Some observations on coverage

[stan]

I drove to and from Dallas this week and confirmed (and found) some things about coverage -

97.1 covers well very well up north! Also, 106.9 is not a bad signal either. Not surprising, given their tower location, but 103.7 came in a close third in distance covered to the north.

I remember others indicating that 105.3 (Bob - the Woodlands) might have trouble covering the Woodlands area. I don't know about the Woodlands, but I received it all the way from Conroe until just past Huntsville.

I was also able to pick up KLVI in Beaumont while driving through Huntsville as well, even though I was having some trouble getting some Houston AMs (790, 610) to come in.

 

[Mike O]

I drove to and from Dallas this week and confirmed (and found) some things about coverage -

97.1 covers well very well up north! Also, 106.9 is not a bad signal either. Not surprising, given their tower location, but 103.7 came in a close third in distance covered to the north.

I remember others indicating that 105.3 (Bob - the Woodlands) might have trouble covering the Woodlands area. I don't know about the Woodlands, but I received it all the way from Conroe until just past Huntsville.

I was also able to pick up KLVI in Beaumont while driving through Huntsville as well, even though I was having some trouble getting some Houston AMs (790, 610) to come in.

97.1 Country Legends may have the best signal of any station in the Houston area. I had the scan function stop on 97.1 about 30/40 miles south of Texarkana with a good signal, and it has been reported on this board that you can receive 97.1 down to about to Victoria. KLDE 107.5 use to be good on many ocassions to near downtown Dallas, how did 107.5 fare this time, if you monitored them?

"Bob FM" 105.3 is pretty bad in The Galleria area, yesterday I was in the Cypress area and didn't think that the signal was all that great. Of course they are not on the new tower yet, it will be interesting to see if increasing the height is really going to make any difference. Since they drop power for going taller, it really would be a trade off and I don't see any "miracle" cure getting a better signal into The Woodlands than what they have now. I wish RH luck, but will be surprised if raising the tower will really do a thing except cost him money.

None of the Houston AM's have good coverage to the north daytime and nighttime most of the stations just dissappear north of FM 1960, or have heavy interference. Dallas has once again beat Houston to the punch and upgraded the majority of the metroplex's stations on co-channel or 1st adjacent frequencies to Houston AM's and have brought their signals to the limit southbound. Meaning most Houston AM's can no longer even increase coverage to the north if they wanted to.

Mike O

 

[stan]

KLDE 107.5 use to be good on many ocassions to near downtown Dallas, how did 107.5 fare this time, if you monitored them?

I was unable to pick up KLDE until I got south of Huntsville. I, too, remember 107.5 having a great signal in the Beaumont area as well all the way back to the days of when it was KZFX. Perhaps the digital broadcasting has decreased its coverage, but if that is the only consideration, why isn't 97.1 affected? Or doesn't it have HD broadcasting?

 

[-juan-]

I thought Country legends got pounded by KIOX. ???
I think what people are talking about is the tropo season, because in that case, you can say that KBXX goes all the way to Freer TX, (small town just 55 miles west of Laredo). Now that's a good coverage ;D (about 250 miles)

I remember back then I was able to receive KRBE and KQQK (back on 106.5) all the way into the Mexican Inspection Point (that's about 10-15 miles into Mexico) Now, there is a 106.5 in Laredo and 104.1 has been clovered by Wild in the Valley and Digital of San Antonio.

 

[Mike O]

KLDE 107.5 use to be good on many ocassions to near downtown Dallas, how did 107.5 fare this time, if you monitored them?

I was unable to pick up KLDE until I got south of Huntsville. I, too, remember 107.5 having a great signal in the Beaumont area as well all the way back to the days of when it was KZFX. Perhaps the digital broadcasting has decreased its coverage, but if that is the only consideration, why isn't 97.1 affected? Or doesn't it have HD broadcasting?

