WLSO
Encyclopedia
WLSO is a radio station
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
, United States
, broadcasting at 90.1 on the FM dial. It is the college radio station of the city's Lake Superior State University
.
The station originally launched in 1991, as an AM carrier current
station, broadcasting exclusively to Brady Hall, parts of Osborn Hall and on crisp nights could be heard in the campus trailer park. After receiving a broadcasting license from the Federal Communications Commission
(FCC), the station launched on FM in 1993.
The studio consists of management offices, a recording booth, and the on-air broadcast studio.
The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week year-round. WLSO runs on automation whenever there is no live show in the studio; this usually occurs at night and over breaks.
WLSO has recently undertaken remote broadcasting. The station currently broadcasts live from student government meetings, concerts, and open-mic nights on campus.
The studio has a 40-second broadcast delay as well as phone patch to take calls and put them on the air.
WLSO operates two transmitters. The primary transmitter is a R.V.R. TEX-300-LCD installed in March 2008. The original, now a backup transmitter, consists of a Bext TEX-20-NV exciter and a separate Bext PJ-200 power amplifier.
The station’s antenna system is on the roof of Brady Hall. It is a 2-bay circularly-polarized radiator.
Programming is sent to the transmission site utilizing the Tele-Link Studio Transmitter Link (STL) from Energy-Onix.
WLSO utilizes Sine System’s Remote Facilities Controller (RFC-1) at the transmitter site. It allows for remote and automatic controls, system monitoring and acts as an alarm system calling station engineers immediately in the event of a system fault. WLSO's RFC-1 monitors 24 channels of telemetry and logs all data though GetTelemetry software.
WLSO also uses as an Orban Optimod 8200-FM audio processor connected to a controlling computer at the transmitter. WLSO's air signal is continually monitored by an Inovonics FM modulation analyzer model 531 and received audio is sent back to the studio to be checked.
All equipment is protected through a Polyphazor lighting-arrestor and several back-up power supplies, allowing uninterrupted broadcasts and relaying notifications from the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to the community the in the event of a power disruption or other emergency.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Sault Ste. Marie is a city in and the county seat of Chippewa County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is in the north-eastern end of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, on the Canadian border, separated from its twin city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, by the St. Marys River...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, broadcasting at 90.1 on the FM dial. It is the college radio station of the city's Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University
Lake Superior State University is a small public university in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. It is Michigan's smallest public university with an enrollment around 3,000 students. Due to its proximity to the border, notably the twin city of Sault Ste...
.
The station originally launched in 1991, as an AM carrier current
Carrier current
Carrier current is a method of low power AM radio transmission that uses the AC electrical system of a building to propagate a medium frequency, AM signal to a relatively small area, such as a building or a group of buildings...
station, broadcasting exclusively to Brady Hall, parts of Osborn Hall and on crisp nights could be heard in the campus trailer park. After receiving a broadcasting license from the Federal Communications Commission
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
(FCC), the station launched on FM in 1993.
Studio
WLSO studios are now located in the basement of the Cisler Center. The studio was moved to its new location in 2006 to be more visible in the campus community and easier to access by students.The studio consists of management offices, a recording booth, and the on-air broadcast studio.
The station broadcasts 24 hours a day, 7 days a week year-round. WLSO runs on automation whenever there is no live show in the studio; this usually occurs at night and over breaks.
WLSO has recently undertaken remote broadcasting. The station currently broadcasts live from student government meetings, concerts, and open-mic nights on campus.
The studio has a 40-second broadcast delay as well as phone patch to take calls and put them on the air.
Transmitter
The station’s transmitter site was moved in October 2007. It was formerly located in the old studio, in the east basement of Brady Hall. It was relocated to another location in Brady Hall where it was re-engineered and re-built.WLSO operates two transmitters. The primary transmitter is a R.V.R. TEX-300-LCD installed in March 2008. The original, now a backup transmitter, consists of a Bext TEX-20-NV exciter and a separate Bext PJ-200 power amplifier.
The station’s antenna system is on the roof of Brady Hall. It is a 2-bay circularly-polarized radiator.
Programming is sent to the transmission site utilizing the Tele-Link Studio Transmitter Link (STL) from Energy-Onix.
WLSO utilizes Sine System’s Remote Facilities Controller (RFC-1) at the transmitter site. It allows for remote and automatic controls, system monitoring and acts as an alarm system calling station engineers immediately in the event of a system fault. WLSO's RFC-1 monitors 24 channels of telemetry and logs all data though GetTelemetry software.
WLSO also uses as an Orban Optimod 8200-FM audio processor connected to a controlling computer at the transmitter. WLSO's air signal is continually monitored by an Inovonics FM modulation analyzer model 531 and received audio is sent back to the studio to be checked.
All equipment is protected through a Polyphazor lighting-arrestor and several back-up power supplies, allowing uninterrupted broadcasts and relaying notifications from the Emergency Alert System (EAS) to the community the in the event of a power disruption or other emergency.