Tonight I was able to hear 87.7 as far away as Algonquin. However, the sound was distorted. Even as I drove in closer it remained distorted, and it didn't appear to be static. Was the station having technical difficulties? I checked for another station on a nearby frequency but found none. I didn't hear static, but the sound was distorted. Any ideas on what is causing distortion?
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87.7 FM Chicago
- Thread starter skywatchbob
- Start date
They were granted a construction permit on 12/28/09. They could be working on the upgrade already. It appearsskywatchbob said:
that they are going to be using a directional antenna beamed inland toward land, while nulling the coverage over the lake.
They will stay at 3kw. I am in the Oak Lawn area, and I also noticed the signal was sounding distorted. I agree with you
skywatchbob, It wasn't static, it was sounding muddy and distorted.
Here is a link to the FCC page that shows the information. It is the last entry at the bottom of the page. To see the new
pattern, click on the link that says "Service Contour Map (62 dBu)".
www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/tvq?list=0&facid=128239
Where do you live? Yes...there was an upgrade and I drove from Aurora to the north shore yesterday and 87.7FM came in clear as a bell on my standard issue General Motors radio the entire way.
Drove from Chicago back to Michigan two nights ago. I had absolutely no problem hearing 87.7 from the Circle all the way to the New Buffalo / Bridgman area of MI. The signal stayed clear for that entire stretch. Did not lose reception completely until I reached the St. Joseph / Benton Harbor area.
The audio chain was a little muddy but not too bad. No worse than some "main band" FM stations I've heard. Less bass and better hi-end response would be nice.
They've definitely made upgrades since summer. When I was last in town during early June, the signal sounded very distorted and was scratchy just a few miles south of downtown.
The audio chain was a little muddy but not too bad. No worse than some "main band" FM stations I've heard. Less bass and better hi-end response would be nice.
They've definitely made upgrades since summer. When I was last in town during early June, the signal sounded very distorted and was scratchy just a few miles south of downtown.
On a good car radio you can hear WLFM on 87.7 on the southside of Milwaukee. Killer signal.
D
DX
Guest
The last time I was in the Chicago area (September), I monitored Chicago F.M. stations as I was driving SE to Indianapolis.
Most faded out, typically, around Lafayette / West Lafayette, although I got a little extra bounce from WXRT as I recall.
However, I was able to monitor 87.7 to just about the Indianapolis beltway; on a lark, I checked out 87.7 while driving east of Indianapolis, and 87.7 FM Chicago was still there, in and out. Finally lost it for good about 30 miles before the Indiana/Ohio state line.
Perhaps it's the result of comparatively few stations on 87.7 and a slightly lower frequency. But I thought the station had amazing coverage, even as I was driving TO the Chicago area from LaSalle-Peru.
While in the Chicago area, the audio sounded fine. Of course, something could've happened since!
Most faded out, typically, around Lafayette / West Lafayette, although I got a little extra bounce from WXRT as I recall.
However, I was able to monitor 87.7 to just about the Indianapolis beltway; on a lark, I checked out 87.7 while driving east of Indianapolis, and 87.7 FM Chicago was still there, in and out. Finally lost it for good about 30 miles before the Indiana/Ohio state line.
Perhaps it's the result of comparatively few stations on 87.7 and a slightly lower frequency. But I thought the station had amazing coverage, even as I was driving TO the Chicago area from LaSalle-Peru.
While in the Chicago area, the audio sounded fine. Of course, something could've happened since!
I have a place in Union Pier. My stereo is hooked up to an outside antenna pointed to Chicago. The receiver is very sensitive but WLFM is being drowned my noise. In my car, it quickly fades as I drive east toward the wineries and I don't think the vines are causing the problem. I agree that the sation has a great signal for it's power limitations.
A Couple Quick Questions. My company is looking to acquire an 87.7 frequency (in Fla). I keep hearing that being way on the left side of the dial could be a challenge. . . any personal thoughts on that? How did you find 87.7? Scanner. . . Friend. . . Advertisement?
While 87.7 is said to be heard fine in cars, how about inside offices and homes?
Any other observations are appreciated. Thanks.
While 87.7 is said to be heard fine in cars, how about inside offices and homes?
Any other observations are appreciated. Thanks.
It may be difficult for some radios to pick up 87.7 but not most. It's available on my car's digital reciever and on all the radios in my house.