97.1 isn't digital yet, I believe that thay plan on turning on the the HD sometime in January or February. When I picked up 97.1 south of Texarkana it wasn't tropo conditions, just a damn good signal that kept getting stronger towards Houston.

I remember having a solid signal from 107.5 in BMT and up to Silsbee some years ago, and this was on a daily basis. I rarely get out in the direction of BMT anymore and didn't know that 107.5's signal was no more. Could well be the digital signal, it is suppose to decrease coverage. I don't have a HD radio, maybe when the price drops under $50 I will consider a purchase. Depending on how HD radios sell for the Christmas season will determine if the price for an HD receiver drops down to a more reasonable cost. Since I don't own a HD radio, I really have no personal experience from any HD station, only what I've read about HD radio and I don't like what I've read so far. Wish the FCC would have the balls to admit AM IBOC is a failure and give DRM a try. It could operate 24/7 and is suppose to increase coverage of an AM station slightly.

I wouldn't trade the radio in my SUV for a HD radio, even if they threw in an extra $100 to swap out radios. Nissan has a fine radio in the Xterra and reception is excellent and dependable on both bands. I had 1660 from Waco like a local at lunch time from Tomball back to The Galleria area Friday. Of course it is around that time of year that AM radio signals do much better in distance.

I thought Country legends got pounded by KIOX. ???
I think what people are talking about is the tropo season, because in that case, you can say that KBXX goes all the way to Freer TX, (small town just 55 miles west of Laredo). Now that's a good coverage ;D (about 250 miles)

I remember back then I was able to receive KRBE and KQQK (back on 106.5) all the way into the Mexican Inspection Point (that's about 10-15 miles into Mexico) Now, there is a 106.5 in Laredo and 104.1 has been clovered by Wild in the Valley and Digital of San Antonio.

There shouldn't be any reason that KIOX 96.9 would wipe out 97.1 Country Legends if the radio is selective enough. When we we get a good tropro opening I can get station after station on on 1st adjacents with no bleed over. As long as the signals are strong enough they co-reside fine. With just a mild enhancement of signals I get 104.7 KKYS College Station, 104.9 KPTY Missouri City and 105.1 KYKS Lufkin all clear and no bleed over.

In the 1986 I spent a year on a project in Austin and KQQK was a regular strong station in Austin. This is when KQQK was a hybred English/Spanish Rock station. It was the most reliable station from the Houston area, 2nd to KHMX 96.5 [KSRR at time].

Unfortunately the Houston FM's do not make the distance to Dallas any longer with all the new stations that have been shoehirned in along the I-45 Corridor. The FCC is turning the FM band into a jumble of signals, getting close to the problem with AM. Add all the translators and many stations have lost a great deal coverage they had 10 years ago. When the "Great Translator Invasion of 2003" finally is finished, if ever, the coverage of many stations will decrease even more.

Mike O

 

[TheSpinMan]

I commute between Houston and Dallas by car quite frequently, often at least once a week. I also use rental cars to make the trip, which allows me to judge signal a little better than one could if he drove the same vehicle. 97.1 is without a doubt the strongest signal, kicking in around Buffalo usually, followed by 106.9 shortly thereafter. For the rock stations, all have pretty crummy signals, usually coming as chopped static around Huntsville, with 94.5 being the first to come in. On AM, 740 usually comes in well enough to hear around Centerville, Madisonville. Surprisingly, when it's on, 700 AM will sometimes come in stronger than 740, I would assume because their transmitter is in the Woodlands somewhere. I've actually developed an interest in 700, which I used to dismiss as a "hobby" station of Dan Patrick, but now I find their content more interesting than the utter boredom fest the rest of Houston Talk has turned into - more interviews, less insults and stupidity and no fear of issues that the other agenda-driven local guys avoid so as not to offend The Party. I wish they could crank themselves up, I bet they would give 740 and 950 a run for their money.

The DFW stations carry a lot further. 820 is listenable to the Houston city limits most of the time. 1080 is almost that good. The oldies station 92.7 (?) out of Dallas is also strong.

