Since Americans are obsessed with having the biggest, tallest, longest, fastest, most powerful things – you might wonder – what transmitter is the highest above sea level in the United States?
The highest licensed transmitter for public signals is K280DZ near Leadville, Colorado – at 4,092 meters above sea level (13,400 feet above sea level). It operates at 53 watts (where does it get power?).
There is an incredibly scary one lane gravel road (path?) with no guard rails Here is a YouTube video of some folks from Asia who thought it would be a fun place to 4 wheel offroad on their vacation – they’re laughing and playing music at the beginning, but very quiet by the end and holding on for dear life.
Here is another piece of transmitter trivia to use to impress your radio friends – what is the one Radio/TV station in the United States where the transmitter is actually below sea level? The answer is KSSB FM in Calipatria, California. The transmitter is about 70 feet below sea level. Calipatria is a small town to the south of the Salton Sea, a large inland sea in Southern California near the border with Mexico. It basically is the sewer that drains the Imperial Valley, which is growing more and more saline due to decades of thoughless irrigation – but that’s another topic for a different blog.
Here is the picture – it’s visible in Street View a small bit to the north of the water? towers. (double click on the map)