Most of the commercial stations in Houston,TX are 100kw @ 2000' and with the flat coastal terrain will carry 80-100 miles to the east and west of town on a car radio.
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How far do your local FM stations go?
- Thread starter Signal
- Start date
Interesting thread!
Because I live in a small town, I only have four locals. Two full-powers and two translators. We'll use Interstate 69 as an observation path.
98.5- WNWN (50kw) can be heard easily from Lansing all the way to Fort Wayne. Reception beyond those two cities is iffy because of WUPS in Harrison, MI and WARU in Peru, IN.
90.1- WYBA (250 watts) predictably doesn't make it so far. They get hammered by WMBI in Chicago or WUCX in Bay City, MI during enhancement. But during normal conditions, they have a decent signal anywhere in Branch County. The hills in extreme Northern Indiana kill this one, but it carries deep into Calhoun County and can even be heard at Interstate 94 before it gets swallowed up by WUCX.
97.1- W246AU (120 watts) has a good signal for a translator. Their signal is reliable anywhere in Branch County and even in spots in Calhoun County and Steuben County, Indiana. As far as ANY kind of signal whatsoever, i've heard them down to the Dekalb County line in Indiana and an unconfirmed reception in the city of Auburn, IN (40 miles) before co-channel splatter from Fort Wayne killed it off. It's fared just as well to the north, making it just shy of Charlotte, MI.
101.1- W266AE (27 watts) is very similar to 97.1. They are very prone to interference from Detroit's WRIF even within city limits sometimes. During normal conditions however, they can be heard anywhere on I-69 in Branch County and even I-94 anywhere in Calhoun County. Their signal into Indiana used to be killed off due to WLZQ near Warsaw, but that station AFAIK is silent right now. Would be interesting to hear just how far 101.1 carries to the south in the absence of WLZQ, as there is literally nothing on 101.1 for hundreds of miles to the south of Coldwater.
Because I live in a small town, I only have four locals. Two full-powers and two translators. We'll use Interstate 69 as an observation path.
98.5- WNWN (50kw) can be heard easily from Lansing all the way to Fort Wayne. Reception beyond those two cities is iffy because of WUPS in Harrison, MI and WARU in Peru, IN.
90.1- WYBA (250 watts) predictably doesn't make it so far. They get hammered by WMBI in Chicago or WUCX in Bay City, MI during enhancement. But during normal conditions, they have a decent signal anywhere in Branch County. The hills in extreme Northern Indiana kill this one, but it carries deep into Calhoun County and can even be heard at Interstate 94 before it gets swallowed up by WUCX.
97.1- W246AU (120 watts) has a good signal for a translator. Their signal is reliable anywhere in Branch County and even in spots in Calhoun County and Steuben County, Indiana. As far as ANY kind of signal whatsoever, i've heard them down to the Dekalb County line in Indiana and an unconfirmed reception in the city of Auburn, IN (40 miles) before co-channel splatter from Fort Wayne killed it off. It's fared just as well to the north, making it just shy of Charlotte, MI.
101.1- W266AE (27 watts) is very similar to 97.1. They are very prone to interference from Detroit's WRIF even within city limits sometimes. During normal conditions however, they can be heard anywhere on I-69 in Branch County and even I-94 anywhere in Calhoun County. Their signal into Indiana used to be killed off due to WLZQ near Warsaw, but that station AFAIK is silent right now. Would be interesting to hear just how far 101.1 carries to the south in the absence of WLZQ, as there is literally nothing on 101.1 for hundreds of miles to the south of Coldwater.
Since I like this thread so much, I decided to respond back with another one, this time about the semi-locals. Once again, we'll use I-69 as a observation route.
Lansing-
The first one to go is WQHH (96.5) because of WKZO-FM in Portage. You start to lose them just south of Charlotte on I-69. By the time you reach Olivet it's a full-on battle. Forget about them by I-94 and Marshall. Besides them, the other class A's (88.9, 101.7) have a good solid signal up to about I-94 and are spotty, but somewhat listenable until right around Branch County.
