Tropo conditions opening up!!

[crainbebo]

101.9: KINK, Portland, OR! Heard with triple A music and commercials, including one for Nissan. 158 miles away!!

Logged last time in July 2007 (twice).

-crainbebo

 

[Bongwater]

101.9: KINK, Portland, OR! Heard with triple A music and commercials, including one for Nissan. 158 miles away!!

Logged last time in July 2007 (twice).

-crainbebo

I think I probably heard something too a few days ago, blasting out KBRC's unlistenable mess on 102.1 while driving on I-5 south of Mount Vernon. They were playing Eva Cassidy's rendition of "Fields Of Gold" (or at least someone on 101.9 was.....)

 

[SeattleObserver]

I've heard KINK along the shores of Lake Union briefly before. It's impossible now that "The -HORE" is at 101.9 on Capitol Hill.

I also appeared to be getting some tropo on 89.1 - it was classical, but unfortunately I descended from Mt. Baker neighborhood before hearing any I.D. If we were crazy lucky, it was KBYU from Utah, but more likely KBPS from Portland, right?

 

[Bongwater]

I've heard KINK along the shores of Lake Union briefly before. It's impossible now that "The -HORE" is at 101.9 on Capitol Hill.

I also appeared to be getting some tropo on 89.1 - it was classical, but unfortunately I descended from Mt. Baker neighborhood before hearing any I.D. If we were crazy lucky, it was KBYU from Utah, but more likely KBPS from Portland, right?

KFAE in the Tri-Cities may be another possibility. They do pop up in Seattle from time to time. I do not know how, but they do....

 

[crainbebo]

KBPS is the most likely. Too many mountains for anything east (except for KPQ, which comes in any day with the antenna just right)'

-crainbebo

 

[crainbebo]

have any of you guys picked up the following FMs from Yakima?

89.5: KSOH
90.3: KNWY
91.9: KDNA
92.9: KDBL, formely KQSN (back in the Sunny 92.9 days)
94.5: KATS
95.3: KXLE
96.9: KZTA
98.7: KMNA
99.3: KQMY, formerly KQSN
99.7: KHHK
100.9: KARY
101.7: KLES
103.1: KYKV (formerly KQBE)
104.1: KXDD
105.7: KRSE
107.3: KFFM

This replay is for Western Washington or Oregon users or British Columbia users ONLY.

-crainbebo

 

[DJ Alan]

Hello DX club…
I understand your love of the skip. Years ago I DX the AM band, WLS, WWL, KFRC, KFI… X-ROCK 80 anyone?... Bueller?

I understand that some DXer’s are up on when conditions are best for FM skip and I’d like to assist in a few of you being able to get KINK should those conditions be forecast. If someone with that forecasting knowledge could respond back, I am willing to shut down The WHORE transmitter for a specified period to make it all possible.

DJ Alan

 

[Bongwater]

Hello DX club…
I understand your love of the skip. Years ago I DX the AM band, WLS, WWL, KFRC, KFI… X-ROCK 80 anyone?... Bueller?

I understand that some DXer’s are up on when conditions are best for FM skip and I’d like to assist in a few of you being able to get KINK should those conditions be forecast. If someone with that forecasting knowledge could respond back, I am willing to shut down The WHORE transmitter for a specified period to make it all possible.

DJ Alan

DON'T DO THAT!! Would be nice to hear The WHORE up in these parts.....

 

[W7PAT]

KINK would probably be happy to hear about this. They moved to the new Antenna on the KOIN-TV tower a week or so ago.

KBPS-FM is now KQAC

 

[SeattleObserver]

Today I got KANY "Bigfoot Country" on 93.7. I thought I was getting "JR FM" (CJJR) but no. :-( I did manage to catch a little bit of "Virgin Radio" too.

 

[SeattleObserver]

Today caught KSWW of JoDeSha broadcasting fame from Aberdeen. Pretty good considering 101.9 was right up against it.

Love my car's radio. Seriously.

How much does a quality FM tuner cost in the home again? !!!

 

[swhyde1980]

Here in Federal Way, KSWW and KANY come in often on my GE Superadio. KANY though will be coming in alot more if their application to move to South Mountain is approved.

Sometime around 2001 I got Yakima's KXDD and KFFM, the old KMCQ from The Dalles, and CKWV Nanaimo BC on my Mom's car radio during a stop at a park in Silverdale, at the northern tip of Dyes Inlet on the Kitsap Peninsula. CHBE (Victoria) and KFFM were swapping in and out on the 107.3 frequency, and KFFM and KMCQ were coming in like local stations. All during the peak Tropo season that year.

 

[crainbebo]

WOW!!!

The farthest I've heard ANY Yakima station is to about Stampede Pass. You had a great day in '01, swhyde1980!

-crainbebo

SeattleObserver, good job with Bigfoot 93.7 and KSWW. I last heard KSWW about a couple weeks ago. It was in for about 15 seconds, then KPQ garble came in out of the noise and I did not get an ID.

 

[swhyde1980]

WOW!!!

The farthest I've heard ANY Yakima station is to about Stampede Pass. You had a great day in '01, swhyde1980!

-crainbebo

SeattleObserver, good job with Bigfoot 93.7 and KSWW. I last heard KSWW about a couple weeks ago. It was in for about 15 seconds, then KPQ garble came in out of the noise and I did not get an ID.

