How well does WIIL go into Chicago?

[jras20]

I just had a interesting E-skip between 5:30 and 6 here in South central Texas I got WIIL very clear. I looked at radio-locator it looks just about in the fringe for Chicago. Interesting to get a skip that far.

 

[radioman148]

I just had a interesting E-skip between 5:30 and 6 here in South central Texas I got WIIL very clear. I looked at radio-locator it looks just about in the fringe for Chicago. Interesting to get a skip that far.

Congratulations on a good catch. You probably heard it better than most people in the Chicago city limits can.

 

[cyberdad]

Nice catch. WIIL puts a pretty good signal into the counties just north of Chicago. As a practical matter, this means the signal is fairly competitive with the Chicago signals in the far north and far northwest suburbs. The primary listening area extends north basically to the southern part of the Milwaukee metro.

 

[stormy01]

Not too bad of a signal until about Lawrence Ave., which is about 6 miles north of the loop TXers, then it 'fuzzes' out due RF white noise and IBlock slop from WLS-FM and whatever that 95.5 station is now...

 

[BRNout]

From where I live, just barely north of the Lake/Cook county line, WIIL sends in a solid local-grade signal.

I would submit that we delete the word "far" from north and northwestern suburbs. Places like Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Wheeling aren't all that far out - and WIIL comes in fine there.

 

[djdanska]

I listen to it in glen ellyn while in the car. If i go any farther south it gets bad. Not too bad in my car radio here.

 

[cyberdad]

I would submit that we delete the word "far" from north and northwestern suburbs. Places like Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Mount Prospect and Wheeling aren't all that far out - and WIIL comes in fine there.

I stand corrected. I'm an infrequent listener...although I think it's a pretty good station.

 

[radioman148]

Stormy is right. Once you get on the Kennedy WIIL is very hard to hear.

 

[jras20]

I actually just picked up WIIL using my clock HDRadio with a dipole antenna. I havn't tried to get it yesterday may try today if I have some time off work. I have been picking up other out of state stations in my truck but never could get a ID.

 

[radioman148]

I actually just picked up WIIL using my clock HDRadio with a dipole antenna. I havn't tried to get it yesterday may try today if I have some time off work. I have been picking up other out of state stations in my truck but never could get a ID.

Did you get it in HD?

 

[jras20]

I actually just picked up WIIL using my clock HDRadio with a dipole antenna. I havn't tried to get it yesterday may try today if I have some time off work. I have been picking up other out of state stations in my truck but never could get a ID.

Did you get it in HD?

No, no RDS either but it came in 2 bars signal strength for a pretty good while.

 

[radioman148]

OK thanks.

 

[TheIcon]

EVERY time I drive to Michigan, I pick up WIIL loud in clear just over north of the Michigan border on I-94. I've also gotten it pretty clear off of US-131, right between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, usually around 5-7pm, it's loud and clear almost daily.

 

[Racine Radio Head]

So 95.1 WIIL=Good Signal, Suck Station. IMO anyway I'm a Drive and Loop listener.

 

[radioman148]

EVERY time I drive to Michigan, I pick up WIIL loud in clear just over north of the Michigan border on I-94. I've also gotten it pretty clear off of US-131, right between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, usually around 5-7pm, it's loud and clear almost daily.

That's interesting because I can hardly hear it when I'm a few miles north of the loop.

 

[stormy01]

EVERY time I drive to Michigan, I pick up WIIL loud in clear just over north of the Michigan border on I-94. I've also gotten it pretty clear off of US-131, right between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, usually around 5-7pm, it's loud and clear almost daily.

That's interesting because I can hardly hear it when I'm a few miles north of the loop.

Ironically, one can hear stations further away since there is little to no receiver "desensing" in the areas TheIcon described, yet there would be plenty of "white noise" from a large number of stations in close proximity to a receiver causing it to "desense", or lose its sensitivity to weaker signals.

from: http://www.w7lt.org/sparcgap/sPARCgap_2002-08_files/index.html "An off-frequency signal gets into the receiver, it will cause a problem known as desensing the receiver. For instance, if some of the transmitter's energy is leaking into the receiver, desensing will be constant. However, if it is coming from another source, desensing will only happen when the other transmitter is on the air. To the extent that desensing occurs, it will block out the weaker signals."

 

[ERP50kW]

Years ago 95.1 had a better signal in central and southern DuPage County and also down into the Bolingbrook and Romeoville areas. And this is when 95.1 WVLI out of Kanakaee was broadcasting. Has WVLI done something (illegally) to their signal? Even driving in the Streamwood, Roselle, Wood Dale area, the WIIL singal is slightly to moderately broken up via WVLI. This never happened years ago. Thus, my concern that WVLI is doing something to their signal.

WIIL is 50,000 Watts and WVLI is 2300 Watts. How can WVLI bleed so far to the north with the signal disparity?

EVERY time I drive to Michigan, I pick up WIIL loud in clear just over north of the Michigan border on I-94. I've also gotten it pretty clear off of US-131, right between Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo, usually around 5-7pm, it's loud and clear almost daily.

That's interesting because I can hardly hear it when I'm a few miles north of the loop.

Ironically, one can hear stations further away since there is little to no receiver "desensing" in the areas TheIcon described, yet there would be plenty of "white noise" from a large number of stations in close proximity to a receiver causing it to "desense", or lose its sensitivity to weaker signals.

from: http://www.w7lt.org/sparcgap/sPARCgap_2002-08_files/index.html "An off-frequency signal gets into the receiver, it will cause a problem known as desensing the receiver. For instance, if some of the transmitter's energy is leaking into the receiver, desensing will be constant. However, if it is coming from another source, desensing will only happen when the other transmitter is on the air. To the extent that desensing occurs, it will block out the weaker signals."

