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103.1 stations and their signals

Z

Zorn21

How can the two 103.1's (WCSJ, Morris, and WVIV,Highland Park) not overlap? What does it sound like around Tinley Park and Aurora? Curious...

Z
 
I live in the southwestern part of Oswego. At home, the Morris station comes in reasonably well, with no interference from the Highland Park station. But as I drive northeast on US 34 through Oswego, WVIV begins to cut in and out, and the farther north I go, the more WVIV takes over the frequency from WCSJ. Through most of Aurora, WVIV is the dominant station on 103.1, although it doesn't come in all that well until I get even farther to the north and east.
 
Both stations have directional signals. I don't remember exactly how then WXXY's signal (now WVIV-FM) was under Big City Radio. I know the null for what is now WCSJ-FM wasn't as sharp toward the NE as it is now. When the 2 stations were sold, supposedly, that was the condition of the sale of now WVIV, to make it the stronger station, while WCSJ-FM became the weaker station. I don't have details on this, & most of the people that used to come to this board are now on other messageboards. I do know the FCC approved the directional patterns of the 2 stations. I believe it was also the FCC that allowed 2 103.1's to be allocated around Chicagoland. So they have to be pre-1964 short-spaced stations.
 
I guess on most newer car radio setups with their pathetic cosmetic glass embedded antennas, and hence lower effective sensitivity, this becomes a non-issue. In effect it's akin to each station reducing power to about 25% or so. Those with optimized setups (I have a 31 inch vertical whip, centrally mounted on the car roof), are becoming a rarer breed. I live west of Aurora, so I hear more of the Morris station at that location, but not clearly, a pity really as I do like their "America's best music" format (even though I'm in my late 30s), which is also heard on WSQR 1180 am from Sycamore. I wish if Chicago had even a HD-2 stereo station with this kind of music (adult standards). It's a shame this format is confined to AM, because much of this music sounds great in FM stereo.
 
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