FM Stations that get out waaaay too well.

[dx1ng]

96.9 WFPG from Atlantic City has huge signal in the summer. The slightest tropo enables it to cover all of NJ south of I-80, all of Delaware, 90% of Long Island, and southern Connecticut. There's little to interfere with it in the whole region. In the winter, its signal acts like a normal class B. But once the outside temperature rises above the water temperature, its signal gets huge. 104.9 WSJO is a little class A that also routinely covers 100 miles in the summer.

When I lived in So. Connecticut in the 60's / 70's, WFPG was frequently noted with a powerful signal in the summer, the best signal from the Atlantic City area. Now here in Poughkeepsie, I have a class A local on 96.9, WRRB. Still, I have occasionally heard WFPG overpowering WRRB.
WSJO on 104.9 is easier to hear here... 104.9 is a pretty clear frequency for me, and I just turned on the radio as I'm writing this, and "SoJo 104.9" is fading in and out weakly right now. When tropo kicks in, WSJO can be quite strong. By the way, WSJO is Class B1, 10,000 watts at 500 feet.

 

[radioman148]

A station that I've noticed over the years that really gets out is WTBX-FM in Hibbing, Mn. I've driven through northwest Wisconsin, and most of northern Minnesota and that station really gets out well. There's no mountains, but that particular spot of Minnesota is Hilly while the rest is flat.

 

[kenrayc]

103.7 came in occasionally, but never very well, and I never heard the other Eshom Point stations. KZOZ on 93.3 did indeed get in. I recall hearing the 101.3 from SLO as well.

How about this station that is at 10,000 ft .KMMT 106.5 from Mammoth lakes Ca they only have 400 watts I get it in Clovis. did this signal come in Bishop. 20 years ago they were at 106.3.

 

[kenrayc]

Who has the highest transmitter site. Correction on KMMT 106.5 they are at 10'600 ft with360 watts. Is there a station higher than them?

 

[DavidKaye]

Curious...is there any location in the US that produces amazing FM coverage in 1 or more directions?

Some stations such as KPFK in Los Angeles have amazing coverage because they have high power grandfathered in before FMs were limited by the FCC.

Then there is the case of FMs over water. FM stations in Tijuana such as XETRA-FM 91.1, make it clear to Santa Barbara (200 miles) and sound local. For one they're out of the Class B California 50kw limit (XETRA runs 100kw), and secondly it's a clear shot over the ocean from TJ to SB.

And then, of course, there's skip, which is very reliable this time of year, especially in the afternoons if there is warm moist air between the station and the listener.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I'm seeing many reports of grandfathered stations & tropo/skip, but back to my original question...is there any market where the non-grandfathered stations are mostly licensed at regular A or B or C height/powers where their signals seem to far outperform the typical 35-40 miles for an A, 55 miles for a B & 70-80 miles for a C? The FCC rules were designed to give predictable results on flat ground...many stations suffer from rough terrain...are there any that meet the above parameters that carry well in excess of these distances day in & day out on a regular car radio?

 

[MR5229]

92.1 KCCL in Sacramento gets out pretty well. It's a station that seems to get out farther than normal. That station can be heard very well in Stockton which I able to listen to on a regular cd player/fm player when I visited that location. KCCL can also be heard westward about 60 miles away on a car radio with minimal problems. It can be heard in Pittsburg/Antioch, CA (~80 miles away) which on the radio-locator map, should not even be able to receive that station (instead those locations should be within range of KKDV, another 92.1). But because of the terrain, 92.1 from Sacramento comes in much better. I think it's because most of the transmitted power is going out towards the Sacramento Valley.

 

[w9wi]

I'm seeing many reports of grandfathered stations & tropo/skip, but back to my original question...is there any market where the non-grandfathered stations are mostly licensed at regular A or B or C height/powers where their signals seem to far outperform the typical 35-40 miles for an A, 55 miles for a B & 70-80 miles for a C? The FCC rules were designed to give predictable results on flat ground...many stations suffer from rough terrain...are there any that meet the above parameters that carry well in excess of these distances day in & day out on a regular car radio?

