Another artifact from the 1980s

[Mark Roberts]

This was a graph I put together - on a manual typewriter! - of the stations I often picked up at my Columbia location, where I had installed an outdoor FM antenna with a rotor. Local stations are shown in "boldface" (done by overtyping multiple times by shifting the carriage slightly with the backspace key). This dates from no earlier than August 1981, judging by the KWK-FM call letters. 101.7 was a channel that had just been allocated to Columbia. That channel became active in 1983.

(N) means the antenna was aimed at the north or northwest.

(Edited to make the date more precise.)

 

[spiritof67]

Back then, KSGM-FM signed off at 10 PM. Seeing that you could get KTTS Springfield, were you able to get KMCK/K-106 (Siloam Springs, AR) ? They were the first to get 100 k ERP in the market, and they had a great signal.

 

[Mark Roberts]

Back then, KSGM-FM signed off at 10 PM. Seeing that you could get KTTS Springfield, were you able to get KMCK/K-106 (Siloam Springs, AR) ? They were the first to get 100 k ERP in the market, and they had a great signal.

No, never heard them. I rarely heard Joplin stations at my location, either, and that's a distance comparable to Siloam Springs. Springfield is quite a bit closer to Columbia than that.

 

[Kent]

No, never heard them. I rarely heard Joplin stations at my location, either, and that's a distance comparable to Siloam Springs. Springfield is quite a bit closer to Columbia than that.

When I first moved to Columbia in ‘01 and lived north of town near Range Line and Prathersville Road, I could occasionally get KSYN from Joplin, though I usually got KJJY on 92.5 if I got anything.

Unless you count KJEL 103.7 from Lebanon as a Springfield station, I rarely got anything from Springfield. Most Springfield stations were either too close to or co-channel with Columbia area stations. Even when I lived in Jeff City, Springfield radio was pretty much nonexistent.

 

[spiritof67]

On my trips to northwest AR in the 1970s, KSYN had a solid signal. Same with Springfield stations like KTXR, KWTO-FM and KTTS-FM.

Mark, what tuner/receiver did you have back then?

 

[Mark Roberts]

Unless you count KJEL 103.7 from Lebanon as a Springfield station, I rarely got anything from Springfield. Most Springfield stations were either too close to or co-channel with Columbia area stations. Even when I lived in Jeff City, Springfield radio was pretty much nonexistent.

One of my early 1980s frustrations in Columbia was trying to pick up KSHE and having KTTS-FM interfere with it all the time. KTXR was a regular, too.

 

[Mark Roberts]

On my trips to northwest AR in the 1970s, KSYN had a solid signal. Same with Springfield stations like KTXR, KWTO-FM and KTTS-FM.

Mark, what tuner/receiver did you have back then?

In college I used an Advent 400, which was mono. After 1980, I had an NAD 7020 receiver. I still have it, but it needs to be recapped and recalibrated. I still have the Advent, too. It was selective enough in the 1970s and even 1980s environment, but not now with the dial jam-packed with stations.

 

[Kent]

On my trips to northwest AR in the 1970s, KSYN had a solid signal. Same with Springfield stations like KTXR, KWTO-FM and KTTS-FM.

I went to college in Fayetteville for a couple years in the 90’s. I could get KSYN, KOBC 90.7, WMBH-FM/KJKT 102.5, and KIXQ 93.9. KWXD 103.5 and KOCD 105.3 were surprisingly easy to receive there, too. 97.9 and 107.1 were about the only Joplin area stations at the time that I never got there. I always got KZBB on 97.9 and KTHS-FM on 107.1. I also got 96.9 from Pittsburg.

KTXR, KKHT/KWTO-FM, and KXUS were easy to get in Fayetteville, too. By the time I got there, it had a local 94.9, which aired southern gospel as KDAB “The Higher Power.” It, however, signed off at 10:00 every night. Once it signed off, KTTS usually bled into 94.9 and came in like a local. That would be when I would start getting KMXL 95.1, too.

Until KBTN-FM signed on at 99.7 in the summer of 1995, I frequently got KLTH out of Kansas City. KREB 99.5 had just returned to the air, but it had a poor signal around Fayetteville. It was usually listenable, but it got interference from the 99.5 out of Tulsa and didn’t cause much interference itself. KBSY 107.3 got bought a few months after I got there and, after switching to gospel and country, it also began signing off at 10:00. KISF 107.3 from the KC area would usually blast in underneath it. A handful of Tulsa and, as I mentioned above, Ft. Smith stations came in pretty easily in Fayetteville, too. 103.3, 104.5, and 106.1 were the Tulsa ones I often got. KISR 93.7 was almost a local in Fayetteville. 97.9, 99.9, 100.7, 102.7, and 107.3 were the other Ft. Smith stations I consistently got on my home stereo. KMAG 99.1 came in much of the time but wasn't consistent. I could never figure out why that was.

 

[Kent]

One of my early 1980s frustrations in Columbia was trying to pick up KSHE and having KTTS-FM interfere with it all the time. KTXR was a regular, too.

