SE Vancouver, WA Band Scan, 0017-0132 PDT (0717-0832 GMT) 2009 September 1

[Darth_vader]

So, here's my FM bandscan that I did really early this morning, after I got home from work. Here ya go.....

All stations that are NOT local are noted as such, citing their location.

Time/date: 0017-0132 PDT (0717-0832 GMT) 2009 September 1
Receiver: 197? Pioneer ST-1000; AFC turned off (it helps to do that)
Antenna: 30' of former lamp cord stretched up the corner of the room and
along the wall-ceiling joint, in a dipole-like fashion
Loction: SSE Vancouver, WA (1.5mi. N of Oregon border); Elevation ~150ft.
above river level (counting the apartment itself)
==========================================================================
 FRQ Ch. Description and call letters
 87.1 
  .3 
  .5 
  .75  formerly KOIN-TV audio channel
  .9 200 
 88.1 201 
  .3 202 KBVM-FM
  .5 203 
  .7 204 K-Love (KLVP-FM, I think)
  .9 205 
 89.1 206 KMHD-FM (Gresham, OR)
  .3 207
  .5 208 Calvary Chapel
  .7 209 
  .9 210 KQAC-FM
 90.1 211
  .3 212
  .5 213
  .7 214 KBOO-FM
  .9 215 
 91.1 216 Calvary Chapel
  .3 217 
  .5 218 KOPB-FM (Portland, OR) Oregon Public Broadcasting/NPR
  .7 219
  .9 220 Calvary Chapel
 92.1 221 
  .3 222 KGON-FM 
  .5 223
  .7 224 Air One translator
  .9 225 
 93.1 226 KRYP-FM "El Rey" (Mexican music)
  .3 227 
  .5 228 Way FM translator
  .7 229 
  .9 230 KPDQ-FM (still more God radio...)
 94.1 231 
  .3 232
  .5 233
  .7 234 KNRK-FM (Camas, WA)
  .9 235 
 95.1 236
  .3 237
  .5 238 KXTG-FM "The Game" (Sport)
  .7 239 
  .9 240 K-Love translator
 96.1 241 KXXO-FM Olympia, WA "Mixx 96.1"
  .3 242 yet another K-Love translator
  .5 243 
  .7 244
  .9 245
 97.1 246 KYCH-FM "Charlie's FM" (Format-less random blend)
  .3 247
  .5 248
  .7 249 KOMO-FM (Yes!! I really am receiving KOMO-FM all the way down here!
     As I write this Deanna Joy is doing a traffic report, going into
     someone named John Carlson on a teacher's strike in the Kent school
     district being "illegal". Reception staticky [as I would expect,
     being this far out of market] but still quite audible. 0025 PDT.)
  .9 250 
 98.1 251
  .3 252 KPPK-FM "The Peak" (80s/90s alternative) (Rainier, OR)
  .5 253
  .7 254 KUPL-FM (Country that's pitched-up so badly it's almost, but not
     quite, entirely unpleasant to listen to)
  .9 255 
 99.1 256
  .3 257
  .5 258 KWJJ-FM "The Wolf" (Country)
  .7 259 
  .9 260 KRKT-FM "Cricket Country!" (Eugene, OR) (barely audible, usually.
   Tonight is no exception.)
100.1 261 
  .3 262 KKRZ-FM "Z-100"
  .5 263
  .7 264 
  .9 265
101.1 266 KUFO-TV (Portland, OR)
  .3 267
  .5 268 KFLY-FM (Eugene, OR)
  .7 269
  .9 270 KINK-FM
102.1 271
  .3 272 another Way FM translator
  .5 273 
  .7 274 Air One translator
  .9 275 
103.1 276
  .3 277 KKCW-FM
  .5 278
  .7 279 country
  .9 280
104.1 281 KFIS-FM (*VERY* noisy!)
  .3 282
  .5 283 and yet another Way FM translator. I have no idea where this one is
     but it is incredibly weak. (Jeeze, don't these guys ever give up?)
  .7 284 mess of off-frequencies KKCW & KINK
  .9 285 
105.1 286 K -FM "The Buzz"
  .3 287 
  .5 288 KUKN-FM "Cookin' Country" (Longview, WA)
  .7 289 
  .9 290 KFBW-FM "The Brew"
106.1 291
  .3 292 KLOO-FM (Corvallis, OR) (staticky but it's there; in stereo even.)
  .5 293 "Cool FM" (Salem, OR)
  .7 294 KLTH-FM "Oldies 106.7" (recent "revival" of former "Oldies 106.7"
     1991-1993)
  .9 295
107.1 296 K296FT Westhaven (repeater of KQAC-FM)
  .3 297
  .5 298 KXJM-FM "Jammin' FM" (a rather unfortunate waste of 200 kHz......)
  .7 299
  .9 300 KHPE-FM "Hope 1 0 7 9" (Albany, OR) (*VERY* noisy!)
108.1

Coming soon to a thread near you: I do the same bandscan on the mighty 1973
Marantz Superscope QR-450 quadraphonic receiver!


//EOF

As I understand, an Air One or Way-FM translator in Hillsboro (97.7/249) was shut down recently, allowing KOMO to come through into the area on that channel. At least, the discontinuation of the translator means there's less RF pollution here........

 

[BRNout]

My compliments on a nicely presented bandscan!

And, it's yet another fine example that supports my various rants against EMF and the FCC for allowing them to be such obscene band hogs! They're like a virus on the FM band....if only there was a vaccine of some sort out there to rid us of this menace.

 

[crainbebo]

Congratulations on KOMO!

Maybe you should try different directions, like the Calvary Chapel translator on 102.1 you pick up, but faintly with the KINK hash faded out.

-crainbebo

 

[Darth_vader]

Thank you for the kind words........

Although it seems (to the masses, anyways) a bit passe' nowadays, it is quite amazing the kind of "professional" presented things you can generate in the MeSsy-DOS 6.22 Editor on a 486! ;o)


EMF/Calvary:
If the FCC was doing its job, they would restrict such translators to maybe one or two of each per geographic market. E.g., Calvary Chapel on 201 and 276, an Air One on 232, etc. to prevent them from being such a nuisance. Really, these should be better regulated as, in my view, they mainly constitute "interference which may cause undesired operation".

Several years back (were talking about a decade ago) I used to hear KAST (Astoria, OR) on 92.9 quite clearly at my parents' (former) house near Evergreen High School. Now all I get on there is sideband splatter from the Air One on 92.7. This makes me wonder: is this all deliberate, so as to jam reception of "out of market" media and create a "walled garden" within the listener's base community? Isn't the use of Ibiquity DAB transmitters enough as it is?

Now that the low-VHF television band is largely vacant, why not just stick 'em all down there and relieve the main VHF-FM BCB somewhat?

crainbebo, I haven't been able to hear a Calvary Chapel xlator on 102.1 yet, mainly because KINK's sideband overpowers anything else that might be there. Especially in my location: where I am, on a decent, clear day, I can see the tower up in Portland's west hills from my balcony. But I don't doubt that there's probably one riding along somewhere in all that slop.

I'll do a bandscan from my Folks' house (different area of Vancouver than I am in) in the near future on my old QR-450, using a log aerial mounted in the attic. Should be interesting......