Even the non-grandfathered stations in Western Michigan put a pretty good signal across the lake into Wisconsin. In the Milwaukee area on 104.5 it's a toss-up whether you'll hear the Whitewater Class A (~40mi.) or the Muskegon non-grandfathered B. (~100mi.) 105.3 and 106.9 in the Muskegon area were often at near-local levels, until actual locals were built on the same frequencies on the Wisconsin side.

(I have to think the Sheboygan station is kicking themselves for allowing themselves to get moved from 97.7 to 93.7. WBCT would be a big enough problem at normal 50kw/150m. With WBCT at 320kw/238m one wonders if WBFM can be heard outside the Sheboygan city limits?!)

 

[BRNout]

The Las Vegas FM stations on Mount Potosi, 8600 feet above sea level (88.9 KNPR, 92.3 KOMP, 93.1 KPLV, 97.1 KXPT, 104.3 KCYE, 107.5 KXTE) have tremendous reach up and down I-15 in both directions. It's not uncommon to hear them clearly beyond Barstow, 120 miles or so to the south, and north to the Arizona border, more than 100 miles away - and it's pretty amazing to hear the Potosi FMs keep coming in loud and clear going south on I-15 while the terrain rips the Black Mountain FMs (94.1, 95.5, 96.3, 98.5, 100.5, 101.9, 103.5, 106.5) to shreds before you even hit the California border.

Scott, you can actually start picking up certain Las Vegas FMs along I-15 on Black Ridge between Cedar City and St. George, UT. Although St. George is in a valley, KXTE always came in okay in the area. I used to listen to Howard Stern on whatever it was called in the 90s (was it KFBI?) around that area. Never strong, but you could listen to it in the car around much of the city; particularly the north end. They all die through the Virgin River Canyon, but it's all Las Vegas FMs when you pop out to the east of Littlefield, AZ. So, Vegas FMs really get out there.

Another set of FMs that do amazingly well are the class Cs from Salt Lake City. They actually pop in through the San Rafael Swell along I-70 in central UT (about 170 mi from their tx sites) and around Richfield and Cove Fort, UT. They're in and out, but they make the trip (not counting the translators, either).

The class A signal at 98.3 from Price (KARB) also comes in well along I-70 and that's a good 50 miles with 7 kw at -104' AAT. Some translators from Price also make it that far, but only when you have very favorable terrain. That area is gorgeous with sandstone canyons and a stop at the Eagle Canyon viewpoint will result in a fine view and an FM dial filled with signals - all of which are from more than 50 miles away (Price, Richfield, Moab, Green River, Salt Lake City and even Grand Junction, CO)!

The Salt Lake FMs also make their way east to about Little America, WY; north beyond Malad, ID and west out to near Wells, NV without help. More than 120 miles in every direction thanks to being perched up on the Oquirrh Mountains at about 9000' above sea level. Not too shabby.

 

[fybush]

Scott, you can actually start picking up certain Las Vegas FMs along I-15 on Black Ridge between Cedar City and St. George, UT. Although St. George is in a valley, KXTE always came in okay in the area. I used to listen to Howard Stern on whatever it was called in the 90s (was it KFBI?) around that area. Never strong, but you could listen to it in the car around much of the city; particularly the north end. They all die through the Virgin River Canyon, but it's all Las Vegas FMs when you pop out to the east of Littlefield, AZ. So, Vegas FMs really get out there.

Another impressive spot for long-haul Vegas FM reception is in Zion National Park - driving into the park from Kanab on route 9, you come out of the tunnel and it's all Vegas FM on the dial for a minute or two before the road starts its twisty descent.

Almost as impressive as the scenery out there...

 

[rbrucecarter5]

All of this stuff is over 200 miles, some almost 350 miles. All reliable and repeatable just about any time of the day, any time of the year.

