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A Little HD road test

R

rbrucecarter5

Guest
An emergency trip to Galveston yesterday afforded the opportunity to do a bit of HD range testing. All of the Mo City Sticks do very well in HD over Galveston, I didn't have a single dropout. Things got interesting, however, on 106.9 and 89.3, which are actually pretty close in tower location. What does an additional 1000 feet buy you in HD coverage? About ten miles. KHPT HD coverage started about mile marker 5, was about 50% by mile marker 10, and was over 90% by mile marker 15. Distance from the tower to mile marker 10 is 61 miles. KSBJ, on the other hand, was only 50% HD at mile marker 20, which is 51 miles from the tower. This matches almost exactly the HD range I get on them out in Katy along I-10.

Interestingly, KPBA 103.5 (analog only) is very strong along the Gulf Freeway at mile marker 120, that is about 175 miles from the tower. It stayed for quite a distance up towards Beltway 8. It disappears through Missouri City, only to re-emerge along I-10 and the Grand Parkway to my house 130 miles from the tower.

Isn't this stuff fun?!
 
Tropo has been strong due to the summer heat......Eskip also caused some DX on the FM band across the midwest Sunday afternoon...the 6m ham band suddenly opened up with several states popping in/out along an east-west line
 
rbrucecarter5 said:
Interestingly, KPBA 103.5 (analog only) is very strong along the Gulf Freeway at mile marker 120
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Mile marker 120 would be around Huntsville...assume you mean 12 or 20?

It disappears through Missouri City, only to re-emerge along I-10 and the Grand Parkway to my house 130 miles from the tower.
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All the RF from the Missouri City tower farm probably desensitizes the receiver somewhat, particularly third adjacent KRBE.

KBPA has had awesome coverage since they went to the current stick in 1983. The recent antenna swapout didn't hurt things.

The impending launch of LPFM KYBY in Magnolia will take a bite out of the KBPA coverage in NW Harris County.
 
Mediafrog+ said:
Mile marker 120 would be around Huntsville...assume you mean 12 or 20?



All the RF from the Missouri City tower farm probably desensitizes the receiver somewhat, particularly third adjacent KRBE.

KBPA has had awesome coverage since they went to the current stick in 1983. The recent antenna swapout didn't hurt things.

The impending launch of LPFM KYBY in Magnolia will take a bite out of the KBPA coverage in NW Harris County.
Click to expand...

You're right - 20. I will probably get around to a drive test to Huntsville one of these days. Although I think I know what will happen to 107.5!

I didn't think about that antenna farm saturation. Obviously I just didn't care from 45 and BW 8 to around the sticks, I tuned back to 103.5 and it was gone. But back by the time I got to I-10. There might have been some skip because of the weather Monday.

I really wish the LPFM's coming on the air were something to get excited about and not so much more garbage.
 
KCYB-LP with Jim Pruett and Col St James signs on at 6AM Wednesday morning....of course, their RF range will suck with only 9.9watts ERP and co channel with KTNE (which with the tropo as it will probably blast it away even inside KCYB's 1mV contour)..
 
ContinuousWave said:
KCYB-LP with Jim Pruett and Col St James signs on at 6AM Wednesday morning....of course, their RF range will suck with only 9.9watts ERP and co channel with KTNE (which with the tropo as it will probably blast it away even inside KCYB's 1mV contour)..
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Are they going to stay in mono or fire up a stereo signal?

They'll have better luck fighting KNTE in the Winter when tropo is down or nonexistent.
 
Staying mono from what Rick, the GM told me...their stream is stereo......Agree on fighting KTNE....lets face it, ANY LPFM is fighting co channel no matter where.
 
ContinuousWave said:
Staying mono from what Rick, the GM told me...their stream is stereo......Agree on fighting KTNE....lets face it, ANY LPFM is fighting co channel no matter where.
Click to expand...

Thanks - I will give them a try this afternoon. I know somebody who is in range and could listen regularly and will get the word out to them.
 
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