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latest IBOC interference from Seattle

Always fun, watching you guys digest yourselves when a new signal hits.

Anyway (sigh)... here goes.

The owners of the respective businesses are exercising their legal rights under the FCC rules. Complaining on this forum accomplishes nothing. If you think the fringes of every station should be preserved for your DXing pleasure, you should take that up with the Commish.... though I suspect you know how that'll go.

The oldies days at KMAS were a lot of fun for those of us who travelled through their control room. Truth is though, their news format has attracted far more advertising for the 6 listeners (you say) they have than they were able to get with the music format.

The 104.1 translator started life at 104.9, located across from the Bangor sub base. Funky Monkey put a stop to that one, when the religious group that built it turned on its measly 3 watts. In several moves, it eventually landed in Shelton at 104.3. Believe it or not, the engineers made it work, in spite of its proximity to KMNT. KMNT took great offense to KMAS blowing them out of Olympia and promptly filed a complaint. That drove the fastest frequency change I've ever seen... to 104.1. Gee. You'd think they should have been happy, serving Centralia-Chehalis, huh?

104.1 hasn't been without its problems, either. Entercom wasn't too pleased with the fringe interference that the translator caused THEIR 50-watt translator in Olympia. An antenna move fixed that, but the end result was zero Olympia coverage, which would otherwise have been permitted under the AM-on-FM rules.

So explains 92.9 which, for now, addresses the problem. Complaining that KMAS should be happy with their 10kW AM is too convenient for you guys. You're all well aware what percentage of listeners bother with AM these days. I'm sure that 5 of their 6 listeners must be tuned to one of the FM signals, so there's been a substantial net gain for them! :)
 
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Grounded Grid said:
104.1 hasn't been without its problems, either. Entercom wasn't too pleased with the fringe interference that the translator caused THEIR 50-watt translator in Olympia. An antenna move fixed that, but the end result was zero Olympia coverage, which would otherwise have been permitted under the AM-on-FM rules.
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I see your point; that is understandable. However, why does KHTP need a translator on 104.1 in Olympia anyway? I wouldn't call the Seattle signals perfect in the Olympia area, but they work fine. If anything, there should be more concern about having a translator in a community that is at a loss for the main signal (i.e, Edmonds). Not to mention, lets bump up the number of people who even know that KHTP having a translator on 104.1 to 5 people.
 
fordranger797 said:
I see your point; that is understandable. However, why does KHTP need a translator on 104.1 in Olympia anyway? I wouldn't call the Seattle signals perfect in the Olympia area, but they work fine. If anything, there should be more concern about having a translator in a community that is at a loss for the main signal (i.e, Edmonds). Not to mention, lets bump up the number of people who even know that KHTP having a translator on 104.1 to 5 people.
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Well, you won't get an argument from me, as far as what I think their need might be. However, it's possible... even likely that I don't know why they put that translator there. It could be that a former transmitter or antenna site might not have been as good as their main site is now, and there might have been a hole in the Olympia area. Translator licenses don't just go away if you improve your main signal. Also, with the new attention being paid to translators by AM stations, they're now a lot more valuable than they once were. I doubt many stations would turn a translator license in, merely because they no longer needed it.

Generally speaking, a station will usually reach for the best bang they can get for their buck, because who knows what their future needs might be? I don't often see stations responsibly restrict their signal requests to only what they think they might need to cover a community... especially if higher power levels might be easily available.

The quick answer to your question (why?) might be no more complicated than, "they could, so they did".
 
Grounded Grid said:
The quick answer to your question (why?) might be no more complicated than, "they could, so they did".
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Very true. There was once a time where listening to distant radio signals (i.e, listening to a Portland station in Seattle or vise verse) was common, but now it really does not matter. The radio market is virtually identical in every metropolitan area, and chances are good that you have a local station with the same exact format.
 
