How far do your local radio stations go?

Started by CapeCodder, September 09, 2017, 09:40:14 AM

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sparker

Back in the early-mid '80's when I was making regular trips from San Jose down to the L.A. area (actually, City of Industry) in my pickup w/camper shell to pick up custom speaker cabinets from a vendor down there (usually about 7-8 trips/yr. on average), I developed something of a regular routine, being dependent upon traffic reports on the all-news AM stations at both ends of the trip.  I generally took US 101 south, with AM 740 radio on from San Jose to just south of Salinas, where the signal started to fade (generally around Chualar).  At that point I switched to tapes and popped in music until somewhere around Camarillo (Ventura County).  At that point I switched to the L.A. equivalent AM station (usually 980), which came in handy on more than one occasion when US 101 was backed up in the Valley, giving me the chance to switch to either CA 1 via Malibu or the CA 23/118 freeway through Simi Valley.  I kept the AM station going until I completed my business in Industry and was ready to leave.  At that time my then-wife was dividing her time between her firm's law offices in Madera and Millbrae; if possible, we coordinated my trips to coincide with her Madera time, when she stayed at her Fresno condo.  Depending upon time of day, I started my return trip either north via I-210 and I-5 or, if traffic were an issue, popping out via CA 60 to I-15 (it was completed just that far south during that timeframe) and north via the 15/395/58 route to Bakersfield.  Because AM 980 employed "repeaters" on the north side of the San Gabriels, reception of that station was possible all the way to Mojave (although I usually returned to the tapes once on US 395).  After a couple of days in the Fresno area, I'd return via CA 152; my usual 740 AM radio became usable somewhere around Casa de Fruta (the 152/156 junction) and would remain on until I reached my business (off US 101 and Trimble Road). 
Apparently AM 740, originally broadcast from San Bruno Mountain, has a South Bay repeater at Alviso, enabling the reception down to the Salinas area (and an North Bay equivalent near Schellville, close to the CA 12/121 junction).  I didn't find out about L.A.'s 980 AM North San Gabriel repeaters (apparently two:  one west of Palmdale and the other near Phelan) until I moved out to Hesperia in 2009; there are apparently several more enabling reception in most of Ventura County (hence my Camarillo reception) and south as far as Camp Pendleton (I never ascertained the precise location of those repeaters).  This appears to be common practice for AM news stations, particularly those owned & operated by the major networks (generally CBS or NBC) -- which purportedly command top rates for advertising placement.

On a related whimsical note, when I was attending UC Riverside in the late '60's and early '70's, for a while I was a late-night DJ at the campus radio station -- all of 12.5 watts of broadcast power and broadcasting from a 150' antenna in the middle of the married-student housing north of campus (the radio station occupied one of those buildings).  FM, of course, with reception fading out around downtown Riverside and effectively gone at Rubidoux!  Of course, the mission was to broadcast to student housing -- period; anything beyond that was considered "gravy". 


Flint1979

There are some FM stations in Michigan that have very strong signals, WUPS in Houghton Lake, WHNN in Bay City, WIOG in Saginaw, WBCT in Grand Rapids which is probably the strongest signal I've ever heard it has a coverage area of about 25,000 square miles and covers 20 counties in Michigan. Two other strong Grand Rapids stations are WSRW and WVGR. WKQI in Detroit is a strong signal, WCSX has a strong coverage area but only operates at 13,500 watts, in contrast WBCT operates are 320,000 watts.

dvferyance

#77
I was just in Michigan right on the other side of the lake from Milwaukee for the first time last weekend. I discovered on 107.7 around Holland WVCY from Milwaukee sometimes battles it out with WRKR from Portage MI. Also on 99.1 WMYX also from Milwaukee can be heard in some places as WIIL 95.1 from Kenosha. It's about 70 miles across Lake Michigan. I used to be able to get the 105.7 station from Grand Rapids on this side of the lake until WSSP put in an FM transmitter there.

ce929wax

I'll have to ask my Dad how common it is to hear Milwaukee stations in Holland, but I know he has mentioned doing his paper route as a teenager while listening to WLS out of Chicago.

