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Post by kenglish on Dec 6, 2021 22:35:48 GMT -7
www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-06/knx-fm-radio-sation"AM signals are blocked by topography"? Maybe the broadcasters should have fought the many things that "must" interfere with radio. Those 9 micro-Wavelength "paperclip" (aka: "sharkfin") antennas on cars don't help reception much! My 22 year old Subaru has a couple of feet of wire imbeded in the side window, and gets AM very well. Does FM work very well in a Tesla? Will FM be perfect with the same 8 milli-wavelength antenna? KNX is currently holding a celebration there that rivals the closing ceremonies of the LA Olympics. It's all "97.1 FM".
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Dec 7, 2021 16:21:07 GMT -7
Well, kinda. The LA Times is written to people who think top loading is putting your luggage on your car's roof rack. The ground conductivity in most of Southern California is not great. See here. www.fcc.gov/media/radio/m3-ground-conductivity-mapThen there's the groundwave/skywave cancellation effect, though I don't know whether that's a factor with KNX. There's a great story about the new owner of WABC 77 in New York. WABC is a 50kw fulltime non-directional, but he had trouble picking it up at his house out in the Hampton's out in eastern Long Island. He bought an FM out there so he could hear his own station. Meanwhile the 50kw NYC AM's can be picked up clearly in Boston. |
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henry
Silver Level Member
Posts: 319
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Post by henry on Dec 15, 2021 18:43:08 GMT -7
All I know is KNX sounds like crap... stuck in traffic on the 110 freeway downtown. That's not good.
Been in CA for three years, and tuned into KNX *maybe* four times per year. This week on 97.1, it's my go-to station pretty much all the time. I had the exact same thing happen when I lived in Utah. KSL was never on my radar— until it was on 102.7. And I began listening a lot.
KNX is going to have some really good books next year, imo!
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Post by kenglish on Dec 16, 2021 9:44:07 GMT -7
What made the AM sound so bad? I've always heard that AM is far better when listening on the road, than at home with all the interference sources.
Is it just worse when you're stuck in traffic, with all the other cars around you (interference from ignition noise and electric cars)?
Could it just be the typical low-fidelity AM sections they put in most receivers nowadays, as an afterthought?
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henry
Silver Level Member
Posts: 319
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Post by henry on Dec 20, 2021 19:27:27 GMT -7
Back in college (circa 2003), I would listen to KNX at night while doing my homework (in Provo). For some reason, I could only pick it up in the basement because 1060 KKDS would bleed all over it upstairs. Back in the era where David G. Hall moved from KFI to KNX and was trying to make station sound more like KFI. Also the same year KNX dropped the old time radio hour.
I do know the dial is a mangled mess of maximum AM and FM stations down here. Perhaps that's a part of it? It just seemed like no matter where I drive, there's a power line or substation or some time of specialized building emitting interference. And I could sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic 3 miles from the Miracle Mile (where KNX has its studios) and the signal-to-noise ratio was awful. I know AM can sound good— because KFI sounds great. But there's something wacky about KNX 1070.
Long story short, KNX on FM simply sounds better. And I'm listening more. And if enough other people in the 30-40 demo are also tuning in, that really helps.
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Post by kenglish on Dec 21, 2021 18:06:42 GMT -7
..... And I could sit in bumper-to-bumper traffic 3 miles from the Miracle Mile (where KNX has its studios) and the signal-to-noise ratio was awful. I know AM can sound good— because KFI sounds great. But there's something wacky about KNX 1070. Remember, the transmitter is near Torrance, about 13-15 miles from the studios. A lot can happen between the two. I found that the EAS monitor at KSL's studio could not get a clean signal of KSL-AM. I never could get anyone to work on it, but I think it was due to the LED lights around the studio area. Crazy, ain't it? |
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Post by CAwasinNJ on Dec 22, 2021 0:19:38 GMT -7
RF generators could certainly be a part of it, but I'd check out the material of the building too. A lot of office buildings have metal in the walls which will wreak havoc on AM signals. It can act like a giant Faraday Cage.
I don't think it would be a factor at KSL but further out groundwave/skywave cancellation could be a factor.
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Post by kenglish on Dec 22, 2021 11:46:34 GMT -7
The EAS receiver at KSL-TV uses a Ramsey SignalMagnet shielded-ferrite antenna, on the second floor roof.
Part of the problem was, it was turned a bit off in azimuth (more southwest than west). I also recommended someone replace the whole outdoor run of RG-6/U cable in case it had water ingress, but I'm not sure if they did.
Similar issue on Farnsworth seemed to be intermittent noise from a very close LED light. Daytime always worked. Nighttime, not always.
(Edit: By "Studio Area", I was talking about the outdoor neighborhood, which includes the malls, arena, Salt Palace and the Triad property, with so many lights. Plus, the TRAX trains.)
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Post by kenglish on Dec 22, 2021 12:10:00 GMT -7
When I was replying to Henry, I was listening to KNX-AM on 1070, right after dusk here, and just before dark in LA.
I was getting a great, near "studio quality" signal here in Midvale, at 588 miles.
I have a pretty good setup, so I switched over to the portable Eton Field Elite, for comparison. Indoors, with just the built-in ferrite antenna, it was very listenable.
I still wonder if the old fender-mounted whip antenna on cars was the best way to go 😉 .
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Post by radiowyoming on Jan 26, 2022 20:52:40 GMT -7
There's a great story about the new owner of WABC 77 in New York. WABC is a 50kw fulltime non-directional, but he had trouble picking it up at his house out in the Hampton's out in eastern Long Island. He bought an FM out there so he could hear his own station. Meanwhile the 50kw NYC AM's can be picked up clearly in Boston.
Thats because with 50kw... when you get to the eastern end of long island from the WABC NJ Transmitter site youre too far for groundwave too clsoe for skywave and get some canncellation. 250-300 miles is perfect range for a 50kw ND am for local pounding in skywave
I can hear a 50kw am from 350 miles away after dark quite well all the time.
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