FM Translators for AM

[mgpt6]

FCC has approved the use of FM translators for AM low power stations. One thing of note on page 8 of the order the FCC believes that there will be enough room for LPFM stations even with additional translators with addition of more spectrum as TV CH6 analog is used for FM. Is this a hint of where the FCC may be going in expanding the FM band?

 

[pqgeorge]

FCC has approved the use of FM translators for AM low power stations. One thing of note on page 8 of the order the FCC believes that there will be enough room for LPFM stations even with additional translators with addition of more spectrum as TV CH6 analog is used for FM. Is this a hint of where the FCC may be going in expanding the FM band?

I believe they were not talking about expanding the FM band below 88.1, but rather allowing potential LPFM applicants to apply in the non-commercial band (88.1 - 91.9 MHz) as a result of the analog shutdown of TV Channel 6, which has always been a real pain in the neck for any non-commercial station who had to protect any Channel 6 TV station. Trust me, I know. When my college station got a Construction Permit to increase from 10 to 180 watts back in 1979, the local Channel 6 station (WTEV/WLNE) held our power increase CP and several other non-commercial station's CP's in limbo for the longest time. The problem was not with the college stations engineering practices, but rather the lousy front-ends that TV's were made with back then. About that time, digital tuners (PLL controlled) did away with most of that problem. We did get our PTA and eventually our covering license after three long years of wrangling with the TV6 interests. Now, with Channel 6's all gone to digital, it will open up more LPFM space in some markets.

 

[raccoonradio]

I got to WMWM in early 1981 (actually late 80 but we were off air for 5 mo. after winds blew down antenna and fried board) and a few years later noticed, in some files/articles we had kept, that WMWM tried
get on a freq like 88.3 (wound up debuting at 91.7 in 1976) or move later to 88.3 but "interference with
TV Channel 6" was what shot it down.

 

[DanStrassberg]

FCC has approved the use of FM translators for AM low power stations. One thing of note on page 8 of the order the FCC believes that there will be enough room for LPFM stations even with additional translators with addition of more spectrum as TV CH6 analog is used for FM. Is this a hint of where the FCC may be going in expanding the FM band?

The new order does not permit AMs to apply for new translators. All that is allowed for them is to convert existing translators to simulcasts of AM signals. Moreover, if the AM that is being simulcast goes silent for more than 24 hours, the translator(s) must go silent too. Presumably if, say, a flood took the AM off the air (and maybe damaged the AM Tx so badly it had to be rebuilt--a process that ususally takes months, if not longer), the AM could obtain an STA to continue operating the translator during the reconstruction. But I don't think the order says anything about such circumstances.

And there are rules that prohibit AMs from simulcasting on translators whose coverage extends beyong the AM's 2 mV/m contour. This will, of course, result in many applications to move translators.

 

[aaronread]

The FM band already goes below 88.1; while it is rarely available for use, it is possible to use 87.9 (channel 200) for Class D FM stations...that includes grandfathered "class D's" as well as FM translators. The rules are very restrictive, mostly because of TV6, but there's also substantial distance requirements from the Canadian or Mexican borders, and you have to protect 88.1, 88.3 and 88.5 as per usual.

Currently there are only two licensed stations on 87.9 in the USA: KSFH in Mountain View, CA (San Francisco Bay Area), and K200AA in Sun Valley, NV (Reno area). With the demise of TV6 in most of the US, there probably will soon be some applications to move a few translators to 87.9, although I just checked and there's no such app's filed yet.