Market with the strongest FM signals overall

[Oldie919]

WHOM (94.9) on Mt. Washington in northern NH runs 22 kw with an 8 bay Shively antenna....
The transmitter , on the summit is 6292 feet ASL......and HAAT is ~ 2600 feet!
At one time the station boasted that its signal reached 4 states (NH, VT, ME, Eastern NY) and parts of Canada (Quebec)....
Today, LPFMs and translators probably eat into that coverage area a bit......!!

 

[CentralFL]

The Mount Wilson stations in Los Angeles seem to have a fairly wide reach despite being class B FMs. Ditto with many of the Bay Area and Central Valley stations. Just look at KSKS in Fresno; the [potential] reach of the signal is insane, at 68,000 watts!Th

 

[CentralFL]

That's a really good map. I can't get that website to work other than the nice link that you posted. Do you have to register to get that much detail out of it?

 

[Mark Roberts]

The Mount Wilson stations in Los Angeles seem to have a fairly wide reach despite being class B FMs. Ditto with many of the Bay Area and Central Valley stations. Just look at KSKS in Fresno; the [potential] reach of the signal is insane, at 68,000 watts!

Many of these stations are "superpower" FMs, established before the present limits were enacted in 1962. They may show up in FCC listings as belonging to a certain class but their facilities actually exceed the limits of their class. Doug Smith in Nashville used to have a site that had this list, but it's defunct. The Internet Archive has taken multiple snapshots of the list that Doug had maintained; here's one from 2016 (KSKS is on this list):

W9WI.com/"Superpower FMs"

 

[RF101]

Try this link : RabbitEars.Info. . "www.rabbitears.info/fmq.php"

Look for the option to display the Longley-Rice plot. Not all FM entries have them generated . Only a few translators and construction permits also have associated L-R scatter plots created.

The Radioland Android app also ingests these RabbitEars plots. Kudos to the RabbitsEars webmaster for these valuable graphs. The data is limited to US stations although RadioLand does calculate "point" L-R estimated signal values for some Canadian stations..

 

[charlestondxman]

Not sure who would have the most total, but the station that covers the most land area is WHOM 94.9 in Mt. Washington, NH. KBIG 104.3 in Los Angeles covers more total area, but about half of its coverage is water.

These days, I'm hard-pressed to think of any market's FM stations that regularly and reliably go more than about 80 miles from the transmitter. It might be worse than that now with all of the translators. As David mentions, stations on Albuquerque's Sandia Crest put out quite a signal to the west. They don't, however, go very far east for obvious reasons. On a good car radio or home stereo, the Class C and C1 FM's in Austin and San Antonio could be heard in the other market, but only one or two would be audible on a Walkman or clock radio. Not sure if that's still the case with all the translators, though. KSMG 105.3 used to be the San Antonio station that put the best signal into Austin, and it has a translator on top of it now. What's now KBPA and KROX-FM put the best signals into San Antonio, but both have moved closer into Austin today. Plus, the 103.7 translator in San Antonio caused KBPA/KEYI problems almost as far back as 30 years ago. The DFW stations on Cedar Hill would make it to about Waco in the car. Not sure if that's quite 100 miles, but it's close.

Yup. The Charleston FM stations used to have easy 80-90 mile reach 20 years ago. But now there are translators in all the surrounding markets on those frequencies. Like 103.5 WEZL used to be listenable during any skip in Columbia, but now there’s a translator there as an example. 96.9 has HD now in Charleston, and probably can be heard 60 miles out with that. But their fringe signal still carries through pretty much the entire SC coast.

 

[RadioDaze]

WMIT 106.9, licensed to Black Mountain, NC, has its tower on a peak near Mount Mitchell. That's where the call letters come from. It has to be over 6700 feet. With a 36,000-watt signal it sounds like a local station in Concord, about 6000 feet lower, over 100 miles away. They bought a translator in Rock Hill south of Charlotte but considering Rock Hill has a station at 107.1, they might need it.

Don't know how far east it might reach if not for WMGU in the Fayetteville market. I've picked up both at home but usually WMIT has the better signal.

The format is mostly Contemporary Christian with some preaching. Billy Graham's people own it.

