3/17 Tropo FM Band near Watertown, NY

[spunker88]

Some really good tropo this morning with warm weather moving in. Using the XDR-F1HD with a dipole tv antenna in a north facing window.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZfOE-8niJY

88.1 WSLZ Cape Vincent, NY
88.3 unid French
88.5 CILV Ottawa, ON
88.7 CKYM Napanee, ON (interference probably from WREM)
88.9 WSLJ Watertown, NY
89.1 CHUO Ottawa, ON
89.3 unid
89.5 WSLU Canton, NY
89.7 WXLD Lowville, NY
89.9 CIHT Ottawa, ON
90.1 WKWV Watetown, NY
90.3
90.5 WSLG Gouverneur, NY
90.7 CBOF Ottawa, ON (busting through WJNY's IBOC)
90.9 WJNY Watertown, NY
91.1 unid w/IBOC
91.3 CJLX Belleville, ON
91.5 CBO Ottawa, ON
91.7 WRVJ Watertown, NY
91.9 WMHI translator Lowville, NY
92.1 CHOD Cornwall, ON
92.3 CJET Smiths Falls, ON
92.5 WBLH Watertown, NY
92.7 WQTK Ogdensburg, NY
92.9 CBBK Kingston, ON
93.1 CKCU Ottawa, ON (WNTQ interference)
93.3 WCIZ Watertown, NY
93.5 CKXC Kingston, NY
93.7
93.9 CKKL Ottawa, ON
94.1 WOTT Watertown, NY
94.3 CKMF Montreal, QC
94.5 WYYY Syracuse, NY
94.7 WMHI Cape Vincent, NY
94.9 CIMF Gatineau, QC
95.1 CBF Montreal, QC
95.3 WLFK Gouverneur, NY
95.5
95.7 WAQX Manlius, NY
95.9 CJFM Montreal, QC
96.1 WVLF Norwood, NY
96.3 CFMK Kingston, ON (sort of in a null)
96.5 unid French
96.7 WYSX Morristown, NY
96.9 CKOI Montreal, QC (wiped out WOUR)
97.1 CIGL Belleville, ON
97.3 unid French (was getting CKON earlier)
97.5 WFRY Watertown, NY
97.7 CHOM Montreal, QC (or CHMS Bancroft, ON)
97.9 ? (either WSKS Whitesboro, NY or WPXY Rochester, NY)
98.1 CBOF Cornwall, ON
98.3 CFLY Kingston, ON
98.5 unid French (CJWL in background)
98.7 WPAC Ogdensburg, NY
98.9 CKLC Kingston, ON
99.1 CHRI Ottawa, ON
99.3 WLLG Lowville, NY
99.5 CJBC Kingston, ON
99.7 CJOT Ottawa, ON
99.9 CJGM Gananoque, ON
100.1
100.3 CJMJ Ottawa, ON
100.5 (UCB Canada translator)
100.7 CBFX Montreal, QC (wiped out WEFX)
100.9 ? (WKRL Syracuse, NY)
101.1 CKBY Smiths Falls, NY
101.3 unid (usually WBRV Booneville, NY but they're country)
101.5 WRCD Canton, NY
101.7 unid French (possibly CHIP)
101.9 CFRC Kingston, ON
102.1 unid French
102.3 (UCB Canada translator)
102.5 CBOX Ottawa, ON
102.7 WLYK Cape Vincent, NY
102.9 ? (either WNCQ Canton, NY or WMHN Syracuse, NY)
103.1 WTOJ Carthage, NY
103.3 CBOQ Ottawa, ON
103.5 ? (WUUF Sodus/Rochester, NY)
103.7 CJPT Brockville, ON
103.9 CBBP Peterborough, ON
104.1 CKTF Gatineau, QC
104.3 CKWS Kingston, ON (also WFRG Utica, NY if I move antenna)
104.5 CFLG Cornwall, NY
104.7 WBBS Fulton, NY
104.9 CFJR Brockville, NY
105.1 WOLF DeRuyter, NY
105.3 CISS Ottawa, NY
105.5
105.7 CIKR Kingston, NY
105.9
106.1 CHEZ Ottawa, NY
106.3 unid French
106.5 WKRH Oswego, NY
106.7 WBDR Copenhagen, NY
106.9 CKQB Ottawa, ON
107.1 CJTN Belleville, ON
107.3 CITE Montreal, QC
107.5 CBBK Kingston, ON
107.7 unid
107.9 WWHT Syracuse, NY (sort of in a null)

 

[w9wi]

Best guesses on some unIDs:

88.3 unid French

CBF-FM-15 (Chaine Culturelle) L'Annonciation, 4.6kw/126m @ 280km
(three other stations in Quebec, none closer than 351km)

91.9 WMHI translator Lowville, NY

W220BO, 10w @ 35km. There's also a 40-watter on the same frequency in Gouverneur @ 53km. (W220CR)

96.5 unid French

CFTX-FM Gatineau (Ottawa), 1.75kw/79m @ 163km.
(five other stations in Ontario & Quebec, none closer than 335km)

97.3 unid French (was getting CKON earlier)

CHGA-FM Maniwaki, 2.877kw/214m @ 249km.
(Three other stations in Ontario & Quebec, none closer than 407km)

98.5 unid French (CJWL in background)

CHMP-FM Longueuil (Montreal), 40.8kw/302m @ 249km.
(Four other stations in Ontario & Quebec, none closer than 1,000km except a 1-watter at 377km)

100.5 (UCB Canada translator)

CKJJ-FM-3 Kingston, 50w/63m @ 56km

101.7 unid French (possibly CHIP)

Yep, most likely CHIP. Next most likely CJSO Sorel, 3kw/68m @ 317km.

