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KUOI-AM 660 operated at the bottom end of the dial for maximum coverage under Part 15 of the FCC Rules and Regulations. These were the same incidental noise and interference rules that apply to interference from microwave ovens and PCs. A twisted  wire pair was strung from the Student Union Building, down the alleys to the student housing areas of the campus. The FCC limited the signal to 300 ft from the antenna. When the signal at the far end of the campus could just be heard, the signal near the SUB reached for a mile or more. Each year the FCC would come to inspect. We would get a warning call from one of the commercial AM stations that the FCC was near by and the 10 watt transmitter was turned down. Then the students across campus lost the signal and began to complain. When the power was up and the late night "skip" was good we would get song requests from callers  hundreds of miles away.

The "home brew"  10 watt vacuum tube transmitter and antenna tuning unit can be seen as the top two units in the equipment rack.
The twisted wire came out of the SUB near the roof and ran to the telephone pole in the alley 
The antenna wire fallowed the telephone lines down the alley and into sororities, fraternities, and university housing.
The antenna wire often needed to be replace or extended to new parts of the campus.
There was no lack of volunteers to help string wire when the next stop was a sorority attic dorm. 
 
Copyright © 2005 Walter Johnson
Last modified: March 17, 2008