Technical Profile: WBIQ

TV Technical Profile: WBIQ

Channel:: 10
Programming:: 10.1 - PBS/APT; 10.2 - PBS Kids; 10.3 - Create
10.4 - World Channel
Transmitter Location:: [map] Located on the new American General tower off Golden Crest Drive, atop Red Mountain.
Power (ERP):: 3.4 kW
Height Above Average Terrain (HAAT):: 1,313 feet
Antenna:: Omni
Other Information:: 36 dBu protected contour map, from the FCC.; [FCC]
[FCCdata]
[RabbitEars.info]; [Wikipedia]
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[Picture] Snapshot of network ID for -.1 APT/PBS channel
[Picture] Snapshot of network ID for -.2 PBS World channel
[Picture] Snapshot of network ID for -.3 PBS Create channel
[Studio] Street View imagery of the Birmingham studio space for Alabama Public Television.
History:: One of the flagship channels of Alabama Public Television. It was the first station of the network to go on the air on April 28, 1955. All the network's call letters end in IQ -- this one being "B" for Birmingham. For many years, broadcast from WBRC's tower on Red Mountain. On February 17^th 2009 the station discontinued analog broadcasts and was reported to have moved digital broadcasts from the interim assignment of UHF channel 53 to VHF channel 10, from the newest tall tower atop Red Mountain, designed to carry multiple radio and TV antennas. At the beginning of March 2010 the station received permission to change its allocated channel from 10 to 39 (same height, but with 1 MW power), due to coverage issues with a VHF assignment. Power/height details were not released until August 2010. Due to budget cuts, at the start of October, 2012, all APT stations dropped iQ for PBS' World channel. Starting in October 2015, the network began only airing PBS World during the second half of the day due to concerns over adult programming appearing during hours when children may be watching. A planned update for late 2015 or early 2016 to the switching equipment at the main studio will allow the station to cut out individual shows and insert child-friendly programming.; Although a permit was issued in 2010 for the station to change to channel 39, it appears that permit expired without any action from APT. The station later filed a request to remain on RF channel 10 permanently due to economic hardship, which was finally granted in early February, 2014.

In early February 2023, the station was granted a permit to change the antenna used. Because of the different characteristics of the new antenna, the antenna height, power and beam tilt data is updated to maintain the same coverage as the previous model. They're swapping from a Diaelectric TW-9B10-R (S) which is horizontally polarized and has a 0.75° beam tilt, to a Dielectric THV-2A10/CP-R O4 which is circularly polarized and has a 1° beam tilt. A license to cover for this permit was filed in mid-August 2023.