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Interference complaints against KKDJ (K259CF) & FCC letter

I drove for two hours all over absolutely no problem in my Chevy car radio except for the parking lot of the drum shop where the antenna is no interference on 99.9 at all .. around a 8 mile radius .If someone is having a problem must be some cheap or old radio 99.9 comes in better than 99.7 in many instances also 99.7 from Porterville is bleeding over in downtown Fresno. But absolutely no interference problems in Fresno or Clovis and I have a powerful car receiver.

Cheap old radios have rights too, but apparently according to the FCC letter a translator of this type has none. A frequency change would be a big improvement.
 
"KKDJ could apply for a freq. change, 93.3, 102.3, 104.5 or 106.5 could be a possibility."
I think there is an LPFM in the works on 93.3, maybe someone can check on that.1300AM has a CP for a translator on 104.5, I believe. On 106.5 KJUG could do the same thing KCIV is doing. It looks like 102.3 may be the best option.

How about applying for a freq. change to 108.1? Or in other words...........go away off the dial.
 
You must be referring to Part 15 of the FCC Rules.

1) The device must not cause harmful interference.
2) The device may receive interference, such that it may cause undesired operation of the unit.

That's gotta be a very broad statement.

There's also something of consequence here.

Regardless of where the transmitter is, or how well filtered it is, or how otherwise managed to stay exactly on frequency. You have a +/-200kHz bandwidth on either side of the FM frequency you are listening to. It is very natural for the first adjacent to interfere, especially within the distance of the first few blocks from a transmitter site. This would translate anywhere from a 1/4th to a 1/2 of a mile at the very worst.

It would be rather unreasonable to stay within 99.7 and not have the modulation deviate one iota from 99.7.

The NAB has lobbied against the expansion of the LPFM service, instead wanting to advocate for commercial "responsible" full-power stations that have an engineering department competent and capable of ensuring signals will not interfere. http://diymedia.net/nabnpr-on-lpfm-forked-tongues/1010

I know they are talking about LPFM, not translator stations. But the case could be made the same on that service too.

The argument that BOTT has is regardless of the station's licensed coverage and contour maps, 99.9's coverage reaches Fresno. In other words, they have listeners.

The position that BOTT appears to have is regardless of 99.7's actions, the station should completely and utterly shut down; they have no business being on the air.

The FCC's position currently is that 99.7 appears to be taking actions to correct the issue with listeners in the area of the supposed interference. The most recent article on the issue of abuses in the shutting-down of the translator stations are outlined here. https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/fcc-outlines-fm-translator-interference-changes

This all poses a question to the translator system in the United States as a whole. Should there be a contraction of translator and LPFM services in order to favor the band toward commercial full-power stations? Should the construction, permitting, and engineering of radio and television stations return to people who are licensed by the FCC?

In other words, should we reverse the actions of de-regulation within the scope of the FCC?

I have no answer to that, so I will leave it up for discussion.
 
Edmer,
They have filed for a change of frequency to 102.3 . And a power decrease from 180 w to 75 w. And they may have cleaned up the current signal, as it doesn't appear they are still over modulating. They were showing over 199% on a couple of mod monitors. Listening in the car, it doesn't sound like still at 200%, but a check on one of the mod monitors now shows the RF signal is below the mute level on the monitor. So either atmospherics is affecting propagation a few miles away, or they might have reduced on air power.
 
Gary Cocola's KKDJ 99.7 FM (K259CF) is the subject of an interference complaint filed by another radio station.

The complaint, with supporting listener declarations, was submitted to the FCC on July 18th by the law firm representing Bott Radio Network. Bott owns KCIV 99.9 FM (Mt. Bullion, CA), which is the first-adjacent channel to KKDJ.

A subsequent letter from the FCC to Cocola/K259CF ordered Licensee to file an Interference Response to each listener complaint supplied by Bott, and gives the station 30 days from August 6 to address the interference and to respond to each complaint.

The Bott Communications complaint, with declarations: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=87099

The FCC letter to Cocola/K259CF: http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getimportletter_exh.cgi?import_letter_id=87154

I first looked up KKDJ and found an LPFM in the central coast of CA and thought, no way this is interfering with KCIV. Then I looked for K259CF and found the translator in question. So I'll ask the question; why does K259CF refer to itself as KKDJ? So if anyone Googles your station, they find a LPFM in Santa Maria. SMH.
 
