One Exit = Completely Different FM Radio Landscape

[GSP163]

Thinking about a recent post about the best FM signals in the Albany area, it got me thinking about how quickly the FM landscape changes between Exit’s 16 & 17 on the NYS Thruway….For about a span of about 10-15 miles so many stations that are listenable at Exit 16 are completely unlistenable or non-existent by Exit 17……Since the Thruway cuts through the mountains, they act as a nice sold block between the Hudson Valley stations and the NYC suburban stations…..Pretty much all the NYC stations make it to exit 16 and beyond but some start to encounter static in spots…..What’s also amazing is that stations from the Kingston area (WDST, WBPM, WKXP) can also be heard at Exit 16 and they are 40+ miles away…..I think the most drastic station change happens @ 92.7 just north of the Ramapo Rest Area where you can be listening to WRRV clearly and 5 miles south WQBU is listenable with little to no mixing of WRRV……I don’t think I know of any other area where the radio landscape changes so quickly…..Are there any other areas in the Hudson Valley/Albany area where changes like this happen so fast?

I made a list below of what can be hear at Exit 16 (16) & Exit 17 (17):

92.1–16-WRNQ/17–Static
92.3-16–WXRK/17–WXRK
92.7–16-WRRV/ 17-WQBU
92.9-16-WBPM/17-Static
93.1-16-WPAT/17-WPAT
93.3-16-WBWZ/17-Static
93.5-16-No Report (W228CG?)/17-WVIP
93.9-16-WNYC/17-WNYC
94.1-16-No Report (W231BP?)/17-Static
94.3-16-WKXP/17-Unlistenable Mess
94.7-16-WFME/17-WFME
95.1-16-WRKI (weak)/17-WRKI (weak)
95.5-16-WPLJ/17-WPLJ
95.9-16-No Report/17-Unlistenable Mess
96.1-16-WPKF/17-Static
96.3-16-WXNY/17-WXNY
96.7-16-WTSX?/17-WCTZ
96.9-16-WRRB/17-Static
97.1-16-WQHT/17-WQHT
97.3-16-WZAD/17-Static
97.5-16-No Report/17-WALK (weak)
97.7-16-WCZX/17-Static
97.9-16-WSKQ/17-WSKQ
98.3-16-No Report WSUL?/17-WKJY
98.7-16-WRKS/17-WRKS
98.9-16-No Report WGNY?/17-Static
99.1-16-No Report/17-WAWZ
99.3-16-WKIP/17-Static
99.5-16-WBAI/17-WBAI
99.7-16-WJUX/17-Static
99.9-16-No Report/17-WEZN (weak)
100.1-16-WDST/17-Static
100.3-16-WHTZ/17-WHTZ
100.7-16-WHUD/17-WHUD
101.1-16-WCBS/17-WCBS
101.5-16-WPDH/17-WKXW (weak)
101.9-16-WRXP/17-WRXP
102.3-16-WSUS/17-Unlistenable Mess
102.7-16-WWFS/17-WWFS
103.1-16-WJGK/17-W276AQ
103.5-16-WKTU/17-WKTU
103.7-16-WNNJ/17-Static
103.9-16-Static/17-WFAS
104.3-16-WAXQ/17-WAXQ
104.7-16-WSPK/17-WSPK
105.1-16-WWPR/17-WWPR
105.5-16-WDHA/17-WDBY (weak)
105.7-16-W289BE/17-Satic
105.9-16-WQXR (weak)/17-WQXR
106.3-16-No Report/17-WFAF
106.7-16-WLTW/17-WLTW
107.1-16-Static/17-WXPK
107.3-16-WRWD/17-Static
107.5-16-WBLS/17-WBLS
107.9-16-No Report/17-WEBE

 

[GSP163]

My bad I meant between Exit's 15-16 NOT 16-17....Change all the 17's to 15's as 17 is Newburgh & 15 is Suffern/Sloatsburg (BIG difference).....guess I should have checked a map before I posted :

 

[fybush]

One of the most dramatic differences is on 99.3 - in my car, WKIP-FM is solidly usable coming south right to the Sloatsburg service area. Five miles later at my cousins' place off the Airmont exit, it doesn't exist at all.

 

[danikayser84]

100.3 WKBE is quite impressive, I've picked it up some 90-100 miles away I believe (although by then WHTZ starts to mix in)

102.7 WEQX and 103.5 WQBJ are pretty good signals that rimshot Albany but put a fair signal over it, same with 90.3 WAMC (top of Mt. Greylock)... I believe the best in-market signals are definitely WMHT-FM 89.1, WQSH 105.7 (pretty good for a B1) and WPYX 106.5. WFLY doesn't go very far south due to WXRK, and WYJB and WRVE make it a bit further south than WFLY but there's still WPLJ and WBAI.

 

[HotelPaper]

Just being in the Newburgh area also can have big differences. Riding along route 300 (where all the shopping is) all the NYC FM stations come in crystal clear and the Poughkeepsie stations have tons of static.