Flint1979

If it's a strong Milwaukee station it should be able to reach Holland. I can pull WDRV out of Chicago in around the Benton Harbor area. Lake Michigan is about 82 miles across from Grand Haven to Milwaukee.

dvferyance

Quote from: Flint1979 on July 17, 2018, 12:17:58 AM
If it's a strong Milwaukee station it should be able to reach Holland. I can pull WDRV out of Chicago in around the Benton Harbor area. Lake Michigan is about 82 miles across from Grand Haven to Milwaukee.
WVCY and WMYX are about the strongest FM stations in Milwaukee. WHAD public radio is strong but the transmitter is like 25 miles inland. I aso picked up WKKV 100.7 in a fight with the station from Elkhart IN. One thing I am curious about is Holland is the very NW corner of WRKR's coverage. I am wondering if WVCY can be easy to pick up north of there along the lake like around Muskegon.

Flint1979

Quote from: dvferyance on July 17, 2018, 10:30:18 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 17, 2018, 12:17:58 AM
If it's a strong Milwaukee station it should be able to reach Holland. I can pull WDRV out of Chicago in around the Benton Harbor area. Lake Michigan is about 82 miles across from Grand Haven to Milwaukee.
WVCY and WMYX are about the strongest FM stations in Milwaukee. WHAD public radio is strong but the transmitter is like 25 miles inland. I aso picked up WKKV 100.7 in a fight with the station from Elkhart IN. One thing I am curious about is Holland is the very NW corner of WRKR's coverage. I am wondering if WVCY can be easy to pick up north of there along the lake like around Muskegon.
Have you ever tried to get WKLH on this side of the lake? I can get that in around Holland and Grand Haven. I was trying to figure out where that station was coming from and then heard them refer to Milwaukee. WHNN around my area is a strong signal and that is on 96.1, there is also a 96.1 in Holland which is ESPN radio I had always thought those two would interfere with each other's signals.

ce929wax

96.1 comes in pretty clear in Kalamazoo.

Flint1979

Quote from: ce929wax on July 17, 2018, 04:59:03 PM
96.1 comes in pretty clear in Kalamazoo.
That one is obviously WMAX out of Grand Rapids right? Well the transmitter is about halfway between Holland and GR.

WHNN in Bay City is on 96.1 too and has a 100,000 watt transmitter at the corner of the thumb a little east of Bay City.

dvferyance

Quote from: Flint1979 on July 17, 2018, 03:46:03 PM
Quote from: dvferyance on July 17, 2018, 10:30:18 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 17, 2018, 12:17:58 AM
If it's a strong Milwaukee station it should be able to reach Holland. I can pull WDRV out of Chicago in around the Benton Harbor area. Lake Michigan is about 82 miles across from Grand Haven to Milwaukee.
WVCY and WMYX are about the strongest FM stations in Milwaukee. WHAD public radio is strong but the transmitter is like 25 miles inland. I aso picked up WKKV 100.7 in a fight with the station from Elkhart IN. One thing I am curious about is Holland is the very NW corner of WRKR's coverage. I am wondering if WVCY can be easy to pick up north of there along the lake like around Muskegon.
Have you ever tried to get WKLH on this side of the lake? I can get that in around Holland and Grand Haven. I was trying to figure out where that station was coming from and then heard them refer to Milwaukee. WHNN around my area is a strong signal and that is on 96.1, there is also a 96.1 in Holland which is ESPN radio I had always thought those two would interfere with each other's signals.
I really wasn't trying with anything at first. I just so happened to be listening to WRKR when a religious station started to cut in. I knew it had to be WVCY from Milwaukee I did try a couple others like WMYX. WKTI and WXSS are no shows due to stations on 94.5 and 103.7 right on the other side of the lake.

Flint1979

Confirmed by a friend of mine. WJR was picked up in Oxford, United Kingdom this morning.

