Skywave wrote:

These last pictures are of the original "tower" built in 1954. The tower just dismantled was built in 1960 when CHCH disafilliated from CBC to become independent.
The 1954 installation is based on a unique Canadian design, the Wavestack,  by RCA in Montreal.  The "tower" was actually steel pipe, which had a paddle probe at the bottom to excite it as a waveguide.  At the top, the cylinder had resonant slots cut into it to give skull-shaped pattern.   
When colour TV arrived, the bandwidth of the cylindrical waveguide was inadequate at the higher frequencies where the colour subcarrier information existed, so coaxial cable was retrofitted to the outside of the cylinder, and connected to the slotted antenna at the top.
RCA made these antennas for the entire VHF band.  The Channel 4 version (Sydney, Nova Scotia) was about three feet in diameter.
The Wavestack Antenna – The History of Canadian Broadcasting (broadcasting-history.ca)
 

Great info - I also remember the RCA Turnstile antennas "batwings" used for low band VHF - CKVR used one.

I always thought it was the "music programmer" or whatever they call their job title that puts it together.  CHUM's is asleep at the wheel. Mix that stuff up already!

Any updates with how this is going?  I believe its going to be up and running in May 2024. 

Radiowiz wrote:

paterson1 wrote:

Tomas Barlow wrote:

Once every ten minutes is too little for you?  So you don't want any songs back to back?

Everytime he did a break he didn't go to commercials.  And he also spoke over some intros of songs so he had lots of songs back to back. When I heard him, it was a bit closer to what he did years ago on CFTR. 

So he's hitting posts well. Good to know, but also expected from someone in the biz for many many years. 
It does surprise me that he's not on CHUM or Virgin (better for CHUM) to cover his voice in the Toronto market.

Bell Media would just get rid of him in the end anyways. 

Oh wow its happening and by May 2024 the document I believe said it is to be complete and has been worked on since 2020?  This must be quite the feat.  Are they bringing equipment up thru the skypod and up the ladder? 

paterson1 wrote:

Does anyone listen to any of the Stingray music services?  I hear them in a few businesses in town and they sound pretty good.  They even play some cancon, heard Ten Pound Note by Steel River in a restaurant a few months back on one of their retro stations. 

I love the Stingray stuff and its literally free on their app.   Their Stingray Retro music video channel is fun to watch. 

RadioActive wrote:

markow202 wrote:

RadioActive wrote:

My new car came without an option for SiriusXM or a test period, and although I think the radio operating system in it (beware of Mazda 3s!) is horrible, I'm grateful for the lack of the satellite option. There was no way I would ever subscribe to this service, but like Forward Power, I've heard they never stop bugging you to renew. Who needs the constant huckstering and hassles?

Love the Mazda 3! 

So do (did?) I, having had three of them over the years. The old kind made it easy - six AM choices and 12 FM on the radio, with a tuning and a volume knob. You could change stations or tune manually without ever looking at the radio. 


Not with the new kind. True, it has a "favourites" screen where you can pick the stations you like, but forget manual tuning while you're behind the wheel. To get to that particular menu takes so long and so many screens, you'd definitely have an accident if you tried it in traffic. Plus they have this round "Commander" joystick that is very awkward and the number of menus you have to go through and then click through to get to where you want is absolutely absurd.

So I agree with you on the Mazda 3s - of old. The new ones are a nightmare, A classic case of improving something so much, you made it almost unusable. I find it happens a lot these days.

I still have the older one (2013) bought new and yes it has the older school radio with the knob and center tuning knob.   Reception is decent.   I think all the newer cars have the same menu touchscreen stuff so its not just Mazda.  Actually from what ive seen, the Mazda one is still the one thats nicely put together let alone the car itself.  Its great and fun. 

However in the car rarely listen to radio itself its mostly my streamed music. 

RadioActive wrote:

My new car came without an option for SiriusXM or a test period, and although I think the radio operating system in it (beware of Mazda 3s!) is horrible, I'm grateful for the lack of the satellite option. There was no way I would ever subscribe to this service, but like Forward Power, I've heard they never stop bugging you to renew. Who needs the constant huckstering and hassles?

Love the Mazda 3! 

Whats the name of the documentary? 299 Queen St w?

mic'em wrote:

There is also a 107.5 FM station in Barrie. I am not aware of how far their signal reaches south , I do know Rock 95 can be heard into the north of the GTA . https://1075koolfm.com/

Both 107.5 from Barrie and Rock 95 are directional and fade once south of Steeles Ave meanwhile 93.1 booms into the city. 

I discovered the station two summers ago scanning somehow my golf kart radio one day on the AM band searching for 680 and came up some good oldies, this was across in the Midland area. 

I wouldn't get the signal anymore if they do this conversion.