Out of the class B's, (94.9, 97.5, 99.1) they are all pretty steady up to just about my hometown of Coldwater and are spotty at best beyond that point. Another one, WITL (100.7) doesn't fare as well because of co-channel from WBYT in Elkhart, IN. WITL actually starts to go just south of I-94 in Calhoun County. Two others, (94.1 and 106.1) have towers in northwest Jackson County, so they have a serious signal advantage for the Lansing market. 94.1 carries to about Angola, Indiana before being taken over by a class A from the Fort Wayne market. 106.1 carries beyond that point even, going until just shy of Fort Wayne where it gets chewed up by local WJOE at 106.3.
The big breadwinner has to be WKAR (90.5). Their monster signal is helped by not being on a crowded frequency. They are solid into Coldwater and beyond. The signal only really begins to get scratchy around the Indiana state line and carries deep into Indiana before being chewed up by WBCL at 90.3
Kalamazoo-Battle Creek
The class A's (95.3, 96.5) fare moderately well. 95.3 has a slight distance advantage due to being in Battle Creek, but with only 3kw. 96.5 has 6kw. Both signals start to get scratchy south of Coldwater. But both fade for good just south of Angola, IN despite one being 10 miles more distant, but with twice the power. One exception is 92.5 (WZUU) Mattawan, MI. They don't make it much beyond Coldwater and even the slightest enhancement will bring in WVKS Toledo well over this one even well into Calhoun County.
The class B's (102.1, 103.3, 106.5, 107.7) all have solid signals into Coldwater, especially 107.7 with their 50kw stick south and east of Portage. The first three all hold in pretty strong into Indiana, but hills in Northern Indiana kill these three very rapidly and are replaced by Ohio stations within miles. 106.5 is the most prone to interference here, with a very strong 50kw station from Greenville, Ohio being the main culprit. 107.7 (WRKR) as mentioned before has a distance advantage. They blast into Coldwater and continue with a good signal into the Fort Wayne sprawl in northern Allen County, Indiana. An observant listener (with a selective car stereo) can even hear WRKR under the co-channel slop IN the city of Fort Wayne. WRKR finally fades away south of the city, losing out to WMMX in Dayton and other signals.
Fort Wayne
LOTS of class A's from this town. Most of them are not listenable on a car stereo here. One has to go into southern Branch County to have a chance at any of them or down to Angola if they want to get a steady signal from them. The same hills that kill my local West Michigan signals going south kill the FW class A's going north.
Other slightly larger signals fare a little better (93.3, 96.3, 106.3). 93.3 and 106.3 make it up to the Michigan state line before fading away. 96.3 carries a few miles into Michigan before being killed by a Marshall, MI translator.
All but a couple of the class B's originate from a massive tower farm on the northwest side of the city. WBOI- 89.1, WBCL- 90.3, WAJI- 95.1 and WMEE- 97.3 all hold in pretty well into extreme southern Michigan (WMEE used to announce 'Ohio and Michigan time' during the summer months). A patient radio listener can hear all four of these well into Calhoun County, but the real steady, listenable signal quality stops a few miles north of Coldwater.
Lansing-
The first one to go is WQHH (96.5) because of WKZO-FM in Portage. You start to lose them just south of Charlotte on I-69. By the time you reach Olivet it's a full-on battle. Forget about them by I-94 and Marshall. Besides them, the other class A's (88.9, 101.7) have a good solid signal up to about I-94 and are spotty, but somewhat listenable until right around Branch County.
Out of the class B's, (94.9, 97.5, 99.1) they are all pretty steady up to just about my hometown of Coldwater and are spotty at best beyond that point. Another one, WITL (100.7) doesn't fare as well because of co-channel from WBYT in Elkhart, IN. WITL actually starts to go just south of I-94 in Calhoun County. Two others, (94.1 and 106.1) have towers in northwest Jackson County, so they have a serious signal advantage for the Lansing market. 94.1 carries to about Angola, Indiana before being taken over by a class A from the Fort Wayne market. 106.1 carries beyond that point even, going until just shy of Fort Wayne where it gets chewed up by local WJOE at 106.3.
