FM Stations that get out waaaay too well.

[ddsparxx]

There are 3 huge FMs in Roanoke, Va., that covers a quite a bit--WXLK 92.3, WJLC(?) 94.9 and WSLQ 99.1 and they could reach Charlottesville and even the eastern tip of Kentucky according to Radio-Locator. Radio-Locator didn't list the 94.9 as one of the Roanoke station for some reason, maybe forgot.

 

[Raider57]

100.7 WHUD from Peekskill, NY, Ive heard all the way down to the northern New Jersey Shore (70 miles away)

 

[David67]

Curious...is there any location in the US that produces amazing FM coverage in 1 or more directions? FM Height Above Average Terrain is calculated by taking the ground level at 2-10 miles from the tower into account. If there is a flat area at many thousands of feet elevation surrounded by a sudden drop off in at least 1 direction, one might expect that a station transmitting from that spot might have amazing coverage. Mt Washington,NH is one example, but that one is grandfathered in. I'm talking about an anomaly where perhaps a 6KW class at at 328' above average terrain would actually be thousands of feet above the ground at say 30 miles & carries far beyond the "normal" 35-40 miles for a Class A. I was in Denver recently & was wondering if I might experience that to the east on I-70. Having not checked the elevation east of town, I had this vision of being 100 miles out & seeing mountains in the distance (like you can see Humphrey's peak 100 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40). That wasn't the case, at least on a cloudy/snowy day. Anyone have a story about an FM station that gets out far better than what it should on paper?

I've has People tell Me they could catch 96.1 FM in Atlanta,In North Carolina. 96.1 is a blowtorch

 

[BRNout]

I was in Denver recently & was wondering if I might experience that to the east on I-70. Having not checked the elevation east of town, I had this vision of being 100 miles out & seeing mountains in the distance (like you can see Humphrey's peak 100 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40). That wasn't the case, at least on a cloudy/snowy day.

You know Bob, I've tried that - at least headed east on I-70 and found that the Denver and Colorado Springs stations die out less than 80 miles from their transmitters - and fade in and out sooner than that. That may sound far, but you can get Denver FMs from Raton Pass - over 160 miles distant and Colorado Springs FMs are capable of going even farther from Cheyenne Mountain. So, I found it to be disappointing but somewhat educational. Best long-range reception of those stations is along the Front Range; particularly along those occasional east-west ridges that protrude from the Rockies.

The trouble going east is that the terrain gradually slopes downward (yes, there are hills - but the overall topography is downward). So, the FM signals pass over your head. This reminds me of the situation with Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho. They're about 50 miles apart in the Snake River Plain and Idaho Falls ends up being several hundred feet higher in altitude. The Idaho Falls FM signals do not get into Pocatello well (despite being higher up) while the Pocatello FMs are like locals in the Falls. Better line of sight being at a higher altitude looking at the lower altitude transmitter site.

It seems even odder if you go there because Idaho Falls is in the middle of a flat plain while Pokey is ringed by mountains to the south and east (so it would seem higher in elevation). Those mountains do not block Pocatello from reception of Idaho Falls stations by the way - it's to the north.

 

[ScottBurns]

Speaking of Southern California, Channel 93-3 KHTS/San Diego routinely blasts into Santa Barbara. That probably has more to do with the ocean and the signal's direction than it does the power of KHTS' stick.

 

[radioman148]

Speaking of Southern California, Channel 93-3 KHTS/San Diego routinely blasts into Santa Barbara. That probably has more to do with the ocean and the signal's direction than it does the power of KHTS' stick.

The way the coast curves at that point is conducive to helping that signal.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

You know Bob, I've tried that - at least headed east on I-70 and found that the Denver and Colorado Springs stations die out less than 80 miles from their transmitters -

I had a nice long time on top of Pike's Peak to DX, pretty much everything in a 200 mile radius was solid. Sadly, Pikes Peak is only 7000 to 8000 feet above the surrounding terrain, so 200 miles was about the limit.

I remember some 300 to 400 mile stuff coming from one direction in the Rocky Mountains, perhaps a valley to much lower terrain was allowing it.
But I didn't get a chance to stop and DX, there was no pull-out when I heard the IDs.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Oh, and two very curious phenomena ---

(1) As you drive into New Mexico from Lubbock, TX, and go up in elevation, the stations from Lubbock, even on short sticks, start coming back in from 160 to 180 miles away.

(2) If you can spot the "dry line" in West Texas, and get under it, you can get reliable FM reception from Southern California. It is absolutely dependable, and very repeatable. But you have to be prepared to get back on the road and follow the dry line, because the width of the skip is only about 4 or 5 miles. Outside of that, DX is GONE! I did this dozens of times when I lived out there.

 

[kenrayc]

I was sitting in a parking lot at a fast food place in Clovis CA. and scanned the FM dial and came across 100.7 KTHU (Thunder 100.7) from Corning CA 265 miles away.
Driving up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains above 6000 ft Stations can be picked up from Southern CA , The Central Coast, The San Francisco Bay area, And Northern CA. this is on Highway 168 above Shaver Lake Ca. 50 miles N/E of Fresno.I have a Pioneer Super Tuner 3 that has good Adjacent ch. separation.

