1 of 1- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline 
CKTB Off The Air
It happened at exactly 7:51 AM, as I was listening to their morning show. It's not clear what happened, but I checked online and they're still there. So the problem - whatever it is - appears to be at the transmitter.
I did get a laugh when a listener sent them a text to tell them the signal disappeared from 610, and they advised people to tune them in on their website. Except, of course, you couldn't hear that advice because you were listening to static on air.
This station has been prone to problems like this over the past few months. You have to wonder if there's something more long term going on with their equipment.
- Chrisphen
- Member
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
Not a big deal. Just take the tubes down to Radio Shack when it opens to get them tested, and replace as necessary. They'll be back up by noon.
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
Actually they just came back on a few minutes ago. An outage time of more than an hour. At least it was on a relatively lazy Sunday morning.
- •
Thread Starter- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
The station is off the air again Wednesday night. Not sure when it started or why.
But it's beginning to become something of a habit.
I wonder if Whiteoaks bought a pig in a poke with a radio station whose transmitter might need a lot more work than they knew when they bought the place from Bell.
Total speculation on my part, but this is like the third time this month they've been off the air for whatever reason. Can't think of another station local or otherwise that seems to be having this many issues this often.
- •
Thread Starter- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
Back on now, apparently at full strength. No explanation of what happened this time, but that's to be expected when you're running Shane Hewitt's show out of CFRB and the "best-ofs" from the day gone by. There's no one there to tell you why they were off the air.
- •
Thread Starter- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
Turns out they went off again around 11:30 PM. Back on for the morning run. What is going on over there?
- •
Thread Starter- Easily Amused
- Member
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
The hamster has to be allowed to rest sometime, don'tcha know?!
- darcyh
- Member
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
That they keep going off the air suggests their back up systems are not working. Most stations have a back up transmitter if the main goes down as well as a generator for power failures. These systems are supposed to automatically engage if the transmitter or electricity goes off. What is not usually backed up are the transmission lines (wires running from transmitter to antennas) power dividers, tuning circuits etc.
Perhaps they are already running on back up equipment and it is failing?
A very few stations have full back up transmitter sites at another location.
- Evuguy
- Member
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
Yes, it could be a fault on the antenna system or transmission line. Could be a flashover problem and protection circuits then shut down the transmitter.
- Saul
- Member
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
FWIW CHWO 1250 has been on open carrier all evening and still the case at 2 am
- RadioActive
- Moderator
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
Saul wrote:
FWIW CHWO 1250 has been on open carrier all evening and still the case at 2 am
Hmm, same owner as CKTB. Coincidence or a bad sign?. Whatever the case, it's certainly unusual that both have had similar issues in the same month.
- •
Thread Starter- NW
- Member
Offline
Re: CKTB Off The Air
FWIW CHWO 1250 has been on open carrier all evening and still the case at 2 am
Hmm, same owner as CKTB. Coincidence or a bad sign?. Whatever the case, it's certainly unusual that both have had similar issues in the same month.
CHWO was still running the open carrier at 6 a.m. this morning and reappeared mid-song at 7 a.m. Depending on how carefully you listened, you could hear WPGP-Pittsburgh underneath.