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KCYB making its move to 103.5

M

Mediafrog+

While driving around at lunchtime today (10/4) and tuning around, I noticed that KCYB was missing from 101.7; KNTE was in the clear. Knowing that KCYB has a CP to move to 103.5 I checked there, but only heard a fairly good signal from KBPA (tropo to the west and southwest is kicking up today.)

However at a later check after 4:30pm I did hear rock music in mono on 103.5, fighting it out with KBPA. The music played was consistent with what we've heard on KCYB, and I've never heard any other mono stations on the frequency. The music would occasionally cut out, and the compression/equalization would change, as if someone was adjusting the settings. At the same time, KNTE still in the clear on 101.7.

I never heard any ID, but I'm pretty certain this was KCYB testing on the new frequency. It's getting grief from KBPA today, though tropo is usually not at current levels, so 103.5 should be an improvement over the old 101.7.

The new facility runs 22 watts from an antenna about a mile south of 290 on Becker Road. If you are at the Fairfield Premium Outlet mall you should have a strong signal. This of course assumes that what I heard is actually coming from the new transmitter location.

The move south was made necessary by co-channel LPFM KYBY in Magnolia, which apparently has yet to hit the air (anyone in that area heard anything from them?)
 
The KYBY is actually licensed to Montgomery though its signal doesnt even come close to Montgomery (one thing I hate about all Low Power licenses, including TV...they dont have to cover the COL like full service stations do)...I suspect its COL will be changed later if another Montgomery signal comes on the air...

KCYB had to drop height as well as move south....(was 9 watts ERP but at ~320ft; now at 205ft) The tower costs will likely be more since they are on a SBA tower and they rarely give a price break...and the Heliax was already on the 101.7 tower..moving the antenna was probably not cheap!

Here is the new 60dbu coverage curve of KCYB-LP: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...eq=103.5&contour=60&city=CYPRESS&state=TX.kml

and the proposed coverage of co channel KYBY-LP: https://maps.google.com/?q=http://t...103.5&contour=60&city=MONTGOMERY&state=TX.kml

Another think showed up in looking at the database, WTAW has a CP for a Class A (WTAW-FM) in Buffalo on 103.5 !! That is a squeeze between KVIL and KHJK.....THAT should prove interesting; why a station in Buffalo...may try to move it eventually toward Aggieland (have to move freq if they do)
 
Update: around 6:30pm Saturday KCYB posted this on their homepage and Facebook: "We have completed maintenance and are back on the air. Please note we have changed frequencies to 103.5. Please tune in and let us know where your picking us up at and how we sound. Share this and help us spread the word!" KCYB website is http://www.cypressradio.org/

They haven't updated their webpage banner, which still has the old 101.7.

Meanwhile, KYBY finally posted an update on their website (dated Sept. 28) stating that they are "in the final stages of the transmitter construction. If all continues to go as planned we expect to be broadcasting in October." KYBY website is http://backyardradio.com/
 
Looking at KYBY's site, they seem to show a AC or HOT AC format....should be interesting between a free flow rock format on KCYB and the format on KYBY..(I think they are already streaming but I didnt listen if they are)
 
Driving around this afternoon (Sunday) I noticed that KCYB is now in stereo. Reception on 103.5 is much better today with reduced tropo, although I can still hear KBPA during signal dropouts. Signal level is about the same at my house as it was from the old transmitter site, although the new site is about two miles further away--but there is no strong co-channel interference as long as tropo isn't kicking up. I'm pretty much at the edge of their coverage area.

The new KCYB transmitter site is about 15 miles south of the KYBY site, so kind of surprised this change got by without some sort of time sharing agreement. I'm about 23 miles from Magnolia, so KYBY would be a tough catch with KCYB in the way.

KCYB's website has now been updated to reflect the frequency change. They also say that they are "getting reports of clean signals out to Cypress, Katy, Copperfield, Tomball, Waller, Hockley."
 
15 miles/24km is the min distance required for LPFM co channel spacing...When KYBY comes on the air, it will hurt KCYB to the north...and may cause issues all around...
I doubt anyone will get licensed to the south because of 103.3 in Freeport...need to look at the maps to be sure...
 
Mediafrog+ said:
KCYB's website has now been updated to reflect the frequency change. They also say that they are "getting reports of clean signals out to Cypress, Katy, Copperfield, Tomball, Waller, Hockley."
Click to expand...

Well, hardly clean, but receivable down to I-10 on Fry road, except for that pesky re-broadcast of Channel 11 at Morton road. I notice there is some sort of gym there - so do they get a free pass on FCC regulations because they are a gym?
 
rbrucecarter5 said:
Well, hardly clean, but receivable down to I-10 on Fry road, except for that pesky re-broadcast of Channel 11 at Morton road. I notice there is some sort of gym there - so do they get a free pass on FCC regulations because they are a gym?
Click to expand...

They probably got it for people to watch and listen to TV through their FM radio while they work out. My gym has about 10 TV's and has frequencies you can tune to listen in. They probably have one of them CC Crane FM transmitters.
 
Wait, Bryan Broadcasting has TWO CPs then? What's this 103-5 WTAW-FM in Buffalo? Bryan has a CP in place for KKEE, which now is licensed to Centerville at 101-3, but I haven't seen hide nor hair of this Buffalo station you speak of, CW.

Wasn't it KIKK that used to run the audio from 11's 6pm newscast? "You see this front coming down at us from near the top of your screen?" Well, no. No I don't.

I agree, this is likely a business's low power transmitter, kind of like what you used to have at some of the old drive-in theaters we used to have around here.
 
Thanks, John. So one station in Buffalo, and one in Centerville. Interesting, to say the least.

Given the utter failure that KUZN was when it was targeting Leon County, I have to question how either of these two lesser powered signals hope to ever become profitable. The whole population of Leon County couldn't be more than a couple of thousand people all together.

Freestone County is a little more populated, but there you have the well entrenched KNES "Texas 99" as the hometown voice. That'll be an uphill battle for anyone trying to compete with them.
 
I notice that KCYB has been back in mono the past few days. Still getting some grief from KBPA in signal pockets. Bet they'll be glad when some cold fronts kill the tropo conditions.

Got a good chuckle out of one of KCYB's liners that states the station is "A flamethrower with 22,000 milliwatts of power."
 
I'm not in the coverage area, but at least they have a couple streams. Here is a page listing them all, the second one down is almost twice the bandwidth and quality of the first one, and in stereo which is nice.
http://www.cypressradio.org:8000/

Strangely the third stream down is silence, and it's calling itself Colonel St. James. What's that?
 
Perhaps that is the stream that is used to get from the Colonel's studio to KCYB's main studio. St. James does a weekday show on Cypress Radio
 
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