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NEW STATION FOR SALT SPRING ISLAND

D

Dan Sys

CFSI 107.9 in Salt Spring Island signed on the air yesterday with 330 watts average ERP (970 watts maximum ERP) in a test mode. While I imagine slop from KNDD 107.7 in Seattle will play havoc with their signal in most parts of the Puget Sound, maybe you DX’ers in Whatcom & Skagit counties can give it a shot. The format will be a real mixed bag, kind of like a community station.....but commercial. CFSI is interested in receiving reception reports at [email protected] or phone (250) 931-1079.
http://www.recnet.com/cdbs/fmq.php?canfm=CFSI-FM(1)&jaws=0
 
West Whatcom, maybe. They have a flat null to the south, protecting another community station in Victoria on co-channel. And they are running on one bay only it appears, though ultimately will have 3 bays? For now, it also appears they are horizontal only- which I guess would be fine out in the Georgia Straight, but I wonder how it is going to do on the island itself. The island is 3 big upended plates, and the tower is on top on one of them. How does one get a horizontal signal down into those deep gullies?

Hope they do well. SSI is a fascinating place, lots of retirement money and yanks out there, great arts community, active local organic movement, good restaurants, etc. Bet most of the local listening will be via cable FM or broadband- both are well served on the island.
 
I thought Vancouver also had a station on 107.9 - licensed to a technical college, I think, that came on the air a year or two ago (but might not still be operating?). Last time I heard them it was an automated AAA/alternative format with occasional messages about the school. Not as high power as the rest, but not bad coverage in the populated areas. Interesting to see how they interfere if the Vancouver stations is still operating.

I was able to pick up the new Coast FM on 104.1 fairly well at Lake Baker (northeast of Sedro-Wolley) last weekend, and in a few places I tried where the high wattage 104.3 KAFE signal didn't spill over. Even heard Coast FM eeking into Lynnwood (near Seattle) along the coastal area where the Canadian stations start to come in better than some of the multipathed Seattle ones, due to the slope facing west northwest.

Will let you all know if Salt Spring's station makes it to the "Edmonds Bowl." Gotta get to that famous island sometime this summer for the Saturday market. Suggestions on a pet-friendly cabin or B&B there, anyone?

Even the new low power station from Sequim is making it across the water on 91.5 into the coastal Vancouver suburbs, and, in the car, around Bellingham and Mt Vernon. I enjoyed hearing the rare oldies and standards very much.

Dial's getting crowded, but there are some interesting stations to try to listen to (my favorite is probably 88.9 from Victoria - Espace Musique and, oui, je entends un peu le francais.) Wish CKMO AM900 could spruce up their signal so that it would make it more than a mile inland on the American side. Sounds like the grounding system and maybe the transmitter are all getting old, maybe?

Any recommendations from you gentle readers for a good portable FM receiver capable of picking up these distant signals and separating adjacent channel signals? I need a new portable - preferably also with FM HD and, better yet, internet radio capabilities, that includes a decent antenna and capability to pull in the Canadian stations with some signal getting into Seattle. What are you all listening on?
 
THe vancouver area station is still on the air. It's in the suburb of Burnaby and runs 12 watts. While that doesn't sound like much it apparently really gets out. It's shady in areas where the signal is blocked by buildings but it makes it into the fraser valley quite well.

It does have jocks during the scho0l year and runs and alternative format.
 
Yes, 107.9 is getting to be quite the crowded frequency in southwestern B.C.
CFSI Salt Spring Island (970 watts)
CILS Victoria (250 watts) (French)
CFML Burnaby (12 watts) (Evolution 107.9)
CFML is actually an “assumed” set of calls, the assigned call letters according to the Industry Canada database are VF2448. Regardless, it blows us radio freaks away at how well those measily 12 watts get out. They blanket the entire Lower Mainland and as Mimo mentioned can even be heard loud & clear in parts of the Fraser Valley up to 50 miles away. The tower is located on the roof of a high-rise in the Metrotown area of Burnaby (one of the highest points elevation wise in the region). Everyone thought CFSI would knock them off the air, but at this point that scenario hasn’t happened.
 
It's crowded all over the FM dial here.

The new CFSI doesn't have much of a punch in Whatcom, even on a good hilltop. I do hear them (or maybe one of the Vancouver 107.9s) trying to come in on Bellingham hilltops.....

CHHR however comes in surprisingly good in Mount Vernon, tolerable in Everett and noticable as far south as the Snohomish/King County line. I was listening today as I was driving down to Ballard and back. Not so good in Bellingham under the full blast of 104.3.

KSQM (the Sequim station on 91,5) pops up pretty good in Anacortes. but is prone to interference from CJZN 91.3 and KSVR/KZAZ on 91.7 on most other radios besides my car's radio. They should really consider a translator for Anacortes - don't know what frequency they'll put it on. Anacortes NEEDS a standards/oldies station to replace KLKI (I hear that a LOT from the old folks there who still complain about KWLE.)

It's getting as bad as Bellingham in congestion on the FM dial in most of Skagit County and people are already using Seattle frequencies for their pirates, iPod transmitters, etc. Heard one on 93.3 in downtown Mount Vernon on I-5 the other night running classical music. Wasn't much, my radio scanned it just as I was coming a half mile towards the Kincaid St. exit south and it disappeared back into KUBE's gangsta mish-mash at the northern edge of the downtown Mount Vernon area.

Anyone hear of KSVU, the new Skagit Valley College station coming to Hamilton sometime this year on 90.1? They say it's not going to be a simulcast of KSVR, but more of an independently programmed community station for the Upper Skagit....
 
No signal to report from 107.9 along the waterfront in Edmonds. There's a little audio of Sequim's 91.5, tho, in areas near the water, but it doesn't last more than a few blocks inland, and the adjacent signals do batter it pretty badly. Perhaps digital FM will some day give us access to distant signals without all the trouble?

I'm still waiting for someone to come up with a way for satellite radio to be opened up as a new licensed band, where both free signals and scrambled subscriber-based signals all co-exist using the same technology. It would bring us the programming of conglomorates with a centralized signal, more attention to a new band to replace the interference and audio smush on shortwave and AM, and give some minority and specialized formats a possible national audience where a local signal might not be feasible. Anyhow, it requires some new rules and leadership from the FCC on this front, but any one else on these boards see more benefits than liabilities to this? Depending on how things are allocated, rather than auctioned, everyone could benefit from this, as long as receivers are mandated with the new band, just like when FM was coming of age.
 
KSQM 91.5 in Sequim puts out a pretty decent signal north of the border too. Surprising considering they are only 700 watts with the much more powerful CJZN (3,500 watts) being adjacent to them at 91.3. Real interesting music mix on KSQM.
 
KSQM does surprisingly well right in Victoria, even with intermittent adjacency splatter from local station CJZN. In listening on my car radio there is about 50% of the terrain where the signal comes in clear. And their format is ideal for the heavily-senior population of BC's capital.

Talk about dedication, there is one volunteer (Bob Massey) who has signed up for the 9am to Noon shift seven days a week!
More hours on KSQM are live-staffed than most commercial stations these days!
 
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