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Planet to move to the Magic stick?

Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

So it's directional and not just directional, but directional over Spartanburg? Not more signal over Charlotte, but slightly less... since it is more to the west. Didn't WTPT work on their signal for major improvements three or four years ago? I honestly don't know why they would do this? It looks like a waste of money. There must be a property (land) issue or something else (possible move-in?) not posted here? This is a major investment for almost no gain at all. I would keep the current facilities. Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson and Asheville-Brevard are both well served by the present facilities. They have excellent signal in two markets that are very hard to serve.<P ID="signature">______________
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.winstonsalemskyscrapers.com>http://www.winstonsalemskyscrapers.com</a></P>
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

> So it's directional and not just directional, but
> directional over Spartanburg? Not more signal over
> Charlotte, but slightly less... since it is more to the
> west. Didn't WTPT work on their signal for major
> improvements three or four years ago? I honestly don't know
> why they would do this? It looks like a waste of money.
> There must be a property (land) issue or something else
> (possible move-in?) not posted here? This is a major
> investment for almost no gain at all. I would keep the
> current facilities. Greenville-Spartanburg-Anderson and
> Asheville-Brevard are both well served by the present
> facilities. They have excellent signal in two markets that
> are very hard to serve.
>

Whatever work was done 3-4 years ago didn't seem to help. Up until very recently, the sound quality was poor, and there seemed to be STL to xmtr issues all the time.

I'm going to presume since the proposed tower is smack next to Entercom O&O 98.9, they already own that particular parcel of land. Also, as I understand it, 93.3 current STL arrangement is via satellite? If that's the case, that could be quite pricey.

This move would place more signal directly into the Upstate, for overall less cost, I'd imagine. I know 98.9 has a translator in downtown Asheville...93.3 may need one as well, I guess. As far as the directionality of the signal, It seems to me the proposal would place more signal into Charlotte, as opposed to the current arrangement.

G
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

Current tower location is in Polk County, NC...right? If so, this is where the Trapps moved it in the late 80s, back when the studios were in Forest City and the calls were WBBO. Ahh, remember the short-lived "Breeze" days....

Eric
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

> Current tower location is in Polk County, NC...right? If so,
> this is where the Trapps moved it in the late 80s, back when
> the studios were in Forest City and the calls were WBBO.
> Ahh, remember the short-lived "Breeze" days....
>
> Eric
>
I've been told it was moved a second time on the present mountain site. First time, RF exposure issues with a forest fire tower.

Part of 93.3's signal problem in Greenville is it and 93.7 are severely short spaced. I have been told this is especially an issue on radio receivers not in a cars.

Also, they have just a small null toward 93.5 at Columbia. Signal over Greenville-Spartanburg and points north and east...just as good as 98.9.
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

> Also, they have just a small null toward 93.5 at Columbia.
> Signal over Greenville-Spartanburg and points north and
> east...just as good as 98.9.


I haven't tried lately, but they used to get almost all the way to Columbia until 93.5 tore 'em up.

Powell
<P ID="signature">______________
NNNN</P>
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

> > Also, they have just a small null toward 93.5 at Columbia.
>
> > Signal over Greenville-Spartanburg and points north and
> > east...just as good as 98.9.
>
>
> I haven't tried lately, but they used to get almost all the
> way to Columbia until 93.5 tore 'em up.
>
> Powell
>

Oh yeah, I'd carry 93.3 to the Broad River Rd. exit (where I-26 grows from 4 to 6 lanes). Kinda stinks that soon, 93.3 won't carry to that point, as I'm up & down 26 a lot.

But, this does appear to be good news for deeper penetration into Charlotte & Georgia.

And yes, 93.3 & 93.7 battle it out on my clock radio.

G
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

Am I missing something? I have looked at both the current and proposed 60dBu contours until my eyes went fuzzy, and I just don't see how on earth the move would give them better Charlotte coverage. In fact, it looks like the proposed move would move the 60dBu contour at least 15 miles further AWAY from the Charlotte market...

Are my eyes that bad?
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

Yes, that is what I was saying! I don't think the Charlotte coverage will improve from this. It will be slightly less. Unless you see something on a Longley-Rice that would give better signal to Charlotte, I think they will get less from this and Georgia will get slightly more signal. It's not a huge move, but it's a move slightly west from their present facilities.

