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WBMW 106.5 to change COL, Antenana Location, and boost signal

It looks like the fish of Long Island Sound will be getting a much stronger signal.

Granted, it will provide better coverage of Southern RI, so I think that's worth it. His CT signal looks pretty similar to what he's got now.
 
The big difference will be the amount of RF penetration with the higher power.
While the interference contour looks similar, the actual signal in the office buildings in Groton, New London, and Westerly, RI., will improve a lot.

Plus this signal should be pretty potent over Long Island. Definately going to cause some noise to the "all ready weak in the area", WWKX signal, in south county however.
 
Is there a real reason this station was licensed to Ledyard in the first place? Did Norwich have too many allocations already?
 
So the station that already touts having "the most powerful signal in Connecticut" still isn't satisfied? ???
 
I thought they just had the most powerful signal in New London County? I barely get their signal here in New Britain at all. WEBE-FM 107.9 of Westport is further than they are and I have better luck with them.
 
Most powerful FM in Tolland and Windham counties (Windham's only got the 1 FM though, WILI-FM.) They're billing themselves as "Eastern Connecticut's Most Powerful and Listened to Station." Right.

They can MAYBE get away with the most powerful FM commercial station if you take into account ERP and HAAT. Right now, WBMW puts out 3.1kw at 140 meters above average terrain. WNLC in East Lyme puts out 5.5kw, but at only 82 meters.

WNPR, however, puts out 5.1 kw at 180 meters above average terrain. Non-commercial or not, it's an FM station.

Then, comparing AM to FM power is just apples and oranges. But, if we'd like to talk numbers, there's two 5kw AM's in Eastern CT.

Perhaps it sounds good to some listeners, but I doubt the majority cares about technical parameters. People care if they can hear the station or not.

With the app to move to Pawcatuck, however, they'll be the most powerful. Listened to is another matter. Maybe someday they'll stop the embaro of the New London book!
 
reelyreal said:
With the app to move to Pawcatuck, however, they'll be the most powerful. Listened to is another matter. Maybe someday they'll stop the embaro of the New London book!
Click to expand...

Maybe the most powerful in the county, if you count for 89.1's single polarity.

The most powerful FM station in CT power wise (just counting pure raw power) would be WEBE, which is the only one in the state that is at 50,000 watts. But there are other stations which are class B signals (50,000 watts equivelant, but reduced power because of the increased height), which are far stronger than WBMW in the state, even after WBMW builds it's new facility. There are several class B stations in CT. (90.5, 91.1, 92.5, 93.7, 95.1, 95.7, 96.5, 99.1, 99.9, 100.5, 101.3, 102.9, 104.1, 105.9, 106.9, 107.9 are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. I might have missed one or two).

IThe most powerful signal in Connecticut, is WTIC 1080, undisputed.
 
I think WTIC-FM 96.5 puts out like 18,500 watts. Without getting too technical, what do they really mean when they say 50,000 watt radio station? What made that the basis in the first place? Another example is 100,000 watts. WBLM-FM 102.9 (Classic Rock) of Portland, ME boasts that all the time. Their signal locally in Portland really seems no better than anybody else's. The only difference was when me and the family would drive back down to greater Hartford, we'd intentionally leave the car radio on 102.9 to see how far we could hear them. Back between 1985 to 1987, we would get a weak "FM 103" until a couple of miles down I-495 in northeast Massachusetts. :)
 
reelyreal said:
With the app to move to Pawcatuck, however, they'll be the most powerful. Listened to is another matter...
Click to expand...

Wait till the Christmas season... ::)
 
KML-224 said:
I think WTIC-FM 96.5 puts out like 18,500 watts. Without getting too technical, what do they really mean when they say 50,000 watt radio station? What made that the basis in the first place?
Click to expand...

Class B FM stations can have up to 50,000 of effective radiated power, with their actual wattage going down if their antenna is above 500 feet, IIRC (Mr. Fybush or someone else more well read than me can correct me if wrong). Thats why WDRC-FM is at 19.5 kw, and WWFS in NYC is at 6 kw, yet both have equivalent of 50,000 watts at 500 feet as class B's. Plus, it's a way branding yourself as having a powerful signal/reach.