I am intrigued how 106.9 can continue to want to play crap for music given the marketing potential of that signal, I am sure than can do better if they played something different than the utter boring overplayed garbage they put out there. I can't stand to listen to them for more than 10 minutes. Who listens to that crap? What a waste. If I would pick one station that ought to be on the new Jack format, that would be the one.

I love 97.1 on the drive. I hardly ever get a chance to sit down and listen to the country music from the days when I was a kid. Just hearing "I turned thirty one in prison, do life without parole" brings back a Texas I used to know, and that is what radio should do - evoke something in the listener.

 

[stevenNOLA]

KLDE 107.5 use to be good on many ocassions to near downtown Dallas, how did 107.5 fare this time, if you monitored them?

I was unable to pick up KLDE until I got south of Huntsville. I, too, remember 107.5 having a great signal in the Beaumont area as well all the way back to the days of when it was KZFX. Perhaps the digital broadcasting has decreased its coverage, but if that is the only consideration, why isn't 97.1 affected? Or doesn't it have HD broadcasting?

97.1 isn't digital yet, I believe that thay plan on turning on the the HD sometime in January or February. When I picked up 97.1 south of Texarkana it wasn't tropo conditions, just a damn good signal that kept getting stronger towards Houston.

I remember having a solid signal from 107.5 in BMT and up to Silsbee some years ago, and this was on a daily basis. I rarely get out in the direction of BMT anymore and didn't know that 107.5's signal was no more. Could well be the digital signal, it is suppose to decrease coverage. I don't have a HD radio, maybe when the price drops under $50 I will consider a purchase. Depending on how HD radios sell for the Christmas season will determine if the price for an HD receiver drops down to a more reasonable cost. Since I don't own a HD radio, I really have no personal experience from any HD station, only what I've read about HD radio and I don't like what I've read so far. Wish the FCC would have the balls to admit AM IBOC is a failure and give DRM a try. It could operate 24/7 and is suppose to increase coverage of an AM station slightly.

I wouldn't trade the radio in my SUV for a HD radio, even if they threw in an extra $100 to swap out radios. Nissan has a fine radio in the Xterra and reception is excellent and dependable on both bands. I had 1660 from Waco like a local at lunch time from Tomball back to The Galleria area Friday. Of course it is around that time of year that AM radio signals do much better in distance.

I thought Country legends got pounded by KIOX. ???
I think what people are talking about is the tropo season, because in that case, you can say that KBXX goes all the way to Freer TX, (small town just 55 miles west of Laredo). Now that's a good coverage ;D (about 250 miles)

I remember back then I was able to receive KRBE and KQQK (back on 106.5) all the way into the Mexican Inspection Point (that's about 10-15 miles into Mexico) Now, there is a 106.5 in Laredo and 104.1 has been clovered by Wild in the Valley and Digital of San Antonio.

There shouldn't be any reason that KIOX 96.9 would wipe out 97.1 Country Legends if the radio is selective enough. When we we get a good tropro opening I can get station after station on on 1st adjacents with no bleed over. As long as the signals are strong enough they co-reside fine. With just a mild enhancement of signals I get 104.7 KKYS College Station, 104.9 KPTY Missouri City and 105.1 KYKS Lufkin all clear and no bleed over.

In the 1986 I spent a year on a project in Austin and KQQK was a regular strong station in Austin. This is when KQQK was a hybred English/Spanish Rock station. It was the most reliable station from the Houston area, 2nd to KHMX 96.5 [KSRR at time].

Unfortunately the Houston FM's do not make the distance to Dallas any longer with all the new stations that have been shoehirned in along the I-45 Corridor. The FCC is turning the FM band into a jumble of signals, getting close to the problem with AM. Add all the translators and many stations have lost a great deal coverage they had 10 years ago. When the "Great Translator Invasion of 2003" finally is finished, if ever, the coverage of many stations will decrease even more.

