Empire State Building signals weaker this weekend

[nd2023]

Anyone else notice reception of New York stations is weaker this weekend?

 

[cartman1964]

Yeah, I live in western Morris County and i can usually pull in WRXP really well here, but not this weekend. I'm trying to figure out which 101.9 is interfering with 'RXP

 

[nd2023]

It's probably 101.9 WAVT "T-102" from Pottsville, PA

I thought my car antenna froze up again, but the stations are weaker on other radios

 

[cartman1964]

yup, it did sound like a Hot AC station on 101.9. I looked up radio-locator to figure it out and that is the only one that came up. Pottsville is a good distance from here too, about 100 miles.

Also I notice that B-101's signal from Philly has an advantage over CBS-FM on 101.1 here, and that usually doesnt happen.

 

[gumbyandpokie999]

Maybe the FCC has told em to Tune it down a bit,I used to be able to receive WSPK 104.7 here in Nj and its signal is down in the mud now too.Weird.

 

[GSP163]

I was on I-287 in the Pompton Lakes area and I noticed that 101.9 WRXP had a little static and it got a lot worse right before I crossed the Wanaque River......Usually in that area there is a little static since the road cuts right through rock and blocks the signals but it was never that bad.

 

[eyg2181]

It's probably 101.9 WAVT "T-102" from Pottsville, PA

I thought my car antenna froze up again, but the stations are weaker on other radios

doubt it...t102 doesnt have a very good signal...they cut out in their local area... they fade in and out on rt 61 in schuylkill haven and orwigsburg

 

[orange434]

doubt it...t102 doesnt have a very good signal...they cut out in their local area... they fade in and out on rt 61 in schuylkill haven and orwigsburg

maybe, but they do make their way into western jersey pretty well...there's several stretches of i-287 in somerset county near the i-78 interchange where they will come over 101.9 from new york.

 

[eyg2181]

doubt it...t102 doesnt have a very good signal...they cut out in their local area... they fade in and out on rt 61 in schuylkill haven and orwigsburg

maybe, but they do make their way into western jersey pretty well...there's several stretches of i-287 in somerset county near the i-78 interchange where they will come over 101.9 from new york.

i guess they might have a directional signal. their not technically "Located in pottsville" its shenandoah about rt 81, so that huge mountain may weaken at a lot... i know thats the mountain that finishes off the Philly stations up there...you get them on rt 81, but once you get on the other side of the mountain, their out...and over there all you can get is t100...(which is a crappy station in my opinion) and 97.9 tThe X (whick rocks!) but yea...that mountain could have something to do with it.

 

[neo11]

Wow, since when did this become the NEPA board?

Perhaps there was a bit of tropo today? It's not common in the winter but it happens sometime.

Or perhaps there was work going on at the ESB and the stations were broadcasting from their backup sites instead?

 

[AirWatch900Mhz]

Atmospheric. Or maybe the 120 story building that went up next door on Friday.

 

[Ozman]

I was wondering why the signals on my walkmen over the weekend were no doing that well... If anyone knows the outcome of what it is let us know...
is every station on the ESB only 6,000 watts?

Be nice to see the stations in the #1 market be 100,000 watts is that possible? In Greenwich with a 100,000 watt absorption I would be able to pull it in basements/buildings here in Cy with less interference right?

-OZ

 

[Ozman]

* fixed for spelling

I was wondering why the signals on my walkmen over the weekend were no doing that well... If anyone knows the outcome of what it is let us know...
is every station on the ESB only 6,000 watts?

Be nice to see the stations in the #1 market be 100,000 watts is that possible? In Greenwich with a 100,000 watt absorption I would be able to pull it in basements or the middle of buildings here in CT with less interference right?

-OZ

 

[nd2023]

They aren't allowed to be 100,000 watts this far north. They are Class B 50000 watt stations. Since the ESB is so high, they don't need to put out 50000 watts.
In the south, there are stations with 100000 watts from towers higher than Empire. Those stations can be heard hundreds of miles.

 

[Ozman]

Nick,
do you know why stations are not putting out their Potential 50,000 watts. I can't imagine at full power how much of a screaming signal NYC stations would have in the suburbs and out in the country sides where signals are very weak like dutchess and Litchfield county;s. Is there something thats holding up the potential of full power?

They aren't allowed to be 100,000 watts this far north. They are Class B 50000 watt stations. Since the ESB is so high, they don't need to put out 50000 watts.
In the south, there are stations with 100000 watts from towers higher than Empire. Those stations can be heard hundreds of miles.

 

[davideduardo]

Nick,
do you know why stations are not putting out their Potential 50,000 watts.

They are. A class B station is 50 kw at 500 feet; if the antenna is higher, the power drops to achieve the same coverage contour that the lower height would give.

I can't imagine at full power how much of a screaming signal NYC stations would have in the suburbs and out in the country sides where signals are very weak like dutchess and Litchfield county;s. Is there something thats holding up the potential of full power?

All the ESB stations are at full power for their class. And the NY area allows only Class B's or below, no C's. None of the ESB stations can increase power at all.

 

[Ozman]

thanks dave,
you think their might be a rule with some of the new buildings going up in NYC that might change this rule in the future?
#1 market doesn't make sense to limit there capabilities for power what holds em up from going class C besides the ESB being a capacity? Is it sideband interference? Ie adjacent channels next to them on the outskirts ( Hartford, Philly stations etc? I know this has been discussed in the past but not in a long time so I figure I bring it up

Nick,
do you know why stations are not putting out their Potential 50,000 watts.

They are. A class B station is 50 kw at 500 feet; if the antenna is higher, the power drops to achieve the same coverage contour that the lower height would give.

I can't imagine at full power how much of a screaming signal NYC stations would have in the suburbs and out in the country sides where signals are very weak like dutchess and Litchfield county;s. Is there something thats holding up the potential of full power?

All the ESB stations are at full power for their class. And the NY area allows only Class B's or below, no C's. None of the ESB stations can increase power at all.

 

[eyg2181]

they shouyld let the NYC stations give out 100000 watts of power... at least 923, 1019, and 1043

i wish the philly ones were full power as well...that'd be real nice.

 

[nd2023]

100000 watts won't make the stations go much farther than they currently do in this crowded area.
Those 100KW stations go 80 miles regularly because there is no interference.
Take for example Jacksonville, FL

100,000 watt 95.1 WAPE: http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WAPE&service=FM&status=L&hours=U
50,000 watt 97.9 WFKS: http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WFKS&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

and compare WFKS to a full power Empire signal, WXRK
http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=WXRK&service=FM&status=L&hours=U

WFKS and WXRK have the same coverage area according to the map. From what I have noticed, WAPE is only good for about 10-15 more miles than WFKS. Neither station has any adjacent channel interference to the north (WAPE has WPYO 95.3 to the southwest). I notice that WFKS can be heard farther from Jacksonville than WXRK can be heard from New York, despite having identical signals.

100,000 watts wouldn't be that much better than what the current power is now.

If just WXRK 92.3 becomes 100,000 watts, WLNG, WWYZ, WXTU, WZAA, WOBM, WNTI, (there may be more I missed) would have to move or deal with increased interference. And it wouldn't go that much further into New Jersey due to WXTU or into Connecticut or Long Island due to WWYZ or WLNG. The electric bill would go up more than 16 times than it is now.

 

[GSP163]

is every station on the ESB only 6,000 watts?

No 105.9 WCAA is only 600 Watts.....WCAA is a Class B1 which can only have a max power of 25,000 watts....WCAA cannot upgrade their signal to full Class B due too 106.1 WBLI & 105.9 WHCN which are full Class B's