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WJZP-LP

I recently took a drive up north of Portland and in my attempts to get WTOS just 15 miles north of the city in Gray realized it was nearly impossible. I know this LPFM has just like 100 or so watts of power but it seems little to strong if you ask me. It kills TOS all the way into nearly Litchfield and that to me shouldnt be. Anyone else think they may be pumping up the power little to much?
 
> I recently took a drive up north of Portland and in my
> attempts to get WTOS just 15 miles north of the city in Gray
> realized it was nearly impossible. I know this LPFM has just
> like 100 or so watts of power but it seems little to strong
> if you ask me. It kills TOS all the way into nearly
> Litchfield and that to me shouldnt be. Anyone else think
> they may be pumping up the power little to much?
>
Life's not fair. WCNH-LP 94.7 in Concord is unlistenable in some places because of WHOM at 94.9. It's like being next to a local station. In Londonderry,NH WLLO-LP gets drowned out by WBLM, even when you are within 2 miles of the WLLO xmtr. That's why I find it hard to imagine WJZP is putting a hurt on WTOS. They'd have to be running something like 1,000 watts to do that.

PTR
 
You may want to consider getting a new car radio. I can get WTOS clearly north of Gray. There is some clipping northbound on the 'pike, but take a look at the geography between WJZP's tower location and the Gray area and you'll see most of the land is well below or even with the WJZP antenna height. As I'm sure you know, with FM Height Above Average Terrain is just as important as power output.

In addition, as has been pointed out to you previously. Please look at the following service coverage maps.

WJZP:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FL1047644.html

WTOS:
http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM611349.html

You'll see WTOS's contour has no protection in Lewiston. I do agree that I hate the elevator jazz WJZP pumps out, but I will stand up for their right to broadcast.

By the way, with the exception of Portland, 100.3 WHEB comes in fine in Southern Maine and is the same active rock format you hear on WTOS.
 
I don't have a problem with them being on the air cause they are a licensed radio station it's just that WTOS even though a Clear Channel station like WHEB hasn't been bitten by the Morning Buzz and Quinn and Cantera syndication bug where more then half of their broadcast day is either sent off to other Clear Channel rock stations or with Quinn and Cantera is just taken from WHJY. I do like WHEB outside of those dayparts.

> You may want to consider getting a new car radio. I can get
> WTOS clearly north of Gray. There is some clipping
> northbound on the 'pike, but take a look at the geography
> between WJZP's tower location and the Gray area and you'll
> see most of the land is well below or even with the WJZP
> antenna height. As I'm sure you know, with FM Height Above
> Average Terrain is just as important as power output.
>
> In addition, as has been pointed out to you previously.
> Please look at the following service coverage maps.
>
> WJZP:
h> ttp://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FL1047644.html
>
>
> WTOS:
> http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/FMTV-service-area?x=FM611349.html
>
>
> You'll see WTOS's contour has no protection in Lewiston. I
> do agree that I hate the elevator jazz WJZP pumps out, but I
> will stand up for their right to broadcast.
>
> By the way, with the exception of Portland, 100.3 WHEB comes
> in fine in Southern Maine and is the same active rock format
> you hear on WTOS.
>
 
> > I recently took a drive up north of Portland and in my
> > attempts to get WTOS just 15 miles north of the city in
> Gray
> > realized it was nearly impossible. I know this LPFM has
> just
> > like 100 or so watts of power but it seems little to
> strong
> > if you ask me. It kills TOS all the way into nearly
> > Litchfield and that to me shouldnt be. Anyone else think
> > they may be pumping up the power little to much?
> >
That's why I find it hard to imagine WJZP is putting
> a hurt on WTOS. They'd have to be running something like
> 1,000 watts to do that.
>
> PTR
>
I travel to Alfred,just south of Biddeford, a lot and used to be able to pick up'TOS,but WJZP reaches that area easily which seems quite a distance for their output power. Also to the north I start to get 'TOS near the Auburn New Gloucester line.On the coast I get "TOS just north of downtown Freeport.I work in downtown Portland and don't get a great Stereo signal from WJZP.Probobly the concrete & Steel structures.It does seem like there could have been some other place on the dial.105.5 would have been an ok place.The closest stations are in Concord N.H. & Islesboro. The same goes for 94.7 LP in Concord there must have been some other place on the dial.
 
105.5 or 88.9 even a better choice w/ no stations on that frequency til ya hit WERS in Boston.

> > > I recently took a drive up north of Portland and in my
> > > attempts to get WTOS just 15 miles north of the city in
> > Gray
> > > realized it was nearly impossible. I know this LPFM has
> > just
> > > like 100 or so watts of power but it seems little to
> > strong
> > > if you ask me. It kills TOS all the way into nearly
> > > Litchfield and that to me shouldnt be. Anyone else think
>
> > > they may be pumping up the power little to much?
> > >
> That's why I find it hard to imagine WJZP is putting
> > a hurt on WTOS. They'd have to be running something like
> > 1,000 watts to do that.
> >
> > PTR
> >
> I travel to Alfred,just south of Biddeford, a lot and used
> to be able to pick up'TOS,but WJZP reaches that area easily
> which seems quite a distance for their output power. Also to
> the north I start to get 'TOS near the Auburn New Gloucester
> line.On the coast I get "TOS just north of downtown
> Freeport.I work in downtown Portland and don't get a great
> Stereo signal from WJZP.Probobly the concrete & Steel
> structures.It does seem like there could have been some
> other place on the dial.105.5 would have been an ok
> place.The closest stations are in Concord N.H. & Islesboro.
> The same goes for 94.7 LP in Concord there must have been
> some other place on the dial.
>
 
Blame the FCC for where WJZP and WCNH are. Those were the only frequencies made available.

