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K291ce

I'm no longer filing complaints with the FCC against anybody; done with that. However, like most of you, I continue to follow with interest how things resolve themselves. And in the matter of K291ce, I note that the church has amended their application to transfer this translator to RAFTT. Specifically, the nonpayment of the filing fee based on a non comm educational license has been corrected; they have now paid the filing fee and removed the non comm educational claim.

They have also objected to my objection. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cdbs/CDBS...?appn=101652098&qnum=5000&copynum=1&exhcnum=2 Hope they prevail and continue programming oldies. Its not in stereo and is over modulated, but despite the shortcomings it still beats former news stations that go "boom!"
 
I said I wasn't going to file anything else against K291CE, but in a recent phone call those folks were demanding and intimidating -- getting on my nerves. They now claim that they are a translator for KLTN, yet I spoke to the head engineer over there today. Another lie. All these falsely obtained translators licenses -- from K291CE to 97.1 in Beaumont -- need to fade away.

Opposition K291CE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5fT1CTu9fUARXpWS1ZLT1gtQmM/view?usp=sharing

Attached Exhibit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5fT1CTu9fUANmRvcTViM2JTZ0U/view?usp=sharing
 
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93 a word of caution. That's Don Werlinger your messing with now. If you don't know about him ask someone.
 
93 a word of caution. That's Don Werlinger your messing with now. If you don't know about him ask someone.

You view life differently when you're terminal and in daily pain. Just a couple years ago I never would've imagined I'd be spending countless hours trying to bring down rogue radio stations. There's a reason why God set my life on this course.
 
Just a couple years ago I never would've imagined I'd be spending countless hours trying to bring down rogue radio stations.

All the same, I wouldn't mess with other peoples' business--especially people you know aren't doing the right, ethical thing. Just trying to keep you out of trouble, Joseph
 
Taking this in a different direction - why is it - in the current glut of translators and low power stations, that listeners are expected to tolerate such poor technical standards! 106.1 sounds AWFUL. KCYB isn't much better. Both play good music but the listening experience is completely ruined because they are mono and the audio quality is so bad. Is THIS what the FCC expects us to tolerate in the name of increasing diversity? I used to complain about streaming audio quality, HD audio quality, MP3 audio quality, AM audio quality - but these "translator" and low power stations bring audio quality to an entirely new level of awful. I personally wouldn't even want to go on the air sounding that bad - I wouldn't want my name associated with distortion, mono, overmodulation, high background noise, etc. Those should be the least expensive items to get right - even a Ramsey or a Belkin modulator sound better than these stations and are in stereo!
 
Taking this in a different direction - why is it - in the current glut of translators and low power stations, that listeners are expected to tolerate such poor technical standards! 106.1 sounds AWFUL. KCYB isn't much better. Both play good music but the listening experience is completely ruined because they are mono and the audio quality is so bad. Is THIS what the FCC expects us to tolerate in the name of increasing diversity? I used to complain about streaming audio quality, HD audio quality, MP3 audio quality, AM audio quality - but these "translator" and low power stations bring audio quality to an entirely new level of awful. I personally wouldn't even want to go on the air sounding that bad - I wouldn't want my name associated with distortion, mono, overmodulation, high background noise, etc. Those should be the least expensive items to get right - even a Ramsey or a Belkin modulator sound better than these stations and are in stereo!

havent had a chance to listen to KCYB yet....I DO know the transmitter (Nautel VS300) has a built in Orban Optimod...similar to the 5500 model iirc.....SO if the audio is horrible, someone must have screwed the settings. They are on mono for max range; since there is a 23db S/N difference in stereo vs mono once you get into the non-full quieting area and the AM noise caused by the L-R DSB sidebands bring up the baseband noise in the demodulated audio (whew!)...Also the reason why 97.5 is mono...helps in over-all coverage...and LPFMs already are limited...if they ran stereo, their signal would degrade faster than it does now...but that's their choice....