WMIT, which was, I believe, North Carolina's first FM operation, is purposed to have really had a killer signal in the days of the old 42-50 MHz FM band. Hit several state capitals and actually reached the ocean off South Carolina, per one coverage map I've seen. The top of its current tower is the highest point east of the Mississippi, as it is actually ~60 feet higher that Mount Mitchell's nearby summit.

 

[CalebC]

Not sure who would have the most total, but the station that covers the most land area is WHOM 94.9 in Mt. Washington, NH. KBIG 104.3 in Los Angeles covers more total area, but about half of its coverage is water.

These days, I'm hard-pressed to think of any market's FM stations that regularly and reliably go more than about 80 miles from the transmitter. It might be worse than that now with all of the translators. As David mentions, stations on Albuquerque's Sandia Crest put out quite a signal to the west. They don't, however, go very far east for obvious reasons. On a good car radio or home stereo, the Class C and C1 FM's in Austin and San Antonio could be heard in the other market, but only one or two would be audible on a Walkman or clock radio. Not sure if that's still the case with all the translators, though. KSMG 105.3 used to be the San Antonio station that put the best signal into Austin, and it has a translator on top of it now. What's now KBPA and KROX-FM put the best signals into San Antonio, but both have moved closer into Austin today. Plus, the 103.7 translator in San Antonio caused KBPA/KEYI problems almost as far back as 30 years ago. The DFW stations on Cedar Hill would make it to about Waco in the car. Not sure if that's quite 100 miles, but it's close.

I grew up on Tulsa's Class C's listening from Parsons, KS, some 93 miles as the crow flies. Of course they weren't solid stereo at all times but I could get in-home reception if I tried hard enough.

 

[Kent]

I grew up on Tulsa's Class C's listening from Parsons, KS, some 93 miles as the crow flies. Of course they weren't solid stereo at all times but I could get in-home reception if I tried hard enough.

Having grown up in Texas and Oklahoma and having spent a significant portion of my youth in and around Tulsa, I'm quite familiar with the area. My dad's family has strong ties to Pittsburg.

When it comes to what carries reliably, how many signals besides 106.1 and 107.5 could the average home in Parsons get? Both of those have towers north of the Tulsa metro. My parents were adamant about not paying for cable when we could watch TV for free. So, we had an outdoor antenna for TV that we also connected to the home stereos in our house in Midtown Tulsa. I could consistently get multiple FM's from OKC and Ft. Smith as well as a few from Wichita and even two from Springfield, MO. KLTY 94.1 and KDGE 94.5 from Dallas reliably came in on the digital home stereo until a move-in and a semi-local rural Class A signed on right on top of them. My friends' home stereos couldn't do that, and the only distant stations that were reliable on the average digital car stereo were KEBC 94.7, KLTE/KOQL 101.9, and KWKL/KYQQ 106.5. The last of those mentioned even occasionally showed up in the Tulsa Arbs, though most of its listeners were probably northwest of town in Osage County. People who lived in far east Tulsa and around Broken Arrow could get KISR 93.7 from Ft. Smith on good radios (and it even had a translator in Broken Arrow for a brief time in the 80's), but, living about a mile from the Fairgrounds, 106.1's translator on 93.5 obliterated everything on 93.3 and 93.7 at the house. None of those signals I could get 30-35 years ago have been consistently listenable, even on the best radios, in and around Tulsa for at least the last 10 years. Two translators on 94.5 and 94.9 make what's now KREF-FM difficult-to-impossible to receive, and all the other stations I could consistently get either now have translators on top of them or new signals on or adjacent to them.

Smaller cities and rural areas might have a little better luck, but even the upgrades and new stations since 1990 impact many of them. I doubt you have as many options in Parsons today as you had years ago. The dial in Southeast Kansas has shifted a lot since the late-80's/early-90's, both to accommodate upgrades in adjacent bigger markets and to upgrade their own signals.

 

[NoDakObserver]

The stations in the Black Hills of South Dakota that have towers around the Deadwood (Terry Peak) area have a far reach because that area is much higher than the terrain to the north and east. I've gotten those stations in far southwest North Dakota, roughly 130 miles away.

 

[DaveBayArea]

The stations in the Black Hills of South Dakota that have towers around the Deadwood (Terry Peak) area have a far reach because that area is much higher than the terrain to the north and east. I've gotten those stations in far southwest North Dakota, roughly 130 miles away.

