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KWDB 101.1 Coupeville - Oak Harbor.

R

RF101

At FCCDATA.ORG last week I saw a License To Cover (L2C) granted for KWDB. It looks like the tower is near the Naval Air Station next to Oak Harbor.

I wonder if they're testing yet? I guess it's time to bring out the FM yagi and point it that way.
 
I was down that direction back on Monday and heard nothing. Have to figure it is coming soon. I wish them luck; going to be fairly brutal fightng CFMI as Whidbey Island is largely exposed to the north. Also will likely affect KKXA's translator in areas north of Marysville...I realize that is "bonus" coverage for the translator, but still.

EDIT- the SDR in NW Seattle is picking up only CFMI at the moment. Not sure if the new station would get down that far anyway...time will tell.
 
Forget it! Rock 101 will kill the signal within 5 miles of Oak Harbor, maybe even closer. How would it do on a frequency that normally has HD hash from Seattle? I assume the hash is weaker up that way, so channels like 100.9 and 99.1 may become usable.
 
I agree with the signal. CFMI is just going to eat them alive anywhere 15 miles from Whidbey.

But if so, this could actually be a good test case for the concept of hyper-local narrowcasting commercial radio. They just have to do what original KWDB/KJTT/KISD did everything to find on Whidbey Island; A single unifying groove musically and a big inventory of spots. Once that's figured out, it's all cupcakes from there 😉.
 
I am heading S on I-5 Sunday morning. WIll be interested to see how this signal interacts with CFMI and the Everett KKXA translator signals, and how much. Previously it was pretty much CFMI nrht of the Stilly River bridge, and KKXA to the south. WIll report back.
 
RDS is now saying "KWDB" (PS) and "Rockin Hits 101 from Whidbey...KWDB Coupeville-Oak Harbor" (RT) . Let's hope they can re-apply for that earlier proposed power upgrade.
 
They must still be in "testing" mode as there was no evidence of a signal Sunday. I drove through the area both mid-morning and early evening and heard nothing, other than the normal fight between the KKXA translator and CFMI.
 
Went down the I-5 corridor from near Bellingham down to Seattle Thursday for the Seahawks game. I am still recovering from THAT one!

At the current power level of KWDB I observed the following:

1) You could not listen to the new station really at any point on the freeway.
2) It pretty well wiped out CFMI from Bow Hill to all points south. I would occaisonally get HD lock on Rock 101, but only for a few seconds. When I turned off the HD, it was pretty much a mish-mash of both stations from the Skagit Valley to Smokey Point, where KKXA's translator took over. Prior to the launch of the new signal, CFMI came in clear in HD pretty much all the way to Stanwood.
3) The new signal does not appear to affect KKXA very much at all, which was a plesant surprise. (At least on the interstate- I suspect locatgions facing Puget Sound might be affected to a greater degree.)

Bottom line, this really does appear to be a Whidbey Island signal at this point, which is fine. I understand CFMI has no legal protections in the US, and it shows LOL.
 
Amazing how packed the dial is now in western Washington. Twenty years ago it was Rock 101 and ONLY Rock 101 through to Seattle, albeit weaker south of Everett. KUFO (KXL) occasionally would make it via tropo during the summertime. I had several stations on 101.1 via E skip from western Washington including KRTH in L.A. and KFNF in Oberlin, KS. That's all history now, I bet! I also remember the waning years of KWDB on 1110, it was mostly talk radio at that point. And it had a very weak signal in south Snohomish County.
With the 6.2KW that KWDB is licensed for, they should make it down here to Yakima on tropo/aircraft scatter eventually.
 
Define "broad." Are we talking slightly wider than The Jet, or is it oh wow after oh wow, like the old 104.5 KMCQ?
 
I would call it a commercially viable mix of classic hits and classic rock. Not too diffwerent from CFMI/Rock 101 in Vancouver, with the important exception that they don;t have to play CanCon on Whidbey Island.
 
Was out in Mukilteo (Harbor Point area) between 5:30 and 6:00 pm Friday night. KWDB and KKXA were playing ping pong with each other as I drove down the speedway. Hearing Kool and the Gang's Tonight mixed with Randy Travis's 1982 was interesting to say the least.
 
DMK said:
Was out in Mukilteo (Harbor Point area) between 5:30 and 6:00 pm Friday night. KWDB and KKXA were playing ping pong with each other as I drove down the speedway. Hearing Kool and the Gang's Tonight mixed with Randy Travis's 1982 was interesting to say the least.
Click to expand...
I would have thought that Mukilteo would be within the expected coverage area for KKXA. It’s a bit concerning that KWDB is eating into their coverage. Unfortunately, 101.1 has never been an ideal frequency to use in the north sound.

I prefer listening to KKXA on AM anyway (and luckily, someone who wants to listen can easily get a clear signal on 1520 in that area) so it doesn’t make too much of a difference, but it’s still unfortunate that their coverage just took a hit.
 
I just noticed that KKXA may have a construction permit to move their translator to 96.9. If that is indeed the case, it’s probably not a bad idea to do so.
 
It will get walloped by KYYO, CKLG, and the new KZGI within just 10-15 miles. The problem with the Seattle and North Sound dial is that there is literally nowhere to move new stations to. The KWDB/KKXA translator picket-fencing is an example. Another factor is that every 'open' frequency left has HD hash on it. If not for the terrible hash on either side, stations like KWDB could exist on channels like 100.9 and 94.3.
 


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