M
Mike_O
Guest
Talked with a friend Tuesday and KIOL 103.7 never ran over 100kw at any time either during testing or afterwards. Cumulus runs by the book when it comes to all FCC matters and all of the Engineers at Cumulus work by the book. They seem to like to keep their licenses and stay employed.
Since KIOL and KFNC 97.5 were coming in louder and stronger than we had heard them in a while there was some speculation that maybe the stations were running more than the licensed 100kW. It was just that the tropo was coming from the east of Houston around Lake Charles and The Golden Triangle to the west, something we haven't had in a while. Usually KKMY 104.5 and Big Dog 106 KIOC 106.1 along with LA 99 before it moved where regulars almost every night and I hadn't heard them in some time. Had KKMY the other night, but not even Big Dog. CW says I'm not missing anything anymore. I used to like Big Dog 106.
Just as tropo ducting from the Coastal Bend of Texas is nothing unusual, the length and intensity of the tropo from especially the Corpus Christi area was much stronger than is normal and lasted for a much longer period of time than what is usually heard in Houston. I have lived in Houston since 1979 and I don't remember an opening of the intensity we were getting clobbered by, like KFTX 97.5 Kingsville and KOUL 103.7 Sinton. There were some nights and mornings where signals were coming from all directions, KVIL 103.7 Highland Park-Dallas and KOUL Sinton mixing with KIOL. I had XHRV from San Fernando, TAM one afternoon mixing with KIOL when I was on the west side driving around Gessner. KKHT-FM 100.7 had three other signals besides Salems preacher. All part of the fun of living on the Gulf of Mexico.
It can be a bitch, but it makes FM much more interesting than when I "grew up" in Niagara Falls where tropo ducting was very rare. Between very little tropo and the fact that the maximum power in that part of the country is the equivalent of our Class C2 stations of a Class B up north with 50kw at 150 meters. Canada did provide some better DX opportunities as they did run some stations with 100kW to about 300 meters. Niagara Falls wasn't as far away from Rochester as Houston is from the Dever's towers, but it was very rare to hear a Rochester station in Niagara Falls. There weren't nearly the stations on the air back then either. I going to try and make the best out of the tropo when it screws up Walton & Johnson for me in the morning.
While a great many of you already know this, here is a quick example of how RF works. It takes an enormous amount of power to extend your coverage. As an example, if I doubled RF power (say 10kW to 20kW), you would only gain a very small amount of additional fringe coverage. Doubling power does not double coverage. Doubling power, as an example, adds only 3db to the signal. The kind of increase you'd need to overcome ducting, etc is much more than 3db. The transmitters that Cumulus is using at their sites, while they have a small amount of headroom, can not even come close to adding 3db of signal.
Houston does have two full-time Engineers who maintain the Houston site as well as people who travel and do those sorts of things.
I would suggest that if you are in an area that you are having a difficult time receiving KIOL, that you call the KIOL comment line and leave a message, unfortunately I cleaned my desk and now I can find a friggin thing! so I don't have the new phone number to post. If you have it please leave it with a post. Thanks. Since there are two on site Engineers I'm sure they will get the word that a certain part of Houston is getting a poor signal.
I remember on the AM side that David Eduardo said to double your coverage, you have to quadruptle your power. So for KXYZ 1320 to double their coverage they would have to go from 5kW to 20kW, provided that there are no co-channel or 1st adjacents signals to limit the range of the signal.
Cumulus and the Director of Engineering believe the antenna and transmission system are performing as they are suppose to for KIOL. Coasting ducting can be a real pain in the ass some days, especially when there is something we really want to listen to. We all know this also affects the other rimshot stations like KQBU 93.3; KTJM 98.5; KQQK 107.9 and even 97.1 KTHT I guess, although I have to admit I have never heard a bad signal from Country Legends. CW has said that rimshot stations seem to do better north and south and KTHT doesn't have much that is going to interfer with it in a ducting pattern.
CW or Mediafrog I am sure both of you can answer this question. Is there just a general enhancement of FM signals without true tropo ducting? Example, some days all the signals that nearly circle Houston are stronger, the direction does not matter. I will get a much better signal on KIOX 96.9 El Campo; KEZB 105.3 Hempstead; KVST 99.7 Willis; all the Dever's signals; KXGJ 101.7 and KMKS 102.5 Bay City, etc.?
