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I read all the posts I could find on AM. I know you should not climb a hot AM tower. Is there any way to tell if a tower is hot? IE like with a voltmeter? I found an awesome A with a perfect LZ, and it looks near abandoned! Didn't even have to climb the fence it is pretty much falling over. The FCC database does not say "center of array" or anything. I read a post that says to call the company and fake like your doing research, but this is a large company and I doubt they'd hand that info out.
Any help would be appreciated. Is there another site I can use to find out if it's active and what it's broadcasting, I tried an AM radio station finder site and that was no help?
Thanks!

 

If you get electrocuted, then it's a live antenna.

there have been ALOT of posts about this already, its all over basejumper.com, you just have to search. You'll find anything from the exact science behind AM towers to the general 'this is what an am tower usually looks like to usually doesnt look like'

http://www.earthsignals.com/...s/koy/koytwrbase.jpg

if the tower is insulated from the ground in any way, its probably am

Also, I noticed quite a lot of the shittier/shorter ones have a shitty wooden fence around them without the barbwire, as opposed to the beefy fences around the "regular" antennas.

The fence (as per FCC) should have the phone number and site ID listed. All you need to do is call and say you are buying a house in the area and wondering how powerful the transmitter at that location is and if it's harmful to your dog and kids. Also as many stations change power, or even shut down for the night, that would be helpful info as well.

Overall, the easiest thing to do is STAY AWAY :)

I know it is AM, that isn't my question. I did search the forum and read every post on AM. I am trying to figure out if it is active.

I like the buying a house in the area call, that can work..

Never mind I found what I was looking for
There is a separate FCC site to search AM broadcasts.. Def active still.


On a side question. Lets say I find one that doesn't broadcast at night. Is that still a hot antenna? Is there still current going through it even while not broadcasting?

Thanks

Night/early morning doesnt always mean its dailed down or off either. A lot of stations i work with crank their AM broadcasts at night in fact. There is a tower in St Louis that doubles their signal at night so I can actually hear it in Cincinnati.

Your observation that the signal is stronger at night is most likely due to ionospheric reflection and not them increasing power. This effect is why most AM stations lower there power at night.

mbondvegas is exactly correct. I flew freight for 4.5 years in the middle of the night. If I was near Nashville I could get 650 AM ok in the day, at night I could get the same station all the way out to Omaha if the atmospheric conditions were right.

skip

Ah, my mistake, thats what my reps told me. Of course i should have known a radio station rep wouldnt know what they were talking about