The big breadwinner has to be WKAR (90.5). Their monster signal is helped by not being on a crowded frequency. They are solid into Coldwater and beyond. The signal only really begins to get scratchy around the Indiana state line and carries deep into Indiana before being chewed up by WBCL at 90.3
Kalamazoo-Battle Creek
The class A's (95.3, 96.5) fare moderately well. 95.3 has a slight distance advantage due to being in Battle Creek, but with only 3kw. 96.5 has 6kw. Both signals start to get scratchy south of Coldwater. But both fade for good just south of Angola, IN despite one being 10 miles more distant, but with twice the power. One exception is 92.5 (WZUU) Mattawan, MI. They don't make it much beyond Coldwater and even the slightest enhancement will bring in WVKS Toledo well over this one even well into Calhoun County.
The class B's (102.1, 103.3, 106.5, 107.7) all have solid signals into Coldwater, especially 107.7 with their 50kw stick south and east of Portage. The first three all hold in pretty strong into Indiana, but hills in Northern Indiana kill these three very rapidly and are replaced by Ohio stations within miles. 106.5 is the most prone to interference here, with a very strong 50kw station from Greenville, Ohio being the main culprit. 107.7 (WRKR) as mentioned before has a distance advantage. They blast into Coldwater and continue with a good signal into the Fort Wayne sprawl in northern Allen County, Indiana. An observant listener (with a selective car stereo) can even hear WRKR under the co-channel slop IN the city of Fort Wayne. WRKR finally fades away south of the city, losing out to WMMX in Dayton and other signals.
Fort Wayne
LOTS of class A's from this town. Most of them are not listenable on a car stereo here. One has to go into southern Branch County to have a chance at any of them or down to Angola if they want to get a steady signal from them. The same hills that kill my local West Michigan signals going south kill the FW class A's going north.
Other slightly larger signals fare a little better (93.3, 96.3, 106.3). 93.3 and 106.3 make it up to the Michigan state line before fading away. 96.3 carries a few miles into Michigan before being killed by a Marshall, MI translator.
All but a couple of the class B's originate from a massive tower farm on the northwest side of the city. WBOI- 89.1, WBCL- 90.3, WAJI- 95.1 and WMEE- 97.3 all hold in pretty well into extreme southern Michigan (WMEE used to announce 'Ohio and Michigan time' during the summer months). A patient radio listener can hear all four of these well into Calhoun County, but the real steady, listenable signal quality stops a few miles north of Coldwater.
Lawppy....I lived in Fort Wayne before all the 80-90s were dropped in and WRKR was listenable often there before 107.9 WJFX signed on. WNWN was semi-regular even as far as 50 miles southeast of Ft. Wayne back in the Stereo Country 98 days. What are your observations on WLKI?
It's been awhile since I've been that direction, but I can remember the Fort Wayne B's being fine in Peru along U.S. 24, but the signals took a nosedive before Logansport.
Dayton, Ohio....the Class B's that transmit from the Germantown Ave tower field (99.1, 99.9,104.7,107.7) are good to go to the north until around Sidney; 104.7 and 107.7 suffer from adjacent channel interference from Lima. WHKO 99.1 has a grandfathered tall antenna height and are still strong as far north as Celina. WGTZ's tower is in Brookville, so as to give Eaton a city-grade signal, but is fairly close on coverage. WXEG is in the tower field but only 6kW; this has reception problems in Springfield with the co-channel in the Columbus area. WHIO-FM's 95.7's tower is in Shelby County and 106.5's tower is in Darke County which gives them huge signals to the north, not so hot in the south suburbs of Dayton. They may make Findlay, but they are gone by Middletown. To the east the big B's are still strong in London, Ohio taking nosedives around the I-70/I-270 split. (Seems the psychological dividing line between the Dayton and Columbus markets is the Clark/.Madison County line.) To the west, all start fading and getting adjacent channel issues west of Richmond, IN around the NewCastle exit. Rimsohots on 94.5 and 96.9 are tougher to pick up on the extreme southern part of the market, and get interference from Lexington. The stronger Dayton stations make it to I-75/275 for the most part with spotty reception further south.
The bigger Cincinnati signals make it about to Middletown strong. Fairfield-licensed WREW 94.9 and Lebanon's 96.5 are strong enough in South Dayton to hit the Dayton ratings now and then, and WGRR 103.5, licensed to Hamilton, sometimes doesn't do badly. I picked up WRRM 98.5 in piring rain with no tropo south of Richmond, KY.
