DXing the Hippie

[firepoint525]

Almost all stations in a hilly area like Davidson County are going to have some reception problems somewhere. And it's almost a foregone conclusion that in places like basements, parking garages, etc., reception will be limited.

And it's ludicrous to be able to expect just anyone to be able to pick up all of the major metro stations from just anywhere over an entire eight-county area.

Hippie radio has been HEAVILY promoting the app. Get it.

 

[briancraig]

I think the question is, can you be a player in the Nashville market with that format on that signal?

My guess is no.

 

[firepoint525]

If we listen to all the "know-it-alls" out there, probably not. A few of us baby boomers are still under 55; I'm 48 myself, and I was a member of the last high school graduating class composed entirely of baby boomers.

Signal strength is another issue. We are shoe-horning new stations onto the FM dial here in the Nashville area like they have probably been doing in New York City for years. I'm guessing that 94.5 can't increase or improve their signal by much, because they are hemmed in by Eagle 94.3 on one side of them, and the Cookeville station at 94.7 on the other. (By the way, I received Hippie and the Cookeville 94.7 station from Antioch, and they were not interfering with each other!)

But I can't help but believe that it is nothing more than a pipe dream to want to be able to receive the Hippie from Ardmore!

 

[NashvilleNative]

But I can't help but believe that it is nothing more than a pipe dream to want to be able to receive the Hippie from Ardmore!

Ha, agreed. That is extreme. I travel to Pulaski frequently and most Nashville stations disappear in the hills west of 65 on highway 64.

 

[w9wi]

Signal strength is another issue. We are shoe-horning new stations onto the FM dial here in the Nashville area like they have probably been doing in New York City for years. I'm guessing that 94.5 can't increase or improve their signal by much, because they are hemmed in by Eagle 94.3 on one side of them, and the Cookeville station at 94.7 on the other. (By the way, I received Hippie and the Cookeville 94.7 station from Antioch, and they were not interfering with each other!)

FWIW...

WFFI 94.1 Smyrna: 35.589km from Hippie transmitter; 31km required
WEGI 94.3 Oak Grove: 72.386km from Hippie transmitter; 72km required
WGSQ 94.7 Cookeville: 151.913km from Hippie transmitter; 152km required
WGGC 95.1 Bowling Green: 119.175km from Hippie transmitter; 86km required

In other words, Hippie cannot move any closer to Cookeville or Clarksville.

 

[the golden boy]

I was in southeast Nashville two weeks ago (Murfreesboro Rd./Smith Springs Rd./Bell Rd. area) and the signal was rather decent in my car. Not really my kind of music, but some of the tunes were OK.

 

[jetfli]

FWIW...

WFFI 94.1 Smyrna: 35.589km from Hippie transmitter; 31km required
WEGI 94.3 Oak Grove: 72.386km from Hippie transmitter; 72km required
WGSQ 94.7 Cookeville: 151.913km from Hippie transmitter; 152km required
WGGC 95.1 Bowling Green: 119.175km from Hippie transmitter; 86km required

In other words, Hippie cannot move any closer to Cookeville or Clarksville.

The way they've "threaded the needle" with this signal impresses me the same way a quarterback impresses me when he floats the ball in between a cornerback and safety to hit his receiver. Excellent engineering!

 

[Tibbs4]

Not bad engineering at all! Especially when it's the owners brother! Honestly, the maximization of this signal is impressive for all its limitations.

If WGSQ would make a simple adjustment to the Nashville side of the signal, Hippie could extend East a bit, but that's asking Zimmer to take his signal out of a lot of population. Population that will never matter, but still.

As for the not going to be a player with this format comment...it's kind of the glass half empty vs full. MAYBE not by certain standards or criteria will Hippie be a contender. But, I think if the signal is better than most of us ever thought it could ever have been and there is a small, but loyal, listener base and there are a reasonable, but not off the chart, number of solid local advertisers, things are pretty good for a single operator in a top 50 market.

I think there are a lot of smart and positive moves, so far. It could have been a lot worse signal and format.

 

[w9wi]

Not bad engineering at all! Especially when it's the owners brother! Honestly, the maximization of this signal is impressive for all its limitations.

If WGSQ would make a simple adjustment to the Nashville side of the signal, Hippie could extend East a bit, but that's asking Zimmer to take his signal out of a lot of population. Population that will never matter, but still.

By my understanding that's not possible. Protection is by station "class"; a station of Class C0 like WGSQ is entitled to 152km of first-adjacent protection from a Class A station like Hippie. WGSQ can reduce power or antenna height, but as long as it remains Class C0, Hippie must remain 152km to its west.

