Interesting Stuff In Aberdeen...

[bossbill]

It's pretty rare for modern solid-state transmitters to emit on other than the assigned frequency, even if one wants it to. And the only time in my recent memory was when another local broadcast engineer replaced the final tube in an FM transmitter. While it fit the socket, it wasn't the right tube exactly, and there were spurs across the FM band. In that case, I had notify the offending station, and the problem was soon rectified. know of no other recent case. My stations not only are using recent model solid-state transmitters, but our primary site has extensive filtering that keeps every transmitter operating well within FCC limits, keeps each station from reflecting into other transmitters. The more common problem is the one discussed in this thread, where an inexpensive antenna and receiver are relied upon to work forever without any regular inspection, by an absentee licensee without any staff. With one exception, all of my FM translators are fed directly via 950 MHz studio-transmitter links. The one exception uses a high-end rebroadcast receiver and a commercial-grade rugged Scala receive antenna. Occasionally in the field there can be sum and difference frequencies that can cause problems, but we haven't ever run into that in our market. I'm sure that others have had issues however.

 

[bobdavcav]

Yes, that's more likely, cheap radios have a tendancy to overload pretty badly. Rapid City SD is the worst case I've personally heard.

 

[Blatherwatch]

I checked out the KGHO facebook page... here is another admin reply to a listener comment regarding reception of KGHO:

"Do to interference from another station, our signal on 92.7 in Aberdeen and 101.1 in Olympia has degraded. The engineers are diligently working to correct this situation. We are replacing some equipment which is expensive. Since we are a non-commercial station, all of our financial support comes from our listeners. We could really use your help to make KGHO sound as good as it used to. Please send anything financial support you can to: KGHO, P. O. Box 5672, Lacey, WA 98503. If you need our Washington State tax ID number, please let us know. Thank you for your support."

If you scroll further, the admin also provides an explanation for the 92.9 translator being shut down:

"KISM incessantly pestered the FCC for 8 years that their' listener in Kent couldn't hear KISM"s staticky signal from Bellingham, so the FCC cancelled the license for 92.9. Now there are two new religious stations on 92.9. One in Renton, one in Tacoma"

Yes, I wrote to the FB link since there is no email or phone # to call. I actually enjoyed listening to the content but it became and still it un listenable since I hear Michael Savage and some other right-wing talker in the afternoons. I cant even hear CFOX or KXL in the background so something is amiss. Weird, because one Sunday morning recently I heard KISW perfectly on 101.1.

 

[fordranger797]

What is the purpose of broadcasting on 99.9, and then broadcasting the same content from a better location on a frequency that covers a much bigger footprint of terrain? It seems to me like they are just using a frequency to relay their content to the main transmission site without buying a STL. I'm not an engineer, so hopefully someone will enlighten me.

 

[Radio-X]

Legally, in order for KGHO to broadcast, their "primary" LPFM signal on 99.9 must be on-the-air. In order for KGHO's daisy chain of translators to properly function, 99.9 must broadcast. 92.7 picks up 99.9 for the wider area, 101.1 receives 92.7 for Olympia. If the receive antenna for 92.7 got blown pointing east from a strong coastal breeze, it will likely pick up KISW rather than flea-powered KGHO-LP, and therefore KISW gets relayed on 101.1 in Olympia. When that happens, in theory the translator chain needs to sign off until a signal with KGHO can be re-established.

There are a couple of examples I can think of where the translator is used as the "main signal" for a LPFM. The originator (I think) was a somewhat famous broadcast engineer in St. Simons Island, GA who used a translator to broadcast his LPFM to the much larger nearby town of Brunswick, GA. That was almost 10 years ago, and unless he moved it, his translator got bumped by a new class A station on that frequency.

Whether that is right or not is not my position to take. However, no doubt it has increased the range of some ambitious LPFM operators who are looking for a "backdoor" way into broadcasting...

Radio-X

 

[Kelly A]

There are a couple of examples I can think of where the translator is used as the "main signal" for a LPFM. The originator (I think) was a somewhat famous broadcast engineer in St. Simons Island, GA who used a translator to broadcast his LPFM to the much larger nearby town of Brunswick, GA. That was almost 10 years ago, and unless he moved it, his translator got bumped by a new class A station on that frequency.

Whether that is right or not is not my position to take. However, no doubt it has increased the range of some ambitious LPFM operators who are looking for a "backdoor" way into broadcasting...

Radio-X

Using a translator as a primary signal is not allowed for LPFM. A commonly-owned translator must receive the LPFM station directly over the air. Using an STL, or some other direct program connection to the translator is not allowed.

A not-commonly owned translator can be one that is not licensed to anyone other than the LPFM licensee. In this form, translators can be owned to individuals, provided they are not on the board or directors of the LPFM organization. This may include non-profits, for-profits and individuals that have other broadcast holdings. That being said, even a not-commonly owned translator must still receive the LPFM signal over the air and not directly. The real difference is; a non-commonly owned translator can be fed via an HD2 signal.