Mike O

Mike, any chance KJMH @ 50kw in Lake Charles is muddying up KLDE's signal to make it less present in The Triangle? Also, for what it's worth, I can pick up KLDE's HD signal into Beaumont. It goes further east than the Missouri City stations.

 

[jras20]

[Unfortunately the Houston FM's do not make the distance to Dallas any longer with all the new stations that have been shoehirned in along the I-45 Corridor. The FCC is turning the FM band into a jumble of signals, getting close to the problem with AM. Add all the translators and many stations have lost a great deal coverage they had 10 years ago. When the "Great Translator Invasion of 2003" finally is finished, if ever, the coverage of many stations will decrease even more.
Mike O

I agree with you on that one, I'm not having so much of a problem but, KRIO will sometimes bleed over KRBE ever so often, funny thing with my HD radio though, KTXN & KLDE were fighting over each other, and KLDE won and the HD signal came in, and it sounded like a CD! I need to get me a few more HD radios, they got a great filter in them as well. I was able to pull in country ledgends also over KIOX.

 

[Mike O]

Mike, any chance KJMH @ 50kw in Lake Charles is muddying up KLDE's signal to make it less present in The Triangle? Also, for what it's worth, I can pick up KLDE's HD signal into Beaumont. It goes further east than the Missouri City stations.
[/quote]

It is very possible that KJMH is causing KLDE to have signal problems. KJMH is directional towards The Triangle, sending around 23kW, but that still is enough for around 31.7dbu and KLDE has about a 43dbu signal in Beaumont. The two stations should be mixing with each other, but maybe since KLDE is HD the signal just drops out like it does with HDTV when there is interference. I don't know how a hybred signal behaves when there is interference present.

Not surprised you get KLDE in Beaumont over the Mo City stick. KLDE runs 98kW @ 601 meters and the Mo City stick stations are at 585 meters with 100kW. As you have proved enough to make a difference in receiving a station.

Actually you have raised an interesting question, from what I have read you should not have a Digital signal in Beaumont because of the interference from KJMH. Interference is suppose to kill the Digital signal and cause it to fall back to analog. Yet you are getting the Digital signal and the analog signal is not there. This is ass backwards from what I have read. Very intereseting. Guess there is still much to be learned about how analog and digital signals are going to interact and digital to digital. Perhaps KJMH is also Digtal and since KLDE is the stronger station, your radio locks onto KLDE over KJMH?

Ibiquity does not show KJMH as HD, it only shows four stations in all of Louisiana as HD, three in New Orleans and one in Lafayette. The FCC database does not show KJMH as Digital either.

Beats me.

Mike O

 

[stevenNOLA]

Mike, any chance KJMH @ 50kw in Lake Charles is muddying up KLDE's signal to make it less present in The Triangle? Also, for what it's worth, I can pick up KLDE's HD signal into Beaumont. It goes further east than the Missouri City stations.

Actually you have raised an interesting question, from what I have read you should not have a Digital signal in Beaumont because of the interference from KJMH. Interference is suppose to kill the Digital signal and cause it to fall back to analog. Yet you are getting the Digital signal and the analog signal is not there. This is ass backwards from what I have read. Very intereseting. Guess there is still much to be learned about how analog and digital signals are going to interact and digital to digital. Perhaps KJMH is also Digtal and since KLDE is the stronger station, your radio locks onto KLDE over KJMH?

Ibiquity does not show KJMH as HD, it only shows four stations in all of Louisiana as HD, three in New Orleans and one in Lafayette. The FCC database does not show KJMH as Digital either.

Beats me.

Mike O
[/quote]

KLDE's analog is listenable through Beaumont and starts seriously degrading near Vidor for me. The HD on KLDE reaches well into the western parts of Beaumont and may reach to the "69 curve" on I-10. I'll have to check it out more carefully on Christmas week since I'm making a trip to Lafayette. KJMH is not in HD. There are no HD stations in LCH. The first HD signal is KRVS from Lafayette (and may be a good guinea pig for digital Vs. digital) so I'll see how KUHF & KRVS interact. My belief is they are spaced far enough apart so there will be no digital-to-digital interaction.