WGSQ could downgrade to C1 by reducing power by 52% (from 100kw to 48kw) or by reducing tower height to 300m or less. (a reduction of 500 feet) That would reduce its protection radius to 133km, allowing Hippie to move 19km to the east. (except that it would run afoul of Fish's 94.1 signal first)

Hippie could move east by using "73.215 short-spacing". However, Hippie still can't increase its signal to the east -- it can move east but must reduce power as it does, to maintain the same signal in the direction of Cookeville. (most stations use directional antennas to accomplish this.) 73.215 gets over my head pretty quickly.

 

[firepoint525]

As for the not going to be a player with this format comment...it's kind of the glass half empty vs full. MAYBE not by certain standards or criteria will Hippie be a contender. But, I think if the signal is better than most of us ever thought it could ever have been and there is a small, but loyal, listener base and there are a reasonable, but not off the chart, number of solid local advertisers, things are pretty good for a single operator in a top 50 market.

Yeah, this has (kinda) been my point. Hippie will never be a contender against the "big boys" in the market here, but maybe we don't want them to. That would mean having to play by their rules, and scuttle the over-55 market. If Hippie were ever to become a serious contender, one of those big "C" companies would be looking to buy them and make them sound like everything else on the dial. And we don't want that!

Pool & Spa Depot must have REALLY deep pockets! Not only do they (heavily!) advertise on Hippie (and we thank them for that!) but I hear them on other stations as well.

 

[firepoint525]

WGSQ could downgrade to C1 by reducing power by 52% (from 100kw to 48kw) or by reducing tower height to 300m or less. (a reduction of 500 feet) That would reduce its protection radius to 133km, allowing Hippie to move 19km to the east. (except that it would run afoul of Fish's 94.1 signal first)

I'm certainly no engineer, but I am also guessing that they would need to maintain their current power just to continue to be heard over their current listening area. After all, they are up there in the Cumberland Plateau! And y'all think we have "hills" here! ;D (And just think, I'm a west Tennessee native! Nashville seems pretty hilly to me! )

 

[secondchoice]

I am also guessing that they would need to maintain their current power just to continue to be heard over their current listening area. After all, they are up there in the Cumberland Plateau!

I do not see 94.7 Cookeville downgrading anytime soon unless there is a lot of cash involved. Yes they have a huge number trees and pasture land in in their coverage, but their sponcers (car dealers etc.) are most likely getting some results from customers 25 or more 30 miles away. Cookeville is and for sometime been the retail and job hub of the area. One of Tennessee's first stations was WHUB Cookeville. Common ownership or tons of cash can change things, so who knows.

 

[Tibbs4]

It would be a long shot and probably just to cost prohibitive for sure. Haven't seen a lot of smaller owners willing to reduce their signal by an inch and pretty much rightfully so. I would also think WGSQ has always played the power card of reaching Nashville for sales calls. I know WHUB was that way years ago.

Watt - thanks for the great engineering lessons and info. I truly learn a lot of cool stuff from you. If it were up to me to put a station on the air, it would have never made it through the first piece of paperwork or I would have been zapped two seconds into the current being turned on.

Firepoint is really right on his analogy of format choice, I think. Designed to target a demo no corporate tool will touch means smoother sailing than trying to be just another one of RQQ or NFN's 100 previous formats.

Just really sad that here recently especially....we've lost so many artists that are part of the Hippie playlist.

 

[Tibbs4]

I am also guessing that they would need to maintain their current power just to continue to be heard over their current listening area. After all, they are up there in the Cumberland Plateau!

I do not see 94.7 Cookeville downgrading anytime soon unless there is a lot of cash involved. Yes they have a huge number trees and pasture land in in their coverage, but their sponcers (car dealers etc.) are most likely getting some results from customers 25 or more 30 miles away. Cookeville is and for sometime been the retail and job hub of the area. One of Tennessee's first stations was WHUB Cookeville. Common ownership or tons of cash can change things, so who knows.

Happen to remember the days in the 80s when WHUB was light, morbid "rock" from reel2reel? I miss those days of thinking the station sounded at their best when it was nuttin but dead air....

 

[firepoint525]

WCMT-FM in Martin, down in west Tennessee, used those reel-to-reel tapes into at least the '90s!

 

[spew]

why don't you guys email each other...this is of no interest to anyone

 

[secondchoice]

why don't you guys email each other...this is of no interest to anyone

I find it interesting having worked with "tape based" automation at crappy stations pre 80 90. It is good to see that some of us "old timers" (pre PC) are still around.