 

[fordranger797]

That makes sense; thanks Radio-X and Kelly. Perhaps my memory is incorrect, but I seem to recall KGHO broadcasting on 920am out of Olympia a number of years ago. Does anyone recall?

 

[crainbebo]

I wonder if KGHO-LP would have better success transmitting on 94.3 or 103.5. Those seem like good open frequencies. I have heard CHQM at Westport however on 103.5, but how strong is KRKZ 94.3 Chinook/Astoria? Does their 400 watts get out well? Or would KRXY kill it in Montesano, Elma et al?
The old 98.5 LPFM didn't make it up Highway 109 to Pacific Beach the last time I was there. But with KNBQ on the frequency now, that's different.
I would not recommend they broadcast on 96.5, 97.3, 98.1 et al for the same reasons as what's going on in Olympia on 101.1. Seattle stations would screw the signal up with coastal tropo. Plus, in the case of 96.5, KCYS Seaside. They used to dogfight with KING-FM at Pacific Beach when they were on 98.1.

 

[Kelly A]

An LPFM can't just decide they want to move onto what seems to be an "open frequency". The LPFM station allocations for the various areas were predetermined by the Commission a long time ago. I believe Steve (XMTRLAND) went through the process for Vashon, and could add more detail in the process.

 

[JakeMott]

That makes sense; thanks Radio-X and Kelly. Perhaps my memory is incorrect, but I seem to recall KGHO broadcasting on 920am out of Olympia a number of years ago. Does anyone recall?

I remember KGHO on 920 Olympia. It was listenable up here in Renton. Good variety of oldies. Lots of lost gems. Don't know if it is the same variety on the LPFM today.

 

[Blatherwatch]

As of today, the issues seem to have gone away. Hear 101.1, for now. BTW KRXY had a LPFM on 101.9 which clobbered KINK for a week, was it moved?

 

[KXA]

That makes sense; thanks Radio-X and Kelly. Perhaps my memory is incorrect, but I seem to recall KGHO broadcasting on 920am out of Olympia a number of years ago. Does anyone recall?

KGHO broadcast on 920kHz from approximately '99-'02 (also ran with the KAYO call sign and simulcast KAYO-FM and well as KXXO during that time). The original transmitter site (directional) on Fones Rd in east Olympia put out a decent signal. Their power back then was 5kW days and 0.5kW nights. They lost that sight in the mid nineties and were dark for quite sometime before coming back on the air at much reduced power from the 1280 KLDY site. (I was working with a group at the time who were interested in buying 920, but changed their mind due to not wanting to invest in a new transmitter site. If my memory is correct, the owner wanted $300,000 just or the license and that was when they were still dark.)

 

[KXA]

I wonder if KGHO-LP would have better success transmitting on 94.3 or 103.5. Those seem like good open frequencies. I have heard CHQM at Westport however on 103.5, but how strong is KRKZ 94.3 Chinook/Astoria? Does their 400 watts get out well? Or would KRXY kill it in Montesano, Elma et al?
The old 98.5 LPFM didn't make it up Highway 109 to Pacific Beach the last time I was there. But with KNBQ on the frequency now, that's different.
I would not recommend they broadcast on 96.5, 97.3, 98.1 et al for the same reasons as what's going on in Olympia on 101.1. Seattle stations would screw the signal up with coastal tropo. Plus, in the case of 96.5, KCYS Seaside. They used to dogfight with KING-FM at Pacific Beach when they were on 98.1.

Your posts always make me laugh...you just can't willy-nilly change frequencies at will. Remember, radio as well as all broadcast media is regulated.

 

[bossbill]

I sold the Spencer boys a 920 AM transmitter while working at Harris, and I left Harris in 1998. It was installed at the 1280 tower site. Spencers had also purchased the old KGHO AM/FM pair from Trinity Broadcasting and had brief success in Grays Harbor. Facing financial difficulties, they sold 95.3/1490 to Morris Communications, after enjoying a brief financial courtship with KAYO (99.3). The KGHO call letters moved a few times during those years, including from 95.3 to 920 to 98.5. The KJET call letters on the 1490 AM moved as well during the call letter swap which saw KSWW go from 97.7 to 102.1, KFMY from 105.7 to 97.7, KJET from 1490AM to 105.7. The current KGHO-LP operates unattended from Brian's computer, with only a 100 watt transmitter and antenna at the very vacant building in Hoquiam. No staff, no office, no phone, etc. Under the guise of being an educational institution, Brian feeds his computer to the 99.9 transmitter, which feeds the 92.7 translator, which in turn feeds the Olympia 101.1 translator. Claims on the station about decades of service are not based on reality. There is no connection between the original KGHO, which had years of success in Grays Harbor, and the present KGHO-LP, which operates as a hobby station and exists solely to feed FM translators outside of the market. Operations of this nature were clearly not part of the intent of the LPFM Rules.

