Will W267AI 101.3 be Turned Off When 101.7 Moves to South Station?

[DrSquelchcrash]

Well...

Will W267AI be turned off once WFNX moves to the "WERS/WHRB" Tower
at South Station, or are the South Station signals also clobbered from
the Pru hash zone also?

If FNX decides to not need 101.3, will WFNX suddenly be "upset" that
there is a 101.3 signal so close to 101.7?!?

Will FNX sell the frequency to K-Love, or the Calvary Chapel? :>)

Could WZBC move there!! :>)

Could a 10 watt LPFM sine on using the current Hancock facilities?

Will the 101.3 signal even be permitted to remain with a 101.7 so close?

Could it just be given to WTOS!!!

Just curious if EB101 could return from Eastie! :>)

73
DrSquelchcrash Standing by...

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All day, All Night, No Reason!</P>

 

[Shellanswerman]

> Well...
>
> Will W267AI be turned off once WFNX moves to the "WERS/WHRB"
> Tower
> at South Station, or are the South Station signals also
> clobbered from
> the Pru hash zone also?
>
> If FNX decides to not need 101.3, will WFNX suddenly be
> "upset" that
> there is a 101.3 signal so close to 101.7?!?
>
> Will FNX sell the frequency to K-Love, or the Calvary
> Chapel? :>)
>
> Could WZBC move there!! :>)
>
> Could a 10 watt LPFM sine on using the current Hancock
> facilities?

This would be ideal for WRBB-FM currently on 104.9 where it's slaughtered by
WBOQ.

 

[webcastboy]

> Will W267AI be turned off once WFNX moves to the "WERS/WHRB"
> Tower at South Station, or are the South Station signals also
> clobbered from the Pru hash zone also?
>

I am not privy to any special info from Mr. Mindich, but speaking as an engineer I suspect the whole point of 101.3 was less to actually get a signal and more to protect 101.7 from anyone else being on 101.3FM.

I have heard 101.3 fairly cleanly all the way out in Wellesley...10 watts that high up (and on a fairly clear frequency) does get out there. But it's a weak signal and easily disrupted by terrain or buildings; most of the time 101.7 comes in better than 101.3 does anywhere you look. Even in downtown where 101.3 is strongest.

It's also entirely possible that a move of 101.7 to One Financial Center would actually force 101.3 off the air due to FCC signal interference rules. That's just a guess, though...I haven't actually done any research on it.

Personally, I'd love to see Class D underdog WRBB abandon 104.9 and take 101.3 as their frequency and have their tower rent financed by WBOQ (who'd just love to see WRBB go away). With a clear path into downtown Boston WBOQ's stock would shoot up (esp. with the Red Sox games), and WRBB would finally have a halfway decent signal. Alas, unless Mindich & crew are feeling especially generous (and the FCC issues a waiver for WRBB to make that kind of jump) I don't think it'll happen.

 

[HHH]

> Personally, I'd love to see Class D underdog WRBB abandon
> 104.9 and take 101.3 as their frequency and have their tower
> rent financed by WBOQ (who'd just love to see WRBB go away).
> With a clear path into downtown Boston WBOQ's stock would
> shoot up (esp. with the Red Sox games), and WRBB would
> finally have a halfway decent signal. Alas, unless Mindich
> & crew are feeling especially generous (and the FCC issues a
> waiver for WRBB to make that kind of jump) I don't think
> it'll happen.
>


Oh man, what a great idea!

The whole existing 101.3 facility (already in place)is donated to Northeastern, WRBB moves to 101.3 with the exact same wattage and coverage (which is much better than their current 104.9) and WBOQ is suddenly worth more bucks (with better Boston city coverage). If I owned WBOQ, I would be on the phone with Mindich right now!

 

[DanStrassberg]

> Personally, I'd love to see Class D underdog WRBB abandon
> 104.9 and take 101.3 as their frequency and have their tower
> rent financed by WBOQ (who'd just love to see WRBB go away).
> With a clear path into downtown Boston WBOQ's stock would
> shoot up (esp. with the Red Sox games), and WRBB would
> finally have a halfway decent signal. Alas, unless Mindich
> & crew are feeling especially generous (and the FCC issues a
> waiver for WRBB to make that kind of jump) I don't think
> it'll happen.
>
Scott Fybush or someone else more knowledgeable than I about FCC FM-spacing rules will have to confirm or deny this, but I suspect that the FCC permits translators in places that it doesn't permit Class D FMs. So even though we know that 101.3 doesn't interfere with 101.7 and almost surely won't interfere with 101.7 after the 101.7 move to One Financial Center, it probably won't be permissible for WRBB to occupy 101.3 in place of WFNX's translator. I suspect that it would take WFNX's intervention on behalf of WRBB to get the FCC to issue a waiver that would allow WRBB to move to 101.3. After all, if it could have moved to 101.3 before WFNX was granted the translator, wouldn't WRBB have moved? If the antenna-site move and the Tx-site rent were too expensive for Northeastern, the frequency move would still have improved WRBB's signal because of the absence of co-channel interference. So I have to assume that FCC rules don't permit the move and that a waiver would be necessary and would be granted only with support from WFNX.

 

[Joseph_Gallant]

And if WRBB moves to 101.3 and abandons 104.9, could WBOQ move their transmitter closer to Boston??

