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Hot 106 reception question

R

RadioJay

Guest
I already know about the radio-locator maps, but can someone tell me from experience listening on a car radio, how far into northeast Connecticut does Providence's Hot 106 (106.3) reach? I know in southeast CT they are blown away by 106.5 WBMW.<P ID="signature">______________
Moe: (Sees a microphone in a radio studio) Ooh, a microphonie!

Curly: Or a phoney at the mike!

Moe: Quiet numbskulls I'm broadcastin'!

From The Three Stooges episode "Micro-Phoneys"</P>
 
> I already know about the radio-locator maps, but can someone
> tell me from experience listening on a car radio, how far
> into northeast Connecticut does Providence's Hot 106 (106.3)
> reach? I know in southeast CT they are blown away by 106.5
> WBMW.
>

Anywhere west of Rte 32 you also get a lot of interference from WEIB 106.3 in Northampton, especially north facing hills on some of the roads.

WWKX "Hot 106.3"'s Cumberland transmitter has a very very strange footprint and it's west and north coverage is poor to say the least.
 
>> WWKX "Hot 106.3"'s Cumberland transmitter has a very very
> strange footprint and it's west and north coverage is poor
> to say the least.

The tower is not very high (128 meters AAT?), so that definitely affects the signal output, regardless if it's a 3kw-equivalent signal. IIRC, it's directional too, and the terrain to the north and west is more hilly, therefore affecting coverage. The higher the antenna, the more evenly the signal is spread out over land.

From past experiences traveling west on Rt. 14 toward UCONN, Kix, um, I mean Hot 106 used to come in until close to Willimantic. Still pretty kick-ass for a 3-kw equivalent class A.

Jacko
<P ID="signature">______________
I live for my dream,
And a pocket full of gold.
</P>
 
Well, upon further investigation, WWKX's antenna is actually 158 meters AAT and not directional. And Radio-locator.com thinks that WWKX doesn't come in in Willimantic. Radio-locator is crap!

Jacko<P ID="signature">______________
I live for my dream,
And a pocket full of gold.
</P>
 
> Well, upon further investigation, WWKX's antenna is actually
> 158 meters AAT and not directional. And Radio-locator.com
> thinks that WWKX doesn't come in in Willimantic.
> Radio-locator is crap!
>
> Jacko
>
It's very directional, I can assure you. They have to protect nearby 106.3's in Nasuua, NH and Greenfield, MA. It's even lost on I-495 by the time you get to the Mass Pike - which is not far from Woonsocket. And, it's even tough to catch on the Pike in Auburn.

On the other hand, it makes it southeastward to Bourne, MA and comes in decently in Plymouth.
 
Long Reply - They are not DA.

> It's very directional, I can assure you. They have to
> protect nearby 106.3's in Nasuua, NH and Greenfield, MA.

Negative.
The antenna system is a two bay Shively Labs 6813-2D non directional.
Here's are pictures from the internet of it, AND it is licensed non directional as well.

wwkx-1.JPG
</img>

From the FCC license:
WWKX RI WOONSOCKET USA
Licensee: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY
Service Designation: FM 'Full Service' FM station or application

Channel/Class: 292A Frequency: 106.3 MHz Licensed
File No.: BLH-19921228KB Facility ID number: 65198
CDBS Application ID No.: 180232

41° 59' 43.00" N Latitude
71° 26' 54.00" W Longitude (NAD 27)

Polarization: Horizontal Vertical
Effective Radiated Power (ERP): 1.15 1.15 kW ERP
Antenna Height Above Average Terrain: 158. 158. meters HAAT
Antenna Height Above Mean Sea Level: 235. 235. meters AMSL
Antenna Height Above Ground Level: 76. 76. meters AGL

<u>Non-Directional</u> Antenna ID No.: - Pattern Rotation: 0.00
Antenna Make: - Antenna Model: -
No. of antenna sections: -

So I can ASSURE you with the technical background AND evidence to prove they are non directional. The only reason you can hear the signal as good as you can in Plymouth and as poorly in Worcester is simply put... terrain. Sometime look at the terrain between the Cumberland (Diamond Hill) transmitter site and Worcester. It's very hilly, including several that are near the height of the hills in Cumberland. Now look at the terrain between there and Plymouth and the shore line... it's basically flat aside from some minor hills...

