WQXA/WHFS question

[Lawppy]

One thing that I have always been fascinated with is how the FCC allowed two class B signals to be placed 48 miles apart on 105.7 in York, PA and Catonsville, MD. I see that both signals protect each other, but the local signal rings literally meet up about 10 miles south of the Pennsylvania/Maryland state line on I-83.

So my question is for anybody who lives or has traveled in that area. What does the 'handover' sound like on 105.7? Is there a pretty good 'battle zone' on I-83? Or is it just WQXA at one mile marker and WHFS at the next? Is there any terrain that helps the signals?

Ignore the siggy. It should say 718 stations!
http://michradio.blogspot.com
<P ID="signature">______________
Lawppy.. Southern Michigan FM DX Freak
712 stations and counting</P>

 

[vtjazy]

> One thing that I have always been fascinated with is how the
> FCC allowed two class B signals to be placed 48 miles apart
> on 105.7 in York, PA and Catonsville, MD. I see that both
> signals protect each other, but the local signal rings
> literally meet up about 10 miles south of the
> Pennsylvania/Maryland state line on I-83.
>
> So my question is for anybody who lives or has traveled in
> that area. What does the 'handover' sound like on 105.7? Is
> there a pretty good 'battle zone' on I-83? Or is it just
> WQXA at one mile marker and WHFS at the next? Is there any
> terrain that helps the signals?
>
> Ignore the siggy. It should say 718 stations!
> http://michradio.blogspot.com
>


I don't know about those two stations, but class C's WXLK/92.3 (Roanoke, VA 93k) and WKRR/92.3 (Asheboro, NC 100k) face a similar situation. WXLK generally gets a larger signal than the predicted coverage maps suggest, due to being on a mountain, and when the tropo hits, will overtake 'KRR in the northern parts of its coverage area. Even normally, WXLK trashes up WKRR's signal (sounds like it's overmodulating) until you get south of Greensboro.

One day over the summer, WKRR signed off for about an hour or so, and WXLK came in in Greensboro, complete with full quieting, stereo, RDS...the whole enchilada. (And that was both in my car, which likes to randomly blend to mono on local 100k big-sticks, as well as a really crappy tuner inside my house).

Yay short-spaced, full-powered, co-channel FMs! Sometimes I want to go back in time and see exactly what the FCC was smoking........

 

[Lawppy]

We have two pretty short spaced stations in my part of Michigan too.

WFAT-Portage (Kalamazoo) and WQHH-Dewitt (Lansing) both broadcast on 96.5. Both stations are 6,000 watts. However, WQHH has an advantage over WFAT with tower height by a good 70 feet. The two stations are 65 miles apart.

On a drive between Kalamazoo and Lansing, the first noticeable interference on 96.5 is just east of Battle Creek on I-94. As you continue eastbound on I-94, the interference gets worse to the point where it is sometimes unlistenable by the time you reach I-69 near Marshall. In some instances, WQHH is the more dominant signal. At this point, you are only a hair over 30 miles away from WFAT, but almost 45 miles from Dewitt.

But on the flip side, a drive from Lansing to Kalamazoo would find noticeable interference just south of Charlotte on I-69, with the signal unlistenable by the time you reach Olivet. From Olivet to Marshall, 96.5 is pretty much a mess.

The FCC is totally smoking something! <P ID="signature">______________
Lawppy.. Southern Michigan FM DX Freak
718 stations and counting
http://michradio.blogspot.com</P>