I used to live in the Nebraska Panhandle back when TV translators were big (before there was satellite). We had a translator that tried to pick up channel 7 from Rapid City. It faded in & out badly. We switched the primary to channel 5 (from Terry Peak) and got a far more reliable input signal even though it was much farther (110 miles vs 85 miles).

Dave B.

 

[semoochie]

Many of these stations are "superpower" FMs, established before the present limits were enacted in 1962. They may show up in FCC listings as belonging to a certain class but their facilities actually exceed the limits of their class. Doug Smith in Nashville used to have a site that had this list, but it's defunct. The Internet Archive has taken multiple snapshots of the list that Doug had maintained; here's one from 2016 (KSKS is on this list):

W9WI.com/"Superpower FMs"

Not only are they more than a maximum Class B but some are actually much more than a full Class C!

 

[CalebC]

Having grown up in Texas and Oklahoma and having spent a significant portion of my youth in and around Tulsa, I'm quite familiar with the area. My dad's family has strong ties to Pittsburg.

When it comes to what carries reliably, how many signals besides 106.1 and 107.5 could the average home in Parsons get? Both of those have towers north of the Tulsa metro. My parents were adamant about not paying for cable when we could watch TV for free. So, we had an outdoor antenna for TV that we also connected to the home stereos in our house in Midtown Tulsa. I could consistently get multiple FM's from OKC and Ft. Smith as well as a few from Wichita and even two from Springfield, MO. KLTY 94.1 and KDGE 94.5 from Dallas reliably came in on the digital home stereo until a move-in and a semi-local rural Class A signed on right on top of them. My friends' home stereos couldn't do that, and the only distant stations that were reliable on the average digital car stereo were KEBC 94.7, KLTE/KOQL 101.9, and KWKL/KYQQ 106.5. The last of those mentioned even occasionally showed up in the Tulsa Arbs, though most of its listeners were probably northwest of town in Osage County. People who lived in far east Tulsa and around Broken Arrow could get KISR 93.7 from Ft. Smith on good radios (and it even had a translator in Broken Arrow for a brief time in the 80's), but, living about a mile from the Fairgrounds, 106.1's translator on 93.5 obliterated everything on 93.3 and 93.7 at the house. None of those signals I could get 30-35 years ago have been consistently listenable, even on the best radios, in and around Tulsa for at least the last 10 years. Two translators on 94.5 and 94.9 make what's now KREF-FM difficult-to-impossible to receive, and all the other stations I could consistently get either now have translators on top of them or new signals on or adjacent to them.

Smaller cities and rural areas might have a little better luck, but even the upgrades and new stations since 1990 impact many of them. I doubt you have as many options in Parsons today as you had years ago. The dial in Southeast Kansas has shifted a lot since the late-80's/early-90's, both to accommodate upgrades in adjacent bigger markets and to upgrade their own signals.

I can't deny that. The average person in Parsons wouldn't try to receive Tulsa. It was just somewhat easy to do so from my location. I guess I was lucky.

 

[CalebC]

Having grown up in Texas and Oklahoma and having spent a significant portion of my youth in and around Tulsa, I'm quite familiar with the area. My dad's family has strong ties to Pittsburg.

When it comes to what carries reliably, how many signals besides 106.1 and 107.5 could the average home in Parsons get? Both of those have towers north of the Tulsa metro. My parents were adamant about not paying for cable when we could watch TV for free. So, we had an outdoor antenna for TV that we also connected to the home stereos in our house in Midtown Tulsa. I could consistently get multiple FM's from OKC and Ft. Smith as well as a few from Wichita and even two from Springfield, MO. KLTY 94.1 and KDGE 94.5 from Dallas reliably came in on the digital home stereo until a move-in and a semi-local rural Class A signed on right on top of them. My friends' home stereos couldn't do that, and the only distant stations that were reliable on the average digital car stereo were KEBC 94.7, KLTE/KOQL 101.9, and KWKL/KYQQ 106.5. The last of those mentioned even occasionally showed up in the Tulsa Arbs, though most of its listeners were probably northwest of town in Osage County. People who lived in far east Tulsa and around Broken Arrow could get KISR 93.7 from Ft. Smith on good radios (and it even had a translator in Broken Arrow for a brief time in the 80's), but, living about a mile from the Fairgrounds, 106.1's translator on 93.5 obliterated everything on 93.3 and 93.7 at the house. None of those signals I could get 30-35 years ago have been consistently listenable, even on the best radios, in and around Tulsa for at least the last 10 years. Two translators on 94.5 and 94.9 make what's now KREF-FM difficult-to-impossible to receive, and all the other stations I could consistently get either now have translators on top of them or new signals on or adjacent to them.

