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Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
WXRL, the low powered station at 1300 AM in Buffalo that's been pumping out country since 1965, has just added an FM repeater to the mix. The new signal is at 95.5, but as usual, it's non-existent in the northern part of the GTA.
CING FM in Burlington at 95.3 all but obliterates it here.
Those two signals are pretty close together both geographically and dial-wise. I wonder if they interfere with each other closer to the border?
WXRL Radio announces new FM signal
- WJPYFM
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Re: Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
I can answer that, yes they do interfere with each other. Actually CING HD upper carrier is at 95.5 so it limits how far the translator can be received. Most of CING is no longer listenable other than extreme southern Erie county were the terrain is higher.
- Fitz
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Re: Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
WJPYFM wrote:
I can answer that, yes they do interfere with each other. Actually CING HD upper carrier is at 95.5 so it limits how far the translator can be received. Most of CING is no longer listenable other than extreme southern Erie county were the terrain is higher.
Shame that HD does that. Same thing happened to the signal of WBFO 88. 7 when CIRV at 88.9 went HD.
I have been sampling the HD stations and quite a few leave a lot to be desired on HD. Some sound like connecting a smart phone to the stereo system. The best sound quality that I have heard on HD goes to WNED FM and Classical FM. Some of the music feeds are not great. Zoomer BTW has been been missing from the Classical FM HD feed for a while now. Not sure what's happening there.
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- RadioAaron
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Re: Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
CIRV, though, at least makes good use of its HD channels from a programming point of view.
The most interesting implementation of HD here was, for a while, CJBC-FM 90. The main station was analog to maintain its sound quality, while it still maintained an HD2 to carry the 860AM programming. Didn't know that was even possible. They've since reverted to the standard setup.
- Saul
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Re: Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
FM translators in the US can be up to 250 watts. I've heard groundwave-type (ie., not by e-skip) signals as far away as Grand Rapids Michigan from the Kawarthas and into central New York State from the Scarborough Bluffs. The 95.5 might very well be doable from the Bluffs. (By e-skip - a completely different propagation beast - I have had translators from throughout the US south and midwest, Florida to the Dakotas...).
I don't know if the translators are broadcasting in stereo ... I haven't thought of checking that when I have heard them. Prime considerations for a station like WXRL might be to have local stereo and perhaps extend the signal a little bit at night. If it does this, WXRL and the like might be happy.
- Ms. C.
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Re: Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
A little static does not interfere with my family's considerable enjoyment of AM 1300 WXRL
- WJPYFM
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Re: Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
Most if not all the FM translators are stereo but the max power is 250watts. Most of them are directional to reduce interference to full power existing stations. 95.5 is located on their AM tower in Lancaster and pointed North so it is not directed at the GTA. 100.5 again is pointed way from GTA. These translators can cover further than their AM daytime coverage depending of course on height and how clear the original frequency is. I think the AM stations that play music should be in stereo for both the AM and FM but that is another discussion.
- Saul
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Re: Longtime Buffalo AM Station Adds FM Simulcast
"I doubt 95.5 or 102.9 (WECK) can be received in Canada outside of Fort Erie, Ont."
I have actually managed to hear W275BB 102.9 twice from the Scarborough Bluffs. Not easy with Hamilton there, but fiddling a bit with the mobile antenna in my car did wonders.
Sep 20 2008 Tropospheric enhancement
2132 W239BA 95.7 NY Lockport Family Life Network, Christian music //88.3
2140 W275BB 102.9 NY Lancaster //WZXV 99.7 with Christian music
... Reception extended to western Ohio and into Indiana.
Jul 7 2012 Tropospheric enhancement
2327 W275BB 102.9 NY Cheektowaga "Buffalo’s cool spot, the Breeze"
... Reception extended into West Virginia.
Many years ago - I don't have the date handy - I heard 95.5 W238AB NY Rochester NY at the Bluffs. It relayed then-WNRV 95.1 and has since gone off the air. I haven't spent much time at the Bluffs since IBOC has landed onto 95.5 courtesy of 95.3 but if I could edge out Hamilton on 102.9 then no reason I could do the same on 95.5 with a decent enough target signal.
I should give the Bluffs a spin ... probably a few new things on-air I could hear with a bit of tropo signal enhanmcement. Maybe I will wait until it's not like the dark side of Mars...
Last edited by Saul (January 25, 2019 12:26 am)