Best FM signals in CT

[ScottBurns]

Adam, I have never been able to pick up KC-101 in Thompson. WWBB/Providence is strong there, but not KC-101. While I can pick up KC-101 in western New London County, it is not a reliable pick up in the eastern part of the county, such as in Stonington.

KC 101's signal is lousy in New London County. It can hardly be heard, if at all, in most of Windham County.

What are you driving bro? I drive all over New London and Windham counties as part of my job....from Thompson to Stonington to Plainfield and KC101 is always there.

Good discussion.....but not much discussion about the class A's....I think WPKX out of Enfield (yes, it's on Provin Mountain in Agawam) has the best class A signal in the state out of anyone licensed to the state. Thoughts on class A's??

 

[necrat123]

WPKX is probably the best "in state" class A signal, until they move to Hartford, when they will probably end up being one of the worst.

2nd best, is hard to say, but I think alot has to be said about WZBG's signal. You can hear it in Springfield, pretty much through the entire Hartford area as well. 94.3 would be a second shot, with a audible signal up until Ellington where it is chewed up by the 94.3 translator in Pelham, MA.

103.3 in Sharon, CT used to do very well into the Hartford area before the illegal popped up on 103.3.

In Eastern CT, WKNL, and WCTY both are very potent signals both reaching well into RI.

98.3 gets the award for the most signals crammed together with the four class A signals on each end of the state. (Long Island to the south, WDAQ, WILI and WHAI-FM on each border).

Quite honestly the old 97.5 and new 97.1 translator puts out a signal just about as good as any class A. Wish it was still //WILI but I don't blame them for the sale of the station. Red Wolf got the opprotunity and took it. Can't fault them for that.

 

[reelyreal]

Quite honestly the old 97.5 and new 97.1 translator puts out a signal just about as good as any class A. Wish it was still //WILI but I don't blame them for the sale of the station. Red Wolf got the opprotunity and took it. Can't fault them for that.

That signal is definitely killer... It's a shame that the translator owner, Mountaintop Enterprises, decided to sell it out from under WILI-FM. $100,000 is a lot of cash for a translator so I guess you can't hold it against them.

As a reminder to others reading, WILI-FM was unable to own W248AB because the entire translator signal was not encompassed by the main 60 dBu contour of 98.3. It definitely made reception in the Hartford suburbs possible, Bolton Notch is like a big ol' brick wall.

 

[MarcB]

98.3 gets the award for the most signals crammed together with the four class A signals on each end of the state. (Long Island to the south, WDAQ, WILI and WHAI-FM on each border).

There's also a translator on 98.3 in Meriden. It repeats "Radio Aviamiento." Technically it's supposed to be relaying WSGG, in Norfolk, but it's really repeating a part 15 in Hartford 1620. (Or was). At one they were a pirate station on 97.1 in Hartford. "WSGG" is supposed to be the flagship station, but 1620 is the actual flagship.

 

[DToTheJ]

While I can pick up KC-101 in western New London County, it is not a reliable pick up in the eastern part of the county, such as in Stonington.

KC 101's signal is lousy in New London County. It can hardly be heard, if at all, in most of Windham County.

I drive all over New London and Windham counties as part of my job....from Thompson to Stonington to Plainfield and KC101 is always there.

How much bleedover is there, if any, from that oldies station at 100.9 FM? :

 

[Ozman]

WRKI suffers from pirates and frequent heavy tropo from WAYV in Atlantic City..........Years back WFOX used to make it here but is completly unlistenable now with heavy mixing with WRAT.

WRKI without the Norwalk Translator on is WAYV a lot of times in Greenwich.
WRAT does interfere sometimes in Greenwich on the water during a very strong DX.

 

[BRNout]

People are confusing "best signal" with "best signal at my house". Obviously not the same thing. Traveling around the region, I'd give dual nods to WDRC-FM and WKCI with WTIC-FM as a runner up.

I don't make the statement lightly, this is with overall coverage (in all directions) kept in mind. And that's why WWYZ, WMRQ and WZMX are not on the list (each deals with co-channel stations located in the Boston area). WKSS gets clobbered by WZID once you get into Worcester County and WHCN is short spaced with a New York City signal. WRCH doesn't seem to get out quite as far as one would expect, nor does WCCC. As for WEBE 108, it has high power on a short stick - comes in well where it comes in, but doesn't penetrate well into the northern half of CT. WRKI has a better signal, but hardly the best.