102.1 unid French

CBOF-FM-7 Brockville, 2.5kw/101m @ 77km. Possibly CHPR-FM Hawkesbury, 780w/21m @ 203km. Nothing else in French within 600km.

102.3 (UCB Canada translator)

Not really a translator, this is the main station CKJJ-FM Belleville, 15kw/136m @ 109km.

106.3 unid French

Somewhat the wrong direction, but most likely CJBC-5-FM Peterborough, 13kw/222m, @ 179km. Weaker but more in the right direction is CKIN-FM Montreal, 300w/194m @ 248km, although this is a multilingual station & the chances it wasn't broadcasting in French at the time are pretty good. There's also a powerful Chaine Culturelle station on the frequency in Quebec City..

 

[fybush]

Spunker, you might want to keep an ear on 89.3 for the new WRVH Clayton, the latest relay of WRVO. It filed for a license to cover last week.

 

[borderblaster]

Interesting morning. I'm not familiar with the dial in your area, but enjoyed it. Lotsa French needless to say.

 

[spunker88]

Spunker, you might want to keep an ear on 89.3 for the new WRVH Clayton, the latest relay of WRVO. It filed for a license to cover last week.

Sounds like the loss of another good DX frequency. Though its not the strongest signal, I lost 89.7 when NCPR signed on WXLD in Lowville. I got WUSF from Tampa, FL in HD last ES season before they signed on. It used to be a very clear channel for ES. I have way too many NCPR locals (88.1 Cape Vincent, 88.9 Watertown, 89.7 Lowville, 90.5 Gouverneur, 102.3 Carthage). Sometimes I wish they would just put up a big signal in Watertown instead of several translators. Thats the end of my rant. 89.3 usually brings your local WMHN or WSKG during tropo. Its also a good ES channel and will be a another loss.

W9WI, those UCB Canada signals are right I was too lazy to look up calls, and I usually get the Kingston one. On 102.3 I usually get NCPR Carthage since I live closer towards Carthage. 106.3 is probably Peterborough I get them a lot. On 102.1 I notice a weak French signal a lot, something in Brockville would explain that.

Though its not that bad in this video the Mars Hill translator on 91.9 was being overwhelmed by the strong signal from Rouge FM on 94.9. It must relay WMHI 94.7 and when there is strong tropo here Rouge FM gets strong. I have a youtube video of this same thing happening last summer. NCPR used to have the same issue but I think they stopped relaying OTA signals since I have not heard it in a while.

 

[MarioMania]

I think 97.9 is WSKS...97.9 WPXY has HD, I didn't hear HD on 97.9 with Jessie J "Domino"

 

[Buckeyes2001]

I noticed it showed WCNY (instead of WJNY) for 90.9 on the display, although WCNY is 91.3 in Syracuse.

 

[spunker88]

I noticed it showed WCNY (instead of WJNY) for 90.9 on the display, although WCNY is 91.3 in Syracuse.

Yes they do that. Ive been able to get 89.5 from Utica, never got it to lock, but it was showing WCNY as well in HD. The regular RDS shows the real call letters though, its kind of weird.

 

[Buckeyes2001]

As far as 101.3 goes, it may be CKOT/Tillsonburg, ON since the path between them and you is a straight shot over Lake Ontario. The other possibility is WRMM/Rochester, NY. Knowing how out-of-date R/Ls data seems to be with Canadian stations there could be another 101.3 somewhere they don't have listed.

 

[Tincap]

I've some insights into w8wi's helpful input.

88.3 unid French

CBF-FM-15 (Chaine Culturelle) L'Annonciation, 4.6kw/126m @ 280km
(three other stations in Quebec, none closer than 351km)

This would be SRC's 'Première Chaîne' (First Channel), the old 'Chaîne culturelle' has become 'Espace musique'.

96.5 unid French

CFTX-FM Gatineau (Ottawa), 1.75kw/79m @ 163km.
(five other stations in Ontario & Quebec, none closer than 335km)

Not CFTX, but rather CBF-FM-8, in Trois-Rivières QC.News (assumed) just wrapping up, announcement with "Première Chaîne de Radio-Canada", clearly heard.

97.3 unid French (was getting CKON earlier)

CHGA-FM Maniwaki, 2.877kw/214m @ 249km.
(Three other stations in Ontario & Quebec, none closer than 407km)

The announcer and background music doesn't sound 'correct' for CHGA, which is a community based station. I suggest that it's the 100kW French language CHR 'O97,3', out of Thetford Mines QC. If so, that would be a nice snag, indeed.

101.7 unid French (possibly CHIP)

Yep, most likely CHIP. Next most likely CJSO Sorel, 3kw/68m @ 317km.

Not CHIP, which is a bilingual community station, that I'm quite familiar with.
What we a hearing is the 'community calender', this is certainly not CHIP. Best bet CJSO in Sorel-Tracy QC (keeping in mind, that we both pulled in Trois-Rivières that morning).

I'll take a deeper look, a little latter, as many of these stations are on my home turf.

~BG