To add more confustion: KSMB-Lafayette sometimes kicks KTBZ's butt in between Winnie and Beaumont. The HD signal for KTBZ pops right through the mixing of stations in the area where it reaches. On the flipside...I live in south Katy, about 3 miles from Fulshear and on nights where there is enhancement, a station on 106.9 mixes with KHPT and sometimes prevents me from getting a lock on the HD signal. Your guess is as good as mine...

Steven

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Careful - posting any suggestion that HD screwed up KLDE's range is vigorously denied by IBOC Nazis!!! 106.9, the point, occasionally overrides "the ranch" in Plano, TX. But a translator in Greenville recently moved from 106.5 to 106.9 - so I doubt I will be able to hear the point any longer. At least not in the car.

In the 70's, KRBE had a strong signal into Dallas and Ft. Worth. I don't know what changed in the intervening years, but their once great signal has been degraded.

 

[CW]

Careful - posting any suggestion that HD screwed up KLDE's range is vigorously denied by IBOC Nazis!!! 106.9, the point, occasionally overrides "the ranch" in Plano, TX. But a translator in Greenville recently moved from 106.5 to 106.9 - so I doubt I will be able to hear the point any longer. At least not in the car.

In the 70's, KRBE had a strong signal into Dallas and Ft. Worth. I don't know what changed in the intervening years, but their once great signal has been degraded.

KRBE (and many others) back in the 70s were on the One Shell Plaza master antenna....then the tallest building in downtown Houston; before the move to the Missouri City 2000ft sticks...plus the propogation was probably peaking in the 70s....it will be doing so again in about 5-6 years (Solar Cycle 24).
I used to listen to KRBE back in the mid 70s around Corsicana and Ennis...but it usually went away by the time you got closer to Dallas....

 

[stevenNOLA]

Mike, any chance KJMH @ 50kw in Lake Charles is muddying up KLDE's signal to make it less present in The Triangle? Also, for what it's worth, I can pick up KLDE's HD signal into Beaumont. It goes further east than the Missouri City stations.

Actually you have raised an interesting question, from what I have read you should not have a Digital signal in Beaumont because of the interference from KJMH. Interference is suppose to kill the Digital signal and cause it to fall back to analog. Yet you are getting the Digital signal and the analog signal is not there. This is ass backwards from what I have read. Very intereseting. Guess there is still much to be learned about how analog and digital signals are going to interact and digital to digital. Perhaps KJMH is also Digtal and since KLDE is the stronger station, your radio locks onto KLDE over KJMH?

Ibiquity does not show KJMH as HD, it only shows four stations in all of Louisiana as HD, three in New Orleans and one in Lafayette. The FCC database does not show KJMH as Digital either.

Beats me.

Mike O

KLDE's analog is listenable through Beaumont and starts seriously degrading near Vidor for me. The HD on KLDE reaches well into the western parts of Beaumont and may reach to the "69 curve" on I-10. I'll have to check it out more carefully on Christmas week since I'm making a trip to Lafayette. KJMH is not in HD. There are no HD stations in LCH. The first HD signal is KRVS from Lafayette (and may be a good guinea pig for digital Vs. digital) so I'll see how KUHF & KRVS interact. My belief is they are spaced far enough apart so there will be no digital-to-digital interaction.

To add more confustion: KSMB-Lafayette sometimes kicks KTBZ's butt in between Winnie and Beaumont. The HD signal for KTBZ pops right through the mixing of stations in the area where it reaches. On the flipside...I live in south Katy, about 3 miles from Fulshear and on nights where there is enhancement, a station on 106.9 mixes with KHPT and sometimes prevents me from getting a lock on the HD signal. Your guess is as good as mine...

