Hometown broadcasting has installed a translator at 103.9 resulting in the total obliteration of the 103.9 translator from Lexington. I used to hear the signal quite well and the signal contained RDS which functioned well also. The translator from Danville is causing significant interference to the one in Lexington especially at the southern parts of town including the mall, Harrodsburg road, and basically anything in southern Fayette County. The 103.9 signal from Danville COMPLETELY covers up the signal from the Lexington signal in Nicholasville where it was once enjoyable with no issues. I have reached out to WLKT with no response so far. These translators are nothing but a menace especially to outlets that provide a unique source of entertainment.
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103.9 translator in Danville Ky.
- Thread starter toddalcorn
- Start date
The Danville translator is on the air because it met all the requirements set by the Federal Communications Commission in order to be granted a license to operate by the FCC. This means it met all the rules and regulations including interference issues. In some instances, a frequency may allow a radio signal to be received beyond it's typical coverage area. More frequently, it is a person who enjoys listening to non-local signals (and frequently has invested in superior receivers to do so).
It is not the radio station that said I'm putting a station here, it was the FCC, the governing entity that said you meet all our requirements to put a station here. You might think of it this way, it's like moving in to a new neighborhood and you step out on the back porch for your morning coffee to enjoy the scene all the way to the next block because the lot behind you is vacant. One day you step out and they're putting up a house on that vacant lot. You can complain but the city or county said it was okay to build a house on that lot because all their requirements were met. And you were never guaranteed that view to the next block.
If you would like to see what I mean, you can go to radio locator (Radio-Locator.com) or recnet (REC Networks | a leading advocate for a diverse dial.) and check the 103.9 frequency in Danville and the location of the one you enjoy. I believe you will see the 60 dbu strength reception areas do not overlap. The 60 dbu is the red line. You can see the red lines are separated by quite a few miles. By the way, you can usually pick up a station with less than a 60 dbu signal in a vehicle, maybe down to 50 dbu. Even so, neither translator's 50 dbu signals would touch. The links are below.
It is not the radio station that said I'm putting a station here, it was the FCC, the governing entity that said you meet all our requirements to put a station here. You might think of it this way, it's like moving in to a new neighborhood and you step out on the back porch for your morning coffee to enjoy the scene all the way to the next block because the lot behind you is vacant. One day you step out and they're putting up a house on that vacant lot. You can complain but the city or county said it was okay to build a house on that lot because all their requirements were met. And you were never guaranteed that view to the next block.
If you would like to see what I mean, you can go to radio locator (Radio-Locator.com) or recnet (REC Networks | a leading advocate for a diverse dial.) and check the 103.9 frequency in Danville and the location of the one you enjoy. I believe you will see the 60 dbu strength reception areas do not overlap. The 60 dbu is the red line. You can see the red lines are separated by quite a few miles. By the way, you can usually pick up a station with less than a 60 dbu signal in a vehicle, maybe down to 50 dbu. Even so, neither translator's 50 dbu signals would touch. The links are below.
The problem is the significant interference created to the Lexington station by the station in Danville. Why is it OK to create an unlistenable situation in Lexington while the same interference doesn't occur in Danville. It's more than touching in the reception area. It is creating a situation that is objectionable to listeners in Lexington. All you have to do is drive there and experience it. It wasn't long ago when 101.1 translator was forced to move because listeners in Lexington had a fit because they could no longer hear a station from Hazard (WSGS). What's the difference? Hometown broadcasting responded to my complaint by saying that they are serving the community. What community? Danville, Nicholasville, and even southern Fayette County.The Danville translator is on the air because it met all the requirements set by the Federal Communications Commission in order to be granted a license to operate by the FCC. This means it met all the rules and regulations including interference issues. In some instances, a frequency may allow a radio signal to be received beyond it's typical coverage area. More frequently, it is a person who enjoys listening to non-local signals (and frequently has invested in superior receivers to do so).
It is not the radio station that said I'm putting a station here, it was the FCC, the governing entity that said you meet all our requirements to put a station here. You might think of it this way, it's like moving in to a new neighborhood and you step out on the back porch for your morning coffee to enjoy the scene all the way to the next block because the lot behind you is vacant. One day you step out and they're putting up a house on that vacant lot. You can complain but the city or county said it was okay to build a house on that lot because all their requirements were met. And you were never guaranteed that view to the next block.
If you would like to see what I mean, you can go to radio locator (Radio-Locator.com) or recnet (REC Networks | a leading advocate for a diverse dial.) and check the 103.9 frequency in Danville and the location of the one you enjoy. I believe you will see the 60 dbu strength reception areas do not overlap. The 60 dbu is the red line. You can see the red lines are separated by quite a few miles. By the way, you can usually pick up a station with less than a 60 dbu signal in a vehicle, maybe down to 50 dbu. Even so, neither translator's 50 dbu signals would touch. The links are below.
Not sure how the situation works when translators interfere with each other, but you might be able to complain to the first translator that you can’t hear it any longer. If it gets enough complaints, that might be actionable.
The standards for interference have changed since WSGS claimed interference from the 101.1 translator, which, I believe, relayed WVLK. However, it may well have had enough listeners in Lexington that it could still get a translator off that frequency if it needed to.
The standards for interference have changed since WSGS claimed interference from the 101.1 translator, which, I believe, relayed WVLK. However, it may well have had enough listeners in Lexington that it could still get a translator off that frequency if it needed to.
