Looks liek youre in a night time null or close to it, no wonder the signal isnt too good
-
Get involved.
We want your input!
Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.
After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.
After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/
Thanks in advance and have fun!
RadioDiscussions Administrators
590 KLBJ Files to Change Transmitter Sites
- Thread starter Ryan Williams
- Start date
Looks liek youre in a night time null or close to it, no wonder the signal isnt too good
Only the innermost circle on Radio-Locator is valid, particularly at night. And even then, a late-comer to an AM channel had to accept higher than average interference, so even the inner contour on radio-locator may exaggerate the interference free coverage.
Remember, that station got its signal authorized due to LBJ's influence in Washington. It was never a great facility.
The 590 AM signal at night has always been mediocre to not good in much of Williamson County. I think AM across the board has gotten worse in the last 5 years even. More noise plus radios getting worse.
That said, I think you might be on to something. The 590 daytime does seem weaker than it has been in recent months. Perhaps they are doing some preliminary work at the current site before moving or maybe an equipment failure. When did you first notice a degradation?
That said, I think you might be on to something. The 590 daytime does seem weaker than it has been in recent months. Perhaps they are doing some preliminary work at the current site before moving or maybe an equipment failure. When did you first notice a degradation?
The KLBJ night signal has a null to the north, presumably to protect the co-channel in Omaha.
The KLBJ daytime signal is at its normal strength at my Houston (NW Harris County) location, around 125 miles to the east of the transmitter. Any signal reduction, if there actually was any, must have been temporary.
Here's a daytime recording of me tuning in 590... and other Austin-area stations, which are much stronger.
New video by Doug O (DougO)
This was in the room of the house that has the least static.
New video by Doug O (DougO)
This was in the room of the house that has the least static.
Probably similar; the 99.7 translator makes it to Buda and Kyle (15-20 miles from downtown) in normal conditions.
Here in Canyon Lake, 590 has one of the better night signals (only WOAI and KTSA are consistently better). While 590 has some fading, it usually stays above the mush. It will be interesting to hear how significant the decline of the signal is with the site move and night power reduction. Of course, KLBJ does not have any interest in Comal County.
You are around Jarrell?
From your video and from my own listening yesterday it sounds like not only is 590 weaker than usual, but it seems to have added distortion or noise.
You can hear 99.7 in a car in Kyle, but I doubt anyone is listening inside their home or business (I don't live in Hays County, so I can't check this myself). I would say that in the northern parts of the county the FM is better than 590 at night in my own listening driving back from South Texas.
It also helps that 99.7 is a relatively clean frequency, making it less susceptible to ducting.
Yes, in Jarrell.
Didn't check my Grundig today, but in my car, on I-35 at Jarrell, 590 sounded fine, better than it had in the past.
Yes and no.
This stems from the olden days long before internet.. when stations could make use of and so could listeners.. of the 300-400-500 mile like a local signal at night.
People have proposed over the years to change these rules... and its never happened. Will it in my life time? im 38.. absolutely, i think.
But If KLBJ stayed on day power and pattern at night, theyd rip into KXSP Omaha's local area.
To give you an idea on skywave.. when WESC 660 Greenville, SC was 50kw and didnt sign off one night, it ripped into WFAN NYC in its local area.
I've heard canadian stations who havent switched to night power or pattern when i lvied in Wyoming.. i was 600-700-800 miles away and some would pound in.
Just because you cant hear it at night doesn mean others cant
Yep! And Midwest stations with a big signal have a long history of having a following throughout their entire coverage area. In college, I dated a girl who was from an Iowa town about 150 miles northeast of Omaha. When I spent a few days at her family home, then-WOW was on the kitchen radio day and night. Sounding like a local. Stronger than the nearest "local" on 1400 from more than 30 miles away.
A former engineer at KLBJ who now works at one of the TV stations told me the land value increased over 200 times at the tower site across from Tesla factory.
Yeah I can see why they want to move and make money off that puppy. I'm surprised they're not just going to diplex into one tower at KVET but I guess the 1300 towers are too short for the 590 frequency.
The proposed single tower for KLBJ has a 70 degree electrical height, or about 99 meters tall. The existing KVET towers are 100 degrees, or about 64 meters tall.
The KLBJ application has been pending for over six months, which leads me to suspect that the FCC wants some modifications. Note that KILT in Houston, after a lack of approval from the FCC, had to file an amended application (which was granted) for their diplex with KNTH which resulted in a daytime power cut from the original proposal.
The FCC still has not acted on KLBJ's relocation plan. That application dates back to February 8th and still shows as pending. I wonder what the hold up is. Perhaps there simply is just a backlog of AM applications and not enough technical staff.
Regardless, the FAA has acted and granted the application for the new single tower located on the KVET site on Metric at the end of last month. No site work has been done yet, but I would imagine it could happen very quickly once the FCC grants the application.
Regardless, the FAA has acted and granted the application for the new single tower located on the KVET site on Metric at the end of last month. No site work has been done yet, but I would imagine it could happen very quickly once the FCC grants the application.
I’m still thinking that we will see an amended application from KLBJ. Suspect there may be a daytime power cut (because “reasons”.)
I’d love to know how much the existing 590 site would sell for, given its proximity to the Tesla Gigafactory. Would it be so lucrative that Waterloo could decide “The heck with a new transmitter site, we’re moving the format to 93.3 and turning in the license for 590.”
I've wondered that as well. Also, 99.7 is pretty decent in most of Travis County but it isn't really sufficient by itself in the other four counties of the market, and you can imagine a lot of the talk audience is not in Central Travis County. Also, Austin is more FM dominant than many markets.
Looking at the most recent ratings, if you remove 590, you are left with a 0.8 of remaining AM shares split between 1300 and 1370.
KTSN 1060 technically has a 3.1, but let's be honest.... that audience is entirely on the 100.1 FM signal.
I would imagine there may be another share or two spread among the other AM signals that are either out of market (1200) or don't encode/don't subscribe (like 1600).
It seems like a complete inevitability that "NewsRadio KLBJ" will eventually be on a full-power FM signal.
- Status