Car reception (Pioneer Supertuner 3, 3D):
WSRV 97.1 Gainesville, GA in Lake City, FL
WGCO 98.3 Midway, GA in Daytona Beach, FL
WJHM 101.9 Orlando, FL about 50 miles East of Tallahassee, FL
KLTY 94.9 Dallas in NW Houston
Home reception:
Dipole on a Sony XDR-F1HD from Cypress, TX
KZPS 92.5 Dallas
KLTY 94.9 Dallas
KLUV 98.7 Dallas
Yagi from Plano, TX
KKBQ 92.9 Houston
Many years ago with a yagi in Midland, TX and Lubbock, TX, tuner Heath AJ-15 - virtually all DFW full class C stations. Also KASE 100.7 Austin, KTFM 102.7 San Antonio.
From Austin, TX, with a small yagi on a Heath AJ-15 - virtually all DFW full class C stations, virtually all Houston full class C stations, KIOC 106.1 Orange, TX

 

[AckDX]

I remember taking a road trip down east not too long ago. I got WBLM 102.9 briefly in Yarmouth,NS. I had my Grundig out on The Cat, and was able to pull in Something from Moncton(Classic Rock) that was in the 94's. I also started pulling in CIFA about halfway into the trip from Portland. WPOR 101.9 also got out pretty far too. And, just east of town, I pulled in WWLI 105.1 from Providence, however I think that had somethign to do with the fog

 

[ddsparxx]

In Waldport, OR, on the central Oregon Coast I regularly heard KDCQ 92.9 (class C3), KTEE 94.9 (class C1), KTEE's translator K239AL 95.7 (250W), KOOS 107.3 (class C1), and KOOS translator K299AA 107.7 (250W) all 80 miles away, including both translators. In addition I've heard KOOZ 94.1 (class C3) from 100 miles away and KSYD 92.1 about 50 miles away with only 300 W. All this was in a upper level floor of a house on a hill. I could hear those stations at any time. The KSYD reception was decent. (I liked this station; it relays KRVM 91.9 Eugene, non-commercial triple A station).

 

[BRNout]

I remember taking a road trip down east not too long ago. I got WBLM 102.9 briefly in Yarmouth,NS. I had my Grundig out on The Cat, and was able to pull in Something from Moncton(Classic Rock) that was in the 94's. I also started pulling in CIFA about halfway into the trip from Portland. WPOR 101.9 also got out pretty far too. And, just east of town, I pulled in WWLI 105.1 from Providence, however I think that had somethign to do with the fog

Of all the stations in New England, WWLI seems to be the one that gets the most lift from troposphric ducting. That stations is a monster under the right conditions. For much of the summer, it seems to bounce everywhere it's not meant to be - from Long Island into western CT, Vermont, New Hampshire, southern ME and MA. Something about that station really sends it out during even moderate tropo conditions. The other good one under those conditions was always WCTK 98.1 from New Bedford. Very common to get both quite strongly for hours on a humid or foggy day in Springfield, MA or central CT.

WBLM, by the way, has an excellent signal! It comes in listenably well around Concord, NH and I can get it with a good radio in Nashua too. And that's day in and day out - no atmospheric help needed. None of the other Portland area FMs (save WHOM) has such a good signal.

 

[AckDX]

I remember taking a road trip down east not too long ago. I got WBLM 102.9 briefly in Yarmouth,NS. I had my Grundig out on The Cat, and was able to pull in Something from Moncton(Classic Rock) that was in the 94's. I also started pulling in CIFA about halfway into the trip from Portland. WPOR 101.9 also got out pretty far too. And, just east of town, I pulled in WWLI 105.1 from Providence, however I think that had somethign to do with the fog

Of all the stations in New England, WWLI seems to be the one that gets the most lift from troposphric ducting. That stations is a monster under the right conditions. For much of the summer, it seems to bounce everywhere it's not meant to be - from Long Island into western CT, Vermont, New Hampshire, southern ME and MA. Something about that station really sends it out during even moderate tropo conditions. The other good one under those conditions was always WCTK 98.1 from New Bedford. Very common to get both quite strongly for hours on a humid or foggy day in Springfield, MA or central CT.