I wonder if KIOO 99.7 Porterville will do the same.

I hope they do, but they won't. Because Fresno is not part of KIOO intended coverage area. But, we will see. I knew from the start this addition of this frequency would not work, and 104.3 KJWL for that matter too. I cannot understand putting a low powered transmitter in the middle of an area where the signal is the strongest where residents may not listen to music of this format. Example: 104.3 out of Biola? BAD IDEA!
 
I hope they do, but they won't. Because Fresno is not part of KIOO intended coverage area. But, we will see. I knew from the start this addition of this frequency would not work, and 104.3 KJWL for that matter too. I cannot understand putting a low powered transmitter in the middle of an area where the signal is the strongest where residents may not listen to music of this format. Example: 104.3 out of Biola? BAD IDEA!

Is 102.3 any better than 99.7? Seems that we've another cover issue that could come into play. Isn't that KBLO that's somewhat listenable in Fresno. Are they trading one problem for another?
 
Is 102.3 any better than 99.7? Seems that we've another cover issue that could come into play. Isn't that KBLO that's somewhat listenable in Fresno. Are they trading one problem for another?

KBLO is on the valley floor at only 360 ft and 19KW, and KIOO is on a hill at 1,250 ft. above Sea Level with 25KW, the line of sight of the signal is much closer to Fresno than KBLO, with my antenna at 25 ft KIOO is very clear in Clovis and KBLO sounds like a far distance station.
 
Is 102.3 any better than 99.7? Seems that we've another cover issue that could come into play. Isn't that KBLO that's somewhat listenable in Fresno. Are they trading one problem for another?

It would be less of a problem because KBLO has less listeners that 99.9 in Fresno. If KIOO was the only casualty K259CF would get to stay put.
 
I think 102.3, even with half power will get out there better, no adjacent and much less co-channel interference,
 
In a word... Branding. K259CF is included in the hourly ID.

the average person has NO idea what K259CF is or what it means.... the general public barely knows what the 4 call letters mean
 
True... But try KMJ, KFI, or KGO (You can even lump KRLA and KKOH (KOH) Some people recognize the letters as a brand. To the average person, they may not care what the callsign means. To you and me, the use of callsigns as branding may be of a confusing nature which in some respects the FCC has tried to put a lid on.
 
Very true, today delivery driving thoughout Fresno and Clovis I had no problem with the separation with KKDJ 99.7 and KCIV 99.9, but I wasn't at Blackstone and Holland today, and I have no problem with 104.7 KHTN Merced, 104.9 KCRZ Visalia, and KKBZ 105.1 Auberry all adjacent and Line of Sight, it depends on your radio and antenna. and DaveBayArea KCIV has a religion format.

That's one hell of a radio you have!.........Pioneer Supertuner I take it?
 
Still overmodulating.

It's nearly impossible for the average person to detect FM overmodulation on a consumer receiver. So, unless you have a calibrated modulation monitor, you generally can't tell.

The exception is when a station overmodulates so much that the bandwidth of the signal exceeds the bandwidth of the receiver, generally causing a clipping, scrunching noise. In older "traditional design" radios, the danger point was somewhere around 130% modulation, which would be +/- 100 kHz of occupied bandwidth.

Unlike AM, where exceeding 100% modulation causes carrier suppression, "100%" with FM modulation is an arbitrary standard based on the way FM is allocated.
 
With the addition of RDS and IBOC systems, it places more demand to accomodate modulation in the same space... at least as far as industry observation is concerned.
 
With the addition of RDS and IBOC systems, it places more demand to accomodate modulation in the same space... at least as far as industry observation is concerned.

Clear Channel is the only one still using IBOC, not to many running out to buy HD radios, it's going the way of AM stereo, nobody cares, people would rather buy XM/Sirius receivers instead and yes it effect adjacent channels big time, before KBOS 94.9 and KFBT 103.7 (KRZR then) started using it, I was able to get KHOP 95.1 Modesto and KDJK 103.9 Mariposa( which is very weak, but line-of-sight to Fresno). I know these stations are not intended to serve the Fresno Market, but it does effect adjacent channels big time.
 
Clear Channel is the only one still using IBOC.

1. It's iHeart and has been for several years. 2. Most of the major chains are still using it, and even for smaller broadcasters, having HD streams is a convenient regulatory loophole that allows them to put programming on translators that isn't on their main signal.
 
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