KSKY

[radi0avenger]

I'm curious if anyone knows how many different FM frequencies they're on now? I can count at least 3. Is the "Mexican interference" really THAT bad? The majority of times I've scanned through the FM band and come across one of their translators, they're rarely ever working. Usually dead air. They don't show up in the FCC license search - and I realize they're all STAs, but I'd think they'd show up somewhere so that one could see how much of the FM band they're using. Does it REALLY increase their listenership *that* much to warrant all the extra expenses of leasing tower space, buying transmitters, etc etc etc? I would think if it's THAT important that their signal be throughout the FM band, they'd be a little more careful about making sure their signal was working 24/7 on ALL the translators.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[dfwrunner]

I'm curious if anyone knows how many different FM frequencies they're on now? I can count at least 3. Is the "Mexican interference" really THAT bad? The majority of times I've scanned through the FM band and come across one of their translators, they're rarely ever working. Usually dead air. They don't show up in the FCC license search - and I realize they're all STAs, but I'd think they'd show up somewhere so that one could see how much of the FM band they're using. Does it REALLY increase their listenership *that* much to warrant all the extra expenses of leasing tower space, buying transmitters, etc etc etc? I would think if it's THAT important that their signal be throughout the FM band, they'd be a little more careful about making sure their signal was working 24/7 on ALL the translators.

Just my 2 cents.

No, it is a stunt, an annoying one that causes fm interference with my listening/dxing. If you're in a car and you drive any distance at all, they're so underpowered that the translaters fade in and out really bad as you drive. Much easier just to listen on AM. The AM interference isn't bad enough to cause me to put up with the too weak FM signals (not that I listen that much to KSKY anyway)...too many lunatics on there.

 

[radi0avenger]

It's not a stunt - they're perfectly legal under whatever kind of STAs they have. And I don't listen to them either, other than scanning the FM band and coming across their non-working translators. I guess that doesn't really count for listening, does it?

 

[C414B]

It's not a stunt - they're perfectly legal under whatever kind of STAs they have. And I don't listen to them either, other than scanning the FM band and coming across their non-working translators. I guess that doesn't really count for listening, does it?

Heeeeeey.......I know that name.

Been wondering where you were hiding. ;-)

 

[BigB68]

It's not a stunt - they're perfectly legal under whatever kind of STAs they have. And I don't listen to them either, other than scanning the FM band and coming across their non-working translators. I guess that doesn't really count for listening, does it?

Welcome back avenger. Nice to see you on here again!

 

[dfwrunner]

It's not a stunt - they're perfectly legal under whatever kind of STAs they have. And I don't listen to them either, other than scanning the FM band and coming across their non-working translators. I guess that doesn't really count for listening, does it?

Its a stunt in that it does absolutely nothing to solve the reception problem except for 3 people within 50 feet of the translators. All it really does is cause unnecessary interference on the FM dial. I yelled and screamed about the one on 92.1 in arlington because I'm in arlington and listen to KTFW. It was eventually turned off...hope I helped get it pulled.

 

[jd]

I'm curious if anyone knows how many different FM frequencies they're on now? I can count at least 3.

The three are 92.9 Dallas (800 watts), 95.5 Arlington and 99.9 Fort Worth (both 140 watts). I can't say if dfwrunner's complaints had anything to do with it, but KSKY did acknowledge interference to KTFW in one of their applications. As a result the one in Arlington was moved off 92.1 and in turn the Fort Worth station was re-located from 95.5 to 99.9. Incidentally, the reason they don't show up in the usual places in the FCC database is because they're referred to as "Emergency FM Repeater Stations."

Is the "Mexican interference" really THAT bad?

No, I don't think so. When it's on, the Dallas FM has pretty good coverage. By feigning an "emergency" they've got themselves onto FM when, all things considered, the AM has a fairly decent nighttime signal over much of D/FW. KSKY should be thankful they even got nighttime authorization in the first place.

