blank spots

[AKDXer]

SwapMeetLouie, thanks for the reply! I just learned a bunch, you answered some of my old SLO radio history Q's I didn't know, I'd some some research since. I've got a little compilation going in the I grew up in Atascadero Facebook group about the history of all the radio stations in the SLO area, you just gave me more useful information to add. Got any AIRCHECKS of any of them by any chance? I'd love to hear them if so.

 

[AKDXer]

To reply to someone else's recent question, I live in Alaska and have been around a fair amount of the state, so I'll chime in:

-About 40 miles of the Seward Highway, from about Turnagain to just before Seward, are blank. From Fairbanks, driving out to Chena Hot Springs, you're (according to seek function) in an FM no zone by just before Chena Hot Springs. Kinda funny, Fairbanks has well over 20 FM signals and Anchorage has almost 50. (some of Anchorage's are audible stations from Wasilla, Kenai, etc).

-And much of Southeast Alaska is an FM no-zone. Completely.

 

[FreddyE1977]

The National Radio Quiet Zone, a large area of rural West Virginia and adjoining parts of Virginia,
surrounding the Green Bank National Radiotelescope. Have not been there myself, but I understand
the only OTA signal you can get there is one AM daytimer that is allowed to operate for public information
purposes.

 

[Steve Green NEPA]

Great line from a buddy of mine.

It was some years back when he and another school pal from the old neighbourhood visited me in Minersville PA for my birthday. They brought along a gift -- a brand new GE Superadio II.

Now, Minersville PA basically is in a hole, like many residential places are out this way. It has a train station and a creek. Hills on all sides of it. So we're all at the kitchen table that night. We'd all grown up as AM DXers except for Vinny, who dabbled into FM band DXing (and very well). We spun the AM band and got some great stuff, virtually on every AM frequency.
Vinny said 'Let's try the FM (dial).'
In came the huge local T-102, and a faint 105.5 Magic FM from Tamaqua.

That was it.
'Wow,' said Vinny, his eyes agleam. 'What a great spot for DX. Nothing comes in!'

 

[gr8oldies]

I was just over in Wears Valley, NC and very little came in on FM. The 2 big sticks in the Asheville market (99.9 and 106.9) and not much else. That might be a good place to be for an ESkip opening

 

[AKDXer]

Another one: Maybe not TOTALLY empty, but a car radio's seek won't stop on anything: Chena Hot Springs, AK, about 60 miles north and east of Fairbanks. All the Fairbanks FMs fade at once after Pleasant Valley. It's been a couple years since I was there but there was also no (AT&T anyway) cell phone service there.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

On most of Hwy 17 between Thunder Bay and the Soo, you would likely pull in at least one UP station.

US-50 around the Warm Springs turnoff in Nevada would likely be close to empty.

Part of the problem is whatever stations are nearby those areas only run low power, but could probably upgrade significantly without any other stations having to move.

And I think you could get at least one FM anywhere in Hawaii.

When Maurice Minnifield upgraded KBHR on "Northern Exposure" so that it could be heard for 200 miles, the residents of Cicely, AK pointed out that there were no people living in much of the region it would now serve. Still, a full Class A might get out 40 miles or so in such an environment as Northern Ontario and that would help people travelling without increasing expenses that much. Use more antenna bays. Another option might be translators every 10-20 miles. Use an internet stream to feed them instead of off air in a chain so they aren't like a Series set of Christmas lights.