WDRC-FM comes in from SW Fairfield County all the way up to just south and west of Worcester, MA. And into the Berkshires, parts of eastern NY, as well as parts of RI. KC-101 has a great signal on Long Island, yet gets well into Massachusetts. And, WTIC-FM has the best northern CT signal - local in the Springfield area, it gets out as far as the Worcester area too, yet can still be heard down on Long Island. And well into Rhode Island. Not quite as good as KC-101 or 'DRC, but close.

Best Springfield signal? My guess is WAQY, with a good HAAT coupled with decent power. WHYN-FM has it beaten in HAAT, but with only half the power. WMAS-FM has the juice (50 kw) but lacks the tower height. So, Rock 102 has the best overall signal from Springfield.

 

[BRNout]

Adam, I have never been able to pick up KC-101 in Thompson. WWBB/Providence is strong there, but not KC-101. While I can pick up KC-101 in western New London County, it is not a reliable pick up in the eastern part of the county, such as in Stonington.

Actually, I have caught KC-101 around Thompson/Putnam, but you have to be east of 395 (where the terrain faces west) to do it. And KC-101 does come in around New London County and into Westerly, RI too - though with a degraded signal.

 

[Ozman]

Adam, I have never been able to pick up KC-101 in Thompson. WWBB/Providence is strong there, but not KC-101. While I can pick up KC-101 in western New London County, it is not a reliable pick up in the eastern part of the county, such as in Stonington.

Actually, I have caught KC-101 around Thompson/Putnam, but you have to be east of 395 (where the terrain faces west) to do it. And KC-101 does come in around New London County and into Westerly, RI too - though with a degraded signal.

I used to go to Boarding school in Pomfret CT. what an awesome spot I went to Rectory.. too bad I did not know about 110KHZ filters (thank you CT MIKE!) or the power of a TERK FM 50 antenna back then 12 years ago or have the Sangean HD tuner or the insignia V.1 portable Walkman. http://www.google.com/products/catalog?q=insignia&hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=16166033540098478486&sa=X&ei=47PNTcvcC4HYgQeW_8zDDA&ved=0CJ8BEPMCMAY&biw=1052&bih=664#ps-sellers V.2 Sucks so be careful to only get the original. the late 90's you are missed...

 

[Time Traveler]

When I used to live in Amherst, Ma WCCC used to blast in like a local!!! Stronger than any of the other existing Rock stations at the time...which included WHCN (AOR days) and WAAF from the Paxton transmitter. WCCC is audible to just about the New York State border to the west...and to Worcester to the east....

 

[Ozman]

WCCC is audible to just about the New York State border to the west...and to Worcester to the east....

I sometimes listen while on the Amtrak Vermonter Train good ol'e scotch tape to the window
As for CCC in SW CT it only makes it to about Wilton CT from Danbury to Norwalk it is sporatic on Rt.7
I feel that sometimes I live in the Country/Rock format hole of the Northeast. NJ/NYC have WSOU and that country 106.3 from NJ and WRAT, WDHA... Danbury has Kix 105.5 and CCC etc...
SW Ct/ most of Westchester County NY I feel all we have is a lot of Rock N Roll but No Godsmack, Korn or Mudvayne kind of music for instance... WRXP for some odd reason music is usually too soft alternative for me.
at Least Q-104.3 HD-2 is awesome. it does not cut out anymore under normal weather conditions like it used to. I hope it Never Changes. Its the I-heart Rock Nation radio stream but with the added q-104.3 imaging guy which you don;t get with the online stream only on HD.

 

[BRNout]

When I used to live in Amherst, Ma WCCC used to blast in like a local!!! Stronger than any of the other existing Rock stations at the time...which included WHCN (AOR days) and WAAF from the Paxton transmitter. WCCC is audible to just about the New York State border to the west...and to Worcester to the east....

Because of it's tx location NW of Hartford, WCCC is stronger in parts of western MA than most other Hartford stations (WTIC-FM excepted). However, it does not reach any farther west or significantly north of the West Peak signals and it's Achilles' Heel is in southern CT where it has a lousy signal. Even in Waterbury, it's a bit shaky thanks to terrain. So, it's good - but not the best.

This discussion may well yield different answers were it not for adjacent and (increasingly shoehorned) co-channel signals coming from nearby markets. As the landscape exists now, I reiterate my nominations of WDRC-FM and WKCI.