Steven
[/quote]

UPDATE:

While heading east, KLDE's HD reaches up to the Washington St. exit in Beaumont. The analog quickly degrades shortly thereafter. After the curve in I-10 near the exit for US-69 North is, KLDE's signal gets slammed by KJMH and it's a mix on classic hits and r&b until the transition to KJMH. As far as KTBZ, it was again slammed by KSMB between Beaumont and almost up until Winnie with the HD signal coming right through. The KTBZ/KLOL/KHMX etc. HD signals come online around the Brooks/Major exit just west of Beaumont.

Steven

 

[stan]

UPDATE:

While heading east, KLDE's HD reaches up to the Washington St. exit in Beaumont. The analog quickly degrades shortly thereafter. After the curve in I-10 near the exit for US-69 North is, KLDE's signal gets slammed by KJMH and it's a mix on classic hits and r&b until the transition to KJMH. As far as KTBZ, it was again slammed by KSMB between Beaumont and almost up until Winnie with the HD signal coming right through. The KTBZ/KLOL/KHMX etc. HD signals come online around the Brooks/Major exit just west of Beaumont.

Steven

Unfortunately, we are caught in the middle and too often receive those awful stations from the east instead of the Houston stations. There ought to be a law...

 

[CW]

UPDATE:

While heading east, KLDE's HD reaches up to the Washington St. exit in Beaumont. The analog quickly degrades shortly thereafter. After the curve in I-10 near the exit for US-69 North is, KLDE's signal gets slammed by KJMH and it's a mix on classic hits and r&b until the transition to KJMH. As far as KTBZ, it was again slammed by KSMB between Beaumont and almost up until Winnie with the HD signal coming right through. The KTBZ/KLOL/KHMX etc. HD signals come online around the Brooks/Major exit just west of Beaumont.

Steven

Unfortunately, we are caught in the middle and too often receive those awful stations from the east instead of the Houston stations. There ought to be a law...

It will get worse if/when those translators applied for ever get licensed...96.5 has a CP in Vinton (EMF iirc) at 250watts and 120 m AGL iirc) plus 98.9, 96.1 and others around the BMT area...Translators are supposed to help a station in areas it cannot normally be received within its 1mV contour...but a number of them like 88.1 in Katy, etc are definitely OUTSIDE the local coverage and are fed via sats....which I think should be illegal....
If you go to rec.net and look at the number of translators listed for 88.1 KLBT,. it is ridiculous!! Some of them well within the service contour where they DONT need them..and others well outside their intended audience area of BMT.

 

[stan]

It will get worse if/when those translators applied for ever get licensed...96.5 has a CP in Vinton (EMF iirc) at 250watts and 120 m AGL iirc) plus 98.9, 96.1 and others around the BMT area...Translators are supposed to help a station in areas it cannot normally be received within its 1mV contour...but a number of them like 88.1 in Katy, etc are definitely OUTSIDE the local coverage and are fed via sats....which I think should be illegal....
If you go to rec.net and look at the number of translators listed for 88.1 KLBT,. it is ridiculous!! Some of them well within the service contour where they DONT need them..and others well outside their intended audience area of BMT.

I don't that list can be correct. Perhaps rec.net's list got scrambled, somehow. I don't see how you could have translators 150 miles away from Beaumont.

 

[jd]

It will get worse if/when those translators applied for ever get licensed...96.5 has a CP in Vinton (EMF iirc) at 250watts and 120 m AGL iirc) plus 98.9, 96.1 and others around the BMT area...Translators are supposed to help a station in areas it cannot normally be received within its 1mV contour...but a number of them like 88.1 in Katy, etc are definitely OUTSIDE the local coverage and are fed via sats....which I think should be illegal....
If you go to rec.net and look at the number of translators listed for 88.1 KLBT,. it is ridiculous!! Some of them well within the service contour where they DONT need them..and others well outside their intended audience area of BMT.

