I was listening to 92.5 WINC in downtown Bethesda, MD like it was a local frequency. The next day I took a trip to Altoona, PA and I picked up the signal until about 25 miles south of Altoona. I don't think any of the Washington area stations can get any further than Town Hill, MD.
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WINC has a killer signal!
- Thread starter stevewillett
- Start date
Thank Richard F. Lewis, who slapped the thing on the air back in the forties before the FCC created the A/B/C classes for FM, allowing operators to run as much power as they wanted to waste from whatever height they wanted. With 22kw @ 1424 feet HAAT, it's better than a B, but nowhere close to a C (100kw @ 2000').
Not the only one in the Mid-Atlantic, by any means. WAYZ, WFRE, WFGY, WFGI and others enjoy similar "grandfathered" status.
In recent years WINC's signal to the north has become a bit deteriorated by a frequency shift in Berkeley Springs, WV from 93.5 to 92.9, but it still booms into the Northern Virginia suburbs.
Not the only one in the Mid-Atlantic, by any means. WAYZ, WFRE, WFGY, WFGI and others enjoy similar "grandfathered" status.
In recent years WINC's signal to the north has become a bit deteriorated by a frequency shift in Berkeley Springs, WV from 93.5 to 92.9, but it still booms into the Northern Virginia suburbs.
And of course all of them (except WINC) are now country!
Ironically all of those country stations used to be beautiful music.
BMR said:
88 miles, according to radio-locator.com. Keep in mind that Montross is down near the bay--not that much above sea level--so WINC's stick up on Paris Mountain effectively gains that much more antenna height relative to a receiver down near the water. FWIW, 90 miles is pretty close to maximum reach for any FM or TV signal (aside from atmospheric skip) because of the natural curvature of the earth. Somewhere around that point, line-of-site keeps going straight out into the ether...
If you or the transmitter are/is on top of a tall enough mountain, you can get out significantly further than 90 miles. I've received UHF digital TV signals from Poor Mountain at 93 miles on an indoor antenna. I can definitely hear WVTF/WSLQ/WSLC in cases when I'm 100+ miles away. When I was on vacation in San Diego a number of years ago, I received several Los Angeles UHF digital TV signals at 105-ish miles on an indoor antenna.
Similarly, on top of Poor Mountain, I was able to receive UHF digital TV signals from Raleigh at 130-ish miles.
- Trip
Similarly, on top of Poor Mountain, I was able to receive UHF digital TV signals from Raleigh at 130-ish miles.
- Trip
tripinva said:
I'll certainly attest that "back in the day" before the FM dial became crowded--and when most of us still had TV antennas (antennae?)--it seemed as though such signals went forever. But I am no expert on the earth's curvature, and I'll take your word for it. 130 miles? Okay. I'll buy it.
I know the TV stations in L.A. have repeaters throughout the suburbs, at least from what I've heard, so that folks in the distant burbs can still receive them.
The biggest signal I've ever experienced was KKRZ, Z-100 Portland. 100,000 watts but I believe a directional stick. I picked it in Coos Bay some 200 miles south of Portland, from on top of a small mtn. It came in clear in Eugene, Salem and all the way up I-5. Eugene's a 120 miles south. I did notice that as soon as I went east of the city, the signal got "scratchy". It was still receivable almost all the way to "The Dalles", about 90 miles east, but scratchy the whole way. Then I went up Mount Hood, 14,000 ft an it came in crystal clear again
Mt Hood is only about 50 miles from Portland though, you can literaly see Portland in the distance.
As for Montross, VA. Its not near the bay, its probably closer to Fredricksburg than the Bay, but we'll just say its aproximatly half way between the 2. And WINC is not as receivable down there as it used to be since Daniel Snyder increased the power of 92.7.
The biggest signal I've ever experienced was KKRZ, Z-100 Portland. 100,000 watts but I believe a directional stick. I picked it in Coos Bay some 200 miles south of Portland, from on top of a small mtn. It came in clear in Eugene, Salem and all the way up I-5. Eugene's a 120 miles south. I did notice that as soon as I went east of the city, the signal got "scratchy". It was still receivable almost all the way to "The Dalles", about 90 miles east, but scratchy the whole way. Then I went up Mount Hood, 14,000 ft an it came in crystal clear again
Mt Hood is only about 50 miles from Portland though, you can literaly see Portland in the distance.As for Montross, VA. Its not near the bay, its probably closer to Fredricksburg than the Bay, but we'll just say its aproximatly half way between the 2. And WINC is not as receivable down there as it used to be since Daniel Snyder increased the power of 92.7.
ddsparxx said:
Several years ago, actually back in the early 90's I can remember when WINC's chief enginner Archie McKay (?) was interviewed in one of the local Winchester newspapers and if memory serves correctly McKay confirmed that WINC can be picked up within the Richmond city limits. Myself I can remember in 1986 picking up WINC high atop the Eiffel Tower at Kings Dominion so it wouldn't be that much of a "shocker" if one can get WINC in Richmond.
Interesting thing about WINC's signal it seems there is at least one person out there who just can't accept WINC 92.5 being so powerful as for a time ( been a few months since I checked ) whenever someone had put on Wikipedia and a few other sites about being able to pick up WINC in Richmond, central Pennsylvania, downtown DC ot whatever..the information is deleted as if those who claim such things are "liars". Yeah some people out there really do need to change their meds.
tripinva said:
Otoh.. even..before WVTW's translator back then there were no shortage of those who live in and around Winchester who just flat out refused to believe that WINC can be picked up anywhere south of Harrisonburg, much less Richmond or even into Washington. To them its totally unacceptable.
I s playing around with my antenna in the attic the other day and when i directed to the South east to my suprise I pick up 45 and 20 & all subs from the Grennsboro N.C. area, 25 & 48 were snow and intermitent....tripinva said:
Wikipedia is overrun by know-it-alls that think they are owners. I had the same thing happen to me when I edited a low power FM station’s Wikipedia page. The guy that removed the content called it “original research”, I believe. That begs the question who is allowed to do the research then. Had that occur on other pages I added information or edited too, but I digress.
Distant reception is soon going to be a thing of the past with all these translators firing up. I think manufacturers aren’t putting as good of tuners in radios anymore too due to the proliferation of streaming and satellite radio. Also, the splatter from HD radio signals are reducing ranges too. I used to live in DC but occasionally still make trips there and noted during the last trip that WINC no longer came in too well in the Maryland suburbs. I figured WERQ’s HD signal had something to do with that.
Coming soon the killer signal will be just another KLove station.
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/199237/educational-media-foundation-acquires-winc-fm/
https://radioinsight.com/headlines/199237/educational-media-foundation-acquires-winc-fm/
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