Mike O
Since KIOL and KFNC 97.5 were coming in louder and stronger than we had heard them in a while there was some speculation that maybe the stations were running more than the licensed 100kW. It was just that the tropo was coming from the east of Houston around Lake Charles and The Golden Triangle to the west, something we haven't had in a while. Usually KKMY 104.5 and Big Dog 106 KIOC 106.1 along with LA 99 before it moved where regulars almost every night and I hadn't heard them in some time. Had KKMY the other night, but not even Big Dog. CW says I'm not missing anything anymore. I used to like Big Dog 106.
Just as tropo ducting from the Coastal Bend of Texas is nothing unusual, the length and intensity of the tropo from especially the Corpus Christi area was much stronger than is normal and lasted for a much longer period of time than what is usually heard in Houston. I have lived in Houston since 1979 and I don't remember an opening of the intensity we were getting clobbered by, like KFTX 97.5 Kingsville and KOUL 103.7 Sinton. There were some nights and mornings where signals were coming from all directions, KVIL 103.7 Highland Park-Dallas and KOUL Sinton mixing with KIOL. I had XHRV from San Fernando, TAM one afternoon mixing with KIOL when I was on the west side driving around Gessner. KKHT-FM 100.7 had three other signals besides Salems preacher. All part of the fun of living on the Gulf of Mexico.
It can be a bitch, but it makes FM much more interesting than when I "grew up" in Niagara Falls where tropo ducting was very rare. Between very little tropo and the fact that the maximum power in that part of the country is the equivalent of our Class C2 stations of a Class B up north with 50kw at 150 meters. Canada did provide some better DX opportunities as they did run some stations with 100kW to about 300 meters. Niagara Falls wasn't as far away from Rochester as Houston is from the Dever's towers, but it was very rare to hear a Rochester station in Niagara Falls. There weren't nearly the stations on the air back then either. I going to try and make the best out of the tropo when it screws up Walton & Johnson for me in the morning.
While a great many of you already know this, here is a quick example of how RF works. It takes an enormous amount of power to extend your coverage. As an example, if I doubled RF power (say 10kW to 20kW), you would only gain a very small amount of additional fringe coverage. Doubling power does not double coverage. Doubling power, as an example, adds only 3db to the signal. The kind of increase you'd need to overcome ducting, etc is much more than 3db. The transmitters that Cumulus is using at their sites, while they have a small amount of headroom, can not even come close to adding 3db of signal.
Houston does have two full-time Engineers who maintain the Houston site as well as people who travel and do those sorts of things.
I would suggest that if you are in an area that you are having a difficult time receiving KIOL, that you call the KIOL comment line and leave a message, unfortunately I cleaned my desk and now I can find a friggin thing! so I don't have the new phone number to post. If you have it please leave it with a post. Thanks. Since there are two on site Engineers I'm sure they will get the word that a certain part of Houston is getting a poor signal.
I remember on the AM side that David Eduardo said to double your coverage, you have to quadruptle your power. So for KXYZ 1320 to double their coverage they would have to go from 5kW to 20kW, provided that there are no co-channel or 1st adjacents signals to limit the range of the signal.
Cumulus and the Director of Engineering believe the antenna and transmission system are performing as they are suppose to for KIOL. Coasting ducting can be a real pain in the ass some days, especially when there is something we really want to listen to. We all know this also affects the other rimshot stations like KQBU 93.3; KTJM 98.5; KQQK 107.9 and even 97.1 KTHT I guess, although I have to admit I have never heard a bad signal from Country Legends. CW has said that rimshot stations seem to do better north and south and KTHT doesn't have much that is going to interfer with it in a ducting pattern.
CW or Mediafrog I am sure both of you can answer this question. Is there just a general enhancement of FM signals without true tropo ducting? Example, some days all the signals that nearly circle Houston are stronger, the direction does not matter. I will get a much better signal on KIOX 96.9 El Campo; KEZB 105.3 Hempstead; KVST 99.7 Willis; all the Dever's signals; KXGJ 101.7 and KMKS 102.5 Bay City, etc.?
Mike O