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Gem 107.7 signal

S

StanGL

Does anybody know a good tip to pull in either Gem 107.7's main station, which is in Tunkhannock or its 95.3 translator, which is believed to be three miles NE of my location? I wanted to listen to the oldies station loud and clear but I am unable to get a good reception of 107.7 because of too much static. The 95.3 translator is far worse because I kept getting interference by Magic 93 and/or KRZ each time I position my long Y-Shaped dipole antenna. However, the signals are excellent when listening to it in the car.

I am interested in getting a cheap small(but medium-sized) directional antenna that has the ability to point to that station's transmitter, whether it's a translator or the main station to improve the signal strength. It is available at Lowe's, but can also do TV and HDTV.

Also, I wanted to pull in the 101.7 "Whites Crossings" translator, which I can listen to it in the car by the Wyoming Valley Mall. That translator re-broadcasts Sunny 105 from Honesdale. However, both Froggy and T-102 are in between.
 
Ever try hooking the receiver to the cable tv line? Get a splitter and give it a try. Sometimes it works if the cable company is relaying the FM band. Also sometimes they move frequencies around so a station may not be on the same frequency as the over the air channel.

EN
 
Hey there Stan...glad you like the station....I will say that we are working on the signal....installing a new antenna now, and that should improve things in the location you describe...but email me at [email protected] and let me know where you live and I might be able to give you some pointers.

By the way, for everyone's FM listening pleasure, if you go to Radio Shack, and get a 15-2163A FM Only antenna, and a pole and put it outside your house, you'll be amazed at what the antenna picks up. It's very directional, so you might want to play with how you position the antenna. Best thing, for us DX'ers, the antenna itself will only set you back around 20 bucks. Caution though, the antenna is the size of an average outdoor TV antenna...if you have the room for it though, you'll have lots of fun.

Ben Smith
WGMF
 
ElectricNoodle said:
Ever try hooking the receiver to the cable tv line? Get a splitter and give it a try. Sometimes it works if the cable company is relaying the FM band. Also sometimes they move frequencies around so a station may not be on the same frequency as the over the air channel.

EN
Click to expand...

Man, I hadn't thought about that in years and years. Does it still work? Once upon a time, way back in the '70s, I "heard" that a lot of cable companies did indeed carry a boatload of radio signals on their service. You could subscribe, but I never met anyone who did, nor did I ever find out how you could, even if you were willing to pay for it. I never even bought a splitter, just rigged up some splice off of my cable co-ax and ran it into the back of my tuner. Bingo, NY and Philly stations galore.
 
Yeah, this works, at least on Blue Ridge Cable...not sure about the others...if anything, you'll recieve FM stations on the same freq you hear them over the air...lots of cable companies "move" FM stations over to other places on the dial..has to do with their bandwidth...but they pick them up when they pick up VHF TV stations...it'd try it out on the cable though...the only difference is you might not have the quantity of really far away stations like Philly for example...but if they are getting it at their cable head end....they'll probably put it on their cable FM service...for a mountaintop cable head end this could certainly include stations from Allentown, NJ, Williamsport, depending on what spot on a mountain they are at.

Ben Smith
WGMF
 
Service Electric Hazleton used to provide many out of town FM's. They discontinued it when negotiating re-transmission agreements became more trouble than it was worth to carry the signals. Some of the frequencies were, in fact, moved to other parts of the FM broadcast spectrum. That's the information I got from John Siroski, their headend tech.

With a good directional FM yagi on your roof with a rotor, you will be amazed by the number and distance of the signals you will recieve. The higher the antenna, the better your results will be. Got for it! Just be aware of the power lines when you erect your antenna system. They could spoil your day...
 
The biggest question I have is why did cable operators carry FM signals? I can't recall ever seeing this service marketed or advertised, so what was the point?

On a related note, I once had this S-shaped "miracle" FM antenna I bought from some electronics store or another. I hung it out on my second-floor balcony and found FM signals from hundreds of miles away booming in like they were down the street. Sorry, I'm not a tekkie(spent my life on-air), so some of you would need to help me with particulars here. I also knew folks who would take a standard rooftop TV antenna and just toss it up in their attic for FM reception; no need for grounding or guy wires, etc.
 
wirelessinnepa said:
...lots of cable companies "move" FM stations over to other places on the dial..has to do with their bandwidth...
Click to expand...

Hi Ben...

I believe the reason they moved frequencies was because if the station was "local" the over-the-air signal would mix with the cable signal which would create really bad "multipath" in the receiver. I remember a system in another state that would also do that along with Blue Ridge Cable who, I believe, still does. I think the reason cable companies did that at all was so they could possibly use this as a "value added incentive". Remember, when Community Antenna TeleVision first came on the scene it was likely because it helped boost TV Receiver sales and there were quite a few radio listeners, mainly AM, with FM just beginning to make a foothold - and if we remember a lot of "formats" on FM were of the "revenue loosing" EZ-Listening music.

Also the reason I suggested the cable split was it would be a lot easier and probably cheaper to do it this way to try it out. If it works, you're good to go. Otherwise then you can try the other suggestions in this thread that will maybe be a bit more work and a little more cash... Also you may have to climb a ladder to the roof which is something I don't like to do unless I really have to.

Anyway - just a couple cents input...

EN
 
I remember trying the cable split when I was a young DXer( does DXer count on FM?)in the early 70s. I heard WMMR for the first time and thought the WAAL was better.
I recall different dial positions also. A note for those less techies, despite my Third class (endorsed)license...I just hooked my parents TV antenna up with a splice to my stereo and viola!!!
Line of sight is a beautiful thing!!!
 
I just bought a home that's very close to the Gem translator here in Luzerne, and the analog tuners(alarm clock radios) in my house pick up the signal all over the dial, on every harmonic(sympathetic? Is that the word? I dunno...) frequency, but the digital tuners aren't affected.
 
Ethan said:
I just bought a home that's very close to the Gem translator here in Luzerne, and the analog tuners(alarm clock radios) in my house pick up the signal all over the dial, on every harmonic(sympathetic? Is that the word? I dunno...) frequency, but the digital tuners aren't affected.
Click to expand...

As a kid, I built several crystal radios, some from scratch, one or two from kits. No matter what I did, the only station I could ever find was WICK. I tried most everything, but WICK was everywhere. It wasn't until years later it became clear why; the WICK x-mitter was probably no more than a half statute mile from my house. You couldn't see it, but the stick was there right along the river. What you could see plain as day was the WEJL tower, but WICK's was less than half the distance away.
 
Chez said:
MasterG
Did you live by Weston Field?
Click to expand...

Probably about 8-9 blocks NE of there. Used to swim, play tennis, and just hang out at Weston Field as a kid. Weston Field was likely a half mile(if that)from WICK's stick. I grew up in what was referred to with some contempt as "lower" Green Ridge.
 
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