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CJLO 1690 About to start testing

M

mimo

According to the AM blog on their website, they are days (hours?) away from turning the transmitter on. At first there will just be a tone, but so0n we'll hear programming. I'm excited about this one, because it will offer music, new music, in different genres. Lots of Metal, Punk, Alternative and even some Goth (which makes me very happy). It will be so nice having an AM station that will be playing new and upcoming music. Here's a link to the blog, which is updated everytime there is progress. I thought I heard a tone tonight at 1690 around 8 while I was on break at work, but when I came out an hour later, I couldn't hear any of the Montreal x-banders. ¿Did anyone else heare a tone at 1690 AM tonight?

http://www.cjlo.com/am
 
According to the latest blog entry, A signal was broadcast at 4:59 pm today for 5 minutes. Unfortunately the inspector who is supposed to inspect the station before testing can begin is on vacation until August 25th. Legally they can't begin testing in full until then, but they can turn the transmitter on from time to time for 5 minutes maximum. A tentative date to begin testing is August 25, the test will include a sample of the programming they intend to offer. An update will be provided in the blog I linked above in the next few days that will give an official launch date and more info on the testing. They will sporadically test with a tone for 5 minutes or less from time to time between now and August 25th so try logging it if you can. The signal is apparently very go0d in the city and was even heard in an underground parking garage downtown. We all know what those can do to 50KW stations so a 1KW penetrating that is go0d. I wasn't able to catch the tone that was sent out today.
 
From the CJLO blog, written by the station manager

"I'm going to go out on a limb here and put down some TENTATIVE on-air dates. I repeat. TENTATIVE. Things change, bad things happen, etc. Just remember that. With the radio inspector coming on August 25th, I expect that our government mandated and approved testing period will start that week. Towards the third week of September, we should be able to switch over from the MP3-based testing period to our live content. This will be our soft-launch (when we're sort of on air, but not officially). The way things are shaping up now, we should have a full press conference on October 6th. Our full official launch date will be in the days after that, depending on how things shape up around the Thanksgiving holiday. And then, to make things all that much more awesome, full parties and shows on the weekend of the 17th."
 
Re: CJLO 1690 Begins testing

As of this morning they are testing their signal. At present it is mostly big band and some oldies, but in a few days the music they'll be playing normally will begin to air. I'm able to catch it here in Ottawa, which is about 2 hours away, not bad for just 1000 watts.
 
To quote Fybysh.com:

"In Montreal, CJLO (1690) is now on the air testing; the Concordia University station hopes to be on the air for real within a few weeks."
 
Mimo,

First, you're doing a great job keeping us up2date on the new CJLO. Please keep up the great work.

Second, I must ask: About the music, you said they'd offer: "Lots of Metal, Punk, Alternative and even some Goth (which makes me very happy)." I hope you don't mind me asking, but, Mimo, um, are you a Goth? If so, that's awesome! Honestly, if they will present some Goth music, I'd love it! Finally, a radio presentation of Goth music that won't sound like an automated jukebox!

Seriously, though, do you know if they'll stream their signal? That way, when the Goth music is on, Goth wanna-bes like myself here in upstate New York, USA can hear it!

--The Radio Kid
(AKA Oswego Jeremy, as nicknamed by George of the Radio Racket.)
My email: [email protected].
 
The go0d news for you is that they are streaming, and they've been an internet only station for years. http://www.cjlo.com will lead you to their main page. The programme guide lists a goth and industrial show from 8 pm eastern until 11 on Saturday nights. The programme guide will also give a very go0d in depth lo0k at all the shows they offer. You can listen to the stream and hear what the station WILL sound like when they launch their on air programming in a couple of weeks. After a few years of being inernet only they wanted to broadcast on real radio, and 1690 AM is just as go0d a frequency as any other, it works, they are getting out very nicely with only 1000 watts, and have been logged as far away as Scotland!

Yes I am a goth, have been since the mid 80's when I discovered the music on a seattle station once known as KJET which was an AM alternative rocker at the time with a very goth heavy playlist in the mid to late 80's as those bands were very popular. Not to brag but I am an assistant organiser of a local goth group here in Ottawa, where we try to connect members of the goth community and give them a way to network and make friends. We have events a couple of times a month to give people something to do, like Bowling, Mini-putting, fun things. Most of the time I lo0k incredibly normal. I have a job that pays nicely although appearance there doesn't make a difference as to whether or not I keep it. I don't do the face make up like I did when I was younger and living in New Orleans, I just dress in all black MOST days of the week. Other days I lo0k just like everyone else, it depends on how I feel, but it doesn't change who I am. There hasn't been a goth show on the radio in Ottawa in over a year since the long time host at CKCU 93.1 decided that after she graduated with an engineering degree and 7 years of doing the show was enough and it was time to hand the time slot over to another deserving host.

Another update on CJLO is the music has changed to a decidedly oldies and disco format for the testing. Announcements are still being delievered in English and French every couple of songs with a phone number to call.
 
Mimo, thanks for the link, and for all the information.

I got the chance to hear the Goth/Industrial show last night on the webstream. I love it! Thanks for pointing that out.

Wow. So, you're a goth. Awesome. I'm just a wanna-be. I think Goths are cool people, and I wish I could be one. What's really cool about you, though, is that you are a Goth who likes (or at least, discusses) radio. I never thought I'd be able to interact with anyone like that, because I was sure that kind of person didn't exist.

