The FCC wants feedback on its announced procedures on Auction 100 that affects two San Diego area broadcasters. At issue locally are the mutually exclusive applications from AM broadcasters KURS (El Sembrador Ministries, 1040 kHz, San Diego) and KECR (Family Radio, 910 kHz, El Cajon), who each want to operate FM translators on 100.1 MHz. The FCC has set opening bids at $35,000.
The FCC expects bidding to open in 2019. Initial comments are due by November 15.
La Maestra Family Clinic Secretary John Kuek sent a letter to the FCC in October asking that their license for KRSP-LP 101.1 MHz in El Cajon be canceled and the callsign deleted. Curiously, an engineer from northern California showed up in town the day before the station’s CP was to expire and said he installed a temporary broadcast to qualify for a License to Cover. That documentation was filed, but the licensee said separately they no longer had a desire to broadcast.
Low power FM stations often underestimate the monetary and labor obligations to set-up a radio station and lose interest once reality hits.
(Adapted from ARRL.ORG) The ARRL Foundation has announced that the Dick Warren, K6OBS, Memorial Scholarship will join the growing list of scholarships administered by the ARRL Foundation. The scholarship is funded through the generosity of the family of San Diego longtime broadcast engineer, announcer, and ham radio operator Dick Warren, K6OBS, who passed away earlier this year. Intended exclusively for educational use, this scholarship will provide assistance with the costs of tuition, room, board, books, and other fees essential to the recipient’s higher education. The scholarship award will be $500 annually, with the first scholarship expected to be awarded in 2019.
An applicant must be a US citizen, but without regard to gender, race, national origin, or disability. The applicant must be performing at a high academic level or be an at-risk youth with at least two counselor or teacher recommendations describing why the applicant is deserving. All applicants must hold a valid FCC-issued Amateur Radio license and be attending, either part-time or full-time, a regionally accredited technical school, community college, college, or university in a program leading to an undergraduate degree education, science, math, engineering, technology, or a health care-related field.
Applicants must demonstrate activity and interest in radio service or some technical proficiency by participating in some form of radio-related activities such as emergency communication, equipment construction, community radio service, or scouting. Award preference will go to applicants residing in San Diego or Imperial County.
See you next month.
On October 2, 2018, the FCC granted a Construction Permit for Christyahna Broadcasting to build a 4 W FM translator station on 93.7 MHz at Mt. San Miguel with its city of license Lemon Grove but a service pattern aimed northeast toward El Cajon.
This summer they were granted an accompanying CP for a 500 watt AM radio station on 1400 kHz with a curiously located daytime transmitter at the old KSDO transmitter site and nighttime transmitter at a house in Lemon Grove.
According to Wikipedia, Christyahna principal Gerry Turro was past Chief Engineer at WNEW New York, then the operator of the famous “Jukebox Radio” network WJUX in northern New Jersey. The FCC eventually broke up the network of low power FM stations in 2003 after it was accused by competitors of improperly extending its coverage with translators outside its primary coverage area using fiber links to the various transmitters. Turro helped build KRLY-LP in Alpine, California, but left the station in 2005 and the station license was transferred.