Smaller cities and rural areas might have a little better luck, but even the upgrades and new stations since 1990 impact many of them. I doubt you have as many options in Parsons today as you had years ago. The dial in Southeast Kansas has shifted a lot since the late-80's/early-90's, both to accommodate upgrades in adjacent bigger markets and to upgrade their own signals.

I have a bandscan on YouTube that showcases quite a few Tulsa stations pulled from Parsons.

Edit: Taken down due to copyright. Would send it if you'd like to see.

 

[crainbebo]

Very impressed with KGGL-93.3 Missoula when I visited there a couple times this year. Eagle 93 makes it farther west than any other Missoula FM. KYSS would be close but there's a Coeur D'Alene CCM translator that blocks it as soon as you drop Lookout Pass. 43KW in HD with HAAT at 2549 ft (elev. of tower is nearly 7,700). I heard them at 4th of July Pass near Cataldo ID on I-90, 130 miles west and keep in mind, there's *dozens of miles* of mountains before you hit the Missoula area on I-90.

Walla Walla and Tri-Cities stations are in the same boat. It's not uncommon to hear KXRX 97.1 in the northeastern parts of our state. They can be heard out to Stevens Pass, Roslyn, and Chinook Pass...sometimes in excess of 200 miles. 100KW at 1329 ft HAAT (3950 ft. elevation).

Spokane probably has the most 'strongest' FM stations in this area. You can be near Quincy and George, and still get KZZU, KDRK, KFOO and KXLY, 130 miles or so west of Spokane. In the mornings, most of the Spokane signals pop up in one way or another. KEWU will often beat the KOLU translator in Moses Lake. KPBX is solid, KPND shows up from the transmitter near Post Falls, KKZX, etc. all come in.

 

[ftballfan]

In Kissimmee, you can still easily get the Tampa stations, but any further north and east and the translators kick in and block Tampa. Not sure about Ocala.

From my experience, some of the Tampa stations still make it into Orange County, such as:
93.3 WFLZ (there is a 93.3 translator, but it's near Sanford)
94.1 WLLD (there is a 94.1 translator, but it's also near Sanford)
103.5 WFUS (there is a 103.5 translator, but it's also near Sanford)

The other high-power Tampa stations all have co-channel translators or LPFMs broadcasting from within Orange County

 

[ftballfan]

In the Great Lakes region:

104.5 WAXX can be heard in four states (Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Michigan) from its 100kw at 1800' HAAT stick between Eau Claire and Marshfield.

The Wausau/Stevens Point market has some biggies, such as 90.9 WHRM, 95.5 WIFC, 101.9 WDEZ, 106.5 WYTE, and 107.9 WBCV. The first three broadcast from Rib Mountain.

 

[CentralFL]

From my experience, some of the Tampa stations still make it into Orange County, such as:
93.3 WFLZ (there is a 93.3 translator, but it's near Sanford)
94.1 WLLD (there is a 94.1 translator, but it's also near Sanford)
103.5 WFUS (there is a 103.5 translator, but it's also near Sanford)

The other high-power Tampa stations all have co-channel translators or LPFMs broadcasting from within Orange County

Yes, those stations still make it into Orange County, but not clearly like they used to.

 

[Signal Geek]

A station with amazing reach on tiny wattage: KSRW 92.5 FM out of Bishop, California. ERP is under 1kw, but with a tower at nearly 10,000 feet elevation I've listened to them driving on U.S. 395 for around 100 miles.

 

[powers]

A station with amazing reach on tiny wattage: KSRW 92.5 FM out of Bishop, California. ERP is under 1kw, but with a tower at nearly 10,000 feet elevation I've listened to them driving on U.S. 395 for around 100 miles.

where did you get those numbers? I checked two sources and they are 890 watts at 2,949 feet. 10,000???!!!