Questions about FM Frequencies and Paterns

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Questions about FM Frequencies and Paterns

Postby Tape Splicer » Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:40 am

While in the Chilliwack over Christmas we had the radio on and noted that the strength of Vancouver's FM stations seemed close to equal of the local stations...
We didn't have any kind of meter to measure the strength We just went by what we heard....
The discussion proceeded to the TX pattern and power of each station...
So here is the question for someone who knows more then I......
Are Vancouver's FM TX powers and patterns more or less similar? And are the local mountains and the TX placement on them high enough to allow the signal to travel line of sight to the eastern Fraser Valley?
I'll be interested in the answer in ( hopefully ) not to technical a form. Thanks. TS
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Re: Questions about FM Frequencies and Paterns

Postby skyvalleyradio » Sun Jan 12, 2014 11:44 am

"Are Vancouver's FM TX powers and patterns more or less similar?"

More or less. Most of the Mt Seymour transmitters are rated 100 kW ERP. CHHR 104.3 is much lower at 10 kW and CKAV-2 106.3 is 9 kW. The antenna patterns are all very similar as this is determined by elevation in relation to surrounding terrain. The stations not transmitting from this location include lower powered CITR 101.9 located at the Gage towers at UBC; CJSF 90.1 transmitting from Burnaby Mtn; and CKPM 98.7 broadcasting from Port Moody; also the VLP signals at 89.3 and 88.7

"And are the local mountains and the TX placement on them high enough to allow the signal to travel line of sight to the eastern Fraser Valley? "

Absolutely! For this reason I have been critical in the past of CBC's unnecessary redundancy operating rebroadcasters at 88.5, 99.9 and 102.1 as the signals from primary stations at 88.1, 105.7 and 97.7 penetrate up the valley quite nicely until one reaches Bridal Falls or Agassiz on the north side of the river. The exception to this is the immediate 'shadow' east of Sumas Mtn and presumably the reason CBC established repeaters up the valley
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Re: Questions about FM Frequencies and Paterns

Postby Tape Splicer » Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:50 pm

Thanks Sky Valley Radio for the layman's answer to my question.... It was what I thought was the case, but I wanted to have someone confirm what I was thinking.
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Re: Questions about FM Frequencies and Paterns

Postby Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:26 am

Greetings Everyone,
Good explanation Sky Valley about the Vancouver staton transmitter site coverages. Yep got coverage maps for most of the FMs in Vancouver and it indicates pretty much what you explained. They are located high enough on the North Shore Mountains to get out quite well. By the way Mike is CFSI still on the air on Salt Spring? I know recent developments indicated the station is having problems because of current ownership etc.. I have not tried the streaming lately as quite dissappointed in the direction of this station which I really used to like a lot. Since I am still here in Southeastern Ontario because of extreme winter weather conditions and recovering from the flu I will indicate a few comments on FM here.

In the Cobourg, Ontario area which is 60 miles east of Toronto as the crow flies most Toronto FM stations get out well here. I can get the new Indie 88.1 FM well here too. The Peterborough FMs get out well, CKRU , KRUZ tends be a bit weaker but I can hear it fairly well in Baltmore which is 4 miles NE of Cobourg. Small Town Radio CFWN 89.7 FM signed on the air a couple weeks ago and is the newest FM station n Cobourg. They operate around 800 watts erp and get out well. I believe the transmitter/antenna site is on one of the Cobourg Water Towers. I can also get Brighton, ONtario MY FM quite well here too. Brighton is some 30 or 40 miles east of Cobourg. Also most of the Rochester, New York FM stations come in well here too. Rochester is about 50 miles across Lake Ontario from Cobourg. Some of the Buffalo, New York FM stations come in quite well here too regularly including 93.7 WBLK with an URBAN format. CKOL FM 93.7 Campbellford , Ontario which is one of my favorite licensed Free Form Community stations does not get to Cobourg or Baltimore because of WBLK on the same frequency with 50 KW. at least. CKOL is only 500 watts. It was licensed way back in 1994 to Dave and I call it Canada's first licensed Pirate Station because the way it programs and operates out of an old house there reminds me of a pirate station! CKOL started out as a summer only station, then a few months later Dave got the license for fulltime operation.... Campbellford is a smaller town of about 3 or 4 thousand people located northeast of Cobourg and north of Brighton in a fairly isolated area of hilly Northumberland County fringes! Nice town though...

Oh before I forget the Belleville Ontario FMs come in over the air here too, at least most of them do.

73s Take care,

Eldon
Bye . . Mr. CFAY "Frequently On The Frequency"
The CFAY Website: http://cfayradio.wordpress.com
CFAY Radio: http://tinyurl.com/l9qqmh
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