More info from the FCC on the subject here: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/fmclasses.html
 
Turnpike Tuner said:
Class B FM stations can have up to 50,000 of effective radiated power, with their actual wattage going down if their antenna is above 500 feet, IIRC (Mr. Fybush or someone else more well read than me can correct me if wrong). Thats why WDRC-FM is at 19.5 kw, and WWFS in NYC is at 6 kw, yet both have equivalent of 50,000 watts at 500 feet as class B's. Plus, it's a way branding yourself as having a powerful signal/reach.

More info from the FCC on the subject here: http://www.fcc.gov/mb/audio/fmclasses.html
Click to expand...

It's 150 meters for class B's, the FCC does everything by meters instead of feet, so its around 492 feet. =)
(The other classes allowed in Connecticut, B1, A are 100 meters (328 feet).) And that height is not the height above ground, but rather the height above average terrain. What that means is, the height of the transmitting antenna over the height of the relative terrain around it. Here is an example. Lets say you had a small perfect circle sized hill around a field. And its flat for miles out. There is a tower on this mountain. The mountain is 50feet, the tower is 60 feet, and the antenna is 50 feet up that tower. The height above average terrain would be 100 feet. There are HAAT calulcators online. And again, its all done in meters. And yes, as the height of the antenna goes up, the power goes down. Remember that FM runs on a theoretical "line of site" principal.

In Hartford, a good pair to look at is WRCH and WCCC. WRCH is 381meters above average terrain, so their power level is 7,500 watts., WCCC is 221 meters above terrain, so their power is 23,000 watts, due to the antenna being lower to the ground. Both have signals equivelant of a 50,000 watt signal at 150 meters. Each have advantages. The higher antenna gets a further outward signal into rural terrain, yet the lower antenna, which has higher power, has better building penetration. As for the strongest signal in Hartford, actual raw power wise, it would be WCCC @ 23,000 watts.

WBMW is going from a class 6,000 watt class A signal to a 25,000 watt class B1 signal. However they will be directional and the signal in the direction of the null will be close to or less than their current class A signal. They are increasing the height above average terrain by 4 meters as well.meters too.
 
Necrat said:
It's 150 meters for class B's, the FCC does everything by meters instead of feet, so its around 492 feet. =)
(The other classes allowed in Connecticut, B1, A are 100 meters (328 feet).) And that height is not the height above ground, but rather the height above average terrain. What that means is, the height of the transmitting antenna over the height of the relative terrain around it. Here is an example. Lets say you had a small perfect circle sized hill around a field. And its flat for miles out. There is a tower on this mountain. The mountain is 50feet, the tower is 60 feet, and the antenna is 50 feet up that tower. The height above average terrain would be 100 feet. There are HAAT calulcators online. And again, its all done in meters. And yes, as the height of the antenna goes up, the power goes down. Remember that FM runs on a theoretical "line of site" principal.

In Hartford, a good pair to look at is WRCH and WCCC. WRCH is 381meters above average terrain, so their power level is 7,500 watts., WCCC is 221 meters above terrain, so their power is 23,000 watts, due to the antenna being lower to the ground. Both have signals equivelant of a 50,000 watt signal at 150 meters. Each have advantages. The higher antenna gets a further outward signal into rural terrain, yet the lower antenna, which has higher power, has better building penetration. As for the strongest signal in Hartford, actual raw power wise, it would be WCCC @ 23,000 watts.

WBMW is going from a class 6,000 watt class A signal to a 25,000 watt class B1 signal. However they will be directional and the signal in the direction of the null will be close to or less than their current class A signal. They are increasing the height above average terrain by 4 meters as well.meters too.
Click to expand...

Danke schoen for filling in the cracks NERCAT! Always learn summthin' technical whenever you or Mr. Fybush post.
 
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