106.3 translator not fed over the air

[Nick]

I noticed that the 106.3 translator is almost a minute ahead of 106.7 HD2. Near the transmitter when I can get 106.3 full quieting, there are no HD artifacts, whereas 106.7 HD2 sounds like a low quality Internet stream. Isn't it required to be fed over the air since it's a commercial translator? Back in the days of Jukebox Radio 103.1, they got in trouble because 103.1 wasn't fed over the air. There was no way it could receive 99.7 WJUX or its 94.3 translator over the air in Fort Lee.

[Nick]

I don't even think the 106.3 translator should be allowed to be on the air translating an HD2 from just 8 blocks away. It's not filling in a coverage hole, which is the intent of translators. 106.7 is able to transmit more than 99 watts of HD power and HD signals are more reliable than analog signals at the same power, so 106.7 HD2 should have better building penetration than 106.3. That negates the need for the translator. Plus it's obviously not being fed over the air, so it's originating its own programming, another no-no for translators. At least the FCC is boneheaded enough to allow it to operate on 106.3 short-spaced to 2 class A's and they won't shut down the 106.3 pirates. The 106.3 in the Bronx covers more area than the translator. This is the same FCC that authorized IBUZ on AM at night, doesn't shut down pirates, has the stupid public affairs requirement, and is more interested in fighting cyberbullying than HD sideband bullying. Might as well authorize a 99 watt translator on every second adjacent.

I'd keep my stance against the existence of the translator even if its permanent format was Club Phusion.

[w9wi]

I noticed that the 106.3 translator is almost a minute ahead of 106.7 HD2. Near the transmitter when I can get 106.3 full quieting, there are no HD artifacts, whereas 106.7 HD2 sounds like a low quality Internet stream. Isn't it required to be fed over the air since it's a commercial translator? Back in the days of Jukebox Radio 103.1, they got in trouble because 103.1 wasn't fed over the air. There was no way it could receive 99.7 WJUX or its 94.3 translator over the air in Fort Lee.

It's my understanding you can use other-than-OTA feed if the translator is inside the predicted coverage contour of the primary station.  See FCC regulation 74.1231(b) which allows the use of any terrestrial means to feed a "fill-in" translator. 

Wasn't 103.1 WAY outside the coverage contour of WJUX and its translator?

[WNTIRadio]

Back in the days of Jukebox Radio 103.1, they got in trouble because 103.1 wasn't fed over the air. There was no way it could receive 99.7 WJUX or its 94.3 translator over the air in Fort Lee.

WRONG!

It was fed (most of the time) via 94.3 from Rockland County, which received 99.7 quite clearly.  99.7 could also be received on that Fort Lee rooftop.  The Sony car radio had very good adjacent channel rejection, plus a 40dB cavity filter on 99.5 to notch out WBAI and a "hot spot" on the rooftop.  Don't believe me?  I spent many an hour on that rooftop, and there was a video to prove it that was presented in court (the case was decided in favor of Jukebox).  I worked there for 4+ years and know it inside and out.

If your car radio is selective enough, 99.7 can be received on the ground in certain spots in Fort Lee.

The 99.7 was LMA'ed, not owned.  The FCC had a letter saying it was okay, but reversed course on their own decision years later.  Hence the selling of the stations.

It is also being fed the exact same way now with The Bridge.  Signal goes from Old Bridge all the way up to Liberty and makes its way back down. 

Sorry, I just get a little miffed when the facts are wrong on this case, as I spent a LOT of time keeping it working as well as it did and know that it wasn't being fed with anything but the air signal.  In fact, during the times of tropo, that was proven again and again when the rock station from VA rolled in.

[Nick]

I stand corrected about Jukebox Radio, I was going by this http://www.fcc.gov/Bureaus/Mass_Media/Orders/1997/fcc97137.txt

Such a shame that a great oldies station wasn't allowed to exist. If only the HD radio loophole existed 15 years ago...

That must have been one heck of a radio to get a 20 dBu signal right next to a 100 dBu signal

[WNTIRadio]

There was a lot more than 20dBu on the rooftop for both stations. 

The one antenna was looking right at the Pomona translator on 94.3.  It was a large Scala yagi with about 11dBi of gain.  On a clear day, you could see the tower in Pomona from Fort Lee, especially through binoculars.  It's amazing how far very little power on FM can go with a perfect line of sight.  There was about 40dBu of signal coming in there, add the gain of the yagi and the fact that it was in mono and it was a nice quiet signal.

Even the 99.7 had about 38dBu of signal.  The "hot spot" on the rooftop was behind 3 grounded 10' roof vents, that were 10' apart, and lined up perfectly with Empire.  They acted like a big reflector and were serendipitously positioned almost 1 wavelength apart.  94dBu - 40dBu for the cavity - 35dBu rejection on the radio put 99.5 at 19dBu on 99.7.  With a received 99.7 signal of 38dBu, it actually did work.  Some days were better than others on the direct feed.  Like I said, 90% of the time it was repeating 94.3, but for a back up it worked fine.  The other part of the secret was running it in mono.  The radio didn't need a lot of signal for 50dB of quieting.

There was a small amount of "cha cha" that bled through on the audio from 99.5, but with program material other than talk it wasn't noticeable.  Luckily, we had quietly modulated neighbors, not Z-100 or Hot 97. 

The current setup is receiving 94.3 exclusively. 

106.3 is just a bad frequency for that location.  95.9 would have been a better choice, farther away from WFOX, WVOS and WRAT than anything on 106.3 is.  Unfortunately, that's not a minor change to jump that many channels.

[Nick]

If 10.6 or 10.8 mhz is a minor change, it's 2 minor changes away from 95.9