What's going on with the quality of the signal?
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680
- Thread starter radioville
- Start date
I've also noticed a problem with 680 lately. During Reds games when they go to local spots,the audio cuts off and on. The game broadcasts seem fine for the most part. I guess it's some kind of local problem. It's been going on for a while.You think someone at the station would've noticed it by now 
Word is that they didn't pay their engineer and this is the inevitable result. Contrary to popular belief, these things will not run on their own indefinitely.
BobOnTheJob said:
Well it's very annoying. If they can't afford to pay the engineer, I hope they are paying the staff.
Like with all the other stations that had ESPN Radio (620,1570.93.9,1450) I expect to tune in one day to find the station has been sold and switched to religion or spanish.
I've been hearing this problem for a while, too. To me, it sounds like a capacitor or resistor is failing on the daytime-pattern leg of their phasor. I know this station has had issues with their phasor in the past, with the component in place now not being the original one from when the station first fired up in the mid 1980's.
And you're right on, Bob...skimping on engineering support is a recipe for disaster-I have never seen it fail in 35+ years in the communications business. I can enter any station without regular engineering oversight and find several audio, video (if a TV plant), electrical and RF bombs ready to go off!
And you're right on, Bob...skimping on engineering support is a recipe for disaster-I have never seen it fail in 35+ years in the communications business. I can enter any station without regular engineering oversight and find several audio, video (if a TV plant), electrical and RF bombs ready to go off!
The King Bee said:
The King Bee you are my favorite poster on these boards. Keep up the good work.
Thanks much, Radioville! Just callin' 'em as I see 'em...
radiofan502 said:Like with all the other stations that had ESPN Radio (620,1570.93.9,1450) I expect to tune in one day to find the station has been sold and switched to religion or spanish.
680 is a joke, like every station the Reds have been on in the last 10 years in Louisville. I love how the Reds, Colts and Hoosiers are all jammed on one junky station while we get Ripp and U la Smell on their own powerful stations...
I keep mlb at bat just so I can hear the Reds on radio without interruption. I've never been able to get 700 WLW in Louisville (yet I can get 720 WGN just fine once the sun goes down, go figure).
The ESPN feed is quite a number of DB softer than the local spots. Anyone know who plays AC music on 680? I'm hearing it in the background of their weak audio.
You might be hearing WCTT 680 from Corbin Ky. I haven't heard the music in the background. I do know that when there is a severe weather warning 680 rebroadcasts the warning from WHAS and you can hear WHAS if they don't cut it off after the warning.BobOnTheJob said:
I'm 80 miles north of Louisville so Corbin would be a stretch. The only format match I see is WDBC Escanaba,MI. It's 10KW omni at 444 air miles...but, the first 285 of those miles are over Lake Michigan. If that's what I'm hearing, it will blow my old daytime record of WMT/Cedar Rapids,IA on 600 away by nearly 100 miles.radiofan502 said:
It's not Michigan (drats) but it may be WKAZ Charleston,WV at 240 miles. Of course, they don't stream.
I tuned in one day last week to catch some of the Red's game. Is it me, or is their audio lower than practically everyone else on the dial. Comparing them to 840 (who seem to be having audio problems of their own) and 970 and 680 has for sure lost some of the loudness they used to have.
The lowered modulation level is right in keeping with my thoughts that WHBE has a phasor component problem. They've probably found that by keeping the modulation envelope smaller, the capacitor (or inductor or resistor) can handle it without arcing or otherwise interrupting the signal flow through that leg of the phasor.
It's a fool's compromise, however...what good is keeping modulation around 80% if nobody can hear you (I get the MOR station skip, too), avoiding an necessary fix and destroying your coverage...and audience? Frankly, they need to spend the money with Kintronics, "Connie" (Continental Electronics) or another proven supplier to install an all-new phasor, which would require as part of the installation a "front-to-back," complete re-check of the feedlines, ground system and antennas.
Does WHBE have regular contract engineering support here or from the home office in KC?
It's a fool's compromise, however...what good is keeping modulation around 80% if nobody can hear you (I get the MOR station skip, too), avoiding an necessary fix and destroying your coverage...and audience? Frankly, they need to spend the money with Kintronics, "Connie" (Continental Electronics) or another proven supplier to install an all-new phasor, which would require as part of the installation a "front-to-back," complete re-check of the feedlines, ground system and antennas.
Does WHBE have regular contract engineering support here or from the home office in KC?
It is WCTT "Great 68" from Corbin KY. At least on my Zenith TO and GE SuperRadio II it is. I usually listen with MLB at bat because as usual the Reds get cancelled out for everything including a stupid phone in show about football. Who cares? I also get a station that carries the Saint Louis Cardinals as well coming in on 680.
I live in New Albany so I don't know if that matters. Basically if you live in Louisville you might as well pop for MLB at bat if you want to hear the Reds because I don't see them ever being on a station with a good signal and one that doesn't interrupt their broadcasts for everything under the sun. I've never received 700 WLW worth a darn here (but 720 WGN comes in great after about 9pm and I enjoy their local programming very much late at night).
It also kills me that the Reds, Colts and Hoosiers are all crammed onto one crappy station. Why the hell can't 970 AM, 1080 AM or God Forbid an FM station around Louisville carry one of these teams? I wouldn't know what to do if I could hear the Reds, IU and the Colts on a real terrestrial station in good quality.
I live in New Albany so I don't know if that matters. Basically if you live in Louisville you might as well pop for MLB at bat if you want to hear the Reds because I don't see them ever being on a station with a good signal and one that doesn't interrupt their broadcasts for everything under the sun. I've never received 700 WLW worth a darn here (but 720 WGN comes in great after about 9pm and I enjoy their local programming very much late at night).
It also kills me that the Reds, Colts and Hoosiers are all crammed onto one crappy station. Why the hell can't 970 AM, 1080 AM or God Forbid
an FM station around Louisville carry one of these teams? I wouldn't know what to do if I could hear the Reds, IU and the Colts on a real terrestrial station in good quality.I feel your pain! I thought it would be great when 680 picked up the Reds since they were on 1570 at the end of the previous season. Since then, they seem to be interrupted for anything. Today it's a football game. And now the audio is so low you can't hardly hear it. In recent memory,the only good affiliate for the Reds was 93.9, but that only lasted part of the 2008 season. Wish someone would start a decent FM sports station and have the Reds as their only play by play broadcasts. I've heard that NBC has already started a radio sports format and that CBS is starting one soon. Maybe someone on FM will go with one of those new sports formats.storrs19 said:It is WCTT "Great 68" from Corbin KY. At least on my Zenith TO and GE SuperRadio II it is. I usually listen with MLB at bat because as usual the Reds get cancelled out for everything including a stupid phone in show about football. Who cares? I also get a station that carries the Saint Louis Cardinals as well coming in on 680.
I live in New Albany so I don't know if that matters. Basically if you live in Louisville you might as well pop for MLB at bat if you want to hear the Reds because I don't see them ever being on a station with a good signal and one that doesn't interrupt their broadcasts for everything under the sun. I've never received 700 WLW worth a darn here (but 720 WGN comes in great after about 9pm and I enjoy their local programming very much late at night).
It also kills me that the Reds, Colts and Hoosiers are all crammed onto one crappy station. Why the hell can't 970 AM, 1080 AM or God Forbid
Since about 0330 this morning, all I've heard from ESPN 680 is a very weak carrier with no program material. Anyone know what gives?
Wish it was still silent during the day...I'd be identifying those oldies in the background 'bout now.The King Bee said:
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