KPTZ Port Townsend heard in Downtown Seattle

[valvashon]

Thought this was interesting- yesterday I was presetting one of our satellite trucks in downtown Seattle in the parking lot at 2nd and Stewart (next to the Bon Marche [Macy's]) parking garage. Had to sit with it until I was relieved, so I was scanning around on the radio in the cab. Nothing special, just a Pioneer Supertuner III and a stubby antenna on top of the cab.

Heard something interesting on 91.9 for a change instead of the usual religious dreck from CSN I think. Turns out it was KPTZ playing classic country and coming in very strong, full stereo such as it was from the music and no background noise. This was between about 9am and 10am. Was going to call them but they never gave out a number and I was sans internet. CBC-2 on 92.1 was coming in also, but not nearly as well. Would this be a regular thing or was it maybe atmospheric? Seems a little early for that and most tropo allows for very long distance reception, not up the road a bit reception, correct?

Any thoughts on why this occurred? Their current 60 dBu service contour gives little indication that they'd be heard in downtown.

Val

 

[Mike Brewer]

Someone turned the transmitter to 12? ???

Seriously...probably was e-skip. The DXers will weigh in on this soon.

 

[multiplex]

Not e-skip. Minimum e-skip under very unusual conditions is usually around 500 miles.
First of all, it's possible that Calvary Chapel's 91.9 was off at that time yesterday, allowing you a rare chance to get something else on 91.9.
Conditions could have favored KPTZ (in the past I've thought I've received it in the U District but never verified it.)
Some locations just have a better shot at particular signals. For example, out near Malibu there's about a two-mile stretch of road where Oxnard/Ventura/Santa Barbara radio is nonexistent, but San Diego is in at full strength.
High pressure and fog can also enhance reception.
My guess is that conditions were favorable and that it won't happen often. But I'd take another drive to that spot and see if Port Townsend reception is enhanced.
Of course if Calvary was off yesterday and is on when you revisit the site, it will probably keep you from hearing KPTZ again. Wish I'd checked around that time; I'd like to snag that one.

 

[Goldilocks94941]

KPTZ often surprises me whe I get itchy and try to find something different on the dial in the North Seattle/Edmonds area. It comes in reasonably well here, until the CSN thing interferes a mile or two inland. The coastal area along Puget Sound, and the hill just about the coastal "bowl" are probably aimed right toward Pt Townsend, if you're driving in the right direction. The new Adventist station on 91.1 really comes in down here, too.

I think in you're in a car or truck facing north in the low coastal land in downtown Seattle, or a few blocks uphill, if not blocked by tall buildings, that you will get just as good a shot at the two relatively new Pt Townsend stations as in Edmonds. It's the geography that makes signals reach out further along the waterfront than you could expect inland.

 

[FMSteve]

KPTZ received a construction permit about 30 days ago to change ERP from 900 watts to 2,200 watts.

http://transition.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?list=0&facid=172517

 

[boombox]

Also there was a bit of FM tropo forecast for today, that may have been part of the reason the station was received.

 

[Bongwater]

....and Puget Sound itself is a natural signal amplifier.....

 

[crainbebo]

....and Puget Sound itself is a natural signal amplifier.....

The answer to why Victoria, Vancouver and NW WA stations, as well as Olympia and sometimes Washington Coast stations come in like locals along towns like Edmonds, Mukilteo, and Shoreline.

-crainbebo

 

[Navion]

Yup, We did it May 15th at noon. Went from 900W EIRP to 2200W EIRP on the same 2 bay directional antenna at the same location. I sat at home listening and on cue from the station's directors talking on the radio I dialed in the new power level on my laptop at the kitchen table.

I did make up a "Virtual QSL" card and I'll email one to anyone who sends me an email to [email protected].

That Christian translator on 91.9 is suppose to be ~3W on Tiger Mtn. As strong as it is over here I sometimes wonder if it's really running 3W. Also I've spoken to people who work on Tiger who say they don't here them. Makes me wonder if it's been moved. On the other hand I've worked some really long distances on some pretty low power levels from high places.

Hope all the new listeners are enjoying our eclectic mix of locally produced programming. Like the weather here, if you don't like it wait and hour and see what you get.

Thanks for all the reports.

Bill Putney - Chief Engineer KPTZ 91.9 Port Townsend

 

[multiplex]

Bill:
The 91.9 translator has had two significant periods of downtime this month.
They were off for most of May 4, on briefly, then off again from May 5-14.
They were also off on the 20th and much of the 21st, (possibly longer than that, I don't recall.)
So if you asked people about it during those time periods, it would be understandable if no station was heard.
I wish they'd go away altogether. I hear CSN on 89.1, occasionally on 105.7, and 24/7 on 107.3 and 91.9.
No one needs that many frequencies.

 

[crainbebo]

Rick, add 88.9. Enumclaw CSN as well. Plus 88.7 Aberdeen and many synchronizing xlators on 89.1.

I was in Downtown Seattle today. Had KROH fairly well at times, and snippets of Rock 101 Vancouver, but there are areas where reception is horrendous! One area around Mercer Street had EVERY FM STATION fading into static except for KXXO and KOMO. Plus another area near 1st Ave. What's the problem? Concrete buildings? I never noticed this in Bellevue, also full of skyscrapers. No tunnels where I was riding thru.

-crainbebo

 

[Bongwater]

Rick, add 88.9. Enumclaw CSN as well. Plus 88.7 Aberdeen and many synchronizing xlators on 89.1.

I was in Downtown Seattle today. Had KROH fairly well at times, and snippets of Rock 101 Vancouver, but there are areas where reception is horrendous! One area around Mercer Street had EVERY FM STATION fading into static except for KXXO and KOMO. Plus another area near 1st Ave. What's the problem? Concrete buildings? I never noticed this in Bellevue, also full of skyscrapers. No tunnels where I was riding thru.