Thank you crainbebo!  Yea, it was suprising...  All I was doing was trying to tune in some of the Portland stations that were coming in, but I heard the 2 Yakima stations and I was like "WOW!".  I knew something was up when at first I heard "K-X-Double-D" on 104.1.  Too bad CHBE increased power on 107.3...and soon KAFE will be moving to 104.1, so that's all going to come to an end soon most likely.

As for KPQ-FM... over in West Bremerton, that station used to come in year-around and all day like a 'fringe' station, until KSWW moved their transmitter site and increased power.  I think KPQ's transmitter site on Mission Ridge was partially to blame for that.  Up that high in elevation, I think their signal made it up and over the cascades (And maybe bounced off the Olympic Mountains, after going through the lower elevated mountains in the Cascade Range), and was able to hit West Bremerton, well far away from Wenatchee, without any atmospheric conditions to help.  This was mostly in their days as "Soft Rock 102" before they became "The Quake", as classic-rock station.

 

[Bongwater]

WOW!!!

The farthest I've heard ANY Yakima station is to about Stampede Pass. You had a great day in '01, swhyde1980!

-crainbebo

SeattleObserver, good job with Bigfoot 93.7 and KSWW. I last heard KSWW about a couple weeks ago. It was in for about 15 seconds, then KPQ garble came in out of the noise and I did not get an ID.

Thank you crainbebo! Yea, it was suprising... All I was doing was trying to tune in some of the Portland stations that were coming in, but I heard the 2 Yakima stations and I was like "WOW!". I knew something was up when at first I heard "K-X-Double-D" on 104.1. Too bad CHBE increased power on 107.3...and soon KAFE will be moving to 104.1, so that's all going to come to an end soon most likely.

As for KPQ-FM... over in West Bremerton, that station used to come in year-around and all day like a 'fringe' station, until KSWW moved their transmitter site and increased power. I think KPQ's transmitter site on Mission Ridge was partially to blame for that. Up that high in elevation, I think their signal made it up and over the cascades (And maybe bounced off the Olympic Mountains, after going through the lower elevated mountains in the Cascade Range), and was able to hit West Bremerton, well far away from Wenatchee, without any atmospheric conditions to help. This was mostly in their days as "Soft Rock 102" before they became "The Quake", as classic-rock station.

I picked up KXDD today too this afternoon in Burlington. Hell of a LONG way from Yakima!

 

[Bongwater]

Speaking of all our recent tropo glory, it seems to have a flip side for some Seattle stations. On some Bellingham hills, where KRWM used to be pretty solid, CHWF has COMPLETELY taken over 106.9. In fact, I've heard them clear down to Marysville recently, going in and out with KRWM from Alger on down.....

97.3, when not dominated by CKLR sometimes is an unlistenable mess clear down to Everett.

However, KXXO has beaten CHKG's punch in Mount Vernon. Not easily of course. I've even heard KOMO-FM for the first time in Skagit County.

My personal record for FM tropo skip has to be 92.1 CITI Winnipeg in Lynnwood in 1989. If I'm not mistaken, they were also blasting at 360,000 watts at the time. I also picked up WBBM-FM Chicago near Vantage 11 years ago......

East of the Cascades, KUBE came in Spokane like a gangsta home invasion one unexpected night, as well as KPLZ, KQBZ and KLSY. Even CFOX popped in....

 

[LITTLEBOYBLUE]

Since I've never tried this (with FM) ... is the skip dependent on time of day like AM is (only after sundown)?

 

[crainbebo]

KXDD from Bellingham=TROPO ALERT!!

Bongwater, I know KISM takes over 92.9, but there's KDBL out of Toppenish on that frequency. I've heard it to South Cle Elum. Try it for sure. Any country music=KDBL!

Also, try 105.7 for KRSE or KJET over CBU, 107.3 for Castle Rock or 'FFM out of Yakima under CHBE (was having technical problems last night-dead air), 90.3 for KNWY Yakima, 91.9 for KDNA or Calvary Chapel translators (UGH), or 93.7 for KANY.

-crainbebo

 

[Bongwater]

Since I've never tried this (with FM) ... is the skip dependent on time of day like AM is (only after sundown)?

No it isn't. I've picked up KAHM 102.1 out of Prescott, AZ in Lynnwood around noon one day back in 1993. Same with KXDD yesterday.

From my experience, I think FM tropospheric skip depends mostly on a convergence of mostly clear, usually very warm to hot weather (although it's also happened in the middle of December) on top of the right tropospheric conditions. Maybe planetary alignment as well. It's a strange phenomena.....

But what's mostly odd about it is it sometimes it seems like a harbinger of things to come as well. Within weeks after I picked up CITI-FM 92.1 Winnipeg in 1989, CBU-FM2 in Victoria 92.1 signed on. As I heard KXDD on 104.1 yesterday, I know it won't be long now before KAFE takes the frequency over......

 

[Mrwns]

Picked up KEXP today. Completely overriding the KUOW Bellingham repeater.

I also managed to pick up KRWM quite clearly, I can still hear CHWF struggling to fight KRWM, but KRWM was definitely the dominate one.

KUOW has been quite troublesome for me to pick up, most of the time, I can't get anything, today it's as clear as a local.