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Classic rock on 95.1

Covers all of Northern Lower Michigan (from Ludington to Tawas northward), as well as the Straits Area and Soo Region.
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TC Talks
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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by TC Talks » Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:51 pm

So what you're saying is all the non-coms are more powerful in downtown Traverse City than most of the commercial stations many of which don't even get inside buildings.


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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by 1litemix » Fri Mar 19, 2021 9:11 pm

How does 95.5 signal work in downtown buildings? And 104.5?



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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by Ben Zonia » Fri Mar 19, 2021 10:05 pm

TC Talks wrote:
Fri Mar 19, 2021 8:51 pm
So what you're saying is all the non-coms are more powerful in downtown Traverse City than most of the commercial stations many of which don't even get inside buildings.
I couldn't copy the output page to paste it.

Enter Front St. Traverse City, MI 6 feet AGL into the FMFool Site and you'll see the list. Only commercial WLDR, WZTC, and WCCW are on the ridge. 6 feet AGL is around where you would be in a vehicle or walking on the street. In the other directions, significant shadowing occurs and attenuates the signals from other directions and beyond the ridge West of Traverse City.


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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by 1litemix » Thu Jun 24, 2021 10:27 am

I was listening to WCMU and 95.1 is Going off the air later today



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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by Ben Zonia » Thu Jun 24, 2021 2:47 pm

They already have Billboards that show 98.1 95.1 and 95.3 on them.


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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by MWmetalhead » Sat Jun 26, 2021 7:00 am

So what you're saying is all the non-coms are more powerful in downtown Traverse City than most of the commercial stations many of which don't even get inside buildings.
Definitely a true statement.

The only commercial FM stations with the in-city strength to match 89.9, 90.7, 91.5, 94.3 and probably some translators I'm overlooking are WCCW-FM and 104.5 Bob FM.

Of course, if 95.1 FM is now broadcasting with 250 watts, we can add them to the list.



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Ben Zonia
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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Jun 26, 2021 10:52 am

The first translator in the Lower Peninsula was W265AA in Petoskey on 100.9, with 1 watt TPO into two 5 element Yagis, one H and one V, on top of the Perry Davis Hotel. It repeated WWRM 106.7 and later as WKPK. Translators were limited to 1 watt East of the Mississippi, which slowed their development. It went off the air when WIZY 100.9 signed on in East Jordan, now WQHN, signed on circa 1989.

CP NEW FM TRANSLATOR STN TO SERVE PETOSKEY, MI, CH 265,
100.9 MHZ, PRIMARY STN WKPK, GAYLORD, MI, CH 294, 106.7 MHZ,
NL:45-22-35, WL:84-57-17, TL:PERRY DAVIS HOTEL, BAY & LOUIS
STREETS, PETOSKEY, MI, 1W, TYPE ACCEPTED EQUIP


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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by Ben Zonia » Sat Jun 26, 2021 11:27 am

WTCM-FM used to be on that ridge at the WPBN-TV tower. They moved South to reach Cadillac. It was considered Class C at the time, and it precluded 103.9 in the Big Rapids allotment proposal circa 1980, which was moved to 102.3. When WTCM -FM was downgraded to Class C0, 103.9 again fit in to Big Rapids. Now with Reed City on 97.3, they have four full power stations with 70 dBu contours serving 100% of Big Rapids, in addition to the AM translators. Big Rapids lost a 70 dBu service when WWTV-FM/WKJF 92.9 moved North to serve Traverse City.

Depending on Market Definitions, they might be able to go back to the WPBN tower as a Class C1, but they would be precluded from being Class C by WCMW 103.9.


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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by Ben Zonia » Wed Jun 30, 2021 1:36 pm

They are now IDing W236BU in the TOH ID and mentioning 95.1 along with 98.1 and 95.3.


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Re: Classic rock on 95.1

Post by Ben Zonia » Fri Jul 02, 2021 9:10 pm

Just studied more about the topography of the area West of Traverse City. The highest point in Grand Traverse County is Exodus Hill, at 1214 feet AMSL. It is about 1 mile West of the WCCW-FM and WLDR towers. A similar height tower there would cast a longer terrain shadow East of the hills closer to Traverse City. Perhaps that is why it wasn't put there for FM, TV, and other UHF and microwave services, other than the fact that the site was also further for WCCW (AM) 1310 to reach Traverse City, and probably had even worse measured conductivity. According to past Leelanau County vacationer and World Radio Historian David Gleason, who worked at WCCW doing a Spanish Language public affairs show circa 1960, the signals from WCCW 1310 and WTCM 1400 were quite limited from this hilly area at his receiving location.

Here's a USGS topographical map showing the region, also showing the labelled WCCW-FM and WLDR LIC tower locations.

https://www.peakbagger.com/peak.aspx?pid=22050


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