It's been awhile since I've been that direction, but I can remember the Fort Wayne B's being fine in Peru along U.S. 24, but the signals took a nosedive before Logansport.
Dayton, Ohio....the Class B's that transmit from the Germantown Ave tower field (99.1, 99.9,104.7,107.7) are good to go to the north until around Sidney; 104.7 and 107.7 suffer from adjacent channel interference from Lima. WHKO 99.1 has a grandfathered tall antenna height and are still strong as far north as Celina. WGTZ's tower is in Brookville, so as to give Eaton a city-grade signal, but is fairly close on coverage. WXEG is in the tower field but only 6kW; this has reception problems in Springfield with the co-channel in the Columbus area. WHIO-FM's 95.7's tower is in Shelby County and 106.5's tower is in Darke County which gives them huge signals to the north, not so hot in the south suburbs of Dayton. They may make Findlay, but they are gone by Middletown. To the east the big B's are still strong in London, Ohio taking nosedives around the I-70/I-270 split. (Seems the psychological dividing line between the Dayton and Columbus markets is the Clark/.Madison County line.) To the west, all start fading and getting adjacent channel issues west of Richmond, IN around the NewCastle exit. Rimsohots on 94.5 and 96.9 are tougher to pick up on the extreme southern part of the market, and get interference from Lexington. The stronger Dayton stations make it to I-75/275 for the most part with spotty reception further south.
The bigger Cincinnati signals make it about to Middletown strong. Fairfield-licensed WREW 94.9 and Lebanon's 96.5 are strong enough in South Dayton to hit the Dayton ratings now and then, and WGRR 103.5, licensed to Hamilton, sometimes doesn't do badly. I picked up WRRM 98.5 in piring rain with no tropo south of Richmond, KY.
I omitted WNWN from my Battle Creek/Kalamazoo observations because I had them in my first post about Coldwater stations. WNWN is still pretty good down to about Fort Wayne but drops off pretty quick south of town due to terrain plus WARU in Peru, IN.
WLKI is 4kw from a 400-ish foot tower atop some of the highest terrain in NE Indiana. They don't do quite as well as you would think given their height advantage. They're good in Coldwater, but the signal gets scratchy north of town. Going south into Indiana, i've heard them in Fort Wayne and even pretty darn close to Ossian, IN (right on top of Bluffton's 100.1). I think this is due to the fact that the terrain from Fort Wayne (700'-800' above sea level) to Angola (over 1100' above sea level) is a very gradual downslope with very little terrain blocking the way, where there are several hills and trees in my region.
Swick Broadcasting (owners of WLKI) have put two 250 watt translators on the air from the WLKI tower. They have amazing coverage for translator signals with both stations going 20-25 miles no problem.
WLKI is 4kw from a 400-ish foot tower atop some of the highest terrain in NE Indiana. They don't do quite as well as you would think given their height advantage. They're good in Coldwater, but the signal gets scratchy north of town. Going south into Indiana, i've heard them in Fort Wayne and even pretty darn close to Ossian, IN (right on top of Bluffton's 100.1). I think this is due to the fact that the terrain from Fort Wayne (700'-800' above sea level) to Angola (over 1100' above sea level) is a very gradual downslope with very little terrain blocking the way, where there are several hills and trees in my region.
Swick Broadcasting (owners of WLKI) have put two 250 watt translators on the air from the WLKI tower. They have amazing coverage for translator signals with both stations going 20-25 miles no problem.
In West Sac
I could hear a Very Weak KMEL when I null out KCFA-FM
I could hear a Very Weak KMEL when I null out KCFA-FM
borderblaster said:
Spot on analysis of the Dayton market borderblaster, at least from my experience of a lot of travels between Columbus and St. Marys as well as down toward Dayton and Cincinnati. Before HD, WTUE was listenable into Franklin County, but not so much anymore. 95.7 also does very well over beyond London and Marysville ... I'm usually able to carry most of the big Dayton stations all the way to about 270 on the west side before they give out.
You mentioned the dividing line between Dayton and Columbus being at the Clark/Madison line. Very true. I used to wonder why places like London and Marysville didn't get Dayton TV, or at least WHIO, when they were only 45-55 miles away (as is Washington Court House, which gets at least some Dayton stations), and Springfield, Urbana, etc. get Columbus stations.
