Is SportsMap on 97.5 HD-2 yet? I was in Houston over Thanksgiving and heard the ID say KFNC HD-2, but did not have an HD Radio with me. Also, 94.1 is very impressive for 99 watts. Was coming in loud and clear in the Clear Lake area not far from NASA.
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KFNC HD-2
- Thread starter Ryan Williams
- Start date
Two months after the launch of SportsMap 94.1 there is still NO HD SIGNAL on 97.5.
So, what is the originating station for the 94.1 translator?
So, what is the originating station for the 94.1 translator?
Gow’s broadcast studios, obviously.
ThatVoice22
Banned
OK, Stan, I trust you were kidding. The regulations are very clear - a translator cannot exist unless it has an originating station and FM 94.1 does not have one, since FM 97.5 still has no HD2 signal as of tonight. Apparently Gow Media doesn't care and neither does the FCC. Has anyone seen anything that allows FM 94.1 to exist?
It cannot exist, per the FCC guidelines. But it appears Centro Cristiano de Vida Eterna (the licensee of K231CN) must be exempt from said guidelines.
Since you apparently know David Gow, you might want to let him know his questionable HD2 channel isn't the only issue this arrangement has.
The translator's transmitter site is physically located outside KFNC's 60 dBu contour. Fill-in translators, which I presume is how they're operating this one, aren't allowed to extend the coverage of the station they're rebroadcasting.
Having the transmitter site for the translator physically located west of the edge of KFNC's 60 dBu means it is absolutely, positively extending KFNC's coverage.
If it's not a fill-in translator, that scenario gets even more fun. Non-fill-in translators MUST receive the station being rebroadcast over the air.
Since you can't receive KFNC's HD signal anywhere, even on the side of the road adjacent to the KFNC transmitter site, the translator is definitely not receiving it that way either.
Lastly, you might want to let Centro know they are required to notify the Commission that their translator is no longer rebroadcasting KODA.
It looks like they need a refresher on the translator rules. The FCC has this handy web page, that you should probably share with them.
https://www.fcc.gov/media/radio/fm-translators-and-boosters
It will be interesting to see who gets fined for this - Gow or Centro. I'm guessing Centro, since they actually own this translator that is currently operating in violation of several rules.
Because the translator isn't owned by Gow, it's not a fill-in and can extend beyond the 60.
But because the translator isn't owned by Gow, it can't receive any support from Gow. If he's paying Centro to lease the signal, that's something the FCC will eventually catch up on.
But because the translator isn't owned by Gow, it can't receive any support from Gow. If he's paying Centro to lease the signal, that's something the FCC will eventually catch up on.
True - but regardless of that, as a non-fill-in operating commercially, it MUST receive the signal being rebroadcast over the air.
KFNC-HD2 is not on the air. It hasn't been on the air the entire time this sports format has been on K231CN, and even if it has broadcast sporadically, it hasn't in a way that it would be receivable over the air at K231CN, which the text conversation N5TZQ posted, claiming it's from David Gow, confirms.
The K231CN program audio is very clear. It's definitely not a rebroadcast of KFNC-HD2 being picked up over the air.
How do you rebroadcast a signal that doesn't exist?
Here's a screenshot of the pertinent info from the FCC's translator page.
I'm guessing in Houston, nobody who matters has filed a complaint with the Commission.
And it's really not all that surprising. Most of the groups that own full-market FMs are leasing one or more HD channels out as translator chow.
If you're getting $6k monthly for each HD channel you lease to feed one of these things, you have a pretty strong incentive to stay quiet.
They might investigate, but someone is going to have to file a complaint first, and from previous results or lack thereof, I'm guessing it will need to be someone other than Roy Henderson.
I would respectfully disagree with your opinion on this. 97.5 can be heard at the site in question, and it appears to be within the necessary area. With HD-2 fired up, that may no longer be the case.
There's a difference between where a station can be "heard" and where the 60 dBu contour ends. This isn't a matter of opinion, it's math. K231CN extends the coverage of KFNC, which is not permissible for a fill-in translator.
KFNC can often be "heard" well west of Katy on I-10, but the FCC has a standard, which is the 60 dBu contour, and this arrangement does not meet it, so this scheme fails as a fill-in translator for KFNC.
It also fails as a non-fill-in commercial translator because the programming K231CN is broadcasting isn't being received over the air, because KFNC isn't broadcasting any HD Radio signal right now, and if it is putting out a few watts out of the HD exciter in Winnie, there is absolutely no way it would be receivable at the transmitter site for the translator.
I think it is highly unlikely that Centro would allow Gow to use K231CN with no compensation of any kind, so it seems very unlikely that they would even consider the non-fill-in translator option.
The only way Gow can make this legal is to rent an HD channel from a station like KODA. Unless they move the translator substantially east, there's no way to make this work as a fill-in with KFNC as the primary.
ThatVoice22
Banned
Excellent analysis by 2Speakers. I love the subject of this thread, "KFNC HD-2" = the mysterious station that does not exist, yet has an active translator that should not exist. Scott Fybush is right, the FCC can't keep up with reality.
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