The farthest FM reaching signal in Austin next to KGSR

[sox fan matt]

Thought I'd ask because I'm curious. What would be number two? I seem to remember getting most of the West Lake Hills transmitters just around 190 in Temple (after you go around the curve on I 35). Going south I assume most of them make it to possibly around the Schertz area. Am I pretty accurate?

 

[fredcantu]

KGSR's tower is near Liberty Hill. The station was originally licensed to Killeen. That's why it throws a good signal to the north, not so much to the south. KBPA (Bob FM) is the other way around. It started off licensed to San Marcos and its tower is near Buda. Both KGSR and KBPA are class C0 stations, the most power and height you can have in the USA. But their towers are not in the Austin/Westlake tower farm.

 

[Doctor_Technical]

Hi Fred, small detail but KBPA is class C0 (1257' above average terrain) while KGSR is full-on C (1926' AAT).

OP has a good question that generates other questions. 1) Wasn't 98.9 also on the Liberty Hill tower at some point? 2 ) If so, was it also at full power and height? and 3) Didn't KBPA, with it's "rimshot" tower and "short" antenna (relative terms), still lead the market overall or 25-54 for some time?

Thx,

Paul E. Burt
CE KKMJ/KFON -- 3108 North Lamar -- 1988-89.

 

[fredcantu]

1) Wasn't 98.9 also on the Liberty Hill tower at some point?
2 ) If so, was it also at full power and height?

I don't recall the history. But they were 100,000 watts at some point while still licensed to Lampasas and trying to reach Austin, too. But they decided it was better to downgrade their power but have the tower in the Austin metro.

3) Didn't KBPA, with it's "rimshot" tower and "short" antenna (relative terms), still lead the market overall or 25-54 for some time?

I recall reading that 103.5 shows up in more counties' ratings books than any other Austin station. I don't doubt the ratings you quote, but recall that KHFI was Austin's #1 station back in its K-98 days at 98.3 with all of 1,280 watts. In any case, the thread is about coverage and not ratings.

 

[Ryan Williams]

I always heard that tower on the border of Burnet and Williamson counties referred to as the "Bertram" site, although it is pretty close to Liberty Hill too.

I can't remember precisely, but I believe when 98.9 was located on that tower with Lampasas as the community-of-license, it was a Class C1, at somewhere in the neighborhood of 20 kW with an antenna height significantly lower than that of 93.3.

Interestingly, KROX was a C1 too when it was licensed to Giddings before the C2 downgrade and change to Buda.

 

[Mediafrog+]

The 98.9 signal began as a Lampasas Class A on 99.3. Later upgraded and moved to 99.1, then more tower moves/upgrades to the present frequency.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Probably - there are stronger signals that are covered locally. But Bob-FM is strong enough over the west and northwest parts of Houston it is on my presets.

 

[w9wi]

To be literal about it, looking at 60dBu interference-protected contours:


#1 KGSR 91km
#2 KASE-FM 80km
(tie) KAMX 80km
#3 KBPA 79km
#4 KLBJ-FM 74km
#5 KVET-FM 72km
(tie) KKMJ-FM 72km
(tie) KHFI 72km


Of course, as has been suggested, it's not as much square miles that counts, as the number of people living on those square miles..