Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

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Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby kal » Tue Sep 05, 2017 1:57 pm

Quite a few complaints in social media postings about the AM650 signal now that Sportsnet650 has gone live.

At least it confirms that there are listeners (trying to) make the move from 1040.

Anecdotally, there are complaints about the weak signal, about noise on the frequency, about no signal, that sort of thing.

Seems a bit backward to spend big hiring a new lineup and then find that you can't reach some of your potential audience.

Perhaps some of the tech types will weigh in here about what needs to happen. Is it power, is it reshaping the contours, just what needs to be done to rectify these sorts of complaints.
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Re: Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby jon » Tue Sep 05, 2017 4:07 pm

Broadcasting Decision CRTC 2014-431
Route reference: Part 1 application posted on 8 April 2014

Ottawa, 14 August 2014

8384886 Canada Inc.
Richmond, British Columbia

Application 2014-0278-4
CISL Richmond - Technical changes

  1. The Commission approves an application by 8384886 Canada Inc. (8384886) to change the authorized contours of the English-language commercial radio programming undertaking CISL Richmond by changing the transmitter site, increasing the daytime transmitter power from 10,000 to 20,000 watts and decreasing the night-time transmitter power from 9,000 to 4,000 watts.
  2. 8384886 stated that the amendment was necessary because the current transmitter site is no longer usable due to sinking land.

Image
I suspect most of the complaints about signal quality are when CISL is on Night power (4,000 watts). The station is switching to Night power well before sunset, since the September time is calculated as the closest quarter hour to Sunset at the transmitter site on September 15th.

Given the directional pattern shown above, which never changes between Day and Night power, I would expect they are hearing complaints even on Day Power (20,000 watts) from all points South of the transmitter site, including Victoria, and most points to the East, especially the Fraser Valley.

My own experience listening to new format launches, especially non-local content, is that audio levels may be low or noisy for the first few days.
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Re: Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby Richard Skelly » Wed Sep 06, 2017 3:43 am

Here in Victoria, I pick up some Bellingham and Seattle AM night signals better than 650. Daytime, it's marginally better than 1040. Kind of a joke, though that two of the three Vancouver sports stations have wimpy signals. I just hope CFAX manages to continue simulcasting Canucks games.
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Re: Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby jon » Thu Sep 07, 2017 9:29 am

I didn't think about it until now, but CISL-650 also has to protect KAPS-660 in Mount Vernon, Washington, both day and night.
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Re: Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby Dan Sys » Thu Sep 07, 2017 3:23 pm

Here's a CISL daytime and a nighttime coverage map that shows the areas covered by each pattern.

Image

Image
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Re: Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby swan_ch » Thu Sep 21, 2017 6:16 am

Richard Skelly wrote:Here in Victoria, I pick up some Bellingham and Seattle AM night signals better than 650. Daytime, it's marginally better than 1040. Kind of a joke, though that two of the three Vancouver sports stations have wimpy signals. I just hope CFAX manages to continue simulcasting Canucks games.


http://www.sportsnet.ca/650/650-news/listen-live-throughout-b-c-vancouver-canucks-sportsnet-650/

Looks like KiSS will take the simulcast in Victoria.
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Re: Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby albertaboy4life » Thu Sep 21, 2017 1:08 pm

And no chancey for Prince George, Castlegar, Creston, Golden, Revelstoke, Radium, Invermere/Windermere Valley, Grand Forks, Fernie/Sparwood, Cranbrook, Trail, Oliver/Osoyoos/Penticton (unless Kelowna's AM 1150 has gotten a better signal since my last drive through southern BC).

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Re: Sportsnet650 Signal Complaints

Postby Coolcat » Thu Sep 21, 2017 1:21 pm

Heard that the Rogers Vancouver broadcasters were denied visas to work on the Canucks game in China. Any idea if it was just Chinese Red Tape or do these guys have a record.
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