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LPFM Filing Window Is Open

C

Cold Coffee

Banned
It's pretty quiet about this here. I see consultants online looking for clients to pay for services. I suppose eventually we will be able to find what cities applications have been filed for. Some applications will be on top of other FM stations.
 
Anyone who wanted to get an application in should have had all the pieces together at least a few weeks ago.

We'll find out how many applications were filed once the window closes next Wednesday. I am guessing the total will be in the 500-600 range. I believe @Michi has calculated there were fewer than 300 filed on day one.

"On top of other FM stations"? The spacing rules are what they are. An LPFM can go in where there's now fringe reception of a full-power station, but that's not protected from interference anyway.

My expectation is that this will be a bit of a yawner of a window in the end. There just aren't that many frequencies available anymore after the last few LPFM and translator windows.
 
During the last NCE windows we saw the benefit of going to contours instead of distance. We could worm in more LPFM's this way.
Anyone want an LPFM that's maybe 15 watts in the direction of populated areas and 100 watts towards cornfields. Also the last directional antenna I bought cost $20,000. Nondirectional ones cost less than $1,000.
Yes their were many applicants for low power directional stations in the last NCE window. And I doubt many of these will ever go on the air.
 
People don't tune across the dial anymore between stations. We have presets. It will take much longer for new stations to be discovered. A newspaper story might not do you much good now. How do you promote your new LPFM?
 
I saw a lot of good in LPFM when I proposed a new service in a petition for rulemaking before the Federal Communications Commission more than 35 years ago.

But, listening habits have changed a great deal since then. I wonder how wise it is to build new radio stations in 2025 or 2026?
 
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Flying Dutchman said:
It's pretty quiet about this here. I see consultants online looking for clients to pay for services. I suppose eventually we will be able to find what cities applications have been filed for. Some applications will be on top of other FM stations.
Click to expand...
 
This will be a LPFM tool for when the filing window closes. Once we have the LPFM window information in, the default window will be changed from the 2021 NCE window to the 2023 LPFM window. You will still be able to look at 2021 NCE and other windows by selecting the Change Window link.
LPFM/NCE Tracking
 
Flying Dutchman said:
I saw a lot of good in LPFM when I proposed a new service in a petition for rulemaking before the Federal Communications Commission more than 35 years ago.

But, listening habits have changed a great deal since then. I wonder how wise it is to build new radio stations in 2025 or 2026?
Click to expand...
Depends on the market probably
 
Bill Betten said:
This will be a LPFM tool for when the filing window closes. Once we have the LPFM window information in, the default window will be changed from the 2021 NCE window to the 2023 LPFM window. You will still be able to look at 2021 NCE and other windows by selecting the Change Window link.
LPFM/NCE Tracking
Click to expand...
After all, if people saw that list right now, they might chose not to file. They might not want to be one of two or three new LPFM's coming to town. Or the delay of a competing application.
 
fybush said:
Anyone who wanted to get an application in should have had all the pieces together at least a few weeks ago.

We'll find out how many applications were filed once the window closes next Wednesday. I am guessing the total will be in the 500-600 range. I believe @Michi has calculated there were fewer than 300 filed on day one.
Click to expand...
The estimate has already reached 544 in two days.
fybush said:
"On top of other FM stations"? The spacing rules are what they are. An LPFM can go in where there's now fringe reception of a full-power station, but that's not protected from interference anyway.
Click to expand...
Because of the 20 km buffer zone, LPFM overprotects full-service stations.
fybush said:
My expectation is that this will be a bit of a yawner of a window in the end. There just aren't that many frequencies available anymore after the last few LPFM and translator windows.
Click to expand...
If we stay on the current pace, we will be at 2,176 applications. This number, of course may go down as the window progresses and may shoot upwards on the last day because of all of the procrastinators. I also know that some of the major help are waiting until the last day to file. (Most of REC's applications are already filed and right now, we account for more than 10% of yesterday's estimate of 544 applications filed).

Currently for Friday, we are estimating 42 applications filed so far. If no other applications are filed today, that would bring the pace down to 1,562.
 
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Flying Dutchman said:
During the last NCE windows we saw the benefit of going to contours instead of distance. We could worm in more LPFM's this way.
Anyone want an LPFM that's maybe 15 watts in the direction of populated areas and 100 watts towards cornfields. Also the last directional antenna I bought cost $20,000. Nondirectional ones cost less than $1,000.
Yes their were many applicants for low power directional stations in the last NCE window. And I doubt many of these will ever go on the air.
Click to expand...
I wish we could do contours in LPFM. Unfortunately, the Local Community Radio Act prohibits it for protecting full-service stations. In RM-11810, I had proposed the ability for contours to protect translators (as there is no statutory prohibition), the FCC dismissed it as "too complex for LPFM".
 
I'll make the math easy for @Michi - there will be seven applications coming from me. (That's not really giving away any secrets, is it?)

And I too wish we could use contours in LPFM. It makes it especially hard to put anything in the reserved part of the band, because every class A is protected as though it's a 6 kW/100 m ND full A, even if it's a tiny 100-watt DA 65 km away. I had one opportunity to upgrade a class D to an LPFM, which would have simplified their facility and increased their reach, all without causing any real-world interference - but a first-adjacent A with a signal that clears contour protection by something like 30 km is in the way.
 
Flying Dutchman said:
I saw a lot of good in LPFM when I proposed a new service in a petition for rulemaking before the Federal Communications Commission more than 35 years ago.

But, listening habits have changed a great deal since then. I wonder how wise it is to build new radio stations in 2025 or 2026?
Click to expand...
Based on consumer habits and the track record of the past batch of LPFM stations, I'd say the answer to your question is:
Not wise.
 
fybush said:
I'll make the math easy for @Michi - there will be seven applications coming from me. (That's not really giving away any secrets, is it?)

And I too wish we could use contours in LPFM. It makes it especially hard to put anything in the reserved part of the band, because every class A is protected as though it's a 6 kW/100 m ND full A, even if it's a tiny 100-watt DA 65 km away. I had one opportunity to upgrade a class D to an LPFM, which would have simplified their facility and increased their reach, all without causing any real-world interference - but a first-adjacent A with a signal that clears contour protection by something like 30 km is in the way.
Click to expand...
Wow, Scott. With only seven stations, how are you going to make that boat payment next month? ;)
 
Has anyone had issues with the elevation/HAAT/ERP calculations in the LPFM application? It looks the FCC miscalculated some of the values, overestimating elevation, thus penalizing applicants with underpowered outcomes. We're already hampered by the 100 watt limit at 30 meters...
 
RF101 said:
Has anyone had issues with the elevation/HAAT/ERP calculations in the LPFM application? It looks the FCC miscalculated some of the values, overestimating elevation, thus penalizing applicants with underpowered outcomes. We're already hampered by the 100 watt limit at 30 meters...
Click to expand...
Can applicants submit corrected calculations as part of the application?
 
According to RW, 1336 LPFM applications were filed this time around. This is less than half the 2796 applications that were submitted in 2013. Like salmon swimming upstream, we'll see how many actually make it to getting licensed.
 
ZebraRadio said:
According to RW, 1336 LPFM applications were filed this time around. This is less than half the 2796 applications that were submitted in 2013. Like salmon swimming upstream, we'll see how many actually make it to getting licensed.
Click to expand...
Enough poor souls lost their life savings between 2013 and today. Either there are just less fools purely by attrition, or there's just less interest in playing radio considering the growth of things like social media and streaming.
 
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