K-Love's New 99.5 Signal Turned Off

[All_Static]

Any idea when KLOVE will return to the air on their full-strength 99.5 frequency. I hear that there were some problems with Mather Field air traffic that forced them off the air?

 

[newsperson]

Newsperson responds:

Yes it's a problem with the combining of 99.5 Mhz. and 105.1 Mhz. which is located on the south side of the hill across Highway 50, that's the reason why they are off the air.

At this time they do not know exactly when this will be resolved. So it's been a lot of work for them to get to this point and they are not done yet.

I don't what the solution will be except that I expect that it will get resolved.

Newsperson

 

[DaveBayArea]

Yes it's a problem with the combining of 99.5 Mhz. and 105.1 Mhz. which is located on the south side of the hill across Highway 50, that's the reason why they are off the air.

Ouch - I just calculated the (2a-b) intermod product of that. It's at 110.7, which is in the aircraft band. But that's also an IF frequency for multiple-conversion microwave receivers. They use a 100 MHz local oscillator to downconvert signals to regular 10.7 MHz IF frequencies. The saving grace here might be the comparatively low power of the 99.5 transmitter. Hopefully the product is being generated directly in the transmitter, where it can be filtered, and not somewhere else on that hill.

Intermod products are always a significant challenge, but this one sounds especially nasty.

Dave B.

 

[RadioStarOne]

Move the transmitter to Walnut Grove! Lotsa tall towers out there. Directional Antenna. Why didn't they think about this problem before all the expense to put the transmitter in the wrong location? Thats the problem nobody thinks! The FCC didn't see this problem either? Really Now! Great Brain Trust There.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Move the transmitter to Walnut Grove! Lotsa tall towers out there. Directional Antenna. Why didn't they think about this problem before all the expense to put the transmitter in the wrong location? Thats the problem nobody thinks! The FCC didn't see this problem either? Really Now! Great Brain Trust There.

Easier said than done.

A full class B wouldn't cover all of Sacramento adequately let alone a class A like KLVS 99.5. Besides, moving 99.5 to Walnut Grove would short-space KLVS with KJOY in Stockton and KMVQ in San Francisco. Walnut Grove is a horrible location for FM stations trying to serve Sacramento. If Sacramento was in a Class C zone, which it is not, it would be perfect. Class C stations have similar coverage of television stations. California is over crowded with FMs.

There are two radio station with a third (Being K-Love KLRS 89.7....Lodi) located in Walnut Grove. They are there mainly to protect Channel 6 since the audio of KVIE is at 87.75. Any station in the educational portion of the FM band has to protect a channel 6 station within 150 miles. One way to do so is to co-locate the station with channel 6. That way channel 6 is always the stronger one.

The main problem with their present location is the airport and the intermod interference with what the airport uses at this time. This wouldn't show up in their original study.

 

[SFSAC]

What?

 

[djj]

While in Orangevale/Fair Oaks/Sacto yesterday, I noticed 99.5 was still off air,
at least on my reliable car radio...

And yet, I still see billboards at bus stops in Fair Oaks for K-LOVE 99.5... ;D
--jay

 

[rickradio]

If and when K-Love is finally able to turn this thing on at 99.5, will it mean that they'll be able to turn OFF all 13 zillion of their translators around here, I hope?

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

What?

I was just trying to explain why EMF couldn't magically move the KLVS transmitter to Walnut Grove.

 

[jammerdave]

Update/news as seen in an email newsletter this morning...

K-Love signs off its Sacramento-area KLVS, because of flak from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FCC let Educational Media Foundation construct the 358-foot tower in El Dorado Hills for KLVS (99.5) – but now the FAA has a sharply contrasting view and says the FM stick should never have been built. EMF’s Mike Novak tells the local KOVR-TV that they’re playing it straight: they signed the station off rather than risk potential danger to fliers. Next job: finding a new tower site, right in the Rocklin, CA backyard of non-com contemporary Christian K-Love.

 

[Michael Rivers Kramer]

Update/news as seen in an email newsletter this morning...

K-Love signs off its Sacramento-area KLVS, because of flak from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FCC let Educational Media Foundation construct the 358-foot tower in El Dorado Hills for KLVS (99.5) – but now the FAA has a sharply contrasting view and says the FM stick should never have been built. EMF’s Mike Novak tells the local KOVR-TV that they’re playing it straight: they signed the station off rather than risk potential danger to fliers. Next job: finding a new tower site, right in the Rocklin, CA backyard of non-com contemporary Christian K-Love.

Interesting...I would think it would be less painful for EMF to replace the equipment. I guess this will have to wait for at least 60 to 90 days. They still have their Class B (KLRS) at Walnut Grove to sign on.

I guess this is good news for our friends at faith for profit, Salem Communications.

 

[jammerdave]

Update/news as seen in an email newsletter this morning...

K-Love signs off its Sacramento-area KLVS, because of flak from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The FCC let Educational Media Foundation construct the 358-foot tower in El Dorado Hills for KLVS (99.5) – but now the FAA has a sharply contrasting view and says the FM stick should never have been built. EMF’s Mike Novak tells the local KOVR-TV that they’re playing it straight: they signed the station off rather than risk potential danger to fliers. Next job: finding a new tower site, right in the Rocklin, CA backyard of non-com contemporary Christian K-Love.

Just because they are "non comm" doesn't mean that they aren't profitable. They just have to have a zero shown on the books at the end of the fiscal year. They don't operate all those stations and pay all those folks with no profits. (Profits in this case being donations) Either way there is money involved.

Interesting...I would think it would be less painful for EMF to replace the equipment. I guess this will have to wait for at least 60 to 90 days. They still have their Class B (KLRS) at Walnut Grove to sign on.

I guess this is good news for our friends at faith for profit, Salem Communications.

 

[DaveBayArea]

Just because they are "non comm" doesn't mean that they aren't profitable. They just have to have a zero shown on the books at the end of the fiscal year. They don't operate all those stations and pay all those folks with no profits. (Profits in this case being donations) Either way there is money involved.

Indeed that's true. They have some pretty amazing revenues for a non-comm. But they must have at least 400 transmitters in the US. However, it's still not nearly as much as some of the other Christian ministries out there. More info here:

http://www.prettygoodnews.com/salary_peer_reviews/Jan_2008_salary_study_final.pdf

Dave B.

 

[All_Static]

It's been more than three months since I started hearing Positive and Encouraging static on 99.5.

Any update on when K-LOVE might return to the airwaves in its home market?

 

[newsperson]

Newsperson repsonds:

They are still working on the solution which is taking a lot longer than they thought.

It has turned out to be a disaster.

Newsperson