I always thought the Albuquerque FMs atop Sandia Crest (what is it, +3000 feet high?) had the potential for some of the biggest signals in America, even tho' there's scant little population in any direction outsidie of town, except north to Santa Fe.
In western Washington State, KBSG on 102.9 from Centralia ("centrally" located between Olympia and Portland OR) is so powerful, you can hear it pretty much across the state, from the Oregon border (I haven't really checked it down there), up to just about the Canadian border, on a car radio. That's gotta be at least 150 miles north of their transmitter site. Same goes for the banda-Mexican music station on 99.3 from Shelton, WA, until it's overtaken by a fullpower classic rocker from Vancouver BC. They both cover the entire Seattle-Tacoma market, past Everett, even tho' they are two "markets" south of town. I think they're both on the same slope near Shelton, WA, which is ideally placed for not getting sheilded by hills and terrain as their signals make it up openings in the Puget Sound waterway to the north.
I don't tend to listen to these stations, but am impressed by the distance they cover. Probably comparable to what the Maine station on 94.9 on top of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire can do.
In western Washington State, KBSG on 102.9 from Centralia ("centrally" located between Olympia and Portland OR) is so powerful, you can hear it pretty much across the state, from the Oregon border (I haven't really checked it down there), up to just about the Canadian border, on a car radio. That's gotta be at least 150 miles north of their transmitter site. Same goes for the banda-Mexican music station on 99.3 from Shelton, WA, until it's overtaken by a fullpower classic rocker from Vancouver BC. They both cover the entire Seattle-Tacoma market, past Everett, even tho' they are two "markets" south of town. I think they're both on the same slope near Shelton, WA, which is ideally placed for not getting sheilded by hills and terrain as their signals make it up openings in the Puget Sound waterway to the north.
I don't tend to listen to these stations, but am impressed by the distance they cover. Probably comparable to what the Maine station on 94.9 on top of Mt. Washington, New Hampshire can do.
schmave said:
Actually all the Clear Channel-owned Dayton Class B's (99.9, 104.7, 107.7) transmit from a single master FM antenna just east of I-75 and south of downtown Dayton. WXEG is also on that site but it's on a separate antenna lower down on the tower.
The FM's over on Germantown Avenue are 99.1 (on the WHIO-TV tower), 92.1 (on the WKEF TV tower I think), and 88.1 (on the WPTD TV tower).
Aren't most of Clear Channel's over there too?
I remember one place WTUE and WIOT colliding being Marion OH
I remember one place WTUE and WIOT colliding being Marion OH
borderblaster said:
I can personally attest to this. Used to drive between Columbus and Toledo a lot when I attended college in Toledo, and WIOT always gave out just a bit south of Marion.
But in addition to that drive, as I said in my other post I've gone between Columbus and St. Marys a lot because I have family up there, and have listened to both WTUE and WIOT a good deal on those journeys. I always noticed WIOT suddenly got a bit weaker for a mile or two right around Findlay on 15, as does WTUE on 33 for a couple miles between St. John's and New Hampshire. Plot those spots on a map and they seem to be right on a line between Dayton and the WIOT tower east of Toledo, so I always thought there was a slight gentleman's null (a la KRLD and WTIC) since the stations are commonly owned.
schmave said:
It's an interesting situation with those two. Both WIOT and WTUE are class B's and are limited to a maximum of 50kW ERP with 492 feet (150 meters) HAAT or equivalent. Neither station is directional but they are short-spaced, presently by about eight miles (and appear to be grandfathered back to pre-1964, in fact). But that's just from the standpoint of distance requirements; with WIOT at 50kW their antenna is almost 50 feet higher than the maximum allowed for its class. WTUE runs just 28kW but their antenna is 200 meters above average terrain (164 feet over the maximum) and that's the reason for the power reduction. So WTUE operates with the equivalent maximum facilities and WIOT is at considerably more than the maximum.