 

[radi0avenger]

Kudos to you, dfwrunner, if that's why they shut it down JD, do you know what the "rules" are regarding these type translators? how much power/height/etc they're allowed, and how long they're allowed to stay up? I can't say as I ever listen to KSKY on AM, but I can't imagine interference bad enough to make it worth their money to put all those up and maintain them. What about ratings? do the arbitron guys differentiate between someone listening to ksky on FM vs AM? If so, do they even show up in the ratings on FM? I understand they're "emergency" translators, but i'd think they'd show up SOMEWHERE in the database - as far as transmitter location/power/etc etc.

Thanks for the welcome, guys I've been lurking in the shadows for a while.

 

[LibertyNT]

92.9 Comes in Alright up here in McKinney. Pretty good for only 200 watts.

 

[jd]

Pretty good for only 200 watts.

Like I said previously, they run 800 watts ERP. That's considerably more than the maximum for a translator (250 watts), but it's not considered to be a translator. As an "emergency FM repeater" it seems like the FCC made this one up as they went along, accepting the application in the first place then agreeing to approve it at whatever power level KSKY requested.

 

[LibertyNT]

Pretty good for only 200 watts.

Like I said previously, they run 800 watts ERP. That's considerably more than the maximum for a translator (250 watts), but it's not considered to be a translator. As an "emergency FM repeater" it seems like the FCC made this one up as they went along, accepting the application in the first place then agreeing to approve it at whatever power level KSKY requested.

This makes me remember about a thread long about considering hte possibilities of a 92.9 moving into Dallas. Seems like this has answered it!

 

[C414B]

Pretty good for only 200 watts.

... but it's not considered to be a translator. As an "emergency FM repeater" ...

Interesting. Does it have a translator-style callsign or did they make that up, too?

 

[jd]

At last report, there are no call letters on record for any of the translators.

 

[C414B]

At last report, there are no call letters on record for any of the translators.

So if I'm "hearing" you right, these translators are both illegal and FCC approved?

 

[dfwrunner]

At last report, there are no call letters on record for any of the translators.

So if I'm "hearing" you right, these translators are both illegal and FCC approved?

No, they're special "emergency" translators, similar to those authorized in the event of a catastrophe. Mexican radio stations jamming KSKY is an end-of-the-world emergency.

 

[fybush]

At last report, there are no call letters on record for any of the translators.

So if I'm "hearing" you right, these translators are both illegal and FCC approved?

They are not illegal, and they are FCC-approved - but not as separately-licensed services. They were authorized under Special Temporary Authority attached to the main KSKY 660 license, and have no separate facility numbers or call letters. There is some precedent for this; the station on 1160 in Nashville, for instance, has long had a nighttime-only FM transmitter attached to it to overcome alleged Cuban interference.

 

[txchipk]

At last report, there are no call letters on record for any of the translators.

So if I'm "hearing" you right, these translators are both illegal and FCC approved?

They are not illegal, and they are FCC-approved - but not as separately-licensed services. They were authorized under Special Temporary Authority attached to the main KSKY 660 license, and have no separate facility numbers or call letters. There is some precedent for this; the station on 1160 in Nashville, for instance, has long had a nighttime-only FM transmitter attached to it to overcome alleged Cuban interference.

WJNT 1180 Jackson MS as well has had one for a very long time for the same reason

Of course, AMs can now have FM translators (even 24 hour ones for daytimer AMs) as KGGR 1040 Dallas now has with 102.5.

 

[jd]

At last report, there are no call letters on record for any of the translators.

Well, I made the same mistake myself about these stations. So excuse me, "...Emergency FM Repeaters."

As I recall, the FM transmitter for the station in Tennessee (WCRT-FM1 Donelson) was the first such station to be authorized, back in 1990. It runs 75 watts, but the second one, WJNT-FM1 (authorized in 1999) operates with power well above the maximum for a translator, running 500 watts ERP. Both of them are classified as "FM booster" stations, which they technically aren't since they're not rebroadcasting a co-channel FM.

Obviously the FCC hasn't bothered to come up with an "emergency" designation in their station listings, nor have they assigned the call letters "KSKY-FM1, 2 or 3," at least not yet.