I don't that list can be correct. Perhaps rec.net's list got scrambled, somehow. I don't see how you could have translators 150 miles away from Beaumont.

Looking at the original application for the translator in Katy (on 94.9) it shows that it would be rebroadcasting KLBT. But that was in 2003, long before KLBT hit the air, and since then the license for KLBT was transferred, so it's unclear if the plans for all these translators is still intact. In any event, the whole idea is ridiculous, since KLBT can't deliver a signal that far and that makes it a questionable operation. While the FCC does allow exemptions to translators in the non-commercial band which permit them to rebroadcast stations via satellite, the method of program delivery has to be indicated in the translator application.

 

[Mike O]

KLDE's analog is listenable through Beaumont and starts seriously degrading near Vidor for me. The HD on KLDE reaches well into the western parts of Beaumont and may reach to the "69 curve" on I-10. I'll have to check it out more carefully on Christmas week since I'm making a trip to Lafayette. KJMH is not in HD. There are no HD stations in LCH. The first HD signal is KRVS from Lafayette (and may be a good guinea pig for digital Vs. digital) so I'll see how KUHF & KRVS interact. My belief is they are spaced far enough apart so there will be no digital-to-digital interaction.

To add more confustion: KSMB-Lafayette sometimes kicks KTBZ's butt in between Winnie and Beaumont. The HD signal for KTBZ pops right through the mixing of stations in the area where it reaches. On the flipside...I live in south Katy, about 3 miles from Fulshear and on nights where there is enhancement, a station on 106.9 mixes with KHPT and sometimes prevents me from getting a lock on the HD signal. Your guess is as good as mine...

Steven

I don't understand why KJMH is beating up KHTC so badly in BMT. I can not find any change in facilities for KJMH since 1998 and I always had a good clean clear copy of KHTC 107.5 to where US69 connects with I-10 and all the way up to Silsbee, and I did that drive nearly for a month around 1999. That puzzles me.

Your other report on KSMB kicking KTBZ's butt from Winnie to BMT really is a puzzler. KSMB's antenna is NW of Lafayette just south of Church Point. The following is a comparision of KSMB and KTBZ signal strengths and KSMB should not even be a factor as the power is lower than most vehicle radios will pick-up, unless you have a high grade receiver. Even then the difference in signal strengths should have KTBZ override any signal from KSMB.

KSMB KSMB KTBZ KTBZ
Winnie................217.6km 22.1dbu 112.1km 52.1dbu
Beaumont............184.3km 27.6dbu 147.2km 40.8dbu

as you can see KTBZ is very much stronger. It really doesn't make any sense to me. Maybe CW can shed some light on why KSMB would be doing a number on KTBZ. Radio does some very strange things.

Mike O

 

[Mike O]

Some observations I made on AM radio while at my parents for Christmas. They live almost to the Cypress town limits in a subdivision north of Grant Road and Jones Road runs through the subdivision.

The KLVL 1480 upgrade made a bigger difference in signal strength than I would have thought. KLVL has a very good signal in the area.

KGBC 1540 Galveston is running their 2500 watt daytime pattern now. The FCC shows a Program Test Authority and License to Cover as received on October 25th, 2006. KGBC puts a decent signal into far NW HOU and Harris County. This one also much better than I had expected.

KILE 1560 Bellaire still operting with 800 watts as the signal was rather weak. I don't know what is holding up their license for 50000 watts.

KJOJ 880 has a terrible hum in their signal, almost bad enough to drown out the programming. It was not nearly as severe on 1kW night pattern as opposed to 10kW days. Still there and annoying non the less.

KYST 920 Texas City very strong during the day @ 5kW and not bad at night @ 1kW, although there was some interference. For a station with it's antenna in Texas City KYST really gets out.

KEYH 850 Houston at night with the radio aimed in just the right direction they have a very usable signal.

KLAT 1010 daytime really fights with KBBW, but at night has a very strong signal free of interference.

