The Oldies Are Alive And Kicking On 101.5 FM...

[Poledo]

If two translators can rebroadcast one AM or HD signal then why hasn't anyone done it... anywhere in the country?

Still, I've never read anything that suggest it can't be done. Clear Channel could always put WNTM AM on a translator in Mobile County and WNTM 96.1-HD2 on a translator in north Baldwin and a new WNTM signal on 96.1-HD3 on a translator in south Baldwin county. I'm sure that would pass the mustard.

 

[tomservo]

Contrary to what I thought earlier, there are AMs feeding multiple translators already in Alabama, so it can be done.

 

[sflaboy]

The rules are that two translators can both rebroadcast a primary FM, AM, or HD signal but cannot exceed the contour of the primary station AND not significantly overlap their own coverage.

 

[Poledo]

Contrary to what I thought earlier, there are AMs feeding multiple translators already in Alabama, so it can be done.

Must... have... call.... letters....

Pretty please.

 

[tomservo]

Contrary to what I thought earlier, there are AMs feeding multiple translators already in Alabama, so it can be done.

Must... have... call.... letters....

Pretty please.

Just off the top of my head, WJRD in Tuscaloosa was on two translators at one time, but one of them has either been repurposed or has gone silent since I was there last.

 

[Poledo]

Contrary to what I thought earlier, there are AMs feeding multiple translators already in Alabama, so it can be done.

Must... have... call.... letters....

Pretty please.

Just off the top of my head, WJRD in Tuscaloosa was on two translators at one time, but one of them has either been repurposed or has gone silent since I was there last.

I knew it was too good to be true that this was happening right here is Alabama. The possibility of using Multiple HD-2/3/4 low bitrate simulcasts while feeding the translators directly with a high bitrate signal seems feesable to get good coverage of Mobile and Baldwin counties... if the FCC doesn't want multiple translators simulcasting the same signal.

I'd still love to see a website of an AM advertising multiple translator simulcasts... if such a beast exists.

 

[Poledo]

Stolen from a post on the Coast to Coast board, but apparently Gospel "The Light" 102.1 Nashville and 101.9 in Clarksville, TN are both being fed by WPRT 102.5-HD2. I can't confirm this, but an old RadioInsight article seems to suggest no other primary stations are involved in this translator simulcast.

 

[tomservo]

Turns out, such a beast does exist in Alabama, sort of. The Facebook page for WFZX has a picture of their new "Fox" logo showing the two translator freqs above the AM freq.

And WJRD IS still using two translators after all. They had a third for a while but it moved somewhere else, I think. They don't have any Facebook, website or online presence at all that I can find.

Not a commercial station, but goofy nonetheless, is Athens' WQXD-LP, a tiny little LPFM that has no less than THREE translators relaying it. Talk about finding a way to get around the rules. And there's a fourth in the works, with a new CP that was just issued to one in "Hillsboro" (actually outside Decatur) this week.

 

[Poledo]

Well that's kinda cool to know that we could potentially see Cums or CC put up translators to cover Mobile and South Baldwin county and/or the Eastern Shore with the same programming. That would make a whole lot of sense for WNTM if they need to keep the signal limited to the Mobile DMA.

As for that Athens LPFM, I'm not surprised one bit by their translator daisy chain. One of the first LPFMs to sign on the air (on Long Island, I believe) did the same thing from the beginning. I think that the Radio Free Nashville LPFM has also used translators to cover the city from the early days.

 

[w9wi]

I'd still love to see a website of an AM advertising multiple translator simulcasts... if such a beast exists.

WCJW-1140, Warsaw, New York
WGNS-1450, Murfreesboro, Tennessee

In WGNS's case, both translators are on the same tower -- so to the best of my knowledge there is no regulation prohibiting multiple translators of the same AM station from having overlapping coverage.  However, with regard to processing of the thousands of translator applications filed in the 2003 filing window, if one applicant wishes the FCC to process two or more translator applications with overlapping coverage, they must show the applications will not preclude LPFM service.


poledo: I've personally observed both Nashville-area translators relaying WPRT-HD2.  WQZQ AM 830 used to be part of the simulcast but no longer is.  (it now serves as the primary for a single translator 30 miles southeast of Nashville in Murfreesboro)


(edited because I munged both links...)

 

[Poledo]

Interesting read there on WGNS. They don't explain in that article why they feel they need two FM translators on the same tower. Also wondering how they claim to be the first AM with an STA for an FM simulcast. Wouldn't that honor fall on WJNT in Jackson, MS? Or at least WJNT would deserve an honorable mention in their story.

WCJW has outdone themselves with 4 translators (Radio-Locator actually lists 5). With that many translators wouldn't it make a whole lot more sense to purchase a full power FM?

The Atlanta and Birmingham translators seem to be adequately covering the cities with a single 250 watt signal. Down here in Mobile that would be a difficult task covering both sides of Mobile Bay with one translator (we'll find out whenever they turn on 100.3) or even impossible to cover both ends of the true radio market, Mobile and Pensacola, without two translators.

 

[w9wi]

Interesting read there on WGNS. They don't explain in that article why they feel they need two FM translators on the same tower. Also wondering how they claim to be the first AM with an STA for an FM simulcast. Wouldn't that honor fall on WJNT in Jackson, MS? Or at least WJNT would deserve an honorable mention in their story.