Some will say Americans aren't used to tuning below 92.1 for commercial stations. 88.1 to 91.9 is limited to non-commercial broadcasters: NPR, College and Religion outlets. But that's not true in Canada or Mexico. And in those U.S. markets near the border, commercial stations below 92 do fine: In Detroit, CIMX 88.7, an Alternative Rock station licensed to nearby Windsor, Ontario, is #14 and usually a top 5 station among young men in the Detroit market. In San Diego, Alternative Rock XETRA-FM 91.1 and Rhythmic Hits XHITZ 90.3, both licensed to nearby Tijuana but broadcasting in English, are very popular stations in the San Diego market.
By the way, according to Wikipedia, WLFM broadcasts with 3000 watts at 1260 feet from the John Hancock Building tower. It has a directional antenna pointed away from the north so as not to interfer with Channel 6 in Milwaukee. But since that Channel 6 signed off its analog signal, WLFM's owners have petitioned the FCC to broadcast an omni-directional signal. Most of the stations on the John Hancock tower use 5000 to 8000 watts. But with no other stations on 87.7 for hundreds of miles around, WLFM has an excellent coverage area, as others have described above.
Gregg
[email protected]
Some will say Americans aren't used to tuning below 92.1 for commercial stations. 88.1 to 91.9 is limited to non-commercial broadcasters: NPR, College and Religion outlets. But that's not true in Canada or Mexico. And in those U.S. markets near the border, commercial stations below 92 do fine: In Detroit, CIMX 88.7, an Alternative Rock station licensed to nearby Windsor, Ontario, is #14 and usually a top 5 station among young men in the Detroit market. In San Diego, Alternative Rock XETRA-FM 91.1 and Rhythmic Hits XHITZ 90.3, both licensed to nearby Tijuana but broadcasting in English, are very popular stations in the San Diego market.
By the way, according to Wikipedia, WLFM broadcasts with 3000 watts at 1260 feet from the John Hancock Building tower. It has a directional antenna pointed away from the north so as not to interfer with Channel 6 in Milwaukee. But since that Channel 6 signed off its analog signal, WLFM's owners have petitioned the FCC to broadcast an omni-directional signal. Most of the stations on the John Hancock tower use 5000 to 8000 watts. But with no other stations on 87.7 for hundreds of miles around, WLFM has an excellent coverage area, as others have described above.
Gregg
[email protected]
w9wi said:
I asked 87.7 Smooth Jazz a couple of times if they have a plan of what to do when the mandatory digital conversion happens, or if they support a plan to extend the FM band...never a peep out of them. They say they care about their listeners, but if there is no place to go but the internet, mobile device apps and WiMax, I doubt they will have the ca$h to buy an existing FM frequency in the Chicago area and then it will be buh-bye Smooth Jazz over the FM airwaves...
Last August I was driving in Calhoun County, IL (near the St. Louis metro area) and managed to pull in WLFM. At first I thought the signal was coming from a hotel nearby, but I heard the legal ID and heard the station for several miles off and on throughout the county, and neighboring Pike County.
There was a lot of skip that afternoon, but I have heard WLFM fade in and out on several occasions in Elsah, IL at the top of the bluffs over the Mississippi River.
There was a lot of skip that afternoon, but I have heard WLFM fade in and out on several occasions in Elsah, IL at the top of the bluffs over the Mississippi River.
Gregg said:
I believe that WLFM-LP's owners changed their mind about going omnidirectional, and instead, petitioned and won approval from the FCC to rotate the
pattern with the original antenna, from what was mainly southwest, with a null towards Milwaukee, to almost due west, and the null is now out over Lake Michigan. I can say that in the north and northwest suburbs we were getting signal distortion in places. Something was done with their transmitting antenna, since I am not getting those signal distortions now where I was receiving them before, and the signal strength quality is almost on a par with the stations between 91*-108 MHz that are operating from the Hancock Center, Willis Tower or the Aon Center. And this is with a stock radio in my vehicles.
This is the coverage map for WLFM-LP: http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=TX1352251.html
*yes, I do mean 91 MHz [not 92] since WBEZ also transmits from the Hancock Center.
Radio Journal, theradiojournal.com is reporting that the FCC has set a date of May 24 to submit amendments for new analog LPTV broadcasters with pending applications to indicate their future plans for digital operation. There’s still no deadline for existing analog LPTV signals to go digital, but the FCC announced last week that it won’t accept any new applications for analog facilities for the LPTV class of stations. WLFM-LP is an LPTV that is using their facility as a "Franken-FM" (separate programming on the video and audio carriers)
That coverage map is very pessimistic. I can listen to WLFM-LP between University Park and Beecher with virtually the same clarity as all the other Chicago FMs.
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