We were in Astoria on Monday and we turned on the radio. The first station we turned on was probably 91.9, playing jazz music. We hit scan, and probably after Q94.9, the radio stopped on an oldies station, which puzzled me because the only oldies station I know of in that area is from Seaside and is on am. I wait for an ID and what do you know, it's KJR-FM, clear as a local! Last time we were down there, I picked that up on my IPod, but it was barely listenable, so to here it so clear in the car was surprising. After we crossed the Astoria Bridge and turned onto 401 it was gone.
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Is this usual?
- Thread starter bobdavcav
- Start date
The hills are alive, with the sound of music! And they reflect signals back and forth well beyond the circular antenna patterns drawn on flat pieces of paper. And because the FCC doesn't acknowledge where terrain actually affects signal propagation, the FM band is getting harder and harder to listen to many stations for more than a half hour's drive, since more and more signals are bouncing all over the place, and that has to be driving away non-DXers like some of us.
Where are things at in terms of expanding the FM band? I support having more services, and certainly lots more licensees that just a handful of the usual corporate suspects in each market. But low power signals popping up on the same frequencies of adjacent market signals seems like a good way to degrade the FM band - and drive away car listening.
While it's fun finding a good signal from a relatively faraway FM while out on a drive in the country, it's getting harder to stick with most stations more than 30 miels out of town, since other signals are popping in on them well before the signal would naturally fade out of range. This is true all over the US, thanks largely to the religious satellite broadcasters who squeezed in everywhere they canon a loophole. But it's also true for other signals as well. And it's worst in the non-commercial part of the band (88-thru-91 FM)
A clear signal is requirement number one for any station to have an audience. For more than a few miles wouldn't hurt, either.
Where are things at in terms of expanding the FM band? I support having more services, and certainly lots more licensees that just a handful of the usual corporate suspects in each market. But low power signals popping up on the same frequencies of adjacent market signals seems like a good way to degrade the FM band - and drive away car listening.
While it's fun finding a good signal from a relatively faraway FM while out on a drive in the country, it's getting harder to stick with most stations more than 30 miels out of town, since other signals are popping in on them well before the signal would naturally fade out of range. This is true all over the US, thanks largely to the religious satellite broadcasters who squeezed in everywhere they canon a loophole. But it's also true for other signals as well. And it's worst in the non-commercial part of the band (88-thru-91 FM)
A clear signal is requirement number one for any station to have an audience. For more than a few miles wouldn't hurt, either.
In Seaside I heard Star 101.5 clear as could be. Looked at my aviation charts and concluded a line-of-site was reasonable from Cougar Mtn to the Oregon coast. Decades ago our two-way system at KTNT would get occasional interference from KSWB's shared VHF in Seaside. Weird.
I guess the same is true whenever Portland stations have shown up in the Grays Harbor area. In Westport while visiting one summer I had 92.3, 95.5, 97.1, 101.1, 103.3, and 105.1 all in like locals. That same trip, had KKCW in like a local from Westport all the way back to just past Gorst clear as a local station, until 103.7's downtown Seattle translator started hammering it.
I've heard stations from Seattle to Eugene, and west to Newport, in Pacific Beach, WA. Eugene is 225 but it was only Tropo (heard KLCC, KWAX, KMGE, KODZ), Seattle is 105, Newport is 150 and Portland stations were heard as well at around 130 miles.
In Westport, WA I received 103.5 QM/FM from Vancouver like a LOCAL (150 mi!), CKPK 100.5 weak and CFBT 94.5 good. No sign of Victoria in Westport.
We may go to Cannon Beach, OR this summer. How far down the coast can you hear Seattle? And does any of the Grays Harbor stations make it down there?
-crainbebo
In Westport, WA I received 103.5 QM/FM from Vancouver like a LOCAL (150 mi!), CKPK 100.5 weak and CFBT 94.5 good. No sign of Victoria in Westport.
We may go to Cannon Beach, OR this summer. How far down the coast can you hear Seattle? And does any of the Grays Harbor stations make it down there?
-crainbebo
I'm sure it's possible since Astoria was one of the first (if not the first) CATV systems in the country. They were relaying the distantly receivable stations from Seattle. KING-5 was the only station available at the time - 1949.
Crane, I do know that KJET was good in Long Beach on my IPod, not sure how far down the coast they get. I wonder why my IPod is so bad in Astoria? The signal from KJR-FM was listenable, but with a lot of static on that radio last summer, and that's kind of what I expected from the car radio as well.
Everybody loves Raymond...
Bill, I don't think I have had a good enough radio to know very well, how's KJET to the east? Sounds good on the car out toward Elk Prairy Road on 6, but how about east of there? Seems as if lower quality radios are not good on that station, I believe the farthest I've carried it is the other side of Pluvious.
Bill Wolfenbarger said:
Good press is a good thing, too.
Nice article in the paper last month.
http://thedailyworld.com/sections/living/profiles/“boss-bill”-radio-more-voice.html
Bill Wolfenbarger said:
Could be protecting 1st adjacents KUKN on 105.5 in Longview, and KFBW on 105.9 in Portland.
Thanks! Yes Lisa is our daughter. I'm now the Communications Manager for the Workforce Development Council of Seattle-King County but do a little freelance for KING, NWCN and Pierce County TV. -RVdunno said:
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