Oldies 97.7 Lubbock

[purpledevil]

Translators are required to pick up the audio "off the air" when its a commercial translator being used by a non-commercial station to extend its range,,they can do that, put a translator outside of its 60 dBu, but they do have to pick it up off the air,,one was fined in the last month or two in Texas that was feeding such a translator by internet.

It was 95.1 in Angleton, a translator for the Radio Aleluya group here in the Houston area.

 

[Chuck]

Chuck, I'm talking about a non-fill in translator in the commercial band that the primary is a non-commercial,,they have to pick up off air (but with a directional antenna at 75' or so its amazing the quality of signal you can get.

That is correct. The translator rules are very similar to Swiss Cheese. With some of today's amazing receivers like the BW Broadcast RBRX-1, or even the Sony XRDHF-1, you can get amazing results relaying distant signals. But when the "skip" rolls in, all bets are off.

 

[SomeRadioGuy]

Why does the FCC have so many rules about feeding translators off-air? I would just think that relaying the audio of the main station would be enough.

Because they don't want commercial stations to build networks of translators far from the originating station.

The rules really aren't that confusing. Chuck, DG and I have mentioned that "fill-in" translators may be fed by any means excluding satellite. A "fill-in" translator has its entire signal contour within the service contour of the main station. FM translators that relay AM stations may be fed by any means, too, and are restricted to 25 miles from the transmitter and within the 2 mV/m contour.

Non-fill in translators at and above 92.1 must pick up the signal it relays over-the-air unless it gets a waiver. The FCC doesn't usually grant waivers unless the area the translator serves is unserved. There are a few of these in Alaska, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah and Nevada, but they're slowly disappearing as more stations get dropped in and more stations upgrade their coverage. I believe those translators operating under a waiver can be grandfathered in for at least some time.

Both fill-in and non-fill in translators below 92.1 may be fed by any means so long as they are owned by the licensee of the primary station, which is required to be non-commercial.

I was told even if the translator is in the non comm band and the originating signal is a non comm signal in the commercial band, it still must be an off air pick up

 

[andydallas]

a non-commercial translator being feed by a non-commercial primary can be feed by any means,,, and if you want to take it farther, you can feed a non-commercial translator by satelite (from a non-comm), then use that signal to feed a commercial translator (which is done all the time)

now when you put the "non-comm signal in the commercial band" that could change things, that's one I haven't run into,,

 

[Kent]

I was told even if the translator is in the non comm band and the originating signal is a non comm signal in the commercial band, it still must be an off air pick up

I don't believe this is correct. I know Family Radio used satellite to feed a lot of non-commercial band FM translators, and it was using KEAR when it was still on 106.9 for most of them. It switched them to its Sacramento FM once it made the deal to unload 106.9. One thing, and maybe the only thing, Family Radio did completely by the book was engineering. Harold Camping was an engineer before he became a preacher, and it was still a passion of his. So, I'd be surprised if he was feeding those translators illegally for decades with 106.9.

Now, I wouldn't be surprised if a non-comm in the commercial band had to officially be designated as a non-comm, rather than a commercial station operating as a non-comm, in order to feed translators via satellite. Family Radio converted several of its commercial band big market FM's to commercial status a few years ago in order to shop them around, though none of them ever changed the way they operated.