FM Stations that get out waaaay too well.

[radioman148]

Several times I have listened to WTBX in Hibbing, Mn from about 75 miles south of Duluth to Bemidji, Mn.
That station really gets out for some reason.

 

[crainbebo]

more to add

101.9: KINK Portland, OR at 158 miles
99.5: KWJJ Portland, OR (over 150 miles)
91.5: KOPB Portland, OR (155-160 miles)
102.1: KPQ Wenatchee, WA (80 miles or so)

-crainbebo

 

[evolve991]

103.7 WXCY Havre de Grace MD reaches far beyond its projected area and overspills onto other frequencies such as 103.1 WRNR. XCY's tower sits high above the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. If you're in downtown Havre de Grace it shows up all OVER the dial. 93.1 WPOC Baltimore is another strong frequency. Both of these are Country stations,which seem to get away with more than Rock stations.

What sort of radio do you have evolve? Often times, a radio with poor selectivity will have "ghosts" of a high-powered local signal pop up all over the dial. It's not necessarily the fault of the station.

I know that WXCY has 37000 watts, which isn't the most powerful station ever. But it's enough to overload a radio with a lousy tuner if you're sitting right by its transmitter. It's range, while very good, isn't as large as some others - I know I would pick it up very weakly from my former location on a south-facing hill in northern Chester County, PA. But it was not always there, so I never considered WXCY to be a powerhouse.

Baltimore's WPOC never impressed me as being the most powerful of that market's stations. The ones that seemed to get out there the best are WLZL 99.1, followed by WIYY 97.9 and WERQ 92.3. Those three would be the stations that got the fartherst into PA, yet also seemed to do best into VA as well. All transmit with more juice than WPOC.

WXCY has done this on everything from a cheap little work radio to a Milwaukee jobsite radio with a decent pickup to my pioneer in my truck. I read it has 37kw too but this is how bad it floods the airwaves: I lived in Perryville,across the river from the tower, my brother had his electric guitar and amp on...I was in the living room and heard this tinny sounding voice followed by tinny sounding country music( even more tinny i mean)....sounded like cylons with dobros...I walked into my brothers room and the sound was coming from the amp!!!!! I touched the guitar and the music was joined by feedback,I let go and it wailed on a little stronger. I stood there until the song ended and WXCY ID'd. Needless to say I made sure he turned off his amp after that. 93.1 WPOC walks all over 93.3 WMMR/Philly even up towards Wilmington,DE at times. 99.1 EL Zol......this used to be 99.1 WHFS...I used to do all sorts of silly and sometimes dangerous tricks to pull in the signal from Grasonville. One day it came in like it was next door. Little did I know that was the beginning of the end. I tend to get a little ....mouthy over HFS. And Y100 Philly.

 

[BobOnTheJob]

103.7 WXCY Havre de Grace MD reaches far beyond its projected area and overspills onto other frequencies such as 103.1 WRNR. XCY's tower sits high above the Susquehanna River and Chesapeake Bay. If you're in downtown Havre de Grace it shows up all OVER the dial. 93.1 WPOC Baltimore is another strong frequency. Both of these are Country stations,which seem to get away with more than Rock stations.

What sort of radio do you have evolve? Often times, a radio with poor selectivity will have "ghosts" of a high-powered local signal pop up all over the dial. It's not necessarily the fault of the station.

I know that WXCY has 37000 watts, which isn't the most powerful station ever. But it's enough to overload a radio with a lousy tuner if you're sitting right by its transmitter. It's range, while very good, isn't as large as some others - I know I would pick it up very weakly from my former location on a south-facing hill in northern Chester County, PA. But it was not always there, so I never considered WXCY to be a powerhouse.

Baltimore's WPOC never impressed me as being the most powerful of that market's stations. The ones that seemed to get out there the best are WLZL 99.1, followed by WIYY 97.9 and WERQ 92.3. Those three would be the stations that got the fartherst into PA, yet also seemed to do best into VA as well. All transmit with more juice than WPOC.

WXCY has done this on everything from a cheap little work radio to a Milwaukee jobsite radio with a decent pickup to my pioneer in my truck. I read it has 37kw too but this is how bad it floods the airwaves: I lived in Perryville,across the river from the tower, my brother had his electric guitar and amp on...I was in the living room and heard this tinny sounding voice followed by tinny sounding country music( even more tinny i mean)....sounded like cylons with dobros...I walked into my brothers room and the sound was coming from the amp!!!!! I touched the guitar and the music was joined by feedback,I let go and it wailed on a little stronger. I stood there until the song ended and WXCY ID'd. Needless to say I made sure he turned off his amp after that. 93.1 WPOC walks all over 93.3 WMMR/Philly even up towards Wilmington,DE at times. 99.1 EL Zol......this used to be 99.1 WHFS...I used to do all sorts of silly and sometimes dangerous tricks to pull in the signal from Grasonville. One day it came in like it was next door. Little did I know that was the beginning of the end. I tend to get a little ....mouthy over HFS. And Y100 Philly.

