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February 25, 2021 12:16 pm  #1


AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

Normally the story of a local Oakville board getting into a debate over a pending high school wouldn't interest me. But the reason behind the controversy surrounding the building is - there are worries about AM radio waves emanating from a nearby tower array interfering with electronic devices on the second and third floors of the proposed school. 

The one thing the story is missing is what's most important to me - which station is involved. I'm assuming it could be CJYE, the all religious format at 1250 AM. But it doesn't say. 

I wonder if anyone more familiar with the area knows which station they're talking about. The reporter should almost certainly have included this info in the story. The location is identified as Neyagawa Blvd. and Dundas St. W. 

Radio towers interfere with planned new North-East Oakville high school

 

February 25, 2021 3:33 pm  #2


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

CJYE 1250 and CJMR 1320 share the array that's west of the proposed site - but there are plenty of schools in closer proximity to tower sites than this school would be. (My middle school sat right next door to the very same four-tower WXXI 1370 array from which my dulcet tones now emanate, and I turned out... well, I turned out, anyway.) 

I think they're getting fleeced by a bad consultant, but what do I know? 

 

February 25, 2021 4:02 pm  #3


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

While interference is a possibility, they might be more sensitive to perceived problems from parents....  there is also a cell tower close by.

I wonder how things are at the adjacent 16 Mile Sports Complex?

They should also check with the Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart, Ontario Racquet Club and many residences just east of the 50kW CFRB site at Royal Windor Drive and Southdown Road/

 

 

February 25, 2021 5:15 pm  #4


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

What about the condos next to the CN Tower?  The infastructure around CKVR and its tower in Barrie?  

 

February 25, 2021 8:18 pm  #5


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

markow202 wrote:

What about the condos next to the CN Tower?  The infastructure around CKVR and its tower in Barrie?  

good question but a different scenario markow202

The CN Tower and CKVR are TV and FM installations which do not present the same issue as an AM site.

This is because AM stations have a lower frequency, which can get into long cables (ethernet, intercom, speaker distribution systems) and the fact they use, well...  AM (amplitude modulation) which can be an issue due to "rectification" (where a bad ground or rusty piece of metal and literally decode the AM signal)

 

 

February 25, 2021 8:21 pm  #6


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

Then there is CFTR 680 in Grimsby now bordered by newly constructed townhouses just off the QEW.

 

February 25, 2021 11:53 pm  #7


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

In Phase wrote:

While interference is a possibility, they might be more sensitive to perceived problems from parents....  there is also a cell tower close by.

I wonder how things are at the adjacent 16 Mile Sports Complex?

To the west of the CJYE.CJMR site is the newish location of the Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital site... 8 storey main tower, with a couple of 7 storey wings... 

In Phase wrote:

They should also check with the Canadian Tire, Shoppers Drug Mart, Ontario Racquet Club and many residences just east of the 50kW CFRB site at Royal Windor Drive and Southdown Road/

Back in the mid 80s when CFRB built the new transmitter building and fired up the new Continentals at the Clarkson site, our community cable studio in Oakville was suddenly plagued by the 1010 signal getting into the studio mic bulkheads and the runs to the control room. I tried everything...  eventually I had to rip out the six year old mic cable mults and replace them with individual runs of EMT Franz reussen shield cable...  man that stuff was expensive.  I should have sent the bill to Conrad Black!!!
 

 

February 26, 2021 1:20 am  #8


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

In Phase wrote:

markow202 wrote:

What about the condos next to the CN Tower?  The infastructure around CKVR and its tower in Barrie?  

good question but a different scenario markow202

The CN Tower and CKVR are TV and FM installations which do not present the same issue as an AM site.

This is because AM stations have a lower frequency, which can get into long cables (ethernet, intercom, speaker distribution systems) and the fact they use, well...  AM (amplitude modulation) which can be an issue due to "rectification" (where a bad ground or rusty piece of metal and literally decode the AM signal)

 

Ah ok I get it now.  Reminds me of my cousin hearing AM740 on an old cordless land line phone when living in Milton near the site.

 

March 8, 2021 9:52 am  #9


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

Looks like CJYE's towers have taught them a lesson.

North Oakville high school will be delayed, trustees hear

     Thread Starter
 

March 8, 2021 3:13 pm  #10


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

Before much of the recent builds, there used to be a little restaurant/gas station combo on Dundas just west of the bridge over 16 Mile Creek. The ladies there used to serve up a wonderful, inexpensive breakfast with some outstanding home fries. I used to go out of my way for their vittles often and the
proximity of those towers, if anything, made me feel even more at ease. Sure do miss that place.

 

March 8, 2021 5:52 pm  #11


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

Too bad they are abandoning the Dundas and Neyagawa site and delaying the build of a much needed school due to concerns over the CJYE site.

Although there is the possibility that "electronics, even pacemakers and hearing aids, could be disrupted by those radio towers", these issues are well understood and could be mitigated during construction and installation.  I'm not sure how many "pacemakers and hearing aids" are in the average high school, but those type of exposures exist virtually everywhere.

It's also a shame that the Oakville News had to reach out to a consultant all the way down in Illinois for comment (what, no Canadian experts?)

I agree with fybush, they need a new consultant.  There's even one in their back yard.  Jim Moltner, Broadcast RF Engineering (Teknyx based in Oakville)
 

 

March 8, 2021 8:01 pm  #12


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

I suspect that particular consultant reached out to them, not the other way around. He's - what's the right word here? - assertive sometimes. 

(But he's also very knowledgeable and entirely correct on this one. None of the reasons they gave for delaying construction or relocating the project make any actual engineering sense.) 

I'd like to hope the school reaches out to someone, whether it's Jim or anyone else, to learn how the very long wavelengths of MW radio actually work, and how unlikely it is that they'd cause any of the effects cited by the original "expert."

 

July 3, 2021 10:25 pm  #13


Re: AM Radio Towers May Stop Construction Of New Oakville School

This long running story may finally be at an end - they're keeping the radio tower array and moving the school!

'Even better location.' Trustees settle on new site for future north Oakville high school

     Thread Starter