Musing on Radio. No, Musing About Radio. And dogs, and maybe topography.

Cafe Society
1

Yeah, I’m a schmuck that still listens to radio. I take my dogs out into the hinterlands every day and the CD player in the Jeep doesn’t work. So…

I grew up in this area, and listened to the one station that came in clear. Back then it was “rock”, now it’s “classic rock”. (Amazingly, the station has changed damn little in the last 40 years)

But that isn’t what this tread is about…

Listening to the radio, there are (were) about 4 stations that I would get worth a shit. Current, Adult type shit, Oldies, “New Rock” and the old one I grew up with.

Recently, I stumbled across two (new to me) stations, very much similar to ones that currently exist on the presets, but… better, harder and… fresher.

Coincidently, both are near dopplegangers of the existing ones, and both are exactly two clicks down the dial. (104.5 to 104.1 and 105.7 to 105.3)

The “classic rock” double plays the same shit as the old one, but will throw in some Soundgarden and Alice In Chains and some harder, deeper cuts of the old established roster of Fester Rock Artists. Tonight, I heard* If *followed by Sharp Dressed Man!

The “new rock” double plays newer acts, but is always a little harder and darker than some of the stuff played just up the dial. Tool. Helmet. None of that Maroon shit or Goth wannabe crap.

So, here is the thing: I’ve got a maybe 5 mile radius where I take the dogs running. There are established hunting areas for them. I’m in rocky hills and stuff, so I can’t just go anywhere (well, I kinda can, the Jeep climbs like a mule), but on the hilltops, the “good” stations don’t come in worth a shit. I can only enjoy the rockin’ shit when I’m down in this one “canyon” area (not really a canyon, but hills on three sides).

WTF??

It’s been years, but I had a friend in radio (program director, jock) and I know all about how the stations are all owned by the same huge company and all have the same playlists blah blah blah…

So, are these two “new” stations transitioning listeners from the old shit to the newer music? They must be broadcasting from the same place, as both have either a shit signal or good depending on where I’m parked.

And why the hell do they come in in the worst areas perfectly clear? I’m pissing off the dogs by only going to the places where the music is best too often (they have pretty much killed anything that dares live there). That, and it in the shade of the mountain to the west, and much cooler these days.

And, while I’m at it, say what the hell you want about Creed and that Asshat Stipe, but that first album was pretty good.

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Taking this thread for a walk to Café Society

3

At the top of the hour the station has to give a legal ID. The towns that are named in that ID are where the transmitters are located, not where the physical station is. You may be listening to a satellite broadcast via local stations.

4

You know how often, a radio station has a bunch of different antenna towers? Having multiple antennas like that allows them to precisely aim where they’re sending a signal. Their license limits how much total power they’re allowed to use, and besides, power costs money, but they still want to reach as many listeners as they can. So they tighten up their beam so that it hits high-population areas, without wasting power on low-population areas.

5

Terrain does weird stuff to radio signals. As you get further away from the transmitting antenna the top of hill doesn’t mean much and you get spots in depressions where the signal is still strong. Outside urban areas rooftops were marked with television antennas trying to pick up signals. I might have been 14 or 15 when we first got a color TV but were living in a small valley cut into a large ridge 20 miles from the transmitters and it would be more years after that before I ever saw a clear color television picture at home.

6

The legal ID at the top of the hour gives the primary station and its “community of licence”. It is possible that you are listening to a “translator” – a low-power relay transmitter for the primary station which provides fill-in coverage beyond the primary station’s normal coverage.

If you can determine the station’s callsign, then its Wikipedia entry may have info whether it has any translators. (The legal ID isn’t required for translator stations, but sometimes the station will include it. Translators on 104.1 have callsigns that start with K281-- and W281-- and end with two letters, while on 105.3 they start with K287-- and W287–.)

Another possibility is that these are low-power FM stations, a new class recently added. These stations are required to be non-commercial, and have callsigns ending with -LP.

This has not been true since the 1930s. The listed locality is the station’s “community of license”. The transmitter location is not mentioned, and can be anywhere that provides an adequate signal to the community of license.

This is true for some AM stations, but not for individual FM stations, which use a single tower and have non-directional coverage. As noted above, they can use translator transmitters to fill in sections beyond their normal listening areas.

7

Hence the confusion. I’m in Bum-Fuck Nowhere.