Re: KHTP.
GG your assumption makes some sense. However, I really don't understand why they won't flip that translator to an hd-2 simulcast if the main signal didn't cover the area but now does. Same with the 103.3 in downtown Seattle. I am of the opinion that if many signals are rough in one particular area, they should all be allowed to fix their signals or none of them should get to have an improved signal, or at least attempt. An example I like to use and I did on Clearing the Static when I was on that program back in late July is KPLU. Yes the signal is pretty rough up by Mount Vernon, but all the Seattle signals are that way up there. KPLU should not get an 88.9 signal to improve its coverage in an already crowded dial when no other station has a repeater up there. I'm not sure I would be completely opposed to the Cougar stations having translators in downtown Everett, but couldn't tell you where to put them with the dial being so crowded. KUOW, with its tower on Queen Anne Hill, probably could use a number of translators, but that's due to a badly located tower, not an owner wanting to crowd out everyone else.
 
On the topic of translators, most translators really do not bother me. KHTP and KMAS are not affecting the coverage of KAFE by having a translator on 104.1 because KAFE's signal is mainly "fringe" by Seattle anyway. That being said, there are other translators around that ARE trampling upon other stations (such as 105.7 in Sedro Wolley or 100.3 in Lynwood).
 
crainbebo said:
Oh yuck! Why does KMAS need another translator when only 6 people listen to it anyways? Now if KMAS was still oldies with LIVE people, that's fine - but not as the 24/7 syndicated bird news talk.

-crainbebo
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Alex Jones will not be denied on FM! at night, static free!
 
For those of you interested in translators, KGHP in Gig Harbour is now using 105.7 as one of their signals (now that KLSY is on 93.7 from South Mountain). So, that once again accounts for three signals for one station.
 
fordranger797 said:
On the topic of translators, most translators really do not bother me. KHTP and KMAS are not affecting the coverage of KAFE by having a translator on 104.1 because KAFE's signal is mainly "fringe" by Seattle anyway. That being said, there are other translators around that ARE trampling upon other stations (such as 105.7 in Sedro Wolley or 100.3 in Lynwood).
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105.7 Sedro-Woolley isn't a translator, but a small Class A station. 100.3 Lynnwood is an LPFM.
 
That's not on the air yet is it? As far as translators I agree they most of the time don't bother me except for when you have a situation like 90.5 102.3 KACS, or KHTP's 103.3, which kills any shot at KKCW up here. Usually though they can't be heard anyway, but they don't need it.
 
bobdavcav said:
That's not on the air yet is it? As far as translators I agree they most of the time don't bother me except for when you have a situation like 90.5 102.3 KACS, or KHTP's 103.3, which kills any shot at KKCW up here. Usually though they can't be heard anyway, but they don't need it.
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Neither one is on the air yet
 
Translators are secondary service. If you have interference problems, complain to the originating station. Don't complain about mine though.
 
If not for the "very quiet" rule at the 73rd floor due to Metro Traffic, I'd probably bring an FM radio on the top of that skyscraper. Sure I could get Vancouver, Victoria and probably a few Portlands on that skyscraper. That's 1000 feet as it is. And my headphones are too dorky and big to take anywhere in public anyways...
 
fordranger797 said:
Don't worry, it will only come to that if you try to put on on the top of the Columbia Tower.
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For a while, a few FM translator licensees were "migrating" in increments, in a series of "minor changes" to get from point A to point B. The commission smartened up and this is something they're watching very closely now. No more hopping.

On the other hand, the proliferation of FM stations in Puget Sound (and other metro areas across the country) has made it difficult to find an available FM translator frequency anyway. Plus, the FM translator window over ten years ago pretty much filled up the available channels.
 
bossbill said:
For a while, a few FM translator licensees were "migrating" in increments, in a series of "minor changes" to get from point A to point B. The commission smartened up and this is something they're watching very closely now. No more hopping.

On the other hand, the proliferation of FM stations in Puget Sound (and other metro areas across the country) has made it difficult to find an available FM translator frequency anyway. Plus, the FM translator window over ten years ago pretty much filled up the available channels.
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Understandably so. Who knows, maybe some of these translators will disappear if more radio stations want to work their way into adjacent markets.
 
crainbebo said:
If not for the "very quiet" rule at the 73rd floor due to Metro Traffic, I'd probably bring an FM radio on the top of that skyscraper. Sure I could get Vancouver, Victoria and probably a few Portlands on that skyscraper. That's 1000 feet as it is. And my headphones are too dorky and big to take anywhere in public anyways...
Click to expand...

I'd like to see what happens when you get into your dx'ing mode!
 
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