Eugene Radio Happenings

[chessyduck]

I am not sure if anyone on PDXRADIO saw this STA extension paperwork but this is an amazing power level! As noted, the K275AA (102.9) translator lost its original transmitter site at the quarry in southeast Springfield. It was supposed to shift to channel 290 (105.9) and operate from the KUGN AM site with 125 watts but in December filed an STA. The STA states they’ll stay on 102.9 at the KUGN towers but with three-tenths of a watt (0.0003kw)!!! (It looks like it has been this way since 2013.)

Here’s what the paperwork notes…

CUMULUS LICENSING LLC (‘CUMULUS’) RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS A FURTHER EXTENSION OF ITS SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY (‘STA’) TO OPERATE FM TRANSLATOR STATION K275AA WITH THE FACILITIES AUTHORIZED IN BSTA-20130926BAT FROM THE SITE OF COMMONLY-OWNED STATION KUGN(AM).

STATION K275AA WAS GRANTED A NEW CONSTRUCTION PERMIT FOR CHANNEL 290 ON MARCH 29, 2018. SEE BPFT-20180117ABG. AS EXPLAINED IN ITS PREVIOUS REQUESTS FOR SPECIAL TEMPORARY AUTHORITY, STATION K275AA LOST ITS LICENSED SITE AND, SINCE THEN, HAS REQUESTED AND RECEIVED AUTHORITY TO OPERATE FROM THE KUGN SITE ON A TEMPORARY BASIS.

UNFORTUNATELY, THE ONGOING COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS SIGNIFICANTLY HAMPERED THE ABILITY OF CUMULUS TO COMPLETE CONSTRUCTION OF ITS NEW FACILITIES.

CONSEQUENTLY, UNTIL CUMULUS IS ABLE TO FINISH CONSTRUCTION OF ITS CHANNEL 290 FACILITIES, IT RESPECTFULLY REQUESTS A FURTHER EXTENSION OF ITS STA TO OPERATE K275AA FROM ITS TEMPORARY SITE, PURSUANT TO SECTION 73.1635 OF THE RULES. THIS WILL SERVE THE PUBLIC INTEREST BY ALLOWING CUMULUS TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE SERVICE TO ITS LISTENERS.

[Broadway]

Radio-locator shows it different….

https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?call=K275AA&x=0&y=0&sr=Y&s=C

[chessyduck]

Radio-Locator is not always an exact reference. For example, their antenna plot for K245AA (KHPE’s translator on Blanton Heights) is not generated properly. A cross-check with the FCC API using station’s technical parameters (HAAT, power, antenna pattern, etc.) will give you the correct 60dBu coverage plot.

[Andy Brown]

C-duck, warnings about Radio Locator will fall on deaf ears around here. I’ve been sounding that alarm for a dozen years and some posters still reference it.

[semoochie]

I noticed some time ago that Radio Locator had improved the quality of its maps, in that there was some control over the detail shown. Because of an issue on the FCC site, I tried and again got the old map style.

[chessyduck]

Yes, Radio-Locator can be confusing at times , especially handling some regions where FM Class B’s have protection to 54dBu and B-1’s to 57dBu.

I now use this URL to verify patterns https://geo.fcc.gov/api/contours/demo

This website generates FCC-type contour maps but not the more realistic Longley-Rice plots used in “SkyTower” exception calculations (where the FCC’s estimated 70dBu city-contour does not cover the community of license but the L-R estimate does cover the COL in its entirety.) Also note, the FCC API only uses a general “FM” frequency, unlike L-R estimators.

[russell-curry]

The KUGN translator isn’t the only cumulus translator to have problems. As of three weeks ago, the Cottage Grove KNRQ translator’s signal was kind of fluctuating, though not going clear out. The KZEL translator was okay, but somewhat undermodulated. This is actually not too bad comparatively speaking, each of them has been completely down a pretty good share of the past decade. I’ve never noticed a problem with any of the other CG translators.

[lastday]

KRVM fixed their reversed stereo channels. Apparently the cables that came with the AudioScience sound cards used with Simian were mislabeled.

I’m told former KRVM volunteer host Mike Meyer has landed a gig at KOCF.

[lastday]

Cumulus stations 102.3 KEHK and 103.7 KNRQ are not operating today.

[lastday]

And now they’re back.

[Author]

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