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WPFM on a new stick

That's weird that you've lost WPFM in Wakulla. Did you only loose reception at your house? Can you still pick up PFM driving around the area?

I know next to nothing about FM engineering but I believe I remember all broadcast antennas have a null somewhere even when classified as omnidirectional. Most engineers find this null and use it to their advantage. If you aren't in a nulled out area there must be a hill or ridge between you and the new tower. That extra 400 feet HAAT should improve car reception in Wakulla while sacrificing indoor reception. My observations up in Decatur county were all from low end factory Mopar or Ford car radios.
 
Im in the house I normaly pick up WPFM here in Crawfordville. I check it as it 12:30pm saturday still static. They souldnt done this. I will check my car later to see. So far nothing but static on 107.9. They should have keep 100,000 watts singal on the WMBB's tower.

I think Alan is right they might have dropped to 100,000 to 50,000 on the WMBB's tower move.
 
Yep. There probably aren't any 100,000 watt stations left that could add 400 feet of height to their antenna without sacrificing 25,000 to 50,000 watts of power. It shouldn't hurt anyone's reception in Bay county but the days of Tallahassee folks regularly listening to the Great 108 are long gone... Just like the days of WMBB being the local ABC affiliate for Tallahassee ended 20 years ago.
 
But I still get those clear channel radio stations from Panama City WPAP 92.5 and WFLF 94.5 and 98.5.

By the way last time u said about Sunny 98.5 is they need to repair the lines and it will take another 2 weeks to be on low power before Sunny 98.5 goes back on full power. I know we have a Sunny 98.5 topic and this is the 107.9 stick topic here.
 
Is it safe to assume that now-a-days WPFM only cares about their signal in PCB, Port St Joe, Blountstown, Marianna, Bonifay & the beach towns along 30-A?
The gravy of Tallahassee, SW GA, Dothan, Fort Walton & beyond don't matter to PFM anymore?
 
WPFM got some advertising from Dothan way back a few centuries ago, but not much. I don't recall anything running on it from Tallahassee. The biggest issue has been that PFM sounded thin, low in volume and almost distant right along Hwy 98 since sometime in the 90s. Having not heard it since this change, I can't say for sure. I was able to get Sunny, WFLF and Beach much better down on 30-A than PFM. I would think it would be much stronger now. Yeah, sadly the days of anything mattering long distance have passed. So much noise and small signals, etc.
 
Like I said they shouldnt done this... They should have stay on the WJHG's tower with 100,000 watts. Now Tallahassee and Florida Big Bend and Dothan are going to ask WPFM what the heck happen you do to your singal? I can't get WPFM anymore and yes the singal is weaker then before.
 
I would have also thought power that close to PCB would be more important than height. But since Charlie started this thread by saying he prefers height to power I must be wrong. I can't imagine how moving WPFM 5 miles closer to the beach would help reception. Breaker breaker. Charlie, got your ears on?
 
10-4 good buddy....well, here is my opinion on the remarks about the PFM signal.....

The moved the old antenna.....the antenna was not optimized for the new tower which has either an 8 or 10 foot face...the tower will influence the radiation pattern and if they used stock mounting brackets, the tower could be causing a shadow "though the tower"....they probably oriented the antenna to cover PC/PCB which is SW of the tower so an area from approximately NW to E (about 120 degrees) of the site may have reduced coverage. The old ch7 site had a 6 foot face.....if that tower has a 10 ft, which I think it has, 10 ft is a full wavelength at the FM band and could cause some major distortions in the pattern thru the tower

Now keep in mind, I haven't visited the new site....I have talked to their engineer and know that they used the old antenna. That's all for now, flying out in the morning to the world's largest ham radio gathering in the world in Dayton OH.... www.hamvention.org there will be around 30,000 hams from all over the world there....Tibbs it kinda like a NAB convention for ham operators....equipment vendors, etc....PLUS a huge outdoor electronic garage sale that covers about 60 acres......

bye

cceng
 
Interesting. So back around May 5 when I was pulling a very strong signal from WPFM, probably the only PCB FM beides PAP that was stopping my seek, I was between Chattahoochee and Bainbridge, probably over 50 miles North North-East of WMBB. If your correct with the SW orientation I shouldn't have gotten such a strong signal. And good old Louis there is probably just south of due East at the same distance and lost the whole show. I guess there are always unexpected gremlins in FM signals that can't be found until the strobies get lit up.

Sounds like you would have preferred to install a new custom antenna, with all the fixin's, at the old WJHG site or the new WMBB site. 100kw that close to town shouldn't matter? Good thing it's not your baby to run.
 
I check to see if PFM came in the 2nd time i check still nothing were in Crawfordville. Are the people in Dothan are getting anything?
 
Louis_009 said:
I check to see if PFM came in the 2nd time i check still nothing were in Crawfordville. Are the people in Dothan are getting anything?
Click to expand...

The old WKRP dude commented that the PFM signal was weaker in DHN. According the CCENG's assumptions WPFM should be stronger over in FWB/Navarre but I'm not noticing anything.
 
Something seems screwed up. I guess CCENG nailed it, still that signal should not be that drastically diminished. I ain't no expert on them signal thingys or anything else in radio except getting up at 4:30 am to play radio still sucks...but I have seen 100kw vs 50kw signals with better HAAT to be pretty predictable, even in hilly and mountainous areas like Nashville. Heck CCENG isn't there a major station in LA that's 1 kw with a tower height of like 7 million feet? I guess if nothing else, the electricity bill is reduced.
 
IF there was no pattern study (and there wasn't)
IF they didn't use special spacing between the tower and the antenna (which I don't think they did)
IF that tower has a 10 ft face (I am pretty sure it is)
IF there is a steel guy wire in the near field of the antenna (no idea)

THEN.....you would be surprised at the nulls and peaks that might be on that signal.....the only way to find out would be to "fly" the pattern in a circle about 3 miles from the tower with a field strength meter and chart recorder (or the computer equivilent)

That signal is probably going all kind of places with great variations in signal strength...those nulls could be major......an omni antenna is only omni when it is pole mounted (or on a 24 inch face tower) and then there are some slight distortions even with a pole.

I'm in Dayton, Ohio....going to drink beer and tell lies with my ham buddies

ta ta
cceng
 
Ah ha! We just found out what tempted CCENG to post the new PFM coverage question to begin with. He knew what would be going on before posting the question. Sneaky.

Any idea why they moved? Lower tower lease $? Lower power bill $? Consolidating facilities onto one location?

The height over power doesn't always work out for the station. I still insist Pensacola's 107.3 @ 100kw from the old, short, tower had a far better signal than the new site with 50kw @ 1600 ft. Minor tropo wipes 107.3 off Pensacola's dial now, before it would be the last audible station durring hot tropo.
 
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