 

[Grounded Grid]

KGHO broadcast on 920kHz from approximately '99-'02 (also ran with the KAYO call sign and simulcast KAYO-FM and well as KXXO during that time). The original transmitter site (directional) on Fones Rd in east Olympia put out a decent signal. Their power back then was 5kW days and 0.5kW nights. They lost that sight in the mid nineties and were dark for quite sometime before coming back on the air at much reduced power from the 1280 KLDY site. (I was working with a group at the time who were interested in buying 920, but changed their mind due to not wanting to invest in a new transmitter site. If my memory is correct, the owner wanted $300,000 just or the license and that was when they were still dark.)

920 AM started life as KITN, then one of only two stations in Olympia. It was family-owned, along with simulcasted sister-signal, KITI (Centralia-Chehalis). The owners retired, sold KITI and later, KITN. You've already seen the ownership and site shuffle. The signal is now on a MUCH larger tower, owned by KBRD (680) and shared with KLDY. The property is well maintained by the owner, and the triplex system makes it a bit unusual and interesting. Signal-wise, 920 is "much lower" at night (7 watts), due to it no longer having a directional pattern. 920 (now KGTK (Kay-Gun-Talk?)) is owned by the 2nd Amendment Foundation, which also operates stations in Silverdale, Spokane and Portland.

... KRXY had a LPFM on 101.9 which clobbered KINK for a week, was it moved?

The audio you heard was from a newly-licensed (not to KRXY) translator near Shelton. The owner is working out some newly-discovered technical issues, so operations are on-and-off right now.

 

[KXA]

920 AM started life as KITN, then one of only two stations in Olympia. It was family-owned, along with simulcasted sister-signal, KITI (Centralia-Chehalis). The owners retired, sold KITI and later, KITN. You've already seen the ownership and site shuffle. The signal is now on a MUCH larger tower, owned by KBRD (680) and shared with KLDY. The property is well maintained by the owner, and the triplex system makes it a bit unusual and interesting. Signal-wise, 920 is "much lower" at night (7 watts), due to it no longer having a directional pattern. 920 (now KGTK (Kay-Gun-Talk?)) is owned by the 2nd Amendment Foundation, which also operates stations in Silverdale, Spokane and Portland.

I only mention 1280 because that was the original signal on that tower (as KTOL). I remember 920 as KQEU and later as KCPL ("AM 920 The Capitol"). Were 920's (as KQEU & KCPL) studios always on Yelm HWY?

Speaking of MEGA Gun Talk, are they a brokered station or is this run by someone with deep pockets?

And speaking of 680 KBRD, that is one station I'd like to see get an FM translator under the FCC's 'save AM' campaign. They already have a good tower for it.

 

[Grounded Grid]

I only mention 1280 because that was the original signal on that tower (as KTOL). I remember 920 as KQEU and later as KCPL ("AM 920 The Capitol"). Were 920's (as KQEU & KCPL) studios always on Yelm HWY?

Speaking of MEGA Gun Talk, are they a brokered station or is this run by someone with deep pockets?

I was at KGY at the time, and don't know anything about the owners, post-KITN. I did some engineering work for the Whitmans, about the time they added the second tower and night service. Prior to that, they were a daytimer. That was back in the mid-'70s. I don't recall exactly where the studio was located. It was a small office building, I think. Pretty cool operation, for what it was. They (mainly Lee Hurley) built their own version of an IGM automation. It used pipe organ preset relays to determine hourly automation sequences, a couple of reel-to-reel machines that could locate any commercial recorded on them and, if you go back far enough to recall these things, several "Mackenzie repeaters"... multi-deck tape machines with proprietary carts. They put things like their jingles & station promos on those machines. The automation fed both stations but could, when required, split the feeds to play separate commercials and "jingles" on each. Jingles.... not, actually. The operation's theme was "The station with the sound of music". As you can imagine, Julie Andrews and Mantovani played prominent parts . Each station had identical ID packages, except for the call signs. The automation played the same cuts to each, so it could rejoin the two stations at the same time for music playback.

A bit of even more-ancient history for the white-haired crowd here... Buzz Barr did a stint on KITI... well before his Portland, Seattle and Aberdeen days.

Don't know much about KGTK's finances, other than that they run a fairly lean operation up here. A lot of their ads focus around getting people involved in gun rights legislation and donating to the foundation.

 

[Blatherwatch]

getting off topic but still local, 92.9 on Tumwater Hill is now a dead carrier. Has been for a week or so and KMAS 103.3 LPFM isnt as well covered for Olympia area as the 92.9 freq.

 

[bossbill]

And one bit of trivia... 1280 began as KMAS in Shelton, a day-timer. KMAS wanted fulltime, so moved to 1030. Then it was discovered that they could have been a fulltimer if the tower were taller (radiation angles I think). So John DiMeo, who had a daytimer on the high end of the band, put up the tall tower, moved HIS Olympia-area station to 1280 as a fulltimer.

 

[KXA]

Just to add to the trivia, and if my memory serves me right, KTOL started out on 1500, moved as Bill said to 1280. 1500 then became KVSN, then moved to 1340 (former KAPA signal), then became KUOW sometime in the last 10-15 years. (Moved away from the south sound many years ago...correct me if my memory is wrong.) Last I heard, joint base Lewis-McChord is using 1500 for base information.