Att. Mike KLTO McQueeney now testing...

[jras20]

Mike, KLTO in McQueeney is now testing their signal. I got a good clean signal up here near Austin, but how will that effect me recieving 97.9 in Houston out at Lavaca county? Radio locator has me at a 3 from the signal strength. I have a directional antenna out there, which will probably help out a lot. But what if 97.7 turns on IBOC? I think I do remember you saying that KLTO would be a little clearer but it wont be much. I just cant see how the FCC puts a station that close to another one. Well look at KVIC & KCOR, those 2 fight over eachother all the time, most of the time KCOR wins, I'm in the KVIC local area. But a lot of the time KCOR just goes right over KVIC. What are your thoughts?

 

[Mike O]

Mike, KLTO in McQueeney is now testing their signal. I got a good clean signal up here near Austin, but how will that effect me recieving 97.9 in Houston out at Lavaca county? Radio locator has me at a 3 from the signal strength. I have a directional antenna out there, which will probably help out a lot. But what if 97.7 turns on IBOC? I think I do remember you saying that KLTO would be a little clearer but it wont be much. I just cant see how the FCC puts a station that close to another one. Well look at KVIC & KCOR, those 2 fight over eachother all the time, most of the time KCOR wins, I'm in the KVIC local area. But a lot of the time KCOR just goes right over KVIC. What are your thoughts?

jras, if your receiver is selective and can can pick up weaker 1st adjacents you should still be able to listen to 97-9 The Box without any trouble. If the KLTO uses IBOC it should not be a problem either, as I have found that the FM IBOC stays pretty much with-in the assigned channel, unlike AM IBOC. KMIC 1590 with 5kW at about 13.7km away from me wipes out 1580 and 1600 completely, although 1570 and 1610 seem to be free of any IBOC noise.

I am in the 95.1dbu (79.4mV/m) signal for the Senior Road FM's so I have a plenty strong signal, but have no trouble picking up weak 1st adjacents. I don't have any IBOC noise on the first adjacent channels either.

KLTO moved their antenna 3.1 km NNW from the originally planned location so you are now just outside the 60dbu signal, I came up with 58.995dbu (0.87mV/m) for your location in Lavaca county. The antenna for KLTO is now 6.4km at 105 degrees SW of Bebe east of Highway 97 in Gonzales County. I know the station is trying to rim-shot San Antonio, but only covers about 15% of the city with a 60dbu signal at best. It will likely be the KFNC of San Antonio in reception.

KBXX 97.9 has a 43.011dbu (0.141mV/m) signal where you are, which is strong enough that you should still be able to hear The Box, even with KLTO on the air.

Let me know how you make out with the two stations on the air. With your antenna pointed this direction should also help bring in a good enough signal from 97.9 that you can still listen to them.

The days of listening to a Houston station much past it's protected 60dbu contour are quickly coming to an end. There is a new construction permit for Giddings on 95.9, next to KHJZ 95.7. Also a construction permit has been granted for Madisionville on 101.3, next to KLOL 101.1. Ten years ago I could listen to the Houston stations on my monthly drive to Dallas to Buffalo and at night when I usually drove I have had KODA 99.1, KLDE 107.5, KHPT (it was KKZR back then "Z-Rock") 106.9 right up to downtown Dallas before the signal was lost. With the new stations that are co-channels and all the Dallas upgrades, that isn't possible any longer. In another five years FM will be as full of interference as AM is today.

Translators are a big problem and when the FCC gets around to approving the massive amount of translator aplications in the greater Houston area, you can kiss the Triangle stations good bye. It could well be the only stations you will get in Houston are the locals and the local translators, unless we have a good tropo condition that over rides the stations.

I like KACC 89.7 from Alvin, but most of Houston is outside the protected contour and while I get a good signal from KACC, I am noticing more and more interference as I drive around. I have listened to "Bob FM' from Hempstead although they are programming for The Woodlands and get a terrible amount of interference from KSMG in Seguin and also occassionallly a Spanish language station, which so far best I can guess is Monterrey and the station is high power. The translator in Katy for Paulino Bernal Evangelism, K201EU on 88.1 kills KFTG 88.1 from Pasadena in the Galleria area and is pretty much on top to downtown, where I lose both stations in the canyons of high rises.

Mike

 

[stan]

I like KACC 89.7 from Alvin, but most of Houston is outside the protected contour and while I get a good signal from KACC, I am noticing more and more interference as I drive around. I have listened to "Bob FM' from Hempstead although they are programming for The Woodlands and get a terrible amount of interference from KSMG in Seguin and also occassionallly a Spanish language station, which so far best I can guess is Monterrey and the station is high power. The translator in Katy for Paulino Bernal Evangelism, K201EU on 88.1 kills KFTG 88.1 from Pasadena in the Galleria area and is pretty much on top to downtown, where I lose both stations in the canyons of high rises.

Mike

Strangely enough as I was driving back and forth between Beaumont and Houston today, I was able to pick up KLBT (88.1 - Beaumont) until about Baytown or so. Their tower doesn't look that tall, and they are supposedly at half power until next Saturday.

 

[stevenNOLA]

KSMG's HD comes in so strong that on a couple of occasions when I tried to listen to KTWL on my way to work in the morning, I saw "KSMG-FM" on my radio's display and on a few occasions, when in stop-n-go traffic, KSMG-HD kicked in all the way in the I-10 @ Barker Cypress area and KTWL was completely gone.

 

[Mike O]

Strangely enough as I was driving back and forth between Beaumont and Houston today, I was able to pick up KLBT (88.1 - Beaumont) until about Baytown or so. Their tower doesn't look that tall, and they are supposedly at half power until next Saturday.

Sounds like KFTG in Pasadena could be in for interference from KLBT when they go full power. The antenna is on west of Beaumont, about 16km NE of Winnie near the county line. You must have a pretty decent radio in your vehicle. With KLBT running at half power and the directional pattern, they were sending 617 watts your direction and you had around 32dbu at Baytown Not an easy signal for most radios to pick up.

Mike O

 

[jras20]

Thanks for the infomation Mike, I'll report back once they turn it back on. I do know on the old site, of 97.7, 97.9 overrulled it you can even hear 97.9 over 97.7 over on my antenna. I'm hoping that still will work out. I gues we'll just see how this plays out.

 

[Mike O]

Thanks for the infomation Mike, I'll report back once they turn it back on. I do know on the old site, of 97.7, 97.9 overrulled it you can even hear 97.9 over 97.7 over on my antenna. I'm hoping that still will work out. I gues we'll just see how this plays out.

jras, KLTO 97.7 will be on the backside (180 degrees) from the direction your antena is pointed at for Houston, so you "should" be nulling the 97.7 signal and still have a good signal from 97.9 KBXX. Hopefully the two stations will "co-reside" next to each other without spilling over to either station. I have to admit I am interested in how this all turns out. Hopefully it works out the way I think it will.

Mike

 

[jras20]

I'll for sure report back when the station comes back on, but will they really do anything to it if it does effect 979? They are back on the site at Cuero now. with it being at Cuero 97.9 even slops over to 97.7, I just cant really believe they are going to acually let this go through.