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WPKF is Using Auxiliary Site And Interfering With 97.7 WCZX

M

MHVRadiofan

Apparently Clear Channels Kiss 96.1 WPKF is currently running off their auxiliary transmitter site, the antenna for which is located on the side of AM 1450 WKIP’s tower, in the rear of the studios off Tucker drive In Poughkeepsie. According to the FCC data base in July 2011 they applied for and were granted permission to increase the power of the auxiliary site by replacing the transmitter. In December 2011 WPKF applied for and was granted permission to slightly move their main antenna from the top of the former Hudson River Psychiatric Hospital building off Creek road, because the building was closing and they were losing the site. They wanted to relocate to a nearby and lower cell tower. Perhaps this move is in transition necessitating the use of the backup site.
I bring this up because when traveling near the Tucker Drive site for a good half mile, including a stretch of Van Wagener road they are causing severe interference to 97.7 WCZX, to the point 97.7 is unlistenable. The interference is similar to what you would expect from a first or second adjacent channel station. Oddly the bleed over from 96.1 onto 95.9 and 96.3 is about what is expected and extends no further up or down the band.
I wonder what would cause this type of RF interference. Is 97.7 some kind odd multiple I don’t know about? To my knowledge WPKF does not interfere with any other station, but is this legal that they interfere with WCZX as much as a half mile out and only 8 or9 miles from WCZX’s own transmitter?
 
There may be an undesirable signal being transmitted by 96.1. An engineer would need to look at the signal of 96.1 with a spectrum analyzer. The transmitter may not be tuned properly and is putting out something on 97.7. There may be some mixing of frequencies from other transmitting sites creating a signal.
 
It could be your radio being overloaded by the 96.1 signal...which would create undesirable results when trying to tune to other stations.

It's a normal byproduct of cheap electronic radio receivers, and I'm sure the signal from the 96.1 aux is perfectly legal.
 
luperm said:
It could be your radio being overloaded by the 96.1 signal...which would create undesirable results when trying to tune to other stations.

It's a normal byproduct of cheap electronic radio receivers, and I'm sure the signal from the 96.1 aux is perfectly legal.
Click to expand...

I considered this even though my radio isn’t exactly cheap. It is upgraded original equipment Toyota issue. On Tucker Drive itself my radio could possibly overload due to the fact that the WKIP/WPKF tower is fairly close to the road. However as I said although WPKF only completely degrades WCZX on Tucker Drive interference goes out about a half a mile. I have been about as close to the old WPKF main TX site in the past with no issues.
Also during the summer I frequently drive past the WCTW TX site –located on one of WCKL’ towers, also just off the road with no adverse effects on other stations noted.
I was wondering if anyone else had a similar issue with WPKF & WCZX. I am no fan of WCZX since the format switch a couple of years ago. This is just something I noticed flipping through the dial.
 
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