By the time I got there, my station, which bumped KTXR to 101.3 a few years earlier, made it unreceivable in Columbia. Living north of town, the three Kirksville FM's were easily receivable. Seems like bleedover from KRXL was what I usually got on 94.7. I also lived next to the Christmas tree farm on the northwest of Range Line and Prathersville, which meant I was in a valley. That made getting even the Jefferson City stations except KTXY difficult. I had no trouble hearing KJMO 100.1 and even KJCQ/KLIK-FM 104.1 at the Range Line and Prathersville intersection (which has since be turned into a roundabout), but, as soon as I turned off onto my street, both of them would usually get really weak.

As I mentioned, I could usually get a handful of stations from Iowa: KMGO 98.7, KJJY 92.5, KLTI-FM 104.1, KNWS 101.9, and KCQQ 106.5. I occasionally got KMXD 100.3 and KHKI 97.3, but those were less consistent. Going north from there to Iowa was almost flat all the way.

 

[spiritof67]

As I mentioned, I could usually get a handful of stations from Iowa: KMGO 98.7, KJJY 92.5, KLTI-FM 104.1, KNWS 101.9, and KCQQ 106.5. I occasionally got KMXD 100.3 and KHKI 97.3, but those were less consistent. Going north from there to Iowa was almost flat all the way.

From Iowa, KFMH 99.7 out of Muscatine reached my St. Louis area QTH on a regular basis in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

 

[Mark Roberts]

When I drew that chart, I lived on Mexico Gravel Road across from Gerbes and the Wal*Mart. That was a nice high point. I need to find a topo map to figure out the height, but I'm sure it was more than the official 783 feet for Columbia. It might not have been as high as Centralia (909 feet and absolutely flat up that way).

 

[Kent]

When I drew that chart, I lived on Mexico Gravel Road across from Gerbes and the Wal*Mart. That was a nice high point. I need to find a topo map to figure out the height, but I'm sure it was more than the official 783 feet for Columbia. It might not have been as high as Centralia (909 feet and absolutely flat up that way).

That's not far from where I live today. You do go up a hill on Mexico Gravel right before Paris Rd when coming from the east. The area on the same side as Gerbes and the old Walmart (now a Buchheit after years of being an Orscheln) is pretty rough today. A few years ago, someone faked an incident in the middle of Mexico Gravel in front of the A-frames at the base of that hill and carjacked someone who came upon them and had to stop to avoid hitting them.

You may already know this, but, if you want to see your old neighborhood, you generally want to be careful between Paris and Ballenger and Mexico Gravel and Clark.

 

[radiofan2023]

From Iowa, KFMH 99.7 out of Muscatine reached my St. Louis area QTH on a regular basis in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

KFMH has been revived as an online station with a lot of the original DJs and shows. I really like Off the Beaten Track with Roberto.

99 Plus KFMH

Pirate Radio

99pluskfmh.com

 

[TheRob]

In Lawrence, Kansas, during those long periods when 95.7 was off the air, KWWR was a near-constant pick-up for me. Location within town didn't matter.

Northwest Arkansas stations came in reasonably well at the University of Kansas. I could get KEZA (107.9) on my walkman most days. The j-school and the main library are both on the south-facing ledge. Joplin, Springfield, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, even Dodge City were all gettable back then on an ordinary day at KU.

 

[spiritof67]

In Lawrence, Kansas, during those long periods when 95.7 was off the air, KWWR was a near-constant pick-up for me. Location within town didn't matter.

Northwest Arkansas stations came in reasonably well at the University of Kansas. I could get KEZA (107.9) on my walkman most days. The j-school and the main library are both on the south-facing ledge. Joplin, Springfield, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, even Dodge City were all gettable back then on an ordinary day at KU.

That sounds like you were in a prime position for a lot of stations. The terrain where you were must have helped a lot too.

 

[spiritof67]

In college I used an Advent 400, which was mono. After 1980, I had an NAD 7020 receiver. I still have it, but it needs to be recapped and recalibrated. I still have the Advent, too. It was selective enough in the 1970s and even 1980s environment, but not now with the dial jam-packed with stations.

That Advent looks unusual, and your NAD looks like a solid performer when it's in prime condition.

 

[Mark Roberts]

That's not far from where I live today. You do go up a hill on Mexico Gravel right before Paris Rd when coming from the east. The area on the same side as Gerbes and the old Walmart (now a Buchheit after years of being an Orscheln) is pretty rough today. A few years ago, someone faked an incident in the middle of Mexico Gravel in front of the A-frames at the base of that hill and carjacked someone who came upon them and had to stop to avoid hitting them.

You may already know this, but, if you want to see your old neighborhood, you generally want to be careful between Paris and Ballenger and Mexico Gravel and Clark.

Yes, I've heard. Seems like the Elleta Boulevard crowd has dispersed.

It was a great neighborhood...40 years ago.

 

[Mark Roberts]

That Advent looks unusual, and your NAD looks like a solid performer when it's in prime condition.

It was good, not absolutely top-notch, but pretty reasonable performance (better than the typical Pioneer tuner, for example) and very good sound. I suspect it's not selective enough for today's FM environment.
The backlit dial is cool. I miss those.