With respect to 106.3 in Nashua, the protected contours of both stations don't come within 10 miles of one another (106.3 in Nashua's crosses just north of the I290 & I495 intersection, and 106.3 in Woonsocket's crosses near the intersection of I 90 and I495).

106.3 in Northampton (not Greenfield, BTW) is a much newer station and would be the one who has to protect the others. Stations all ready on the air do not need to protect new stations.

With that said:

A couple of years ago, WWKX applied to go to 2.2kW with a directional antenna, because at 2.2kW their power would be over the limit towards 106.3 Nashua.
(A class A 6kW versus the present class A 3kW as the other two 106.3 are).
 
Radio-locator aside, it's a bit of a stretch to say WWKX really comes in around Willimantic. Much of Willimantic is behind one hill or another, Northampton's 106.3 interferes a bit and there's even a very low power 106.3 from some convalescent home ("Companion Radio") near WILI's AM stick putting out some strange programming into part of town. Some Providence Class B's even have a tough time when you're driving around. You do have a clear shot at even the Boston stations headed out of town up Route 289 toward Lebanon.

> Well, upon further investigation, WWKX's antenna is actually
> 158 meters AAT and not directional. And Radio-locator.com
> thinks that WWKX doesn't come in in Willimantic.
> Radio-locator is crap!
>
> Jacko
>
 
Re: Long Reply - They are not DA.

All right fine.

But, you must admit that they have a bizarre footprint. The signal fades within 15-20 miles to the north of the tower, yet carries for 60 miles southeast. If you're driving along the Mass Pike, you can't really listen to the station and it passes within 20 miles of Woonsocket.

I know that terrain affects FM signals to a great extent. But, it's not like the Front Range lies between Worcester and Woonsocket (though that would be cool!).

> > It's very directional, I can assure you. They have to
> > protect nearby 106.3's in Nasuua, NH and Greenfield, MA.
>
> Negative.
> The antenna system is a two bay Shively Labs 6813-2D non
> directional.
> Here's are pictures from the internet of it, AND it is
> licensed non directional as well.
>
>
>
> From the FCC license:
> WWKX RI WOONSOCKET USA
>
> Licensee: CITADEL BROADCASTING COMPANY
> Service Designation: FM 'Full Service' FM station or
> application
>
> Channel/Class: 292A Frequency: 106.3 MHz Licensed
> File No.: BLH-19921228KB Facility ID number: 65198
> CDBS Application ID No.: 180232
>
> 41° 59' 43.00" N Latitude
> 71° 26' 54.00" W Longitude (NAD 27)
>
> Polarization: Horizontal Vertical
>
> Effective Radiated Power (ERP): 1.15 1.15 kW ERP
>
> Antenna Height Above Average Terrain: 158. 158. meters
> HAAT
> Antenna Height Above Mean Sea Level: 235. 235. meters
> AMSL
> Antenna Height Above Ground Level: 76. 76. meters
> AGL
>
> Non-Directional Antenna ID No.: - Pattern
> Rotation: 0.00
> Antenna Make: - Antenna Model: -
> No. of antenna sections: -
>
> So I can ASSURE you with the technical background AND
> evidence to prove they are non directional. The only reason
> you can hear the signal as good as you can in Plymouth and
> as poorly in Worcester is simply put... terrain. Sometime
> look at the terrain between the Cumberland (Diamond Hill)
> transmitter site and Worcester. It's very hilly, including
> several that are near the height of the hills in Cumberland.
> Now look at the terrain between there and Plymouth and the
> shore line... it's basically flat aside from some minor
> hills...
>
> With respect to 106.3 in Nashua, the protected contours of
> both stations don't come within 10 miles of one another
> (106.3 in Nashua's crosses just north of the I290 & I495
> intersection, and 106.3 in Woonsocket's crosses near the
> intersection of I 90 and I495).
>
> 106.3 in Northampton (not Greenfield, BTW) is a much newer
> station and would be the one who has to protect the others.
> Stations all ready on the air do not need to protect new
> stations.
>
> With that said:
>
> A couple of years ago, WWKX applied to go to 2.2kW with a
> directional antenna, because at 2.2kW their power would be
> over the limit towards 106.3 Nashua.
> (A class A 6kW versus the present class A 3kW as the other
> two 106.3 are).
>
 
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