 

[ddsparxx]

I find this very interesting. Perhaps the "dry lines" may be why I sometimes hear the blips of FM stations. On Rt 140 in southern Oregon, east of the Cascades and near where CA, OR and NV meet, I heard a blip of a Spanish music station on 96.9 and I think it came from KZTA in Yakima, WA. On I-40 in northern TX I heard a couple of blips but didn't get a chance to identify any station because I didn't have time at that time.

 

[radioman148]

Oh, and two very curious phenomena ---

(1) As you drive into New Mexico from Lubbock, TX, and go up in elevation, the stations from Lubbock, even on short sticks, start coming back in from 160 to 180 miles away.

(2) If you can spot the "dry line" in West Texas, and get under it, you can get reliable FM reception from Southern California. It is absolutely dependable, and very repeatable. But you have to be prepared to get back on the road and follow the dry line, because the width of the skip is only about 4 or 5 miles. Outside of that, DX is GONE! I did this dozens of times when I lived out there.

What is the "dry line?"

 

[nmoore6676]

Oh, and two very curious phenomena ---

(1) As you drive into New Mexico from Lubbock, TX, and go up in elevation, the stations from Lubbock, even on short sticks, start coming back in from 160 to 180 miles away.

(2) If you can spot the "dry line" in West Texas, and get under it, you can get reliable FM reception from Southern California. It is absolutely dependable, and very repeatable. But you have to be prepared to get back on the road and follow the dry line, because the width of the skip is only about 4 or 5 miles. Outside of that, DX is GONE! I did this dozens of times when I lived out there.

What is the "dry line?"

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/af/frnts/dfdef.rxml

 

[radioman148]

Oh, and two very curious phenomena ---

(1) As you drive into New Mexico from Lubbock, TX, and go up in elevation, the stations from Lubbock, even on short sticks, start coming back in from 160 to 180 miles away.

(2) If you can spot the "dry line" in West Texas, and get under it, you can get reliable FM reception from Southern California. It is absolutely dependable, and very repeatable. But you have to be prepared to get back on the road and follow the dry line, because the width of the skip is only about 4 or 5 miles. Outside of that, DX is GONE! I did this dozens of times when I lived out there.

What is the "dry line?"

http://ww2010.atmos.uiuc.edu/(Gh)/guides/mtr/af/frnts/dfdef.rxml

As a lifetime midwesterner I was not familiar with that. Thanks alot.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

I was in Denver recently & was wondering if I might experience that to the east on I-70. Having not checked the elevation east of town, I had this vision of being 100 miles out & seeing mountains in the distance (like you can see Humphrey's peak 100 miles east of Flagstaff on I-40). That wasn't the case, at least on a cloudy/snowy day.

You know Bob, I've tried that - at least headed east on I-70 and found that the Denver and Colorado Springs stations die out less than 80 miles from their transmitters - and fade in and out sooner than that. That may sound far, but you can get Denver FMs from Raton Pass - over 160 miles distant and Colorado Springs FMs are capable of going even farther from Cheyenne Mountain. So, I found it to be disappointing but somewhat educational. Best long-range reception of those stations is along the Front Range; particularly along those occasional east-west ridges that protrude from the Rockies.

The trouble going east is that the terrain gradually slopes downward (yes, there are hills - but the overall topography is downward). So, the FM signals pass over your head. This reminds me of the situation with Pocatello and Idaho Falls, Idaho. They're about 50 miles apart in the Snake River Plain and Idaho Falls ends up being several hundred feet higher in altitude. The Idaho Falls FM signals do not get into Pocatello well (despite being higher up) while the Pocatello FMs are like locals in the Falls. Better line of sight being at a higher altitude looking at the lower altitude transmitter site.

It seems even odder if you go there because Idaho Falls is in the middle of a flat plain while Pokey is ringed by mountains to the south and east (so it would seem higher in elevation). Those mountains do not block Pocatello from reception of Idaho Falls stations by the way - it's to the north.

Interesting...what direction is Raton Pass from Denver? A lot of people see these mammoth multi-thousand foot heights & mistakenly assume ginormous coverage results, when in reality, the Denver Class C FM's travel to the east about as far as our Indy area Class B non-grandfathered FM's travel here on the Indiana flat lands. All in all, the Texas Class C's between Fort Worth & Dallas are probably about as good as it gets for pure raw unobstructed coverage. Having 100KW at 1667' above average terrain & nothing to block it in any direction aces many a mountain top facility that has the stereo light flashing off & on at 10 miles in places.

Regarding the Idaho scenario, that's a splendid example of how the transmitting height is only part of the equation. Receive height also plays a vital role in coverage.