While some stations do have problems, it is rare. Here's how to tell...get in your car & find one of the "extra" spots on the dial that the station in question comes in on. Start driving away from the tower. If the signal disappears rapidly (as in it goes from being there to not being there at all within any 2-3 mile stretch), the receiver is producing the extra signal. If the extra signal travels 10 miles or more in all directions, chances are that the station has a problem & would appreciate knowing about it. The reason why radios, guitar amps & telephones sometimes pick up nearby signals is simple : It costs money to make most electronic devices immune from nearby signals. Perhaps 0.5% of the devices will be used within a stone's throw of a strong signal. Simple economics...they aren't going to build 100% of the devices to be used in such an environment when only a tiny percentage will actually be used there. Most such devices have a "part 15" sticker on them that clearly states that the device may not cuase interference, but must accept any interference it may receive.

 

[TheDingo]

WBPT 106.9 The Eagle out of Homewood (Birmingham) AL gets out very well. With a listenable signal from well into southern Tennessee, to downtown Montgomery AL. I even heard it briefly this past weekend as far south as Georgiana AL, around Exit 114 on I-65, and I've heard it as far north as Pulaski TN.

 

[DanielBoone]

I can get 95.5 KLOS from LA in Tulare better than I can in Bakersfield. Seems weird being that Bakersfield is closer to LA. That station I believe, is 61,000 watts too.

 

[Robnoxious]

I can get 95.5 KLOS from LA in Tulare better than I can in Bakersfield. Seems weird being that Bakersfield is closer to LA. That station I believe, is 61,000 watts too.

KLOS used to appear frequently in Bako before local 95.3 KLLY signed on in the 80's. Now it gets buried with KLLY's co-channel interference. 100.3 KSWD (former KIQQ and KQLZ) booms in as a local in East Bakersfield. 93.1 KCBS (former KHJ-FM and KKHR) also used to appear before a local at 93.1 signed on.

 

[wxman76]

Oh, and two very curious phenomena ---

(1) As you drive into New Mexico from Lubbock, TX, and go up in elevation, the stations from Lubbock, even on short sticks, start coming back in from 160 to 180 miles away.

(2) If you can spot the "dry line" in West Texas, and get under it, you can get reliable FM reception from Southern California. It is absolutely dependable, and very repeatable. But you have to be prepared to get back on the road and follow the dry line, because the width of the skip is only about 4 or 5 miles. Outside of that, DX is GONE! I did this dozens of times when I lived out there.

I have noticed (1) a few times myself. For example @100.3, there is a spot on I-40 near Santa Rosa, NM where if you are on a slope facing Texas, KMMX from Lubbock can dominate over KPEK from Albuquerque. Similarly, there is a spot on Highway 104 in San Miguel County, New Mexico when KKCL 98.1 can dominate KBAC from the much closer Las Vegas/Santa Fe. DXing Lubbock stations from the road that goes from Ruidoso to Ski Apache can be fun, too. I recall KFMX coming in loud and clear at about 8,000-9,000 ft. in elevation.

As for (2), I find that very fascinating. What Southern California stations did you receive? Did the signals fade in and out quickly like e-skip? Or was it pretty consistant (as long as the dryline was over you) like tropo bend? Were you able to get this after the sun went down, or was it only during the midday/afternoon/early evening hours that would just enhance an e-skip that already would have been there? Living in Lubbock myself, I wanna try this out sometime. On many days from April-June you can see the dryline nicely on the NWS Lubbock Nexrad radar.

 

[rbrucecarter5]

As for (2), I find that very fascinating. What Southern California stations did you receive? Did the signals fade in and out quickly like e-skip? Or was it pretty consistant (as long as the dryline was over you) like tropo bend? Were you able to get this after the sun went down, or was it only during the midday/afternoon/early evening hours that would just enhance an e-skip that already would have been there? Living in Lubbock myself, I wanna try this out sometime. On many days from April-June you can see the dryline nicely on the NWS Lubbock Nexrad radar.

A lot of LA / San Diego stuff. Very strong, not rapid fades, as long as you are under. Different times of day - I spent several enjoyable Saturdays chasing the dry line DX when I went to college.

 

[cparkes92]

For a Class C2 station, WRQE (99.7) from Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin puts a good signal into the northwestern part of Michigan's lower peninsula. I have listened to it in Traverse City and even once pulled it in while on vacation in Mackinaw City. An interesting fact is that when it was Wild 99.7, it was one of the most popular stations among teenagers in Manistee, Michigan, 70 miles away from its tower.

Another Class C2 station that can often be heard in Northwestern Lower Michigan is WUPF (107.3) from Powers, Michigan (near Escanaba). This station is one of the weirdest stations I've ever listened to. It plays everything, ranging from country to classic rock.

There are several Class A stations that are often picked up in the Manistee area. These include:
WRLU (104.1) from Algoma, Wisconsin
WSBW (105.1) from Sister Bay, Wisconsin
WLGE (106.9) from Baileys Harbor, Wisconsin, often beats out 50kW WMUS (both stations about 70 miles away)