Flint1979

Quote from: dvferyance on July 17, 2018, 06:19:19 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 17, 2018, 03:46:03 PM
Quote from: dvferyance on July 17, 2018, 10:30:18 AM
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 17, 2018, 12:17:58 AM
If it's a strong Milwaukee station it should be able to reach Holland. I can pull WDRV out of Chicago in around the Benton Harbor area. Lake Michigan is about 82 miles across from Grand Haven to Milwaukee.
WVCY and WMYX are about the strongest FM stations in Milwaukee. WHAD public radio is strong but the transmitter is like 25 miles inland. I aso picked up WKKV 100.7 in a fight with the station from Elkhart IN. One thing I am curious about is Holland is the very NW corner of WRKR's coverage. I am wondering if WVCY can be easy to pick up north of there along the lake like around Muskegon.
Have you ever tried to get WKLH on this side of the lake? I can get that in around Holland and Grand Haven. I was trying to figure out where that station was coming from and then heard them refer to Milwaukee. WHNN around my area is a strong signal and that is on 96.1, there is also a 96.1 in Holland which is ESPN radio I had always thought those two would interfere with each other's signals.
I really wasn't trying with anything at first. I just so happened to be listening to WRKR when a religious station started to cut in. I knew it had to be WVCY from Milwaukee I did try a couple others like WMYX. WKTI and WXSS are no shows due to stations on 94.5 and 103.7 right on the other side of the lake.
Right 94.5 is a country station out of Grand Rapids and 103.7 is a station in South Haven which you'd probably lose before you lost 94.5 it's kind of more directed at the Benton Harbor-St. Joseph area.

It seems like WTMJ has a hard time coming in at night sometimes. I would have thought it would have came in like Chicago or Cleveland's stations.

ce929wax

I haven't tried it on a car radio, but I don't think 103.7 out of South Haven will come in on my indoor radio.

Flint1979

Quote from: ce929wax on July 19, 2018, 05:14:58 PM
I haven't tried it on a car radio, but I don't think 103.7 out of South Haven will come in on my indoor radio.
It doesn't really have a long range but it comes in the best in the southern portion of I-196.

Flint1979

I have the Classic Rock stations pretty much memorized for I-94. Detroit is of course 94.7, then once you start to lose that 106.1 is best for the Jackson and Albion area, then 107.7 for Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, then for awhile before you start pulling in 97.1 out of Chicago in you'll have to deal with 107.7 for awhile. Usually I'll turn it to 780AM for awhile until I feel I can pull in 97.1.

For I-75 in the Lower Peninsula it's rather easy, you'd start with 94.5 for Toledo, then 94.7 for Detroit, 103.9 for Flint, 104.5 for the Tri-Cities, 93.3 a little north of that but usually 98.5 is reachable by the time you get to Bay City and you can listen to that station all the way to the Mackinac Bridge. I was sitting under the bridge on the Lower Peninsula side and pulling 98.5 out of Houghton Lake in.

For Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio, 98.9 out of Fort Wayne is usually the best choice or 94.5 out of Toledo. I have all these channels set on my presets in my car since I travel around these areas enough. Going towards Cleveland 98.5 is a good station.

My go to station and I have their app on my phone is 107.5 in Houston, Texas.

ce929wax

#90
I would call 98.9 out of Ft. Wayne more of an alternative station, than a classic rock station, unless they have changed their playlist since I have listened to them last?

ETA:  If you like classic rock, 92.5 WZUU is also a decent station, although I would call them more butt rock than anything else.

Flint1979

Quote from: ce929wax on July 19, 2018, 10:00:43 PM
I would call 98.9 out of Ft. Wayne more of an alternative station, than a classic rock station, unless they have changed their playlist since I have listened to them last?

ETA:  If you like classic rock, 92.5 WZUU is also a decent station, although I would call them more butt rock than anything else.
It's like 101.1 WRIF in Detroit.

ce929wax

I've never listened to 101.1 WRIF.  Do they play "Bad, bad girlfriend" by Theory of a Deadman, because WZUU did this morning.

Flint1979

Quote from: ce929wax on July 20, 2018, 04:19:04 PM
I've never listened to 101.1 WRIF.  Do they play "Bad, bad girlfriend" by Theory of a Deadman, because WZUU did this morning.
It's more like Alternative Rock than Classic Rock.

Flint1979

WRIF is owned by the same company that owns WCSX which is Detroit's Classic Rock station.

ce929wax

I'll have to check them out next time I am in Detroit.  I still think that 98.9 the Bear is the best alternative station in the region.  94.3 the X in Knoxville, TN was a good alternative station until they fired everyone and flipped it to classic country  :ded:

I wish Kalamazoo had a Jack FM station.