As to the audio, I cannot say....its sooooo easy to have GOOD audio and a bit harder to do it GREAT..(105.3 KXXF sounds pretty good with its music audio wise...not selection wise...too much all over the road for me to want to listen)...

translators are "supposed" to repeat a main signal with no change in the signal (a TRUE RF translator does it at the RF/Intermediate Frequency (IF) level...takes a signal, converts it to a lower IF frequency, then converts it again to the output frequency, HENCE, no change in the audio is possible...BUT a lot of "translators" are, in fact, repeaters..where the received audio is taken down to baseband (0-15/20kHz audio) and then a conventional FM transmitter is modulated with such...THUS allowing EQ and compression as well as other changes to be applied...which just screws it up! (this is how sat fed translators, which are really higher powered LPFMs are done...no translation...it's a FM transmitter fed by the audio from a sat rcvr...and that's another subject ;)

I think the GM of KCYB is on this forum......If he is, I will let him comment on the audio issue....I may drop him an email or call him and mention the comments made about it here...The station with Jim Pruett and The COL deserves the best audio it can get and the built in Orban should do it...usually choosing a preset works just fine with maybe a LITTLE tweaking...
 
Well, this is the second item that pops up when you google his name... http://transition.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Orders/1998/fcc98073.txt

Classy!

KFCC....Oh My Gawd!! What a story that was...96.9 KIOX-FM (back then) was its sister and was colocated at the AM studios for some time...I actually touched KFCCs transmitter once....(was afraid to keep my hand on it for any length of time..didnt want to catch anything :) ) while asst CE of Liberman....who had bought 96.9 and 101.7 (then both on separate towers...as C1s...Liberman was supposed to colocate BOTH and upgrade to C0s on a new stick...only one got moved/upgraded and of course 96.9 was sold to KSBJ)....what a waste of millions of dollars by LBI to buy those FMs...like they had coverage into Houston (even as C0s they were unlikely to cover any of the metro Houston SW area with any usable signal)...I wonder if LBI is still operating a local studio in the Bay city area? They let the local "engineer" go around 2006 or 2007 from what I was told....(they are not on the 98.5 and 107.9 stations..had a chat with Steve Lee about that a few years back...and he mentioned the Bering studios were within the contour to make it legal...BUUUUUT I realized no, according to the FCC KML file, the Bering studios are outside the contour..the 1mV contour!!! NOT even close to the city grade contour required which is why Liberman was using KSHN's production room listed as the main studio for 98.5 and 107.9! And had to pay a KSHN employee a few hundred a month to act as local presence...and even then, cheap a$$ GM Winter Horton would withhold payment for months at a time!! But under FCC rules, she did not qualify as "management"..and they are also in violation of one other Part 73 rule for local studios...OOPS...I may have to have another talk with Stephen in email or on the phone!) Univision DOES meet all legal requirements for its BPT signals..
BUT I digress....I remember thinking the KFCC array built in SW Houston would have made a nice 160m ham contest station...Idiot went and built it, then fired up a signal from THERE while still licensed at Bay City then tried to MOVE the signal to the "Houston" array while still keeping it licensed to Bay City (the number of DEGREES it moved was a giveaway to the FCC!)...And of course he requested the callsign KFCC to try to intimidate the Commission during the legal issues...that did not work of course....

I cannot recall exactly where the site was but I understand the towers are no longer standing...(it was a 5 tower array??? I THINK?? it was not a 3 tower as the Bay City site was....there WAS a problem with one of the towers there so the xmtr operated with high SWR into the array when it was on in Bay City...with only 2 towers radiating....so much for the pattern!!).....

I would say I need a drink but I am trying to lose weight...and any alcohol (even one beer) goes straight to the gut.....BUT I did find out you CAN microwave cook a Butterball turkey breast!!! takes about an hour....at 50% power....but PERFECT!!! (cant do that with steaks afaik!)...MMMM satisfies my turkey craving faster!!! ;)

And radio has become a pile of turkeys in the years since 1996
 
106.1 sounds AWFUL. KCYB isn't much better. Both play good music but the listening experience is completely ruined because they are mono and the audio quality is so bad.

Why not give them a helping hand with their audio if you don't like it? They may not know about the cheap solutions you speak of.
 
havent had a chance to listen to KCYB yet....I DO know the transmitter (Nautel VS300) has a built in Orban Optimod...similar to the 5500 model iirc.....SO if the audio is horrible, someone must have screwed the settings. They are on mono for max range; since there is a 23db S/N difference in stereo vs mono once you get into the non-full quieting area and the AM noise caused by the L-R DSB sidebands bring up the baseband noise in the demodulated audio (whew!)...Also the reason why 97.5 is mono...helps in over-all coverage...and LPFMs already are limited...if they ran stereo, their signal would degrade faster than it does now...but that's their choice....