I think WBOQ could then apply to change their "city of license" to Revere or even Chelsea, move their transmitter closer to Boston (perhaps even on the WHRB/WERS/WFNX stick) and in effect (although a class "A") become a Boston station.

I would think a COL of Revere or Chelsea and a transmitter atop One Financial Place (I believe that's the WERS/WHRB and soon also WFNX tower is) is feisable, as 104.9 would, IIRC, still be within FCC adjacant-channel mileage separation parameters as regards stations on adjacant frequencies (i.e. 105.1 in Proividence, 104.7 on Cape Cod, 104.5 in Fitchburg/Worcester).

 

[JustinT]

> And if WRBB moves to 101.3 and abandons 104.9, could WBOQ
> move their transmitter closer to Boston??
>
> I think WBOQ could then apply to change their "city of
> license" to Revere or even Chelsea, move their transmitter
> closer to Boston (perhaps even on the WHRB/WERS/WFNX stick)
> and in effect (although a class "A") become a Boston
> station.
>
> I would think a COL of Revere or Chelsea and a transmitter
> atop One Financial Place (I believe that's the WERS/WHRB and
> soon also WFNX tower is) is feisable, as 104.9 would, IIRC,
> still be within FCC adjacant-channel mileage separation
> parameters as regards stations on adjacant frequencies (i.e.
> 105.1 in Proividence, 104.7 on Cape Cod, 104.5 in
> Fitchburg/Worcester).
>

My technical knowledge is somewhat limited, but a 104.9A in Revere or Chelsea would seem nearly impossible.

The 104.7B on Cape Cod and the 104.5B in Fitchburg wouldn't seem to be huge problems. 104.7 has a decent signal on parts of the South Shore, but it's largely due to the fact that there is little interference from adjacent stations. WBOQ's current location is hampered in by 105.3A in Kittery, ME, as well.

105.1B, WWLI in Providence, would seem to make such an allocation impossible. WWLI has a huge signal that blankets the South Shore and Boston's western suburbs. In that way, it would seem that a new 104.9 would have a very limited signal even if it were to somehow pass FCC approval.

It would make a great FM Spanish station, or the long-awaited WILD-FM, but it will simply never happen.

 

[TXengineer]

Why WRBB won't be moving to 101.3...

W267AI is a "Fill In" translator, which will probably end up just being shut off the air when WFNX moves. WRBB is not a "Fill In" translator, it is a Class D grandfathered license, and it absolutley can not use 101.3 anywhere within the protected distance of WFNX. Now, WRBB could transfer the license of 101.3 W267AI to SIMULCAST WRBB, however it will keep 104.9 occupied until then.

 

[KML0224]

There's a transmitter at South Station? How come I've never seen it?

 

[DanStrassberg]

> I would think a COL of Revere or Chelsea and a transmitter
> atop One Financial Place (I believe that's the WERS/WHRB and
> soon also WFNX tower is) is feisable, as 104.9 would, IIRC,
> still be within FCC adjacant-channel mileage separation
> parameters as regards stations on adjacant frequencies (i.e.
> 105.1 in Proividence, 104.7 on Cape Cod, 104.5 in
> Fitchburg/Worcester).

I think not, but I'm not sure. I believe that 105.1 in Providence is a full B whereas WBRU is not. I believe that WBOQ's protected contour is already as close to Providence as the FCC permits, whereas WHRB had more room to play with. I think that a directional antenna for WBOQ at One Financial Center would have to have a deeper minimum toward Providence than the FCC permits. WXLO is also a full B but it may not be quite as close to One Financial Center as 105.1 Providence is. Somebody who knows the FCC first-adjacent spacing rules will have to help out here.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

Re: Why WRBB won't be moving to 101.3...

> Now, WRBB could transfer the license of 101.3 W267AI to SIMULCAST
> WRBB, however it will keep 104.9 occupied until then.

Actually, if that happens, WRBB would even have to keep 104.9 after then in order to be a simulcast.

If they shut off 104.9, then 101.3 would no longer be a simulcast. It would be their only station.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

> There's a transmitter at South Station? How come I've never seen it?

It's not actually at South Station. It's the WERS/WHRB tower on top of the One Financial Place skyscraper, which is (kind of) near South Station.

 

[Eli Polonsky]

> I think not, but I'm not sure. I believe that 105.1 in
> Providence is a full B whereas WBRU is not. I believe that
> WBOQ's protected contour is already as close to Providence
> as the FCC permits, whereas WHRB had more room to play with.

Also, WHRB has a directional antenna which cuts power slightly to the south-southwest for WBRU protection.

 

[Jacko]

Putting WBOQ 104.9 atop One Financial Center may still work, despite having 105.1 Providence in the picture. Remember, WFNX is moving there with a 6-kw equivalent power with WWBB 101.5 Providence in the picture. 101.5 is nulled a bit toward Boston to protect WFNX 101.7 in its current form, but with WFNX moving downtown, FNX is having to severely null its signal toward WWBB, and IIFC, put a minor null toward 101.9 WCIB/Falmouth.

WBOQ should be able to exist with WWLI 105.1 Providence in the picture. 105.1's tower is several miles further away from Boston than 101.5's tower, giving 105.1 a little extra breathing room from the Boston junk. 104.9 will still have to null itself, but not as severely as WFNX is having to.

But then again, this is all just in theory.

Jacko<P ID="signature">______________
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And a pocket full of gold.
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