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X102.9 Static?

U

upstate29651

Driving north on I-95, without fail, 102.9 becomes very staticky from the Duval-Nassau line all the way to the Camden-Glynn line, where it starts to clean up (but only for a few mins, before the actual distance away from the tower brings back the static). I've noticed this issue in many different cars (I rent a lot of cars for business). Anyone else experience this?

Driving south towards Jax on 95...no problems with 102.9 whatsoever.

G
 
How many days has this been going on? what time of day has it been? all useful information to have.

I've never had a problem, in fact-- I could get 102.9 as far as Brunswick before having problems in the past.
 
Various times (night, afternoon) since August. There's no "bleed" from another signal, so tropo's not to blame. Again, this has been observed while driving Kia's, VW's & Hondas.

G
 
I used to spend the night quite a bit at hotels in St. Mary's and make the trip on 95 to South Florida a lot. I have noticed they seem to have a slightly scratchy signal during the summer months to the north. I'd bet it has to do with interference with WPMX-FM Statesboro which is a co-channel C3 about 100 miles north of the GA/FL line. To the south, I don't think they really have any competing signals on 102.9. Co-channel interference can always be a problem. I wouldn't be surprised if WXXJ probably smashes WPMX's southern signal to about 25-30 miles in the summer.

In the car, I'd always lose 102.9 about 10-20 miles north of Brunswick like most of the J'ville signals. 96.1 and 107.3 seem to be the best and can be picked up here in Hilton Head on a regular basis year round.

Radio-X
 
radiodxrichmond said:
I used to spend the night quite a bit at hotels in St. Mary's and make the trip on 95 to South Florida a lot. I have noticed they seem to have a slightly scratchy signal during the summer months to the north. I'd bet it has to do with interference with WPMX-FM Statesboro which is a co-channel C3 about 100 miles north of the GA/FL line.
Click to expand...

That's the thing. As I mentioned earlier, there is not another signal fighting for or heard underneath 102.9 in the area I mentioned. It's just plain scratchy (a better description than staticky).

G
 
This type of reception problem can be caused by a lot of things. It could be an area where the terrain is lower than the areas north and south which could create a shadow. There is a similar area between Tampa and Orlando where the land dips significantly over a stretch of a few miles, and the Orlando stations fade, but come back for a few miles once the ground flattens back out. In a car it is not all that apparent that you are going downhill.

You could also be hearing multi-path interference, where the signal is bouncing off something very large that's near this area, mixing back in to the direct signal from the tower, which can also cause interference that sounds scratchy.

A third possibility would be a radio station tower near this area that is transmitting on an a channel that is just above or below 102.9. Often, the sensitivity threshold of a radio will be reduced when you are in the vicinity of a strong RF field, even if it is on a channel other than the one you are listening to.

Those are the three scenarios I would consider most likely, but there are many possibilities.
 
Update: Same route (I-95 Nothbound), different vehicle (Chevy Impala, stock radio), STILL having issues with 102.9. I can't believe I'm the only one.

G
 
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