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How far does the WHOM FM signal go?
- Thread starter BMR
- Start date
A grandfathered class "C", 48 Kw @ 1141m (3743') above average terrain.
From jeff560.tripod:
"WHOM claims the largest coverage area in North America based on the fact that its signal goes over land exclusively."
I scrod up with that box below and the twin logos.
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101.9 WCIB Falmouth used to be one of the most powerful until they degraded the signal.
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purpledevil
Guest
I dare anyone to find a pair of stations that travel overall distance better than the Harlingen, Texas duo of Q 94-5 KFRQ and Más Variedad 96-1 KBTQ. The Gulf of Mexico has nothing to slow down the class C FM 100kW signals coming out of these two. Listenable from Corpus Christi to well into Mexico. Both cover the entire Rio Grande Valley and then some. If San Antonio didn't have a local co-channel, I'd wager you'd be able to hear it there.
I wish KXXM in San Antonio would go off for maintenance once in a while (yeah, I'm dreaming). I've only logged KBTQ once, and that was via tropo when I was just west of Houston.
We had an ESPN translator, K233DB, added on 94.5 in late 2014, but fortunately KFRQ (and sometimes KTBZ) can overtake it when there's good tropo.
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rbrucecarter5
Guest
Those maps fail to take terrain into account. A great example is KBIM Roswell, which also happens to be on 94.9. Their 1800 foot tower is basically out in the middle of nowhere, but happens to be close to the edge of the plains. Although they have a very respectable signal in both Midland and Lubbock - coverage to the West is amazing. Whenever there is no intervening mountains, you can pretty much hear them anywhere in Central NM. All the way up to Kline's Corners. The drop out in the canyon leading to Ruidoso, but in Ruidoso I heard them playing in several stores. Yet the map on Radio-locator shows absolutely no increase to the West due to them being on top of the high plains. That probably adds 50% to the height above the terrain.
I checked some of the ABQ stations on Radio-locator - the maps are completely wrong. As another poster already noted, behind Sandia Peak you are in a shadow with NO reception. My experience going down I-40 bears this out, practically nothing until you pass the mountain. There was even a bit of skip that day, I had a co-channel from Branson, Missouri all down I-40, then rounding the curve into ABQ the local finally clobbered it. And the ABQ stations went way past Gallup NM into Arizona, and even came back as the car went up the mountain into Flagstaff. The maps on Radio-locator show virtual circles even on the ABQ stations which is totally wrong!
I checked some of the ABQ stations on Radio-locator - the maps are completely wrong. As another poster already noted, behind Sandia Peak you are in a shadow with NO reception. My experience going down I-40 bears this out, practically nothing until you pass the mountain. There was even a bit of skip that day, I had a co-channel from Branson, Missouri all down I-40, then rounding the curve into ABQ the local finally clobbered it. And the ABQ stations went way past Gallup NM into Arizona, and even came back as the car went up the mountain into Flagstaff. The maps on Radio-locator show virtual circles even on the ABQ stations which is totally wrong!
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IndigoCoyote
Guest
If we are talking about height above Sea Level, then Albuquerque steals a march over Colorado. Most of the FM's (and there are a bundle - most radio stations per capita in the US) are on top of Sandia Crest which is 10,700 (more or less) above Sea Level. And to hijack the thread a little - KTAO in Taos is 10,837 above Sea Level which may make them the highest transmitter height in the US. BTW, speaking of Mt Washington, the height is at 6289'. My house is located at 6653'. I could look down on Mt Washington, but I can't receive a single ABQ FM indoors from 15 miles away thanksk to the terrain
Check out KBZM, Big Sky MT. 11175 feet above sea level. Easily the biggest 5KW signal is area covered! Of course most of it incredibly empty. Love the history: http://www.montanassuperstation.com/page.php?page_id=331
Imagine if "Big Sky" were a full class "C", in lieu of a "C1"?
Line of sight radio? Height? Statovision!
To quote Klingon Commander Kor from a DS9 episode, "It would have been Glorious"!
Of course, twenty-first century technology has exceeded Stratovision by 35,780Km.
Line of sight radio? Height? Statovision!
To quote Klingon Commander Kor from a DS9 episode, "It would have been Glorious"!
Of course, twenty-first century technology has exceeded Stratovision by 35,780Km.
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rbrucecarter5
Guest
In the early 80's, KRBE Houston had a small contingent of listeners in South Dallas. In Austin, they were almost like a local. Going East, the only thing that stopped them was another 104.1 in Houma. All of this with just the ordinary stock AM / FM radios in cars. It is hard to beat a full class C on a 2000 foot tower over flat terrain! I don't know what the footprint of WHOM is, but KRBE would give them a run for their money. They had a range more like a 50 kW AM clear. Sadly, they are degraded now.
Height above average terrain can be deceptive. For example, KSSE in the Los Angeles market shows as being about 40 feet below average terrain. But it is on the side of a mountain, and wile it is below the terrain on half the radials, it is still about 1500 feet above the LA Basin where it counts, and is one of the best Class A facilities in the country.
Height above sea level is also relative to what the elevation of the market you serve averages. I owned a station with a transmitter site that was about 13,000 feet AMSL (never had it precisely calculated), but the market itself was at between 9600 and 10,600 feet AMSL.
Height above sea level is also relative to what the elevation of the market you serve averages. I owned a station with a transmitter site that was about 13,000 feet AMSL (never had it precisely calculated), but the market itself was at between 9600 and 10,600 feet AMSL.
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