As to the audio, I cannot say....its sooooo easy to have GOOD audio and a bit harder to do it GREAT..(105.3 KXXF sounds pretty good with its music audio wise...not selection wise...too much all over the road for me to want to listen)...

translators are "supposed" to repeat a main signal with no change in the signal (a TRUE RF translator does it at the RF/Intermediate Frequency (IF) level...takes a signal, converts it to a lower IF frequency, then converts it again to the output frequency, HENCE, no change in the audio is possible...BUT a lot of "translators" are, in fact, repeaters..where the received audio is taken down to baseband (0-15/20kHz audio) and then a conventional FM transmitter is modulated with such...THUS allowing EQ and compression as well as other changes to be applied...which just screws it up! (this is how sat fed translators, which are really higher powered LPFMs are done...no translation...it's a FM transmitter fed by the audio from a sat rcvr...and that's another subject ;)

I think the GM of KCYB is on this forum......If he is, I will let him comment on the audio issue....I may drop him an email or call him and mention the comments made about it here...The station with Jim Pruett and The COL deserves the best audio it can get and the built in Orban should do it...usually choosing a preset works just fine with maybe a LITTLE tweaking...

When KCYB moved from 101 to 103.5 it was briefly on in stereo and had wonderful sound quality -- as long as you could physically see the tower. Further away and it went bad quick. Rick cut the stereo to increase range. While he occasionally streams in stereo, most of the time its mono to accommodate bandwidth limitations. Considering the limited range not to mention personal costs, he's done an excellent job. Its one of the best LPFMs in the country. You can listen in at this link...

http://tunein.com/radio/Cypress-Radio-1035-s223226/


10710914_348480121985742_2361083498140779901_n.png
 
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Taking this in a different direction - why is it - in the current glut of translators and low power stations, that listeners are expected to tolerate such poor technical standards! 106.1 sounds AWFUL. KCYB isn't much better. Both play good music but the listening experience is completely ruined because they are mono and the audio quality is so bad. Is THIS what the FCC expects us to tolerate in the name of increasing diversity? I used to complain about streaming audio quality, HD audio quality, MP3 audio quality, AM audio quality - but these "translator" and low power stations bring audio quality to an entirely new level of awful. I personally wouldn't even want to go on the air sounding that bad - I wouldn't want my name associated with distortion, mono, overmodulation, high background noise, etc. Those should be the least expensive items to get right - even a Ramsey or a Belkin modulator sound better than these stations and are in stereo!


Tell me about it, man! This photo is from four years ago, back when I was broadcasting 93Q Classic from a 75 foot pine tree. This homemade rig -- a six dollar ipod modulator connected to a 30 watt RF amp -- produced decent quality. A lot better than the garbage K291ce is spitting out.


10694852_946872805328181_19294777_n.jpg
 
I said I wasn't going to file anything else against K291CE, but in a recent phone call those folks were demanding and intimidating -- getting on my nerves.
Opposition K291CE: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5fT1CTu9fUARXpWS1ZLT1gtQmM/view?usp=sharing

Attached Exhibit: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5fT1CTu9fUANmRvcTViM2JTZ0U/view?usp=sharing

Here is a paragraph from the second document, Joseph. Remember this?
"We oppose the license to cover and transfer of license for K291CE for several reasons. First, President
Obama has signed legislation providing for the license of LPFMs to nonprofit groups. In 2013, New Beginnings
Houston submitted an LPFM application for the only frequency available at our location (106.1) in SW Houston.
Since that time, the owners of the subject translator station applied move closer to Houston and to change
frequencies to 106.1. With the granting of this application, it has left the area with no frequencies available for
LPFM. This runs afoul of the FCCs own policy that is supposed to assure that translators will not gobble up the
entire available spectrum to the exclusion of new low power FM (LPFM) applicants."


So... You did apply for an LPFM? I thought you mentioned on here a while back you didn't because you were able to use one of Mr. Henderson's TV stations instead... Oh wait...

Next, what's this about translators "gobbling up" the spectrum? I don't think that's the way to talk to government officials, Joseph! *sigh*
You can't say you're backing down and then fire back up again with your Opposition letters, sir. It doesn't work that way. Just sayin'.

[e-signed]
Unregistered
 
"guest", remember who you are replying to..

Funny thing is you are correct, NO such application ever existed from such an organization...Also there are FOUR freqs available for his "alleged" LPFM site. Even K291CE under its CP still allows a 106.1 LP to be placed in his zip code....


OOOOOPPS! :rolleyes:
 
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Lost in all of this is that Mr. Downs/Donalson has multiple felonious convictions on his record, and was incarcerated for most of the last 30 years. He has no business applying for anything related to broadcast facility ownership.
 
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