WHBQ is starting construction of "Maximization" today. This is a change of antenna and of transmitter power.
Specifically, the old omnidirectional antenna from 1953 will be removed, and replaced with a new antenna with a "peanut" pattern. The narrow part of the peanut shape will be the same diameter as the circle that the old antenna produced, and the long ends of the peanut will point toward the northeast and southwest, increasing coverage slightly in those directions. This is to avoid interference to stations toward the northwest and southeast.
The antenna also includes a vertical polarization component (the old one was horizontal only, so receiving antennas would only be at their best if they were horizontal as well). This makes it easier to receive the signal with vertical antennas, or with rabbit ear antennas that are in a "V" shape.
With the new antenna comes an increase in transmitter power. The current power out of the antenna is 12 kiloWatts. The new antenna will be 95 kW in the horizontal plane, and 47.5 kW in the vertical. This is in the direction of the peanut ends. The big benefit is not increased coverage area, although there will be some, but the increase of power density in the areas close to the transmitter site, the ones most likely to be using an indoor antenna.
To make the antenna change, the tower will need some strengthening. As the work proceeds, there will have to be some use of the backup antenna, which is lower on the tower. It is supposed to have the same coverage as the main antenna, but being lower, some areas may lose their line-of sight reception (I do where I live - it places it just below a hill near my house). This also means there will be a disruption of the signal every time the antenna is switched.
This should occur only during daytime hours while the crew is working on the tower, so the prime time shows shouldn't be affected. If anything out of the ordinary happens to the signal, I'll post it here.
Thanks,