-crainbebo

Everything breaks up around 1st Ave in downtown Seattle (KISM actually came in better than KZOK!) I think a lot of that is the concentration of skyscrapers downtown and the likely reason KHIT had a really bad signal east of the skyscrapers.

Also get really for a bigger signal on 88.9 from KPLK. They just got approval to crank it to 4,200 watts....

 

[valvashon]

Yup, We did it May 15th at noon. Went from 900W EIRP to 2200W EIRP on the same 2 bay directional antenna at the same location. I sat at home listening and on cue from the station's directors talking on the radio I dialed in the new power level on my laptop at the kitchen table.

I did make up a "Virtual QSL" card and I'll email one to anyone who sends me an email to [email protected].

That Christian translator on 91.9 is suppose to be ~3W on Tiger Mtn. As strong as it is over here I sometimes wonder if it's really running 3W. Also I've spoken to people who work on Tiger who say they don't here them. Makes me wonder if it's been moved. On the other hand I've worked some really long distances on some pretty low power levels from high places.

Hope all the new listeners are enjoying our eclectic mix of locally produced programming. Like the weather here, if you don't like it wait and hour and see what you get.

Thanks for all the reports.

Bill Putney - Chief Engineer KPTZ 91.9 Port Townsend

Looking at the 60 dBu service contour on fcc.gov, the transmitter location is shown as one of the Tiger peaks and they're not even supposed to be hitting the Eastgate area with this level of signal. I realize that stations can carry beyond the 60dbu contour, but they come in quite strong all the way through West Seattle to about the stadiums along highway 99 when KPTZ starts taking over (but with continued interference from K220HD).

I realize that these satellite fed religious translators may be owned and operated by many different organizations, but they have had a history of sloppy and unethical engineering practices. For example, the translator on 89.1 from Issaquah (K206CJ), when first put on the air, operated for many months with dead air while tuned to the frequency of 87.9; then it was tuned to 89.1 and operated again with months of dead air, then tuned to 89.15 and actually went live with programming. 89.15 you say? Yes, because this translator was picked up and relayed by another one along the Hood Canal and they were having trouble with interference (!) on 89.1 so they detuned slightly so as to allow their receiver at the Hood Canal site to stay locked. They eventually went back to 89.1, presumably finding another way to feed the Hood Canal site. I suspect this one also has a "heightened" power level as it also operates with 3 watts from the same site and also has just about the same 60 dBu contour as K220HD, but it blasts into Seattle in about the same way. Or, it might be another translator altogether- there's so many of them out there, and identification is skimpy at best.

See also the 91.5 translator licensed to Delphi in the Olympia area- on for months with dead air and triple the licensed power. There's a fairly recent thread on this here.

I have more respect for pirate operators than the engineers who put these religious translators up. I think it's more ethical to say "I'm just going to ignore all of the laws" than say you are going to follow them and then break them on purpose.

I think you have a valid case for asking the FCC to pay a visit to the Tiger Mt. site for a power level check. You're paying their salary, and it's their job to police this sort of thing.

Val

 

[crainbebo]

Rick, add 88.9. Enumclaw CSN as well. Plus 88.7 Aberdeen and many synchronizing xlators on 89.1.

I was in Downtown Seattle today. Had KROH fairly well at times, and snippets of Rock 101 Vancouver, but there are areas where reception is horrendous! One area around Mercer Street had EVERY FM STATION fading into static except for KXXO and KOMO. Plus another area near 1st Ave. What's the problem? Concrete buildings? I never noticed this in Bellevue, also full of skyscrapers. No tunnels where I was riding thru.

-crainbebo

Everything breaks up around 1st Ave in downtown Seattle (KISM actually came in better than KZOK!) I think a lot of that is the concentration of skyscrapers downtown and the likely reason KHIT had a really bad signal east of the skyscrapers.

Also get really for a bigger signal on 88.9 from KPLK. They just got approval to crank it to 4,200 watts....

That's HORRENDOUS! CBUX-FM1 just lost even more FM coverage. Their jazz is pretty good as well. Now we get to hear the same thing that is 400 khz up. And if you are in the right area, you'll hear KPLU three times in a row (88.5, 88.9, 89.3).

-crainbebo

 

[Bongwater]

Rick, add 88.9. Enumclaw CSN as well. Plus 88.7 Aberdeen and many synchronizing xlators on 89.1.

I was in Downtown Seattle today. Had KROH fairly well at times, and snippets of Rock 101 Vancouver, but there are areas where reception is horrendous! One area around Mercer Street had EVERY FM STATION fading into static except for KXXO and KOMO. Plus another area near 1st Ave. What's the problem? Concrete buildings? I never noticed this in Bellevue, also full of skyscrapers. No tunnels where I was riding thru.

-crainbebo

Everything breaks up around 1st Ave in downtown Seattle (KISM actually came in better than KZOK!) I think a lot of that is the concentration of skyscrapers downtown and the likely reason KHIT had a really bad signal east of the skyscrapers.

Also get really for a bigger signal on 88.9 from KPLK. They just got approval to crank it to 4,200 watts....

That's HORRENDOUS! CBUX-FM1 just lost even more FM coverage. Their jazz is pretty good as well. Now we get to hear the same thing that is 400 khz up. And if you are in the right area, you'll hear KPLU three times in a row (88.5, 88.9, 89.3).

-crainbebo

When KUGS is off the air, KVIX comes in perfectly in Bellingham. CBUX-FM1 here has had some interference since KPLK came on. A 4,200 watt signal is REALLY going to wreck it.