Radio World – Who’s Buying What, November 21, 2021
A 50 kW AM system and a 10 kW backup are serving the station in Nome, Alaska.
KICY(AM) in Nome, Alaska, has a pair of new Nautel transmitters in service.
The station, licensed to Artic Broadcasting Association Inc., took delivery of a Nautel NX50 and NX10 AM in the spring.
General Manager Patty Burchell told Nautel the NX10 will serve as a backup. “Because of our remote location in western Alaska, when repairs are needed it often takes weeks to get parts. This backup transmitter assures we can stay on the air if repairs are needed.”
Demonstrating the wisdom of that, the station immediately put the NX10 to use in May when the NX50 arrived with a transformer that had been damaged in transit. The NX10 was put on the air until the replacement part arrived.
Nome is a small community of 3,500 more than 500 air miles from Anchorage; road access is not practical. The community is less than 200 miles from Russia as a cold crow would fly.
Burchell told Nautel that the station “immediately noticed a greater clarity in the signal. We have heard reports from some listeners on the fringe areas of coverage, and they are receiving us loud and clear.”
Read more (with lots of photos) in Patty’s full KICY Customer Story, “KICY(AM) Installs 50 & 10 kW NX Transmitters”]
