Delano, California

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Delano is a city in Kern County, California, United States. The population was 38,824 at the 2000 census. Delano is well known as a center for the growing of table grapes. The population was at 49,359 as of the 2006 census and is Kern County's second largest and second fastest growing city after Bakersfield.

1 History
2 Geography
3 Demographics
4 IBB (Voice of America) SW Relay Station Delano
5 The most directive shortwave broadcasting antenna on earth?
6 External links

[edit] History

Delano was founded on July 14, 1873 as a railroad town. The name was officially given by the Southern Pacific Railroad in honor of Columbus Delano, at the time the Secretary of the Interior for the United States.

On September 8, 1965, Larry Itliong led the (predominantly Filipino) Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) in walking off table grape farms in order to achieve better wages and working conditions for farm workers, beginning the Delano grape strike. A week after the strike began the National Farm Workers Association (NFWA), led by Cesar Chavez, joined the strike. Later the two groups joined forces and formed the labor union called the United Farm Workers of America (UFW). By 1970, the UFW won a contract with major grape growers across California.

[edit] Geography

Delano is located at 35°46′11″N, 119°14′47″W (35.769649, -119.246320)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.3 km² (10.2 mi²); 26.2 km² (10.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.49%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 38,824 people, 8,409 households, and 7,248 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,484.2/km² (3,842.1/mi²). There were 8,830 housing units at an average density of 337.6/km² (873.8/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 26.16% White, 5.45% Black or African American, 0.91% Native American, 15.88% Asian, 0.06% Pacific Islander, 47.07% from other races, and 4.47% from two or more races. 68.47% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,409 households out of which 56.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.3% were married couples living together, 18.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.8% were non-families. 10.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 4.02 and the average family size was 4.27.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.5% under the age of 18, 12.4% from 18 to 24, 32.7% from 25 to 44, 14.9% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 129.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 143.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $28,143, and the median income for a family was $29,026. Males had a median income of $38,511 versus $21,509 for females. The per capita income for the city was $11,068. About 25.7% of families and 28.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 35.3% of those under age 18 and 20.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] IBB (Voice of America) SW Relay Station Delano

The IBB (http://www.ibb.gov/) runs a shortwave relay station in the outskirts of Delano. This relay station is famous for having a rare installation of a TCI HRS 12/6/1 directional curtain array transmission system.

Constructed from 1942-1944 originally as commercial station KCBR, by Columbia Broadcasting System, this relay station has been added to over time. The IBB transmission network itself has been through many changes since 1942.

Many of IBB's Delano antennas may no longer be useful with respect to IBB's current audibility or political goals. Perhaps 30% of the existing transmission antennas at Delano are of little geopolitical value and could be sold off, donated, or redeployed to other IBB sites.

The only known shortwave relay station known to have similar transmission capacity (and output power) is the Novosibirsk Relay Station in Russian Siberia.

Like most Cold War era shortwave relay stations Delano is now a technological anachronism, with the exception of its HRS 12/6/1 transmission system. The ALLISS transmission technology, a product of Thomson-CSF (now called Thales Broadcast) research has seen to this.

The Delano Relay Station could be partly phased out if IBB were to construct 4 ALLISS SW relay modules in California, New Mexico and Western Texas.

The IBB could also acquire (or lease as needed) transmission sites from existing U.S. religious broadcasters and reoptimize its U.S. shortwave transmission network.

The Delano Relay Station is clearly viewable from space via Spot Image and other commercial surveillance satellites.

Google Maps URL: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.754575,-119.283028&spn=0.007858,0.015044&t=k&hl=en

[edit] The most directive shortwave broadcasting antenna on earth?

The 2 x HRS 12/6/1 (one high-band, one low-band) curtain array antennas are some of the most directive HF antennas in use today. During peak operation hours Delano Relay Station is off limits to the public because of radio frequency energy issues.

The Delano HRS 12/6/1 transmission system has been used in high power ionospheric heating experiments funded by the U.S. Department of Defense. These experiments were to see how RF saturation of the ionosphere affects HF propagation over a region.

HRS 12/6/1 antennas are capable of 23 decibels (isotropic) (dBi) to 32 dBi (directive isotropic gain), but can in theory achieve 36 dBi under ideal design conditions.

Assuming 23 dBi gain and 250 kW transmitter power, Delano's antennas have an effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of 49.9 megawatts and an effective radiated power (ERP) of 30.4 megawatts.

There is some residual controversy about Delano's antennas being the most directive shortwave antennas in service. It has been postulated by strategic analysts (but not proven) that the former USSR (now Russia) possesses more directive HF antennas.