Both of these have benefitted from simulcasts. WFXC is still paired with Tarboro's WFXK 104.3. WKIX's partner now has a new partner and they are both The Pulse.RadioDaze said:
vchimpanzee said:
Which reminds me I forgot the newest addition to the Raleigh/Durham radio landscape. WKIX's former simulcast partner, the class A 102.3 facility long-licensed to Goldsboro, NC, was relicensed to Smithfield (Johnston County, SE of Raleigh) as WWPL to cover the Raleigh/east half of the market while Louisburg's former class A 102.5 facility was moved to Hillsborough (in Orange County next-door to Durham) as WPLW to cover the Durham/western half. I haven't tried listening to Pulse 102 too much driving out of the market, but the two are pretty solid where they need to be and receivable but noticeably weaker elsewhere.
Signal said:
Mineola Hill is generally the western terminus of all the FMs coming off of the master antenna in Shrewsbury, especially the C1s. It isn't uncommon, though to hear the Class Cs and C0s well past that, though. I have heard WIL, KSHE, KLJY, KEZK, and KSLZ well in Columbia and Jeff City before dependent upon WX conditions. Of the C3 FMs - 95.5, 100.3, and 104.9, 104.9 goes furthest west due to antenna height, dying out around New Florence - 95.5 and 100.3 are generally gone much sooner. 104.1 has a directional antenna to the east to protect KSLQ at 104.5 in Washington, MO, so its signal can sometimes stink even in Western St. Charles Co, and be totally gone by Warrenton, fighting with the 104.1 in Jeff City. Bowling Green is generally the terminus of the 100kW stations to the North. Before 105.7 moved to the supertower last year, it could routinely be heard as far south as Sikeston, and would make it as far as the IL/IN border going to the east... I have also picked up 101.1 out that way since their 100kW upgrade.
We have several more signals now than what we had a few years back. We have three new LPFMs in the Charleston area; 96.3, 97.5, and 102.9, plus a couple new translators.
96.3 (Ohm Radio, WOHM-LP) has 25 watts from an apartment building north of downtown, and it gets out OK. It covers the downtown area of Charleston well (most of their listenership), but struggles once you get to West Ashley, James Island and much of Mt. Pleasant. It probably gets out with a listenable signal 8-10 miles out.
97.5 (WYLA, owned by the local library), is strong in the downtown area, and gets out better in James Island and West Ashley. It doesn't get out as well north.
102.9 (a simulcast of 730 AM, a Catholic station) gets out very well in West Ashley and over to downtown Charleston, and into Mt. Pleasant. It is off one of the 730 AM towers.
There are many other FM translators in this market, with 104.9, 105.1, 92.9, 101.3, and 91.9 among many, with several other AM relayers being added commercially in applications over the next few months.
96.3 (Ohm Radio, WOHM-LP) has 25 watts from an apartment building north of downtown, and it gets out OK. It covers the downtown area of Charleston well (most of their listenership), but struggles once you get to West Ashley, James Island and much of Mt. Pleasant. It probably gets out with a listenable signal 8-10 miles out.
97.5 (WYLA, owned by the local library), is strong in the downtown area, and gets out better in James Island and West Ashley. It doesn't get out as well north.
102.9 (a simulcast of 730 AM, a Catholic station) gets out very well in West Ashley and over to downtown Charleston, and into Mt. Pleasant. It is off one of the 730 AM towers.
There are many other FM translators in this market, with 104.9, 105.1, 92.9, 101.3, and 91.9 among many, with several other AM relayers being added commercially in applications over the next few months.
I now live in Yakima as everyone knows.
Our locals do not reach over the Cascades. You can start getting KXDD and KFFM around Nelson Siding Rd on I-90 (several miles east of Easton). This is about 50 miles. I've also heard them near Richland (55mi) and in the Quincy area as well (50 mi), but they are weak. I haven't tried up in Wenatchee, Chelan, et. al yet. The high power Yakima's also come in at Chinook Pass (on the Pierce/Yakima County line, highway 410) - about 55 miles.
Our locals do not reach over the Cascades. You can start getting KXDD and KFFM around Nelson Siding Rd on I-90 (several miles east of Easton). This is about 50 miles. I've also heard them near Richland (55mi) and in the Quincy area as well (50 mi), but they are weak. I haven't tried up in Wenatchee, Chelan, et. al yet. The high power Yakima's also come in at Chinook Pass (on the Pierce/Yakima County line, highway 410) - about 55 miles.
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