I had no idea so many have tried this. Myself, then KE9A, KO9Q (SK), and NE8J, I forget Howie's W9 call, operated the 1980 and 81 (or 81/82) from 1420 kHz WPLY in Plymouth, WI. Our picture was in CQ Magazine. It was a single tower, daytime station. Mike KO9Q was the program director. We were hanging around the station one day and I said wouldn't it be cool if we could load up the tower. The GM was there and he said fine, as long as the station was back on the air for morning sign on. We put our Dentron tuner in the doghouse at the base of the tower.
We asked a local if we could borrow his Alpha amp but he declined. So we modified my SB 220 to add 160 meters, with the help of W9RF. Christ was the chief engineer of 1330 kHz WHBL in Sheboygan. Back then most people had very modest Topband stations so we were kings of the band. 73 Ken K4ZW On Sunday, July 19, 2026, Tim Duffy <[email protected]> wrote: > I have done that a two different stations. Both stations are up and still > on > the air. > > Once in 1978 at the local daytime AM station that was daytime only (I was > chief engineer). It was a two tower directional array, but I only used one > tower and a tuner at the base. The tower was 240 feet tall. Performance was > amazing > > Three times I have used a single 300 ft. tower that has its base in salt > water (exceptional ground system at a Caribbean station where I have been > their consulting engineer for 30 years. They go off at 11 PM every night to > conserve island power. The pileup the last time I fired up there in 2012 > (tuner at the base) - even with just 100 watts of TX - was amazing. > > As was mentioned before, good ground systems and favorable land surrounding > the vertical is the key! > > 73 > Tim K3LR > > -----Original Message----- > From: Topband [mailto:[email protected]] On > Behalf Of Radio KH6O via Topband > Sent: Saturday, July 18, 2026 9:31 PM > To: topband > Subject: Topband: The Big Guys > > I just wish I should use one of these AM broadcast towers for about a week > on 160: > > https://www.radioworld.com/tech-and-gear/facilities/a- > historic-tower-falls-a > -new-era-begins-for-st-louis-kfuo > > Have any of you had the pleasure of using an AM bcst band tower for 160 > before it was taken down? > > -- > > 72 / 73 / 3579, > Jeff KH6O / 6 on 160 acres of mountains and canyons > _________________ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > > > _________________ > Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband > Reflector > _________________ Searchable Archives: http://www.contesting.com/_topband - Topband Reflector
