pole.

Each building has garage space for two vehicles and storage room for replacement equipment and the usual gear needed at a transmitter. There are living quarters and a kitchen for the crew, studio facilities for local programming, dual turntables, and a 250-watt General Electric FM transmitter. The latter, with the antenna gain provided, delivers 1.3 kw. effective radiation.

At five of the stations there are 15-kw. gasoline-driven emergency power plants, with automatic switching that goes into action if the commercial power fails. Turin, however, generates its own power, and has duplicate 15-kw. Diesel units. Also, since egress is frequently impossible during the winter, Turin has storage tanks holding 12,000 gallons of oil for power and heating.

Because our stations are located advantageously for collecting local weather data, each has a set of meteorological instruments. Some of the indicators are set up on the transmitter racks.

While programs can be originated at any station in the net and distributed to all the others, our master control point and main studios are located in Ithaca. Programs are fed from that point to station WVFC on Connecticut Hill, a distance of 9.5 miles, by an ST transmitter operating on 940.5 mc. This is a G.E. installation. The output of the ST receiver is fed through the control console at the station, and into the FM transmitter. This makes a very simple system.

The radio repeating system for network operation is simple in design and highly satisfactory in operation. Two Hoisington 16 element directional receiving antennas are used at each intermediate station, and one at the extreme east and west stations. Each antenna faces its respective adjacent station in the net, and is connected to an REL relay receiver.

If, for example, a program originates at the western extremity, all stations to the east use their west-side antennas and receivers to feed their broadcast transmitters. Or, if the program starts at the other end, they use their east-side antennas and receivers.

The antennas, mounted on the wooden tower, are all-weather design, producing a gain of 34 db. Measurements are made daily over the network to maintain a distortion standard of 1% or less, and a signal-to-noise ratio of 60 db or better.

It is interesting to note that only four different frequencies are used at the six stations of the basic network. Wethersfield and Turin, approximately 160 miles apart, operate on 107.7 mc., while Bristol Center and Cherry Valley, separated by 140 miles, operate on 101.9 mc. Afliliate station WGHF New York City is also on 101.9 mc. It is about 220 miles from Bristol Center and 150 miles from Cherry Valley.

A very important part of our equipment is the nemo unit, hauled by a jeep with 4-wheel drive, it has a 150 watt transmitter operating on 152.75 mc.

Commercial power is used on location if available. Otherwise, we operate from a 3-kw. generator driven by a gasoline engine. The nemo unit carries a high-quality wire recorder for program material not used for live transmission.

The antenna is a 40-ft. collapsible rig that gives us a dependable operating range of 50 miles. Thanks to the fact that programs can be fed to any one of the six stations for broadcasting over the entire network, the 50-mile range is adequate for all requirements. In case of special events in the very northern part of the State, we can work through our Ogdensburg affiliate, WSLB.

This concludes the story of the Rural Radio Network, the first system of its kind in the world and, from the engineers’ point of view, one of the most interesting ever conceived.

FM and Television/September, 1948 Donald K. DeNeuf/Chief Engineer, Rural Radio Network, Ithica, NY