FM Static This Morning?

[StoneGT]

I normally can pick up WSBB FM 95.5 fine, but this morning there was so much static and some unintelligible bleed over from some other station that I could not listen. (Thankfully WABE was fine!).

Didn't think about it again, but at a local news/blog site I frequent, several people were commenting the same experience with various other FM stations - Q100, 105.7, 106.7 were specifically mentioned. Someone said FM was so bad that they had to listen to AM this morning.

I know there is a lot of radio expertise on this board - any of you know what caused/causes such static across the FM dial?

 

[jabba17]

I don't know the technical explanation (maybe I'll go ask my daughter), but I do know that certain atmospheric conditions can make for good FM DXing, as well as distant co-channels or first-adjacents interfering with an intended signal. 100.5 has this problem with co-channel WSSL out of Spartanburg, even without the atmospheric conditions that can make it even worse. When I used to work east of Atlanta, WQZY 95.9 out of Dublin would interfere with 96 Rock.

I was having issues with 100.5 and 106.1 and 106.7 this AM.  I tried some of my usual DX stations--99.1 WDEN out of Macon was great, and so was WGMG 102.1 out of Athens, and 106.3, and WBBQ (104.5) out of Augusta.  95.9 WQZY was OK. 

I couldn't get WUSY 100.7 out of Chattanooga, nor WMUU 94.5 out of Greenville. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TV-FM_DX

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropospheric_propagation

 

[StoneGT]

Thanks!

 

[bnaivar]

Skip, DXing, Co-Channel whatever you want to call it, it was bad this morning. :-\

 

[artsutton]

Skip, DXing, Co-Channel whatever you want to call it, it was bad this morning. :-\

Temperature Inversion.

When you have such a huge spread between the low temp and the high temp for the day....lows in the 40s and highs near 80....you get pockets of air colder or warmer than the surrounding air and it reflects FM signals from greater distances. Typical in spring and fall. As the air becomes more uniform in the summer and winter months, it's no longer a factor.

 

[BarryATL]

I had trouble with 95.5 most today too. I was driving from the Cheshire Bridge antenna farm to Emory/Crawford Long in the morning. From Emory/Crawford Long to Piedmont Hospital around lunch. Then from Piedmont Hospital to Dunwoody in the afternoon. A static filled signal most of the day.

Something changed about three or four weeks ago on a Saturday. Suddenly, the 95.5 signal was splattered on big time along Cheshire Bridge. I assume someone made a change at the Richland tower site that is plattering on 95.5 immedietly around the tower.

Anyway... today was even worse. I am glad I was not the only one. I thought my car radio was starting to have reception problems.

 

[ShawtyBlack_ATL]

Out here in Lithonia, Macon and Columbus stations were crystal clear until 10am. Especially WFXM, POWER 107.1.

 

[secondchoice]

Yesterday morning up here in Atlanta FM signal “wastelands” some station with a call in contest in the 312 area code was really covering up 106.7 in the morning. I was not the correct caller!

 

[the golden boy]

Yesterday morning up here in Atlanta FM signal “wastelands” some station with a call in contest in the 312 area code was really covering up 106.7 in the morning. I was not the correct caller!

312 is Chicago. The only 106.7 I know up there is a Spanish station in the north suburbs.

 

[secondchoice]

Yesterday morning up here in Atlanta FM signal “wastelands” some station with a call in contest in the 312 area code was really covering up 106.7 in the morning. I was not the correct caller!

312 is Chicago. The only 106.7 I know up there is a Spanish station in the north suburbs.

I might have the middle number of the area code incorrect. It was in English, the announcer was female, I am pertty sure of the 3 and the 2 in the area code. That darn 106.7 in Gainsville was bleeding in some! BTW there was something Killing 106.5 Chattanooga too.