Vancouver will see a new radio station on the air soon. Wave 98.3 signed on recently to test their transmitter (located at Burrard and Dunsmuir). The format appears to be smooth jazz, similar to other “Wave” stations owned by Durham Broadcasting.
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98.3 Testing from Downtown Transmitter
- Thread starter fordranger797
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Is this a lower-power station, such as several of the added Toronto stations that barely cover the inner metro?
I believe so. The transmitter is located on top of a 36 storey office building. With 98.3 operating at low power, and being in a fairly undesirable location, it probably won’t be heard outside of the inner metro.
It is lower powered- similar to a US class A. Will not cover the metro, but will cover the cities of Vancouver, Surrey (northern part), Burnaby and New Westminster.
I would guesstimate that it will reach around 800,000 population- the metro has roughly 2MM if I remember correctly.
How many will listen to a niche format? Good question.
EDIT- Wiki says the metro population is 2.46 MM. I am old and these numbers grow on me.
I would guesstimate that it will reach around 800,000 population- the metro has roughly 2MM if I remember correctly.
How many will listen to a niche format? Good question.
EDIT- Wiki says the metro population is 2.46 MM. I am old and these numbers grow on me.
That is a very good question. It may have something to with CRTC regulations, as 98.3 was formally a community-centric radio station. With that being said, I think that smooth jazz will be a tough sell.
As for the signal, I would have a hard time believing it will make it as far as Surrey or New Westminster. I have not tested it myself (not do I know what the ERP is), but the transmitter location is not favourable.
EDIT:
So it appears that radio locator is providing some technical details for this station. It looks like they have an ERP of 1,700 watts, and a pattern that does indeed hit north Surrey and New Westminster. With that being said, I still think that might be a hopeful estimate of coverage, as the terrain isn’t in their favour to the south.
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It's a super tight fit with Star 98.3 cranking 5kW from Chilliwack, aimed towards Vancouver. Star is plenty readable here at my mountain outpost SE of Bellingham WA.
I guess they justified it because you can’t hear Star 98.3 in Vancouver due to the mountainous terrain that blocks chilliwack. However, as you head south, these stations are bound to mix.
I’ve been listening to 98.3 for a while, and I have to say that I really like what I’m hearing. I’m not a huge fan of jazz, but this format really provides something unique on the radio dial to listen to. I really hope it works out for them, because someone put a lot of thought into this launch!
Reception report, better than I expected to the south. Doing my errands in Bellingham tonight and the station is pretty much "around" all over town, though I would not say enjoyable to listen. Get on a higher hill and it is in the clear. Not that they care about any listeners in another country, but they do have more of a signal than I expected nonetheless. Totally listenable at my house 6km SE of Bellingham WA, but then again I am on the side of a small mountain at 330 meters above sea level and pointing north, so...
BTW, it does a good job here of blocking out Star
BTW, it does a good job here of blocking out Star
Sounds like this station gets out extremely well for it's location on an office building. I found that lower-powered stations like CHLG came in better on the higher elevation areas of Bellingham, with significant signal loss in the "bowl" of downtown. It was actually crystal clear on the east side of Sehome hill where the HD hash from KAFE was blocked. The higher-powered stations didn't have a problem anywhere around town (if I recall).
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