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FM Frequency of the Week 2018-19-20: 95.3

Continuing with the traditional Class A US FM frequencies.
This week it's 95.3.
East Tennessee: Normally Bible Broadcasting Network station WYFC, Clinton TN. Sometimes a Classic Rocker sneaks in underneath, either WPLZ, Ooltewah TN or WWOD, Dillsboro NC.

Retro/other: I've worked at 2 95.3's, both along US 68 in Ohio. WKTN, Kenton, OH, very briefly in 1979, and WZLR, Xenia, OH when it was a 100% simulcast of WCLR (now WHIO-FM), Piqua. When I worked at WKTN I could get the Xenia station (I think WBZI at the time).

Retro DX Clip of the week: From the Bob Hawkins collection, E-Skip from 1971. A minute of small market FM radio in KAGE-FM, Winona MN.
http://46124.info/FM/Minnesota/MN Winona 95.3 1971 KAGE.mp3
 
My local KXLE-FM Ellensburg (Country). 51,000 watts from a tower near Bristol, WA (in between Cle Elum & Ellensburg). Most of the music comes from the dish, but there is a local morning show, Kickback Tracks and Tracy Lawrence's classic country show every weekend, and Earl Pitts American commentaries at 4:50 weekday afternoons.

However, at Lion Rock (16 miles N of Ellensburg, 6300 feet) I can hear K237DP Kennewick (U-Rock) mixing with KXLE. That's about 100 miles! Line of sight is perfect at that distance on the other hand.
 
In the near north Chicago suburbs 95.3 is directly adjacent to WEBG local Chicago area country station. Too much splatter for me to hear anything else.
 
95.3 is usually nothing, but classic rocker WWSS (a simulcast of local 98.1 WGFN "The Bear") will sneak in once in a while. Very rarely, WGVS (public radio) will come in. WGVS is much closer (but much weaker). Side note: both 95.3s run under their class maximum for their HAAT and class, and there's no obvious short-spacing for either station
 
In Smith County, Texas, 5 miles NW of Tyler: 95.3 is KFRO-FM Gilmer, TX 5.9kW @ 203m HAAT, with a fair to good signal. KFRO-FM operates as the simulcast partner of 94.3 KZXM "The Well", which is a Christian based station that focuses on instruction and Bible studies.

The irony in all of this being that the 203 meters of elevation equates to 666 feet when converted.
 
Back when WFBE 95.1 signed off at Midnight, you could get what is now WCFX 95.3 Clare, MI.

WWSS 95.3 Tuscarora Township, MI is a Class C2 with a reduced nondirectional ERP of 17 kW (vs. 41 kw fully spaced) from 165 meters HAAT to protect it from, with contour interference protection ratios to put interference "overlap" over Lake Michigan and Lake Huron, while dodging islands of overlap, from a vacant 95.5 allotment in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. That allotment is a full 100 kW/600 meter HAAT Class C, even though its use is unlikely before radio becomes extinct, as some predict, and certainly with no more than full Class C1 facilities (100 kW/300 meters in Canada under the Agreement). It's also short spaced to WGFE 95.5 Glen Arbor, MI, but that is less restrictive. It could probably be DA with more ERP, but as we see from the results of DAs from new TL locations under Section 73.213 with WFBE and WLAV-FM, the results are not unmitigated success stories.
 
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Far northwest suburban Chicago. 95.3 is splatter from WEBG 95.5 (Chicago) and WIIL 95.1 (Kenosha, WI.)
 
Picayune, MS:
WZNF Lumberton, MS "The Gorilla" (Top 40), 100 kw.
The next closest station is WNOZ-LPFM New Orleans (smooth jazz), 63 watts. I often enjoy this station when visiting New Orleans.
 
Lexington, KY:
Local Contemporary Christian (K-LOVE) WVRB, Wilmore. One of three Lexington area K-LOVE affiliates, this one having its transmitter closest to downtown. It provides a strong signal to Lexington but it's quite puny even for a Class A, so it is not received very well outside of the immediate metro counties surrounding Lexington (4.1 kW @ 397' ~5 mi.)
WKVO, a 50 kW Class C2, is the primary, full-market K-Love for Lexington. A third, WXKY, is situated about 40 miles south and primarily serves the southern portions of the Lexington market. It is very well engineered, however, and provides a surprisingly good signal in Lexington proper for being a 5 kW C3 @ 732'.

Zachary, LA:
Religious network "CSN" translator local to Baton Rouge, but fairly weak here. K237EW, Port Allen (250 W @ 301' ~12 mi.)
 
Mason City, IA:
Fair to weak signal from KIFG-FM/Iowa Falls. Occasionally, KAGE/Winona, MN will sneak in, but this is very rare.

Central KS:
Nothing
 
Mankato, MN

K237EX Mankato...translator of KCMP MN Public Radio "The Current"
5 watts 190 feet up (they are on a tower at KEYC/KMNF's location which has a weather station and skyview camera on it....KEYC's TV transmitter is 25 miles south in Lewisville)
(MPR has another translator in Mankato for The Current on 105.1 which is a 10 watt translator on the tower of MSU-Mankato's 89.7 KMSU)

sometimes can get KDJS Country in Willmar, MN or possibly KZGO Minneapolis
 
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