The following are email comments regarding KGFJ (now KYPA) in response to a story in CGC #635. They cite some historical facts about the station and its "flat-top" wire antenna that Marvin Collins reported to be shut down after almost 80 years of service in Los Angeles
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On June 1st, 2004, Steven Hopkins wrote:
Reading about KGFJ brought back memories. Back in about 1975 Homer Obuchon
asked Tower Structures to assist him in replacing this antenna. Since the two 80
foot poles had no step bolts we climbed them using two ropes. These ropes were
tied on with a knot known as a clove hitch. One rope had a single loop for a
seat, and the other two loops for the feet. By alternating standing up, sliding
the seat loop, sitting down, and sliding the feet loop, we were able to climb
the poles and rig a rope fall for a boatswain’s chair. This task was made more
difficult by the guy wires, because the ropes had to be untied, moved past the
guy wires, and re-tied. (I am sure this would violate current OSHA regulations).
After re-guying and re-painting the ancient poles, the time came for the antenna
replacement. The antenna consisted of wires suspended between to pieces of wood
that served as spacers. In the wee hours of the morning, we lowered the old
antenna to the roof. Using the old antenna for a template, we attempted to keep
each wire the exact same length, with the exact same number of twists in the
wire where they bent around the insulators. We had marked the cables used to
hoist the antenna so that we could return it to the same height and tension. To
my amazement, after fiddling around for an hour or so, Homer announced that it
was working perfectly!
It was a decade or so later that another engineer from another station commented
on the “illegal” replacement of the antenna. I don’t know to this day if he was
correct in this.
Steven Hopkins
Tower Structures
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From an email dated May 31st, Jim Hilliker wrote:
1230-AM, now KYPA radio (formerly KGFJ, KKTT, KGFJ), had been transmitting
from the Oak Street at Washington Blvd. rooftop site (near the intersection of
the Harbor and Santa Monica Freeways) since it was licensed on February 5, 1927
to Ben S. McGlashan.
So, the station license is 77 years old. That also means that a
flattop antenna had been used on that site for the 1230-AM license in Los
Angeles for 77 years, a long time for a flattop to be in service...(The old wire
antenna for the defunct KPPC-1240/AM in Pasadena had been in service for just
over 71 years, when that station went dark in 1996).
I believe Marvin told me the current flattop for 1230-AM KYPA had been
refurbished in 1971, before it was taken out of service on May 24th.
By the way,. the class IV local station has served Los Angeles on 1375,
1440, 1410 kiloHertz. between 1927 and 1928, then assigned to broadcast on 1420
kiloHertz on November 11, 1928, 1200 kHz. on November 15, 1929, and finally the
current 1230-AM on March 29, 1941.
Call history with date station was licensed and date call changes were approved
by FCC...First broadcast date is so far unknown.
AM 1230 (Feb 5, 1927) - KGFJ was the first station in the U.S. to broadcast 24
hours a day.
KGFJ February 5, 1927 Keeping Good Folks Joyful
KKTT October 10, 1977 The Katt
KGFJ October 15, 1979
KYPA February 26, 1996 or May 1, 1996?? Your Personal Achievement
Jim Hilliker
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