Actually, that would be WCRT-1160 in Donelson, Tennessee. (then known as WAMB) They got their STA in 1988. WJNT didn't get theirs until 1999, best I can tell. But both of those facilities are in CDBS as boosters, not translators.

Of course, that's a legal definition; there is no engineering difference between the FM relays of WCRT & WJNT, and those of WGNS and WCJW.

But I think that's how WGNS gets away with calling themselves the first

Both WGNS translators were licensed, as regular translators, well before the FCC allowed their use to relay WGNS. They were authorized to relay two FM stations out of Lebanon, Tennessee and were in fact doing so before the STA came along.

WCJW has outdone themselves with 4 translators (Radio-Locator actually lists 5). With that many translators wouldn't it make a whole lot more sense to purchase a full power FM?

There aren't any in Warsaw. I don't know the area well enough to know if there are any in elsewhere in the county. It's a very heavily populated area & I'd be surprised if there was any economically realistic way to get a new channel assigned.

The Atlanta and Birmingham translators seem to be adequately covering the cities with a single 250 watt signal. Down here in Mobile that would be a difficult task covering both sides of Mobile Bay with one translator (we'll find out whenever they turn on 100.3) or even impossible to cover both ends of the true radio market, Mobile and Pensacola, without two translators.

Depends on the antenna height, I suppose. The aforementioned 102.1 in Nashville covers the city just fine. Another big translator got lit up a few weeks ago on 89.9 on one of the TV towers. Its predicted coverage is almost as good as a full Class A FM, and reality seems to match theory fairly well. I live 20 miles away & receive a solid signal on the car radio.

I'm sure no Class A station could cover both Mobile and Pensacola, and I'm sure the same could be said for any single translator. But the neat thing about translators is that (compared to full-power stations) it's a lot easier to get your hands on two

_________________________________________________

BTW, to be completely off-topic, there is some pretty good historic information elsewhere on the WGNS site.

 

[secondchoice]

something like W229AG-FM 93.7 Atlanta @ 303 meters 994 ft. might cover both sides of the Bay:

http://maps.google.com/?q=http://tr...req=93.7&contour=60&city=ATLANTA&state=GA.kml

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=W229AG&service=FX&status=L&hours=U


Can space be rented off of the WEIQ tower or the Channel 9 tower they seem to be the closest to Mobile, and might have enough line of sight to make it to Gulf Shores and Dauphin Island. Of course the tropo will mess with any signal around all that water.

 

[Poledo]

I think the new 100.3 translator is on the WKRG tower which is right there with the WALA and WEIQ towers, only taller. Very curious to see what kind of signal the 100.3 translator has 9 miles or so away in Mobile after they light it up. Not expecting anything useful on Mobile Bay's Eastern Shore from the soon to go live 99.5 translator in Mobile. I'm kinda confused as to why no translators are trying to locate in the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area. Seems like the perfect towns for one or two translators, especially for a CC WNTM simulcast. Those folks on the Bama Gulf Coast have been complaining about bad signals on all stations carrying Rush since be started the show 20 years ago.

 

[Groove1670]

100.3 will generate more revenue on the Eastern Shore and or Mobile Market, and with a HD fed format you could see ratings...Or with the right format, it could erode numbers from some of the current format leaders, or mid rating performers.

 

[Poledo]

The biggest question yet to be answered about 100.3 is will it simulcast WNTM or carry a music ratings nibbler format? It's in the wrong location to run an Urban format to hit Cumulus where it hurts, so I think it may be the best location for a WNTM simulcast... if only to decrease the amount of listeners tuning to 100.7 or 106.5 out of convienience. CC Talk FM is't technically needed in West Mobile or Dauphin Isle due to spill over coverage from CC Biloxi's WBUV 104.9.

I remember reading (probably on Zach's site) that WZEW didn't feel they were competitive in the city of Mobile from a Spanish Fort tower with 25,000 watts, so how will 100.3 do in the city with 250 watts?

 

[tomservo]

something like W229AG-FM 93.7 Atlanta @ 303 meters 994 ft. might cover both sides of the Bay:

The 100.3 translator everyone is talking about is actually 250 watts at 1243 feet HAAT:

http://www.radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/pat?call=W262BL&service=FX&status=C&hours=U

It's some impressive potential coverage, but it'll be half that or less when tropo is active. The ride across the bay seems to be a real RF black hole in my experience. The WBHY-AM translator at 103.3 is 99 watts and lower down and barely makes it to downtown, doing worse than the Radio-Dislocator maps suggest. But then there's a CSN religious translator running something like 19 watts from the bluff in Spanish Fort that outperforms 103.3 as you cross the Bayway. So who knows what 100.3 will really do.

The WBHY 103.3 translator is weak towards Mobile but outperforms the maps in my direction, to the south-southeast. It seems like a real crapshoot whether it'll put any useful signal into Mobile.

Right now 100.3 is still just 1 watt from a short stick by the Mediacom office in Gulf Shores, relaying WHIL. CC seems to be in no hurry whatsoever to get the big signal up and running.