RED LION, Pa. — WINB, America’s oldest commercial shortwave station, is conducting DRM tests using two different transmitters. The test transmissions are directed to both parts of Europe and North America, according to DRM news.
WINB transmits from the town of Red Lion in southeastern Pennsylvania. “Our main transmitter is a Continental 417B designed and built in Dallas, Texas. It has a rated maximum output power of 50 kW.
“A new DRM transmitter, an ASI CE-50000WS, was installed in April 2018 and is in program test at random times. The transmitter is rated at 15 kW and is using the Rhombic antenna at 062 degrees,” according to WINB’s own website.
The authorized schedule for this transmitter is: Monday through Friday 7-9 a.m. on 7325 kHz, 9-11 a.m. on 9265 kHz, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. (UTC) on 15670 kHz.
“At times when the ASI transmitter is not being tested, WINB will occasionally test in DRM using its existing Continental 417B transmitter on 9265 kHz beamed 242 degrees. Programming on the DRM is from WINB’s Internet audio stream and is in English and Spanish.”
The WINB antenna is a rhombic 640 feet long and 110 feet above the average terrain. The principal radiation direction is 242 degrees true, or almost due southwest; minor lobes exist to each side of the main lobe and to the rear on a bearing of 062 degrees true. “The pattern when the antenna is fed in the 062 direction is the same as 242 rotated 180 degrees,” according to WINB.