So it's an STL problem? I thought it had to something other than signal issues. I've been through that area so many times and never had any problems listening to WTPT. I've noticed in WNC, 93.7 is non-existant in many locations. 93.3 seems to have excellent signal in that direction. I've also thought Magic had good signal into Asheville. It must be the north side of Asheville that is so hard to reach?<P ID="signature">______________
<a target="_blank" href=http://www.winstonsalemskyscrapers.com>http://www.winstonsalemskyscrapers.com</a></P>
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

> Am I missing something? I have looked at both the current
> and proposed 60dBu contours until my eyes went fuzzy, and I
> just don't see how on earth the move would give them better
> Charlotte coverage. In fact, it looks like the proposed move
> would move the 60dBu contour at least 15 miles further AWAY
> from the Charlotte market...
>
> Are my eyes that bad?
>

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=352117

No, apparently mine are. Ick. New coverage area looks kinda bad to me.

G
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

Does anybody know whether they own or lease the current tower? If they currently lease and they are moving to an owned tower, then that makes sense financially in the long term. It could also be that they are losing their lease, or the owners of the tower are putting the screws to Entercom in renegotiations. Does anybody know the scoop?

This move could quite possibly be spurred by financial or leasehold issues rather than signal improvement motivations. But, I'm not entirely sure.
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

> I haven't tried lately, but they used to get almost all the
> way to Columbia until 93.5 tore 'em up.
>
> Powell
>

Also, at one time (during the "Power 93" era), you could pick them up again once you're past Columbia on the way to Charleston, until your near St. Matthews where it's starts fighting with WWWZ.

Robyn <P ID="signature">______________
"They say you better listen to the voice of reason. But they don't give you any choice 'cause they think it's treason." Elvis Costello "Radio Radio"</P>
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

> Does anybody know whether they own or lease the current
> tower?

Speaking from foggy memory as a former c.e. of the station who left the market, I -think- when C.C. spun off 93.3 (and me) to Barnstable, they kept ownership of the tower itself & we had to pay rent. That's been 5 or 6 years, so things may have changed. The planet's tower site was high maintenance, being up on a mountain in a less than desirable building with no hvac. We were there a LOT doing maintenance. When Barnstable moved the studios after I left, I heard they put in a what turned out to be a problematic t-1 for the stl. It would be a win-win for Entercom to colo 93.3 with 98.9 and have all the hardware inside that nice building on top of Hogback. The stl is already there, the backup power is excellent, and I betcha some of the issues 93.3 has with Paris Mtn causing signal shadowing down towards Anderson/Clemson will be fixed with the move. I do miss the -real- Gregg Labs Black Box processor I used at 93.3. It was taken out after I left for a optimod 8200 crunch-a-matic.
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

CJ,

Blake Lanford here, just wanted to reply to your post here...

This is just for the record. Planets issues when I took over as CE for the station 6 years ago, were due to lack of maintenance. If you want I'll list everything that had to be repaired and/or rewired. To put it mildly, it took me 3 months just to clean up the site (of trash), just so I could work on the transmitters.

Yes the first year after we moved the studios, the planet and rock 101 were on T1 lines (bad idea), we had no choice due to the fact no one planned for a tower at the new location (wonder who was the CE at that time?)...Still was alot better than dead air every day due to fade on the digital STL link, again who set that up?

The Gregg labs unit was replaced by an Orban 8400. The Black box was great, but its time had come...

If you want me to elaborate more on the WTPT transmitter issues let me know, I'll be glad to fill you in.

Once again just want to set the record straight. Maybe your memory is abit more "foggy" than you thought...
 
Re: Correction: Planet to move NEXT to the Magic stick?

This stinks...alot of folks listen to the Planet in Charlotte and Gastonia. They are the only real rock station we can get here. I know many people who will listen to it even with the interference from the awful BBN station on 93.5. I beleive they even show up in the Charlotte book...The End 106.5 just doesn't cut it and they will probably flip someday anyway.(Espanol rumors). We haven't had a real good rock station since WXRC!

> > Am I missing something? I have looked at both the current
> > and proposed 60dBu contours until my eyes went fuzzy, and
> I
> > just don't see how on earth the move would give them
> better
> > Charlotte coverage. In fact, it looks like the proposed
> move
> > would move the 60dBu contour at least 15 miles further
> AWAY
> > from the Charlotte market...
> >
> > Are my eyes that bad?
> >
>
http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/> prod/cdbs/forms/prod/getattachment_exh.cgi?exhibit_id=352117
>
>
> No, apparently mine are. Ick. New coverage area looks
> kinda bad to me.
>
> G
>
 
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