PTR

> 105.5 or 88.9 even a better choice w/ no stations on that
> frequency til ya hit WERS in Boston.
>
> > > > I recently took a drive up north of Portland and in my
>
> > > > attempts to get WTOS just 15 miles north of the city
> in
> > > Gray
> > > > realized it was nearly impossible. I know this LPFM
> has
> > > just
> > > > like 100 or so watts of power but it seems little to
> > > strong
> > > > if you ask me. It kills TOS all the way into nearly
> > > > Litchfield and that to me shouldnt be. Anyone else
> think
> >
> > > > they may be pumping up the power little to much?
> > > >
> > That's why I find it hard to imagine WJZP is putting
> > > a hurt on WTOS. They'd have to be running something
> like
> > > 1,000 watts to do that.
> > >
> > > PTR
> > >
> > I travel to Alfred,just south of Biddeford, a lot and used
>
> > to be able to pick up'TOS,but WJZP reaches that area
> easily
> > which seems quite a distance for their output power. Also
> to
> > the north I start to get 'TOS near the Auburn New
> Gloucester
> > line.On the coast I get "TOS just north of downtown
> > Freeport.I work in downtown Portland and don't get a great
>
> > Stereo signal from WJZP.Probobly the concrete & Steel
> > structures.It does seem like there could have been some
> > other place on the dial.105.5 would have been an ok
> > place.The closest stations are in Concord N.H. &
> Islesboro.
> > The same goes for 94.7 LP in Concord there must have been
> > some other place on the dial.
> >
>
 
Nothing to blame, they were in fact the only ones availble according to the rules set at the time of the application. We'll see if they allow LPFM contour overlap, what happens then...
 
> Life's not fair. WCNH-LP 94.7 in Concord is unlistenable in
> some places because of WHOM at 94.9. It's like being next
> to a local station. In Londonderry,NH WLLO-LP gets drowned
> out by WBLM, even when you are within 2 miles of the WLLO
> xmtr.

Neither station should have been assigned those frequencies. Back when I lived up in Concord, I HATED that WCNH-LP would splatter all over WJMN 94.5. Especially because Jamn came in well enough to hear on a Walkman prior to sticking classical on 94.7. Furthermore, 94.9 is grandfathered on Mt. Washington with a historically strong signal through 3/4 of NH - so 94.7 has no business being a 1st adjacent in central New Hampshire.

No tears from me about WCNH's problem, because no one seemed to care that they blew out the only hip hop station available in Concord. Tough - move it elsewhere.

As for WLLO-LP, 102.9 is a frequency used by more than one high-powered station in the region - especially WBLM. Which comes in reasonably well in the Londonderry area and always has. Another poor frequency choice by the FCC.

I have always held the opinion that these LP stations don't belong in the commercial band and should be sub-92.1. Very few seem to have any decent content anyway.
 
promorobot said:
Blame the FCC for where WJZP and WCNH are. Those were the only frequencies made available.
Actually, blame Congress. The FCC's LPFM proposal would have opened a lot more suitable frequencies for LPFM service, but an act of Congress [0] prohibited the FCC from allowing LPFMs on frequencies 0.6MHz removed from nearby stations. Congressional/lobbyist pressure had already forced the Commission to abandon plans to allow LPFMs on frequencies 0.4MHz removed. A quick glance suggests 93.7 might have been a better frequency for WJZP. But it's only 0.6MHz removed from WMGX, and so the Congressional act makes 93.7 off-limits.[0] a comprimise on a bill originally intended to kill LPFM altogether
 
dougw9wi said:
promorobot said:
Blame the FCC for where WJZP and WCNH are. Those were the only frequencies made available.
A quick glance suggests 93.7 might have been a better frequency for WJZP. But it's only 0.6MHz removed from WMGX, and so the Congressional act makes 93.7 off-limits.
and a little too close for 93.9 in Lewiston
 
I am really begining to think that WTOS has been told to lower their power... I can get tos much in Vt anymore. its mostly WKOL 105.1 over the last year
 
I agree as I stated in an earlier post I couldn't get them well in Lisbon Falls, ME where it would get cut in and out by WJZP-LP in spots. I also know that one night when I was working up in Topsham and WTOS was off the air for some reason I was getting WJZP like a local and it was 35-40 miles down the highway in Portland. I am still convinced they are broadcasting with more power then licensed.
 
Jamie said:
I am really begining to think that WTOS has been told to lower their power... I can get tos much in Vt anymore. its mostly WKOL 105.1 over the last year
could also be transmitter troubles (its not the easiest thing to get up to sugarloaf whenever the power dips too low)
 
Jamie said:
I am really begining to think that WTOS has been told to lower their power...
I don't think the FCC can just make an established station lower their power unless they're found to be operating at a higher power level than what they're licensed for, which is illegal.I've never heard of the FCC asking an existing station to lower their licensed power to make way for the signal of a new station. I'd be curious to know if anyone knows of any exceptions.
 
What could we do to try to suggest the LP them to change frequency's?secondly,does anyone know when WKOL last updated their power for some odd reason they make it over the green mountains to the I-91 corridor. Any Ideas why they might be comming in stronger. WKOL did not orginally come in this strong. if you look at Magic 97.7 WGMT they are forced to have a direction antenna and can't make it even to the green mountains and instead its a classic rock station from Montreal Canada.if you compare this to our college station WWLR 91.5. WWLR can make it clear up to the green mountains examples of this are being in stowe and johnstown VT. At these town you are only 10 miles for another 9.15 (WGLY). This happins because of the green mountains in the way and also WGLY being directional.
 
it's all about power, terrain, height of your antenna and how high it is above the average terriain (You could have the best 100,000 watt radio station yet be in a 200 foot hole and have no signal, even though you are at 100kw)
 
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