The Utah County 96.7 cha-cha

[CAwasinNJ]

Lots of movement surrounding 96.7 in Utah County. KQMB has filed for its license to cover for the downgrade from a class C to a class A serving the area near Nephi. With the downgrade, booster KQMB-FM1 up near Provo has been cancelled. The booster was no longer anywhere near the parent station coverage area.

Then there's the big payoff. K244DH, the translator that's been serving Salt Lake and Tooele for a couple of decades is applying to move to Lake Mountain to serve the Provo/Orem area to the east and Eagle Mountain and not a lot else to the west. It looks like there are sharp nulls to the north (to protect KKEX I believe) and the south (to protect KQMB). Maybe when he's ready Frank can fill us in a little more on their plans. A couple of questions I had right off...The application states "noncommercial/educational." Is that because it's a class D or something? Does that mean it can't rebroadcast commercial programming?

[friendlee]

Maybe because that's how K244DH started out? Re-broadcasting KUSU...

[amanuensis]

Even when it was rebroadcasting KUSU, there was so much interference from the other signals that it was basically unlistenable where I live in SW Salt Lake County. And I did want to listen. So if 96.7 goes away in Salt Lake County, it won't be missed.

[drpepper]

Awesome to see this taking shape. Even with no booster, This will still give 96.7 some pretty good coverage total speculation of course but if KQMB is on the same tower as KPVO, and based on what at fmdj1 suggested for potential coverage for KPVO, the combined K244DH and KQMB probably has an 80-90 mile listening range?

[CAwasinNJ]

Well, if anyone would remember when it was a KUSU relay it would be you Friend.

I have to disagree with amanuensis on two counts. First, just because you couldn't hear it and won't miss it doesn't mean that was true for others. Second, the coverage you were getting back then hasn't been true for over 15 years. Here is a map of the coverage area from when it was relaying KUSU: fccdata.org/?lang=en&appid=279213&facid=21617 Then take a look at what it's currently licensed for: fccdata.org/?lang=en&appid=1020161&facid=21617 You can see a huge difference.

[fmdj1]

Sorry, I've been out of pocket. Yes, we're hoping the Commission will approve everything quickly. In order to make a minor move, we had to point the antenna the way it is, but once it is approved and on air, we plan to file to point it more directly at Utah County as that is our real focus. I imagine this should make the Frandsens happy as we are moving it farther away from KKEX, which I believe was always a sore spot between Bob and Kent.

It was listed as a non-com originally because it belonged to USU, but the Commission has cleared us to change it to a commercial station.

The reason the signal for K244DH was so bad on Little Farnsworth was because it was only 36 watts. It had the dual nodes that CAwasinNJ pointed out because of a different antenna setup and a higher elevation. Even though it is lower, on Lake Mountain we'll be able to run it at the full 250, which will make a huge difference for coverage. It will also be better for penetration at that power (at least as much as a translator can be). Although it is a different antenna, you can get a rough idea of how it will cover now if you punch up 103.9, which is running the same power from roughly the same location (though a different antenna). But, as I mentioned, that will change some in the Salt Lake Valley as we point it more towards Utah County.

KQMB is not on the KPVO tower. It would not have reached Levan if it was, even on the new tower KPVO is going on. It is on a small tower in Levan. It is already up and running under test rules while the Commission approves the license to cover. If you are driving through Juab County you can hear it starting near Mona. North of that it still gets interference from KKEX.

Thanks everyone for the feedback and support. I'm always open to suggestions. I'll try to check back and answer questions as I can.

[drpepper]

Sounds like K244DH may be testing. simulcasting KKUT or i guess trimulcasting haha. Someone posted about it on FB last night and i can hear it in holiday. I can pick up KKUT and K225AP from here so was able to hear it as well.

[fmdj1]

You're right, it is essentially a test. We will be putting a different format there come the end of the month, but we have to be able to get to a site that is currently snowed in first. For now, I've been enjoying driving it to see how the coverage is.

[CAwasinNJ]

With the current pattern it's coming in very well in central Davis County, even on a radio with a joke of an antenna.

[fmdj1]

Wow! That surprises me. I would have expected KKEX's booster to knock it out there. They have that thing shooting almost straight south from Treemonton at 11kw. I guess you have to love the mountains

[drpepper]

That is pretty impressive. i started getting interference from KKEX with a pretty good car radio, about 2300 N while heading up to Roy.
it was enough that i suspected KKEX would overtake it so i changed it.

[CAwasinNJ]

The Lake Mountains stations have come in surprisingly well since I've been here. Looking forward to seeing what shows up on K244DH at the end of the month.

[friendlee]

Yeah, being up on Little Farnsworth had it's limitations....funny that it caused so much upset both to the north and south when you could barely hear it above the noise floor in Magna. But then again, with a nearly 70-mile input path from the Clarkston ridgeline, it was a last ditch attempt to salvage what had been when it was over on Ensign with K224BO as it's input from Lake before it had to move to West.

Good luck with the new location and higher power.

[CAwasinNJ]

Friend, I get the sense from your wording that some were not too happy with the station. Are there any stories you can share?