The following image albums represent a sample of typical AM transmitter sites in the coastal Pacific Northwest region.  If you ever wanted to know how AM radio works, these photos are a good place to begin.  Here are some key facts to consider when you review the images: 

1. AM radio signals rely on good ground conductivity to travel to your radio. 
2. The northwest Pacific Coast, and Puget Sound in particular, have notoriously bad ground conductivity.  Therefore, AM radio stations in this area are typically located in river valley areas and along the saltwater shorelines. 
3. AM radio requires a tall piece of steel to create its signal, and the entire length of steel generates the signal. 
4. Often it takes more than one steel structure, called a "radiator" not a "tower," to create the signal.  Whether there are one, two, or ten radiators in the array, the radiators are used together in combination to form the complete AM transmission "antenna." 

The current 1380 AM antenna array is in the Snohomish River valley.  Our new transmitter site is in the Snohomish River Valley, too.