 

[dave73]

In the western suburbs, I usually got WIIL more than WVLI. The only explanation I might have that WIIL isn't going as far as it used to, has to do with them having their 50kw signal on a shorter tower. WIIL has their bays on WLIP's tower, and both stations & tower are on-site. WVLI's 3kw equivalent is on a tower just slightly shorter than WIIL/WLIP's tower (though WLIP is AM, but WIIL is on the WLIP tower). There's a lot of open fields where WVLI transmits from, and no 94.9 in Chicagoland to stop their signal from going further. WIIL's signal goes out quite far, but there's been a lot of development in the path of their signal, and I believe it has cut into the line of sight of the signal. Maybe I'm not making sense on this. All I can say is that both stations are on towers of nearly identical height.

If you think WVLI cutting into WIIL around Roselle ERP50kW, try driving along US 41 south of Cedar Lake. Sister station WIVR on 101.7 cuts into WTMX on 101.9. Unfortunately, WTMX isn't protected south of 133rd Avenue in Lake County Indiana, and WIVR really cuts into WTMX. Wait until the FCC starts opening up some more 1st adjacent frequencies around Kankakee/Watseka. That'll make listening to radio in Chicago rimshot coverage areas even worse. Luckily, Milner's WFAV hasn't interfered with WXRD Crown Point yet, despite WFAV on 103.7 (originally was licensed for 103.3) having a null toward Crown Point to protect 103.9.

 

[ERP50kW]

Just seems as if WIIL does not have as a clear signal as it did a while back. Starts to "flutter" much farther to the north than it did in years ago. The rare times that WIIL is knocked off the air, WVLI is very audible (Roselle - Wood Dale area). Sounds about as good as WSSR and even WRXQ and WSRB from time to time! How can that be? Something happened to WIIL or something happened to WVLI, or a combination of both as suggested. Ah, progress!

I keenly recall going way back when WIIL was "Power 95" and then "The Lakeshore's Hit Music Station" and before that I think they were "Rock 95." I grew up SW of Chicago, and the station came in pretty well down in the Orland - Joliet area! (I think they still would if WVLI would get a directional pattern.)

In the western suburbs, I usually got WIIL more than WVLI. The only explanation I might have that WIIL isn't going as far as it used to, has to do with them having their 50kw signal on a shorter tower. WIIL has their bays on WLIP's tower, and both stations & tower are on-site. WVLI's 3kw equivalent is on a tower just slightly shorter than WIIL/WLIP's tower (though WLIP is AM, but WIIL is on the WLIP tower). There's a lot of open fields where WVLI transmits from, and no 94.9 in Chicagoland to stop their signal from going further. WIIL's signal goes out quite far, but there's been a lot of development in the path of their signal, and I believe it has cut into the line of sight of the signal. Maybe I'm not making sense on this. All I can say is that both stations are on towers of nearly identical height.

If you think WVLI cutting into WIIL around Roselle ERP50kW, try driving along US 41 south of Cedar Lake. Sister station WIVR on 101.7 cuts into WTMX on 101.9. Unfortunately, WTMX isn't protected south of 133rd Avenue in Lake County Indiana, and WIVR really cuts into WTMX. Wait until the FCC starts opening up some more 1st adjacent frequencies around Kankakee/Watseka. That'll make listening to radio in Chicago rimshot coverage areas even worse. Luckily, Milner's WFAV hasn't interfered with WXRD Crown Point yet, despite WFAV on 103.7 (originally was licensed for 103.3) having a null toward Crown Point to protect 103.9.

 

[radioman148]

Just seems as if WIIL does not have as a clear signal as it did a while back. Starts to "flutter" much farther to the north than it did in years ago. The rare times that WIIL is knocked off the air, WVLI is very audible (Roselle - Wood Dale area). Sounds about as good as WSSR and even WRXQ and WSRB from time to time! How can that be? Something happened to WIIL or something happened to WVLI, or a combination of both as suggested. Ah, progress!

I keenly recall going way back when WIIL was "Power 95" and then "The Lakeshore's Hit Music Station" and before that I think they were "Rock 95." I grew up SW of Chicago, and the station came in pretty well down in the Orland - Joliet area! (I think they still would if WVLI would get a directional pattern.)

In the western suburbs, I usually got WIIL more than WVLI. The only explanation I might have that WIIL isn't going as far as it used to, has to do with them having their 50kw signal on a shorter tower. WIIL has their bays on WLIP's tower, and both stations & tower are on-site. WVLI's 3kw equivalent is on a tower just slightly shorter than WIIL/WLIP's tower (though WLIP is AM, but WIIL is on the WLIP tower). There's a lot of open fields where WVLI transmits from, and no 94.9 in Chicagoland to stop their signal from going further. WIIL's signal goes out quite far, but there's been a lot of development in the path of their signal, and I believe it has cut into the line of sight of the signal. Maybe I'm not making sense on this. All I can say is that both stations are on towers of nearly identical height.

If you think WVLI cutting into WIIL around Roselle ERP50kW, try driving along US 41 south of Cedar Lake. Sister station WIVR on 101.7 cuts into WTMX on 101.9. Unfortunately, WTMX isn't protected south of 133rd Avenue in Lake County Indiana, and WIVR really cuts into WTMX. Wait until the FCC starts opening up some more 1st adjacent frequencies around Kankakee/Watseka. That'll make listening to radio in Chicago rimshot coverage areas even worse. Luckily, Milner's WFAV hasn't interfered with WXRD Crown Point yet, despite WFAV on 103.7 (originally was licensed for 103.3) having a null toward Crown Point to protect 103.9.

Way back I believe they were WJZQ and owned by Dex Card.