WBLM, by the way, has an excellent signal! It comes in listenably well around Concord, NH and I can get it with a good radio in Nashua too. And that's day in and day out - no atmospheric help needed. None of the other Portland area FMs (save WHOM) has such a good signal.

Eastern NE has a lot of FM sigs that go out far. I lost WBLM Towards Port Maitland. I was very impressed

 

[nd2023]

94.5 KVBE Vibe Vegas is 100kw from the Moapa Valley, 75 miles from Vegas. It covers from north of Cedar City to 15 miles into California on I-15. However, terrain and overloading make it unlistenable in downtown Las Vegas.

 

[BRNout]

94.5 KVBE Vibe Vegas is 100kw from the Moapa Valley, 75 miles from Vegas. It covers from north of Cedar City to 15 miles into California on I-15. However, terrain and overloading make it unlistenable in downtown Las Vegas.

I heard somewhere that the owners of KVBE were going to apply for a booster in the downtown area to deal with that issue. Whether that ever happened, I do not know. But, that is a pretty darn good range (the issues in the Vegas Valley not withstanding).

 

[charlestondxman]

For me (Charleston, SC)

WOCL Deland, FL (105.9), huge signal, during summer, gets out clear all the way into our area (heard it Sunday).

WEGX Dillon, SC (92.9), has a huge signal, covers most of the state east of I-95, and easily heard in Charleston.

 

[crainbebo]

The only ones I've found are
KMPS 94.1 into Cle Elum at 54 mi with 69 kw with lots of mountains around.
KWJZ 98.9 into Pacific Beach, WA at 106 mi.
huge tropo into Pacific Beach with KING and KCYS (Seaside, OR) fighting each other. (98.1) Of course, that was when my G5 was as good as an XDR-F1HD!!! (7/07)
KCYS: 86 mi
KING: 106 mi

huge tropo into Pacific Beach with KXJM 107.5 (when they were Movin' 107.5) Banks, OR at 136 mi.
101.5 KPLZ was also coming in at Pacific Beach, along with KJOX 99.7 Long Beach when they were soft rock as KAST.

107.7 KUMA into Wapato at 106 miles.
95.7 KKSr Walla Walla into the Manastash Ridge at 128 miles.

-crainbebo

 

[BRNout]

The only ones I've found are
KMPS 94.1 into Cle Elum at 54 mi with 69 kw with lots of mountains around.
KWJZ 98.9 into Pacific Beach, WA at 106 mi.
huge tropo into Pacific Beach with KING and KCYS (Seaside, OR) fighting each other. (98.1) Of course, that was when my G5 was as good as an XDR-F1HD!!! (7/07)
KCYS: 86 mi
KING: 106 mi

huge tropo into Pacific Beach with KXJM 107.5 (when they were Movin' 107.5) Banks, OR at 136 mi.
101.5 KPLZ was also coming in at Pacific Beach, along with KJOX 99.7 Long Beach when they were soft rock as KAST.

107.7 KUMA into Wapato at 106 miles.
95.7 KKSr Walla Walla into the Manastash Ridge at 128 miles.

-crainbebo

When I spent some time around NW Oregon and SW Washington, I picked up what was then 97.3 KBSG Tacoma (now KIRO-FM) from Astoria, OR most of the way across the bridge; then again around Ilwaco, Long Beach with better reception as we headed north along that barrier island. That's a pretty solid distance from their tx site and there was no tropo going on during those 2 non-consecutive days - it was chilly and partly cloudy.

IIRC, we also picked up KING-FM 98.1 and the present day KWJZ 98.9 (though it wasn't known as that back then) around Long Beach and northward. Sadly, I couldn't do a full band scan but the area around Astoria and north of Cape Disappointment seemed to provide a good line of sight toward the Puget Sound area.