104.1-SA NOW SIMULCASTING KSAH 720 AM

[fredcantu]

Works about the same for me. Both can be heard within the 1604 loop... I live inside loop 410, so the signal is most likely even stronger. Thanks for validating my point.

Actually, my point is that north of downtown SA, KRIO-- even with 100,000 watts-- has the same signal strength as an 81 watt translator located downtown.

 

[wild949austin]

FWIW I can pick up 104.1 just fine on a home radio in Alamo Heights and likewise in a car radio across most of the city.

FWIW-- I drove into SA today from Austin on IH-35 and the seek on my GM OEM radio didn't lock onto 104.1 until about Loop 1604. Also FWIW-- At the same point the seek also started locking on the KAHL translator on 103.7.

Yeah once you are driving from SA to Austin north on I 35, 104.1 KRIO begins to lose signal past the FM 3009 exit in Schertz. By New Braunfels, it is there, but only if your are DXing it. In San Marcos/Kyle/Buda, I sometimes pick up 104.1 KRBE from Houston instead of KRIO. Same with 95.7 La Ley and 94.1 KTFM: they also lose signal from New Braunfels north.

 

[Radiotex]

I sometimes pick up 104.1 KRBE from Houston instead of KRIO. Same with 95.7 La Ley and 94.1 KTFM: they also lose signal from New Braunfels north.

This is the whole purpose for this booster. KRBE was regularly overriding the signal where it shouldn't. As long as the booster doesn't extend range of the master station it can put a higher dbu signal into the protected contour.

From the sound of the posts here it is doing exactly that!

 

[davideduardo]

I sometimes pick up 104.1 KRBE from Houston instead of KRIO. Same with 95.7 La Ley and 94.1 KTFM: they also lose signal from New Braunfels north.

This is the whole purpose for this booster. KRBE was regularly overriding the signal where it shouldn't. As long as the booster doesn't extend range of the master station it can put a higher dbu signal into the protected contour.

From the sound of the posts here it is doing exactly that!

The booster for a C of any class must not extend the 60 dbu signal of the station. That still leaves out most of Bexar County, and the booster is located not all that far from the main transmitter, so it is really not putting a higher dbu signal into any significantly populated area.

The result is that it does not register significant in home and at work listening in Bexar because the signal is not strong enough for the average listener on the average small radio.

 

[Radiotex]

The booster for a C of any class must not extend the 60 dbu signal of the station. That still leaves out most of Bexar County, and the booster is located not all that far from the main transmitter, so it is really not putting a higher dbu signal into any significantly populated area.

The result is that it does not register significant in home and at work listening in Bexar because the signal is not strong enough for the average listener on the average small radio.

That is esentially what I said. However, you speak like the 60 dbu contour is a brick wall. It is not. The advantage of this booster is that it can take an unlistenable signal outside of that circle yet inside of Bexar county at say 20 dbu and make it decent at 40 or 50 dbu. It will improve in home listening. In fact I am listening at home right now in Helotes at about 38-45 dbu. This is not possible when the booster is off. All of which is perfectly within regulations.

 

[Tower Erection]

What everyone is assuming here is that the FCC 50/50 curves even mean anything in the real world or in FM. These curves were a carry-over from the 1940's AM days and really do not perform the same on paper as they do in the real world. The closest estimation to real world performance is done on a Longley-Rice propagation study. These more closely mirror the real world performance of an FM although its not a perfect study either.

Its time that the FCC clean out the cobwebs and adopt some real engineering studies to cover how an FM performs.

Lots of luck as there are no longer any engineers at the FCC, just politicians !

 

[davideduardo]

What everyone is assuming here is that the FCC 50/50 curves even mean anything in the real world or in FM. These curves were a carry-over from the 1940's AM days and really do not perform the same on paper as they do in the real world. The closest estimation to real world performance is done on a Longley-Rice propagation study. These more closely mirror the real world performance of an FM although its not a perfect study either.

The closest extimation to real world performance is to look at the ZIP Codes for fixed location station listening using all signficant stations in many markets over many years. This smooths the uneven geograpic influence of individual stations and formats.

I've done this, and for FM 80% of such listening is in the 70 dbu conour, another 15% between the 64 and the 70 dbu and 5% outside. This gives a pretty good indication of where people, not mathematical calculations, listen.

 

[saradio1]

The PPM's will have the last word. 8)

 

[fredcantu]

The PPM's will have the last word. 8)

Of course there will be debate about PPM distribution just like diary distribution.