Now, as for CJLO's AM signal: I was tuning around one night here in Oswego, NY, and came across the station. The signal is a little blurry here, but I did hear a tone, and an anouncement in French. Very cool!

--The Radio Kid
(AKA Oswego Jeremy, as nicknamed by George of the Radio Racket.)
My email: [email protected].
 
Thanks for the compliments. I love radio and have ever since I was about 10. I think the reason I'm more excited about this station coming on than others in the area is because it features the music I do like and what's better is that it's on AM which is a bonus for me. I live within a few minutes walk of downtown Ottawa, and listening to most FM's can be difficult to impossible with all the bleedover/multipath issues. I have much less problems hearing AM stations than I do FM. I do have a very go0d receiver that allows me to actually hear all the local FM's. My other radios are used for AM only becaus of the reception issues. We have some go0d stations here in town, and CJLO (while not a local) will be adding to the variety of stations I want to hear. I also enjoy talk and spanish language radio as well.
 
Mimo....

Offhand, what's the ground conductivity like around Ottawa? Is there a ground conductivity map of Canada anywhere online? I get into Ottawa and/or Montreal 2-3 times a year. Obviously conditions are nothing like the prairies/great plains, but they don't seem to be half-bad either.

As you're aware, Ottawa a.m. radio is clearly audible in Montreal and vice versa (at least for the most part). It would seem conductivity in the area is somewhat better than conditions to the south in New England and the eastern slice of upstate New York.
 
The ground conductivity seems to be faily decent. West of us is a valley and Ottawa is surrounded by farmland which helps the conductivity as it's not all rock like it is north of here. Signals seem to come from west and east without much coming from the south during the day, except for 4 1000 watt AM's that come from just over the New York Border. We can hear 2 stations from Vermont. Mostly it's the Montreal stations that fill out our dial with respectable signals. Everything else is quite weak. Kingston's former AM's put moderate at best signals into town, especially the former oldies 960. There's nothing to be heard north of town, and it becomes all rock up there anyway with precious little soil. I wish we had that midwest ground conductivity up here.
 
Thanks....

You've pretty much confirmed what I've observed....essentially decent conductivity in the Ottawa and St. Lawrence River valleys. The notable exception to the Montreal signals making it into Montreal that I remember was CFCF.

More than a few times in the nineties, I'd finish a business appointment in Montreal, hop in the car, tune in a ballgame and head for Ottawa. With 10kw on 600, you'd think it would be an "easy listen". But a rather severe pattern meant the signal didn't get very far up the 417 into Ontario. Of course, CFCF was always clearly audible in Quebec City (where my daughter attended Laval for a year).

I'll be in both Ottawa and Montreal soon, and curious to hear how well CJLO manages to do with their killowatt.
 
If it helps any, their transmitter is in Lachine, right smack in the middle of the island, on the south shore.
 
mimo said:
If it helps any, their transmitter is in Lachine, right smack in the middle of the island, on the south shore.
Click to expand...

Thanks again. I know right were Lachine is. Used to call on a customer there, so I'm somewhat familiar with the area you're talking about.
 
Re: CJLO 1690 Soft Launch

As of 8 this morning, the easy listening/oldies music they had been tested with has been replaced with their official programming. What people had been able to hear on the webstream since 2003 is now on the air at 1690. It's nice to hear new music on AM again.
 
Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! I know what I'll be trying to DX through the skywave tonight...

--The Radio Kid
(AKA Oswego Jeremy, as nicknamed by George of the Radio Racket.)
My email: [email protected].
 
Just back from a business trip that included a swing through Ottawa and Montreal....

First night of my trip was actually spent in Kitchner-Waterloo. In th hotel on my Sony fm walkman, I tried 1690 around 10pm, and found the usual mess. WVON on top more often than not. There was some music in there...probably CJLO, but I never caught an ID, so I'm not sure.

A couple of mornings later, I drove up Highway 7 from Toronto (actually Belleville). I tried 1690 on the car radio just outside of Perth at about 8:30am and heard a couple of talk stations, but CJLO on top. I presume everything I heard was skywave. Later in Ottawa (Hunt Club Road) around 11am I tuned 1690 and found CJLO there, but very weak. Barely audible with multiple dead spots.

Later in the afternoon, driving to Montreal on the 417, CJLO became listenable right around Casselman. Signal was still rather puny the rest of the way in, and didn't trip my scan button until exactly the merge of atoroutes 40/540....only about five or ten minutes west of the island. (CFRA and CIWW also were still tripping the scan button at this point).
 
I noticed for most of this week, the signal wasn't as go0d as it had been during the test, but today it was like something clicked. I've had a rock solid signal in my downtown location, the occasional quick fade and then it would be back. It was definitely more than listenable today, and for a half hour this morning at 9, it was almost local strength. The conditions for AM have been less than favourable this week, but today it was as it should be for October. CHTO in Toronto has been a real pest lately at night.
 
As of 1 pm they have officially launched, with a 1 hour special. First "official" song was "Left Of The Dial" by the Replacements, a song about college radio that they found Ironic as they're on the far right of the AM dial
 
I was in southwest Ontario last night. At no time did CJLO seperate itself from the slop on 1690, at least per my fm walkman.
 
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