 

[BRNout]

Interesting...what direction is Raton Pass from Denver? A lot of people see these mammoth multi-thousand foot heights & mistakenly assume ginormous coverage results, when in reality, the Denver Class C FM's travel to the east about as far as our Indy area Class B non-grandfathered FM's travel here on the Indiana flat lands. All in all, the Texas Class C's between Fort Worth & Dallas are probably about as good as it gets for pure raw unobstructed coverage. Having 100KW at 1667' above average terrain & nothing to block it in any direction aces many a mountain top facility that has the stereo light flashing off & on at 10 miles in places.

Regarding the Idaho scenario, that's a splendid example of how the transmitting height is only part of the equation. Receive height also plays a vital role in coverage.

Raton Pass is along I-25, just barely north of the CO-NM border. Along the north side of that pass (facing Trinidad, CO), you can get most Denver C's quite well and all from The Springs. The scenario repeats itself along the north sides of each ridgeline that you pass as you drive northward along I-25. Most of the Denver FMs also come in pretty well around Cheyenne, WY - which is about 100 miles from Lookout Mountain. Cheyenne is at roughly 6,000 ft MSL.

The disappointing reception is eastward because the plains gradually drop off, reaching an altitude of about 4,000 ft MSL by the time you get to the KS border. There is some terrain to consider - particularly the eastern extension of the Palmer Divide which ends near Limon. Where that's favorable, Denver comes in. But once you're past Limon, things fade pretty fast as more and more higher terrain comes between you and the Denver (and Springs) transmitters. Sure, it you could get yourself high enough I am sure all those stations would boom in.

The relatively level terrain in Texas, combined with a tall tower and 100 kw would certainly make for equally good reception. What people don't realize is that the "high plains" in places like CO, WY, western NE, etc. aren't really flat. They seem flat compared with the Rockies, but they're quite hilly and less than ideal for FM reception. Basins in the deserts of NV, AZ and CA are flatter - for example.

By the way, the dry line observation is fascinating to me. I knew that the dry line is a great place for severe weather and tornado formation, but didn't realize that it could funnel signals in from almost 1,000 miles away! Certainly I won't dismiss the idea because the meeting point of dry desert air and moist air from the Gulf can exhibit some funky characteristics. Perhaps someday I'll get to give that a try.

 

[radioman148]

The dry line phenomenon is very interesting.

 

[charlestondxman]

Our Charleston stations also do very well, even though half their coverage area is water. I've received my local stations at 103.5 and the old Cat Country 107.5 in Brunswick, GA during the morning.

One time, on my walkman, I picked up WXLY from Charleston on a hotel deck in Daytona Beach (constant reception). 96.9 the Wolf (full 99kw at 1768 HAAT) and 102.5 have the best signal N, as even with the station in Goldsboro, I've heard them in Lumberton, NC before early in the morning.

Going up I-26, 95.1 out of Charleston mixes with Kiss from Charlotte in the Columbia area during the summer. Most of the Charleston FMs also come in around Savannah during the summer, all except for a couple like 105.5.

Another example I can give is the 107.7 in Warrenton, VA (WTOP), which comes in below Petersburg on I-95 often.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Class B non-grandfathered FM's travel here on the Indiana flat lands. All in all, the Texas Class C's between Fort Worth & Dallas are probably about as good as it gets for pure raw unobstructed coverage. Having 100KW at 1667' above average terrain & nothing to block it in any direction aces many a mountain top facility that has the stereo light flashing off & on at 10 miles in places.

I had routine, dependable reception the Dallas / Ft. Worth stations in Midland, TX using a good tuner and yagi. That is a distance of about 330 miles. I was also able to do it in Lubbock using pretty much the same setup. Both locations are on the "caprock", and therefore considerably above the terrain 20-30 miles East, so there is some effect from that, but the 20 to 30 foot masts I was using wouldn't have given line of sight to the edge of the caprock.

 

[ddsparxx]

WINC 92.5 Winchester, VA reaches out well into Richmond and was once heard east of the Chesapeake Bay just W of Salisbury, MD before WICO 92.5 in Pocomoke City, MD (south of Salisbury) went on air. Both WINC and 107.7 (WTOP simulcast) have towers on top of mountains.

 

[vibe]

I remember getting a NPR or public type radio station from the Wash DC area from Petersburg VA to near Emporia-a distance of approx 140 mi from the DC area before the station started to break up. Those low band FM's with good power and height really get out. Plus I remember reading a blog about a car trip made into the Big Bend NP; the person writing the blog was fustrated because he couldn't "find" and FM station on the dial. But when he pulled in for gas he heard another car radio playing. The other driver told him he found the station by not using the seek/scan function, just found it manually. I'm relying on my memory but I think the station was about 140 mi away as well and on the low end of the FM band. The station apparently was weak in the valley but came in clear and strong in parts of the hills.
Another area where FM came in really well (100 mi +) was in Western kansas where one had the opposite effect of the Denver FM's. In this case the stations in central Kansas (and west central kansas) went out a lot further to the west due to the transmitter locations being a few hundred feet lower (Whitica-Salina) than where the signals were received. (Hays-Dodge City)