Flint1979

Quote from: ce929wax on July 20, 2018, 09:48:28 PM
I'll have to check them out next time I am in Detroit.  I still think that 98.9 the Bear is the best alternative station in the region.  94.3 the X in Knoxville, TN was a good alternative station until they fired everyone and flipped it to classic country  :ded:

I wish Kalamazoo had a Jack FM station.
It plays the same type of music The Bear does. My all-time favorite is 107.5 The Eagle in Houston, I also like the announcer guy on WMMQ that announces the station info, I think it's the same guy that's on WRKR. I also have KZOK's app so I can listen to Danny Bonaduce I always thought he was hilarious in The Partridge Family and think it's cool he has his own radio show.

Bay City has a station called Joe FM it just plays a format like Jack FM.

dvferyance

#97
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 19, 2018, 06:41:52 PM
I have the Classic Rock stations pretty much memorized for I-94. Detroit is of course 94.7, then once you start to lose that 106.1 is best for the Jackson and Albion area, then 107.7 for Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, then for awhile before you start pulling in 97.1 out of Chicago in you'll have to deal with 107.7 for awhile. Usually I'll turn it to 780AM for awhile until I feel I can pull in 97.1.

For I-75 in the Lower Peninsula it's rather easy, you'd start with 94.5 for Toledo, then 94.7 for Detroit, 103.9 for Flint, 104.5 for the Tri-Cities, 93.3 a little north of that but usually 98.5 is reachable by the time you get to Bay City and you can listen to that station all the way to the Mackinac Bridge. I was sitting under the bridge on the Lower Peninsula side and pulling 98.5 out of Houghton Lake in.

For Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio, 98.9 out of Fort Wayne is usually the best choice or 94.5 out of Toledo. I have all these channels set on my presets in my car since I travel around these areas enough. Going towards Cleveland 98.5 is a good station.

My go to station and I have their app on my phone is 107.5 in Houston, Texas.
Add 96.5 for Milwaukee then 101.5 for Madison. After that you may not have any luck until 92.1 in Eau Claire as stations are few and far between in tiny markets.

Flint1979

Quote from: dvferyance on July 20, 2018, 10:41:48 PM
Quote from: Flint1979 on July 19, 2018, 06:41:52 PM
I have the Classic Rock stations pretty much memorized for I-94. Detroit is of course 94.7, then once you start to lose that 106.1 is best for the Jackson and Albion area, then 107.7 for Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, then for awhile before you start pulling in 97.1 out of Chicago in you'll have to deal with 107.7 for awhile. Usually I'll turn it to 780AM for awhile until I feel I can pull in 97.1.

For I-75 in the Lower Peninsula it's rather easy, you'd start with 94.5 for Toledo, then 94.7 for Detroit, 103.9 for Flint, 104.5 for the Tri-Cities, 93.3 a little north of that but usually 98.5 is reachable by the time you get to Bay City and you can listen to that station all the way to the Mackinac Bridge. I was sitting under the bridge on the Lower Peninsula side and pulling 98.5 out of Houghton Lake in.

For Northeast Indiana and Northwest Ohio, 98.9 out of Fort Wayne is usually the best choice or 94.5 out of Toledo. I have all these channels set on my presets in my car since I travel around these areas enough. Going towards Cleveland 98.5 is a good station.

My go to station and I have their app on my phone is 107.5 in Houston, Texas.
Add 96.5 for Milwaukee then 101.5 for Madison. After that you may not have any luck until 92.1 in Eau Claire as stations are few and far between in tiny markets.
Yeah and you probably lose 101.5 by the time you get to the 90/94 split in Tomah. And Tomah really isn't big enough to have radio stations like the one's we've been mentioning. Your probably right on Eau Claire being the next city to have a Classic Rock station. We've done pretty good so far I think we got from Port Huron (you can pull WCSX in there) all the way to Madison covered. 92.1 for Eau Claire but the transmitter is north of Elk Mound so there's going to be a gap in between that station and 101.5.

ce929wax

I also wish that Kalamazoo had a good FM Talk station like they had in Dallas back in the day.  105.3, Live 105, I forget the call letters had Tom Leykis, The Russ Martin show, and Howard Stern.  Russ Martin would crack me up every afternoon on the PM Drive.  I also liked 93.3 The Bone, which was kind of a bluesy, classic rock station that played lots of Stevie Ray Vaughan. 

I guess Kalamazoo isn't a big enough market for those kind of stations.



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