Thanks. I did email a complaint and so far no response. I'm sure there are listeners in the area that are wondering what's going and probably blaming their receivers for this interference. I somewhat understand what WHIR is doing but here's the real issue. AM radios are terrible these days and coupled with things like LED interference, AM has become a mess. Even in my newer car, AM reception is dismal. It's not a signal issue, it's a receiver issue.
If you want a complaint to stick, I know from helping a LPFM that was being wiped out by a translator that was not set up as licensed, you have to complain to the Lexington station and they file based on your reception information. The Lexington station will be required to produce a certain number of complaints (based on population) that live in the protected coverage area. The offending station has a chance to remedy the situation with everyone that complains. If a remedy is not found, the newer of the translators may be forced to reduce power, choose another frequency or go off the air. In my situation in helping a fellow broadcaster, the situation was not translator vs. translator. Translators have to accept interference. Plainly put, if the Lexington translator is not that upset, then they're fine with their coverage. So, in short, file your complaint with the Lexington station not the FCC. Nothing will happen with the FCC until the Lexington station is involved. By the way, it takes about 12 to 18 months to resolve based on my experience.
The historic case you mention was a full power station (that must be protected) taking on a translator. The two classes of stations are two entirely different entities in the eyes of the FCC. In fact, since that case, the FCC introduced new rules on interference. By today's rules, I don't think the outcome would have been the same.
The historic case you mention was a full power station (that must be protected) taking on a translator. The two classes of stations are two entirely different entities in the eyes of the FCC. In fact, since that case, the FCC introduced new rules on interference. By today's rules, I don't think the outcome would have been the same.
Here's how this works. First of all, translators are secondary service, and they have to acknowledge as much when they get their licenses. There is never a guarantee thastat a translator can operate free of incoming interference from a full-power signal.
There is a procedure to streamline the complaint and remediation process for interference from translators, and I assume it would apply here if iHeart believed the new WHIR translator was causing unacceptable interference to its much older translator carrying Real 103.9.
The rules say that the complaint has to come from the station receiving the interference (not from a listener or other third party) and that the interference has to be happening inside the 45 dBu contour of the complaining station. 45 dBu is a pretty weak signal, much weaker than the 60 dBu signal inside which most classes of FM signal are considered to be protected from all interference.
So if you could get iHeart to see this as a concern, you'd have to show an issue inside the Lexington signal's 45. That does encompass Nicholasville; going out 27, it's out around White Oak and out 68 it's out to about High Bridge. As others here have noted, a successful complaint has to provide a certain number of interference complaints from listeners (it's determined by the population coverage of the station receiving the interference.)
It may turn out that iHeart isn't interested in pursuing a complaint over a translator (they've been less than aggressive about doing so in other markets), or it may be that they can approach WHIR informally and figure out a resolution that avoids a lengthy and expensive FCC filing. WHIR probably doesn't care about being heard much beyond Boyle County, and might be willing to adjust its directional pattern to reduce radiation toward Lexington. Or it could turn into a drawn-out battle. I've been through these with my clients, and try to avoid them whenever possible.
There is a procedure to streamline the complaint and remediation process for interference from translators, and I assume it would apply here if iHeart believed the new WHIR translator was causing unacceptable interference to its much older translator carrying Real 103.9.
The rules say that the complaint has to come from the station receiving the interference (not from a listener or other third party) and that the interference has to be happening inside the 45 dBu contour of the complaining station. 45 dBu is a pretty weak signal, much weaker than the 60 dBu signal inside which most classes of FM signal are considered to be protected from all interference.
So if you could get iHeart to see this as a concern, you'd have to show an issue inside the Lexington signal's 45. That does encompass Nicholasville; going out 27, it's out around White Oak and out 68 it's out to about High Bridge. As others here have noted, a successful complaint has to provide a certain number of interference complaints from listeners (it's determined by the population coverage of the station receiving the interference.)
It may turn out that iHeart isn't interested in pursuing a complaint over a translator (they've been less than aggressive about doing so in other markets), or it may be that they can approach WHIR informally and figure out a resolution that avoids a lengthy and expensive FCC filing. WHIR probably doesn't care about being heard much beyond Boyle County, and might be willing to adjust its directional pattern to reduce radiation toward Lexington. Or it could turn into a drawn-out battle. I've been through these with my clients, and try to avoid them whenever possible.
The signal is completely extinguished in Nicholasville. Not a sign of Real 103.9 until you hit Sam's Club and then it's very brief until you rise to the top of the hill. There is significant swapping of the translators as you just cross Fayette County line and the interference renders the signal almost unlistenable at Fayette Mall and all the way up Harrodsburg Road in Lexington. BOTH RDS informations display on my Pioneer head unit. The RDS from Real 103.9 used to display at my home in Danville and I mention that as an example of how good the reception was. The FCC is apparently granting licenses without doing real world listening. The biggest problem for Real 103.9 was Sam 103.9 and 103.9 The Groove from Louisville. Buuuuut Real was always superior. Real 103.9 was ROCK SOLID until I descended Camp Nelson Hill but always came back with acceptable reception at the bridge. It carried well into Lincoln County and just a little past Hall's Gap until Sam 103.9 took control. I'm trying to describe what was versus what is. Local WKYB at 107.5 is absent for some odd reason. That would be a somewhat decent frequency to utilize. There are stations there but they are kind of weak. I guess I should have never removed my factory GM head unit in exchange for the Pioneer touch screen. The reception is far superior.
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