KCHN 1050 with a strong signal. I wish someone could measure the actual signal strength of this station as I find it hard to believe it is only 410 watts, even with a not so tight pattern towards HOU. KCHN packs a punch in The Galleria also.

KNUZ 1090 Belleville I noticed KNUZ off the air several times at different times over several days. Transmitter problems?

KRTX 980 Richmond has an excellent nighttime signal in that area as well as The Galleria.

KGOL 1180 Humble had a slight hum in their signal, but nothing nearly as severe as KJOJ. At night the signal was fair with interference. Even the daytime signal was rather mediocre for a 50kW station, even for 1180. WHAM 1180 50kW Rochester travels some 60 miles into Buffalo like a local, the difference from KGOL antenna to Cypress is not nearly that far.

I wonder if the hum on KJOJ and KGOL are caused by using cheap "land lines" to the studio from where ever the programs are originating in Houston or L.A. The audio on both stations was about telephone quality (analog).

KQUE 1230 Houston was audible and listenable at night, althought moderate interference. The signal wasn't all that much worse than it is in The Galleria area day or night.

Don't know if the very weak signal on 1410 was the new KHCH Huntsville or KVNN Victoria? Could not make out enough to ID the station and did not bring my amplified antenna. KHVL 1490 Huntsville has a usuable signal, so it is possible to be KHCH.

KCOH 1430 has nearly as good of signal in the Cypress area as in The Galleria area at night. A pleasant surprise.

1700 KKLF Richardson was rolling in already at 2pm.

KLVI 560 Beaumont could be a Houston day and night and never move the antenna or change COL. Their signal is better than many HOU area stations.

This was all heard on a RS DX-398, not a bad little radio, but not a real DX radio.

I know the people on this board live all over metro Houston, The Triangle and beyond like jras. What stations blast the speakers at night and which ones don't cause a whimper?

Mike O

 

[txchipk]

Careful - posting any suggestion that HD screwed up KLDE's range is vigorously denied by IBOC Nazis!!! 106.9, the point, occasionally overrides "the ranch" in Plano, TX. But a translator in Greenville recently moved from 106.5 to 106.9 - so I doubt I will be able to hear the point any longer. At least not in the car.

In the 70's, KRBE had a strong signal into Dallas and Ft. Worth. I don't know what changed in the intervening years, but their once great signal has been degraded.

It hasn't been degraded...in the '80s, KKBQ-FM 92.9 and KRBE-FM 104.1 would often come in when I lived north of Dallas in Plano. 92.9 was usually KNIN Wichita Falls, but sometimes could be overtaken by either KKBQ-FM or KBEZ 92.9 Tulsa. 104.1 would alternate between then KOFM 104.1 Oklahoma City and KRBE.

What's happened is the invention of class C2 and C3 FMs that didn't previously. The other change was removing the restriction that A's could only be on certain frequencies (92.1, 92.7, 93.5, 94.3, 95.3, 95.9, etc.) and C's only on other frequencies (92.3, 92.5, 92.9, 93.1, etc.). So, instead of 3 104.1s in Texas spaced far apart -- KBFM Edinburg, KRBE, KXYL-FM Brownwood, there are now 7 spaced not so far apart (and KXYL-FM isn't one of them since they moved to 96.9, so 5 new 104.1 signals have been created over the last 20 years).

KNIN has had no facility changes in ages, but is a lot harder to get since there is now KEYR 92.9 Marlin-Waco. Similarly, the sign on off then-KTMJ 104.1 (now KKUS) Tyler in the early '90s pretty much made that the regular signal you heard if you flipped by 104.1. Today, there is also KWOW 104.1 Clifton-Waco and KTDK 104.1 Sanger. Many mornings in Dallas, KTDK is hard to hear and you hear KKUS Tyler bleeding in.

Before, there was nothing between KRBE and Dallas. Now, it has to overtake semi-local KTDK, KKUS, and KWOW.